CHAPDISC: HBP1, The Other Minister

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 141798

KathyK quoted:
> Surely you can sort out –well--*anything!*"  
> 
> To which Fudge replies, "The trouble is, the other side can do 
> magic too, Prime Minister."  And both wizards depart.

SSSusan:
My favorite bit from the entire chapter! It captures in so few words 
the (probably understandable) misconception of the Muggle PM as well 
as his frustration, while also providing us with a nice, quick, all-
too-undeniably-true counterargument. 


KathyK:
> 1. JKR wrote on her website: 
> *******************************************
> The Opening Chapter of Book Six
> 
> I have come close to using a chapter very like this 
> in 'Philosopher's Stone' (it was one of the discarded first 
> chapters), 'Prisoner of Azkaban' and 'Order of the Phoenix' but 
> here, finally, it works, so it's staying. And that's all I'm going 
> to say, but when you read it, just know that it's been about 
> thirteen years in the brewing.
> ****************************************************
> http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=6
> 
> Does this scene work?  If so, what made it work here in contrast to 
> the other potential locations in the series?  Is it simply that 
> Fudge has more information to disseminate or are there thematic or 
> stylistic reasons to include this scene now?

SSSusan:
Am I the only one who was *disappointed* that THIS was It???  I know 
I had my heart set on backstory on Godric's Hollow, and this was 
so... NOTHING.  Okay, well no, it wasn't nothing, and it had its 
moments of humor, but....  

I think I've learned my lesson now that JKR, when she offers up one 
of these previews, is NOT necessarily giving us Something Big.  The 
description of the leonine guy?  Wow, did we ever toss and turn all 
kinds of possibilities around for that one!  And he turns out to be 
NOT Lupin or Godric Gryffindor or the new DADA instructor, but Rufus 
Scrimgeour.  A new character with not a huge role to play in the 
series, and whose physical characteristics (which were highlighted in 
the preview) certainly played to *no* import in HBP.  Huh.  

And then this "I wanted to use this before" chapter which had us all 
thinking, "Oh, boy!  BIG stuff!"  Only to have it be "just" a meeting 
between the WW and MW head honchos.  

Truth be told, I have a hard time imagining just how JKR would've 
used this earlier.  There would have been so much less to share 
between the two men.  I could see it, sort of, at the start of PoA, 
and perhaps by the time of OoP, but I cannot imagine it as early as 
PS/SS.


KathyK:
> 3.  The PM appreciates why a fearful wizarding public would prefer 
> Scrimgeour to Fudge.  What differences do we encounter between the 
> two?  Besides the lime green bowler hat


SSSusan:
Ooooh, excellent question... for which I don't have much of an 
answer! ;-)  Actually, Scrimgeour gives off a definitely stronger air 
of competence and confidence in this chapter than Fudge ever did.  
Fudge is bumbling if nothing else, pretty obviously "playing" 
situations for damage control and the least amount of harm to his own 
position and office.  Scrimgeour, while in the END not striking me as 
terribly significantly different than Fudge, at least at first gives 
one the impression that he *might* be.  

I do think it's interesting that, after this fairly promising start, 
we end up with a MfM who's really just incompetent in slightly 
different ways than the former one.  Anybody disagree with me on that 
or care to convince me otherwise?


KathyK:
> 4.  Fudge shows up and tells the PM a bunch of things that he is 
> powerless to do anything about.  <snip>  What is the 
> point of telling the Muggle Prime Minister anything about what is 
> going on in the WW?  Law? (What is the relationship between the WW 
> government and the Muggle government?)  Courtesy? Glaring 
> Incompetence?

SSSusan:
Hee.  While I *like* Glaring Incompetence, my vote goes to courtesy.  
PERHAPS also information is provided in hopes of the assistance of 
the Muggle government, such as in the case with Sirius' escape -- you 
know, should they actually find themselves in a position of having 
discovered or cornered him.  But I do think much of it is just 
courtesy.  Run-of-the-mill disturbances or crimes need not be 
reported, but when there's the possibility of what I'd 
call "crossover consequences," it only seems fair to give the Muggle 
PM a heads up.


KathyK:
> *With special thanks to hitchyker42 for doing all the work ;-)  
> Well, some


Siriusly Snapey Susan, 
waves at hitchyker42 and admonishes, "You should start posting!" ;-)