CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 27, The Centaur and the Sneak

[Petra]

No: HPFGUIDX 113688

Chapter 27, The Centaur and the Sneak

SUMMARY:

The Gryffindor fifth years first 
lesson with the centaur takes place a 
few days after Dumbledore trumped 
Umbridge by hiring Firenze.  Despite 
their sympathy for the very distraught 
Trelawney, some of the fifth years, 
namely Parvati and Lavender, very much 
look forward to lessons with the 
gorgeous centaur.  In general though, 
the rest of the students seem to find 
him intimidating.

Banished by his herd from the Forbidden 
Forest for agreeing to work for 
Dumbledore (considered a betrayal by 
the centaurs), Firenze teaches his 
version of Divination in a classroom 
that mimics his natural habitat, a 
forest clearing that is anything but 
like Trelawneys stuffy and fussy North 
Tower.  As the students gaze in awe at 
the sight of the night sky upon the 
classroom ceiling, Firenze dismisses 
their past lessons with Trelawney as 
the self-flattering nonsense humans 
call fortune-telling, much to 
Parvatis dismay.

Instead of wasting time on trivial 
hurts, tiny human accidents that are 
of no more significance than the 
scurryings of ants to the wide 
universe, Firenze talks of watching 
the skies for the great tides of evil 
or change that are sometimes marked 
there and of divining through the 
burning of certain herbs and leaves, 
by the observation of fume and flame.  
A far cry from the other teachers who 
have set their sights on the O.W.L.s, 
Firenze seems more concerned with 
impressing upon the students that 
nothing, not even centaurs knowledge, 
is foolproof.

As Harry and Ron leave at the end of 
the lesson, Firenze asks Harry to give 
Hagrid this warning since he should not 
go too near the Forest himself: 
Hagrids attempt is not working and 
that he would do better to abandon it.

Though taken aback by the centaurs 
effort to bring him to his senses, 
Hagrid stubbornly insists that his 
attempt is coming on fine and that 
Firenze doesnt know what hes talking 
about.  In the midst of worries about 
Hagrid and the ever-mounting pressure 
of preparing for the O.W.L.s, the D.A. 
lessons are the only bright spots in 
Harrys life.  But even that is coming 
to an end.

During one D.A. meeting, Harry receives 
a warning from Dobby that Umbridge has 
found out about the D.A. and is on her 
way.  Taking care to first order Dobby 
to lie if asked about warning him and 
to not hurt himself, Harry is the last 
to leave the Room of Requirement and is 
caught by Malfoy.  Gleefully escorting 
Harry, Umbridge enters the headmasters 
office without so much as a knock.

Already convened inside are Dumbledore, 
McGonagall, Fudge, Percy, Shacklebolt, 
and Dawlish.  With callous pleasure and 
indecent excitement, Umbridge informs 
Fudge, who regards Harry with vicious 
satisfaction, that Malfoy caught Harry 
on his way back to the Gryffindor 
Tower.

Taking the hint from Dumbledore, Harry 
wrong-foots Fudge when he, under 
Fudges interrogation, denies that he 
has any idea as to why hes been 
brought to the headmasters office or 
that hes broken any school rules or 
Ministry decrees.  In response to being 
stonewalled by Harry, Umbridge brings 
in her informant: Marietta.

Marietta is the daughter of Madame 
Edgecombe, one of Umbridges cronies at 
the Ministry of Magic whos been 
helping Umbridge police the Hogwarts 
fires.  Though reassured that she has 
done the right thing and that the 
Minister of Magic is very pleased with 
her (and will be telling her mother, 
who is in Fudges employment at the 
MoM, just what a good girl she is), 
Marietta is too distraught, scared and 
frightened by the face-disfiguring hex 
that Hermione has put on the list that 
all D.A. members signed to actually 
snitch on her fellow students.

When the silly girl continues to wail 
instead of giving testimony, Umbridge 
proceeds to tell the court -- erm, I 
mean the room -- that earlier that 
evening Marietta had managed to tell 
Umbridge that theres to be some kind 
of a meeting in the RoR before the hex 
went into operation, rendering Marietta 
too distressed to say any more.

Umbridge goes on to reveal that she has 
testimony from Willy Widdershins 
(probably in exchange for escaping 
being prosecuted for setting up the 
anti-muggle pranks that were the 
regurgitating toilets) about Harrys 
efforts to recruit members for an 
illegal society that first Hogsmeade 
weekend in the Hogs Head.

Though the prosecutors -- erm, I mean 
Fudge, Umbridge and Percy -- are 
momentarily stunned when Dumbledore 
points out that a DADA group was at 
that time *not* illegal, Umbridge 
recovers to counter with the assertion 
that all meetings since certainly are.  
Realizing in the nick of time that 
Umbridge is relying on Marietta to 
provide evidence that such illegal 
meetings took place, Shacklebolt 
imperceptibly modifies Mariettas 
memory before she can be called upon by 
Umbridge to testify.

