Chapter 1 (somewhat long)

[alm48er]

No: HPFGUIDX 136864

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:

> Just to be accurate for the benefit of non-UK readers, Chapter 1 is
set 
> in the summer of 1996. The Prime Minister was John Major, in his
last 
> year of office (and the US President was, of course, Bill Clinton). 
> Tony Blair was not elected until May 1997.
> 
> So Blair/Bush analogies aren't strictly correct. It would be 
> interesting to have a take on Blair meeting Rufus Scrimgeour...
> :-)


While I agree with Geoff that HBP probably took place during Major's
term (which is why I included his name and put it first), I think that
JKR may be having some fun with politics.  I believe that Larry
Gelbart at some point admitted that M*A*S*H was really more about the
Vietnam War than the Korean War, even though it was set in 1950 Korea.
 Something similar may be going on, here, especially as world events
changed from the time she conceived the series to the time she
actually sat down and wrote, or re-wrote this chapter.  

One detail that makes me think she's playing was the use of the
pronoun "he" to refer to  the current PM's predecessor (wasn't Major
right after Thatcher?); that could have been an attempt to place HP
clearly in a fictional land where the then current male PM followed
another male PM, or could it have been her taking liberties with time?

HOWEVER, I still would like to know whether people think that Kingsley
Shacklebolt's position is highly significant for the plot or just
another red herring!  

For the record, I think his placement high up in the Muggle government
is significant.  After all, look what he was doing in OotP - all the
while he was assigned by the MoM to find Sirius Black, he was
diverting anyone from actually finding him.  Would he be assigned
by the Order to continue with this sleight-of-hand, and thus, what
would his assignment be?  

In my earlier post, I suggested him as a possible outside contact for
Snape; after all, he wasn't posted at Hogwarts and thus wouldn't
immediately know that Snape killed DD, and may even be part of the
plan.  I think it was a plan, but not an exact plan, as many posters
have said.  Something went pear-shaped on top of the Astronomy tower
and Snape was forced by circumstance to AK Dumbledore.  DD gives out
information on a "need to know only" basis, and Shacklebolt may have
needed to know that Snape may be going under deep cover and why. 
Hence, his new assignment.

(What can I say?  In response to HBP, I've begun to read spy novels,
starting with LeCarre's, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold"!)

alm