CHAPTER DISCUSSION: ch. 32 "Out of the Fire"

[quigonginger]

No: HPFGUIDX 118329


Previously, in "The Order of the Phoenix":

Harry had been taking his History OWL when he had a vision of Sirius 
being held captive in the MOM by LV.  We join our hero as he comes to 
and attempts to make an early exit from the class.

Ch. 32 "Out of the Fire"

Prof. Tofty takes Harry from the exam room, chalking his experience 
up to exam nerves.  He kindly suggests that Harry take to his bed.  
Harry agrees, but instead heads off to the hospital wing in the hopes 
of telling Prof. McGonnagal what has happened.  

Upon arriving in the hospital wing, Harry is surprised to find only 
Madam Pomphrey and Montague.  He learns that Prof. M has been taken 
to St. Mungo's.  Harry panics as he deduces with his usual accuracy 
that there are no more members of the order left at Hogwarts.  

He finds Ron and Hermione, who have finished their exams and are 
quite worried about him.  They dart into a conveniently empty 
classroom and Harry tells them what he has seen.  

Hermione attempts to use logic to convince Harry that his vision may 
not be all that accurate.  He insists that it is.  Hermione responds 
with her now-infamous "saving people" line.  Harry is further 
angered, and the three procede to argue "fiercely" and "heatedly".  
Ginny and Luna enter the scene, attracted by the large amount of 
capital letters emerging from Harry's mouth.

When Harry answers her "roughly", Ginny tells him "cooly" that he 
needn't take that tone with her.  She asks if she can help.  Harry is 
not in the mood to accept her offer, but Hermione, suddenly taking 
another tack, suggests that Ginny and Luna can help.

Hermione suggests that they first check at 12 Grimmauld place to be 
certain that Sirius is really not there.  This angers Harry, but a 
pleading Hermione persuades Harry to listen to her plan.  Harry is to 
get his Invisibility Cloak from his room and meet her outside 
Umbridge's office as it is the only unguarded fireplace in Hogwarts. 
He leaves at once, and meets up with the others outside Umbridge's 
office.   

Ron goes to head off Umbridge by telling her that Peeves is smashing 
up the Transfiguration room.  Ginny and Luna are to guard the 
corridor by Umbridge's office to make sure that no one sees Harry and 
Hermione enter, and to give a signal if anyone shows up.  

Ginny immediately suggests that she and Luna can tell people that 
someone let off Garroting Gas.  Hermione is amazed that Ginny thought 
of this so quickly, but Ginny shrugs it off, saying that Fred and 
George had once thought of doing it.

Harry and Hermione have no problem getting into the office using 
Sirius' knife as Ginny plays her role well, telling people "in a 
convincingly exasperated voice" about the Garroting Gas.  Although 
they had worried that Umbridge would have put extra protection around 
her office after the second niffler incident, this doesn't seem to be 
the case.  

When Harry's head arrives at 12 Grimmauld place, it is empty.  (The 
kitchen, not Harry's head.)  He calls out and is answered by 
Kreacher, who has heavily bandaged hands.  Harry interrogates 
Kreacher, who is not forthcoming until Harry asks if Sirius has gone 
to the Dept. of Mysteries. Kreacher states that Sirius will not come 
back from the Dept. of Mysteries, and that Kreacher and his mistress 
are alone again.  Kreacher is quite cheerful about this.

Harry is forced out of the fireplace by an angry Umbrigde.  It seems 
she has indeed put up extra secutiry after all.  Hermione is being 
held by Millicent Bulstrode, and Draco takes Harry's wand.  Ron, 
Ginny, Luna and Neville (who tried to defend Ginny) have also been 
taken by members of the Inquisitorial Squad.  

After getting no truth from Harry as to why he was in her fireplace, 
Umbridge asks Draco to fetch Prof. Snape.  Harry realizes that McG 
hadn't been his only hope to reach the Order.  As Prof. Snape 
arrives, Harry wills him (Snape) to read his (Harry's) thoughts.  
Umbridge asks Snape for more veritaserum, but he can't comply as he 
has already given her his last bottle.  He does kindly offer her 
poison, but warns her that it would act too quickly to get a 
confession out of him.  Umbridge places Snape on probation, and he 
starts to leave.  

Seizing his last chance, Harry shouts "He's got Padfoot in the place 
where it's hidden."  Prof. Snape feigns incomprehension, and leaves, 
pausing to tell Crabbe to loosen his hold on Neville.  

As Umbridge is about to use the Cruciatus curse to make Harry talk, 
Hermione promises to tell all.  Sobbing first into Millicent's robes, 
and then into her hands to hide the lack of tears, she tells Umbridge 
that they were trying to contact Prof. Dumbledore to tell him they 
had finished the weapon.  Umbridge demands that Hermione and Harry 
take her to it, leaving the Inquisitorial Squad to guard the others.  

Tune in next time to hear Umbridge say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH"

Discussion Questions:

Note:  I have listed a few possibilities with each question.  These 
are only a springboard for your mind.  Feel free to add your own 
ideas.  I'm anxious to hear them!

Ginny has been noticed lying easily before.  (Telling her mother that 
Crookshanks had been playing with Dungbombs when it was she using 
them.)  In this chapter, she comes up with the Garroting Gas lie 
quickly, but says it was F&G's idea.  Later, she is very convincing 
when telling the other students about the Gas.

1)  Do you think that F&G really intended to use what seems to be a 
fatal substance for a prank?  Or was Ginny lying about that too?

2)  If Ginny continues in this vein, will she be a potential asset to 
the group?  Will she be good enough to fool LV, for example?  Or 
another Legilimans?  Or will she be a potential liability?  

3)  This is the second time that Ginny is able to cut Harry off mid-
pique.  (The first being when she points out that she too knows what 
it is like to be possessed.)  Does this speak for her character?  Or 
is it that she is someone outside the trio, so Harry is not as used 
to her comments?  Or (I'm gonna kick myself for asking this) could it 
have shipping implications?

4)  At the time Harry talked to Kreacher, Sirius is tending Buckbeak, 
whom Kreacher has injured.  Kreacher tells Harry that Sirius has gone 
out.  After Harry specifically asks about the D of M, Kreacher 
gleefully tells him that Sirius will not return.  What do you think 
Kreacher's role is in the set-up, and how did he know what he would 
be required to do?  (To explain:  Did LV know that Harry would check 
out #12?  Did he tell Kreacher what info to give and what to 
withhold?  Is Kreacher reporting back to LV?  And by LV, I mean all 
his evil henchpersons as well.)

5)  Umbridge says she is going to loosen Harry's tongue with the 
Cruciatus curse.  She is pointing her wand at Harry.  Knowing Harry's 
tolerance for the Quill, don't you think she would have gotten the 
truth out of him more easily by torturing one of his friends and 
making him watch?  Or does she not understand love between friends?  
Or did she choose to curse Harry in the hopes that one of his weaker 
friends would crack to spare Harry the pain?  

6)  What do you think of Snape's actions?  He managed to warn Harry 
that she had used veritaserum on him once, which should have put 
Harry on his guard.  He played up to Umbridge without being any help 
whatsoever. (And got in some delightfully snarky comments as well.)  
He saved Neville from choking with another snarky comment to Crabbe.  
Do you think he could have given Harry a clue that he understood 
him?  Or would that have been too risky as Umbrigde had just seen 
through him enough to put him on probation?  

Any other thoughts?  Feel free!

Please read the note below.  I managed to copy and paste right on the 
first try.   

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Ginger, thanking everyone for reading.