Frustrated by Mariettas denial of the 
illegal meetings, Umbridge forgets 
herself, resorts to shaking Marietta 
violently, and has to be restrained by 
Dumbledore and Shacklebolt.  Fudge 
redirects the focus of the proceedings 
to the meeting that took place that 
night.  Umbridge tells of going to the 
RoR with her minions only to find that 
she was too late to catch them red-
handed.  She does however have the list 
that all of the D.A. members 
signedwith Dumbledores Army written 
in Hermiones hand at the top.

After getting over his momentary 
surprise, Dumbledore smilingly assumes 
the blame for hosting the illegal 
meeting that night.  Because the 
Ministrys worst fear *is* Dumbledore 
armed with his own army (Ginny was 
quite correct on the occasion when she 
first suggested the name), Dumbledore 
is able to shift Fudge and Umbridges 
focus from Harry to himself very easily 
by telling Fudge what he wants to hear 
and by dangling a bigger bait: himself.

Fudge is not to have the satisfaction 
and payoff of gaining custody of 
Dumbledore though, for the headmaster 
handily subdues the efforts to take him 
in.  As Dumbledore tells Harry that he 
must study Occlumency as hard as he 
can, Harry feels a pain shoot through 
his scar and that snake-like longing to 
strike Dumbledore.  In a flash of fire, 
Fawkes disappears with Dumbledore in 
tow just before Fudge et al recover 
their senses.



QUESTIONS to ponder (and my commentary):

[1]  Consider the truth in the 
following from Hermione: You mark my 
words, [Umbridge]s going to want 
revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a 
new teacher without consulting her.  
Especially another part-human.  You saw 
the look on her face when she saw 
Firenze.

Consider also that in response to this 
from Umbridge: I think, Minister, we 
might make better progress if I fetch 
our *informant*, Fudge said to 
Dumbledore with a malicious glance, 
Theres nothing like a good *witness*, 
is there, Dumbledore?  (All emphasis 
mine.)

Fudges substitution of informant 
with witness seems to be a telling 
one as the other mention of a witness 
in OotP marked the occasion on which 
Fudge and his ilk were trumped by 
Dumbledore through Dumbledores use of 
a witness.  It seems to me that as much 
as Fudge is holding firm to his grudge 
against Dumbledore, hes also taking a 
leaf out of Dumbledores book.

Umbridge exacted her (and Fudges) 
revenge beyond their expectations when 
her efforts to expel Harry culminated 
in the removal of Dumbledore from 
Hogwarts in this chapter.  Expanding 
Harrys world as laid out in the 
previous books, in OotP life at 
Hogwarts is often buffeted by the power 
struggles in the WW.  What hints have 
we seen in the chapters prior, of the 
variety and extent of Fudge and 
Umbridges efforts to discredit 
Dumbledore and to cultivate cronies 
that finally paid off so richly in ch. 
27?

[2]  Trelawney and Firenzes approaches 
to Divination are as different as night 
and day, as yin and yang.  Discuss 
these differences and what the fact 
that they can *both* be considered to 
be practicing divination tells us about 
the nature of this art.  When and if we 
learn more about Arithmancy, how might 
that fit into the picture?

(I realize that we know very little of 
JKRs concept of arithmancy as it 
functions in the WW but I would like to 
point out that we do know that the 
Professor is named Vector, which IIRC 
is a mathematical/physics term that can 
define a force by its magnitude and 
direction.  Lets consider this concept 
metaphorically.

I conceive arithmancy as a process in 
which all the forces in play are 
quantified as vectors, which then are 
added up to figure out which way and 
how strong the wind is blowing, so to 
speak.  An oversimplified example: if 
the sum of the forces of the vectors 
directed toward Good [i.e. members of 
the OotP] are less than the sum of the 
forces of the vectors directed toward 
Evil [i.e. DEs] then its a pretty good 
bet that the Dark Lord is going to 
prevail.

If Ive got this even close to being 
right, then success of arithmancy 
depends greatly on the accuracy of the 
assessment of a forces magnitude and 
direction.  In terms of people, this 
would be the persons ability to affect 
events and the persons motivation.  
Hmmis Hermione good at assessing these 
qualities?)

[3]  In chapter 15 of SS/PS (when Harry 
first met Firenze), we learned that the 
centaurs consider it shameful to carry 
humans like common mules and perhaps 
even more importantly, that they are 
sworn not to set themselves against the 
heavens and what is to come as 
indicated by the movements of the 
planets.  Does this tell us anything of 
the fundamental workings of centaur 
society and the role they see 
themselves playing on the (wizarding) 
world stage?

In contrast to the sensitivity on the 
part of the centaurs about being seen 
as servants or playthings of humans 
is the centaurs impersonal and 
impartial wisdom, part of which seems 
to be an ability to see the big 
picture.  Why then might the herd of 
centaurs find Firenzes actions so 
appalling that they would banish him 
for, in essence, setting himself 
against Voldemort?

[4]  What does Dumbledore mean when he 
says that he is not going into hiding 
and that Fudge will soon wish hed 
never dislodged the headmaster from 
Hogwarts?

[5]  Has a question arisen from this 
chapter for you?  Pose itplease!  :)



BTW, remember Parvati using her wand to 
curl her lashes?  Did you know that the 
little applicators for applying mascara 
to eyelashes are also called wands?  :p

Petra
a
n  :)



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