CHAPDISC: HBP5, An Excess of Phlegm

[Juli]

No: HPFGUIDX 144132

  CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: 
  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 5,
  An Excess of Phlegm
   
   
  We ended last chapter with Harry’s visit to Slughorn – oops Professor Slughorn, and his arrival at The Burrow.
   
  Chapter 5 begins as Harry arrives at The Burrow escorted by Albus Dumbledore, where he is greeted by Molly Weasley and an ill-looking Nymphadora Tonks. After a couple of short phrases and their ‘hellos’ both Dumbledore and Tonks leave.
   
  Once inside the kitchen, Molly cooks a starved Harry some delicious home-made dinner while they discuss Horace Slughorn and Mr. Weasley’s new job at the Ministry of Magic, who by the way is still at work, but not for long, in a few minutes’ time he arrives. As a “loyal” MoM employee, Arthur Weasley sticks to their safety rules, which in this case is just a couple of embarrassing questions to confirm their identity. After a little conversation Harry excuses himself and goes to bed. He’ll be sleeping at the Twins’ old room who are living above their successful shop on Diagon Alley.
   
  Harry is woken up the next morning by Ron and Hermione, and before long they are talking about how their summer’s been going so far, the upcoming school year, the Order of the Phoenix, and The Prophesy, and Harry’s private lessons with Dumbledore. Harry tells his best friends what the Headmaster told him the year before: how he is ‘The Chosen One’ and that he must kill Voldemort or be killed. Ginny joins the Trio just moments before a very beautiful enters the room.
   
  Fleur Delacour, or as Ginny calls her, Phlegm, is engaged to Bill Weasley, and Bill thought it would be a good idea that Fleur would spend some time with his family, but the women at the Burrow disagree. Both Ginny and Hermione would prefer Tonks as Bill’s wife: she’s smart and beautiful, although not lately, she’s even lost her ability to metamorph. 
   
  Moments after they have arrived to the ground floor, the owls carrying their OWLs results arrive. Hermione is convinced she’s got nothing but T’s; but of course she didn’t, she has 11 OWLS, all with outstanding except DADA. Both Harry and Ron have gotten 7 OWLs each, and they are pretty happy about it.
   
  Harry feels a bit of disappointment deep inside. He didn’t get the O he needed in potions, therefore he won’t be able to continue his training to become an Auror someday, the only career he’s ever considered.
   
   
  Discussion Questions
   
  1)     We don’t see many people who call Dumbledore by his first name. Minerva calls him Albus (PS/SS Ch 1), maybe Mad-Eye Moody calls him Albus, perhaps also Fudge, but Molly? That’s a first. How close do you think the Members of the Order actually are? Molly calling him Albus makes me think that all of them see each other as family, not only as colleagues. What do you think?
   
  2)     Mollywobbles. Anyone knows what it means? Not being English myself I haven’t a clue about it.
   
  3)     Arthur’s greatest ambition is to discover how planes stay on the air. Don’t wizards and witches learn any physics at all? Don’t they –Arthur & Co- know that there are muggle books that can easily explain the basic concepts of aerodynamics? 
   
  4)     What’s with Fleur’s comment of Gabrielle? (The one when she mentions Gabrielle has been talking non stop about Harry). Is it a sign of what we may see in book 7, a possible relationship between her and Harry? Maybe Gabrielle as a young Ginny?
   
  5)     Which classes did Hermione actually took? And how is it possible for anyone to get 12 OWLS (like Bill Weasley and Barty Crouch Jr.)? Did they get Time-Turners? Or did they study the classes on their own without any professors' assistance? Is this what Hermione did?
   
  6)     We all know Tonks is seriously depressed. Is her depression because she has lost a dear cousin, or because Remus won’t marry her? Or perhaps a bit of both. What do you think?
   
  7)     Why wasn’t there a memorial, funeral, or wake for Sirius? I know there wasn’t a body to bury, but still, those who loved him needed to say good-bye: they needed closure.
   
  8)     Do you think that Molly’s clock with all its hands pointing towards mortal peril is a sign of what may happen in book 7? Will we be seeing more than one Weasley death? Who do you think it will be? When reading this chapter I got flash-backs to Molly’s bogart in Grimmauld Place. Will all her worst fears come true?
   
  9)     Why do you think Percy still won’t come back home? He knows that Dumbledore & Co where telling the truth all along, is it because “people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right”? Is it just a pride thing?
   
   
  10)                        Didn’t Bill ask for his parents’ permission before he took Fleur to live with them? Or are the Weasleys so polite that they keep their feeling about Fleur bottled up to protect Bill?
   
  Thanks to Penapart Elf for her help. I hope you all enjoy the discussion
   
  Juli
   

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