CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 9, The Woes of Mrs. Weasley - Discussion Question

[Christy]

No: HPFGUIDX 88419

>5. Having read the rest of OOP, there seems to be no reason to
>believe that Fudge is under the Imperius Curse, but how could
>Dumbledore know this for sure?

I doubt that Dumbledore knows anything for sure. I believe that his
statement is based on his knowledge of Fudge and, in some part, the
knowledge of how Voldemort worked before. I think that Dumbledore is
trusting in the fact that Voldemort was so intent on his one plan that
he neglected any other avenues, including placing Fudge under his
control. But I also get the impression from reading the whole passage
that Dumbledore hardly trusts Fudge. Like before, there's a bit of
doubt with every person now.

>8. Does Mrs. Weasley's glib mention of Scabbers suggest that
>she doesn't know who he really was? If so, why not?

Do we ever know that she was told Scabbers' true identity? Until the
end of GoF she didn't know about Sirius, so why would she know about
Scabbers? I think that detail was overlooked by everybody.

>9. In past discussion, Mrs. Weasley has come under a lot of fire
>for her behavior when she discovers that Ron has been made a
>prefect. She is criticized for dismissing Fred and George ('that's
>everyone in the family!') and for 'bribing' Ron for his achievement.
>Do you feel that these criticisms are justified? How do the
>revelations about Mrs. Weasley's state of mind later in the chapter
>affect your opinion of her? Is it possible that she's overreacting
>to the first bit of good news she's had in a while? Could Mrs.
>Weasley's joy over Ron's selection have something to do with
>Percy? Is she perhaps trying to recreate her lost favorite son in >Ron?

Well, I don't see Mrs. Weasley as bribing Ron, as he's alreay gotten
the badge at that point. However, she does seem to forget about Fred
and George. Why that is... well, I'm inclined to believe that like any
mother, she sees where her twins are headed, and more importantly, is
trying very hard to not see it. She wants to believe that all her boys
are perfect. After all, she says "everyone" but Ginny can hardly be
included in that statement. She seems to be grasping at straws during
a very difficult time, and at the same time forget about the fact that
two of her sons are not going in the direction she wants. So like any
devoted mother might, she chooses to see just the good, and
momentarily "forgets" about Fred and George.

>12. Harry's argument with himself after Ron gets the prefect's badge,
>and his decision to be happy for Ron, are a rare example of emotional
>maturity. One could argue that it is in fact the last instance of >that
>kind of maturity until the very end of OOP, when he comes out of his
>grief long enough to feel sorry for Luna. What is it about this
>situation that brings out the adult in Harry? Does it have something
>to do with the GoF Rift, and his perception of Ron as constantly >being
>in his shadow? Why does Harry find himself incapable of exercising
>this same kind of introspection and maturity at other points during
>OOP?

Like any teen, he has moments of clarity. It's not the situation, but
rather just good timing. I'm sure that his realization that he
perceives Ron as being in his shadow helped him to realize that he was
being childish. Harry also demonstrates some realizations that he has
acted like a child towards the end. He places his friends into very
serious danger, and realizes it fully. Granted, he can't do anything
about it by then, but the fact that he can see it is a hugs step. Most
adults can't admit they've madea  mistake. It takes even more maturity
for a teenager to do so.

>13. Sirius tells us that James wasn't a prefect, and yet we know from
>PS/SS that he was Head Boy. Several suggestions have been made
>in the attempt to resolve this paradox, among them the claim that
>this is a FLINT, the suggestion that a HB isn't necessarily selected
>from among the prefects, and the suggestion that Lupin was
>stripped of his prefect's badge, which was given to James. Which,
>if any, do you think is true? What do you think this bodes for >Harry's
>chances of being made Head Boy?

We've never had any idea what the rules were for selecting prefects or
the Head Boy/Girl. It's kind of hard to say something is incorrect if
you don't know the rules. Do I think the Head Boy is likely to come
from a prefect? Sure, since they've already demonstrated the ability
required. Do they have to? I doubt it. Like any system, there are
always exceptions. I don't think that Lupin had his badge stripped
from him. I think that James, as a person, grew over the last few
years. After all, the person we see in Snape's memory and the person
who showed so much courage in standing up to Voldemort are not the
same. James' actions toward Snape are childish and insecure. We're
missing a crucial piece in the puzzle still, and I think it will
explain a lot about James. Could Harry be Head Boy? Sure, why not? But
I think that JKR has much greater things in store for Harry.

>17. Is Mrs. Weasley really reassured, or has she simply regained
>her composure enough to feel embarrassed? Why is she so
>ashamed of her fear, and why doesn't she want her husband told
>about it? Do you think we'll be seeing more of Mrs. Weasley's
>woes? Do you think she'll be able to handle the stress of the
>coming war?

Again, there's a big piece here that we're missing. Obviously, any
mother's greatest fear is probably losing any of her children. Why she
doesn't want Arthur to know may simply be embarressment. Can she
handle the stress of war? Well she has once already, but I think that
the Weasley family has already suffered a lot, and I'm sure that has
something to do with the fear the Molly presents.

Just some thoughts, though I apologize if there seems to be some
inconsistency, as I'm rather tired...
Cheers, 
Christy