CHAPDISC: HBP1, The Other Minister

[n_longbottom01]

No: HPFGUIDX 141814

<snip>

> 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....  
>
<snip> 
>
> 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.
> 

n_longbottom01:

I agree the scene is a bit of a letdown to those who spent time 
speculating ahead of time about the previously abandoned and now 
finally used chapter.  But the scene serves its purpose... the casual 
Harry Potter reader is brought back up to speed on what's going on in 
the wizarding world.  If you hadn't read the previous books at all, 
or you hadn't read them in a long time, this entertaining little 
exchange between the wizarding and muggle governments reminds you 
where the major pieces are set on the gameboard.

I agree that there would have been "so much less to share" if this 
had been the opening chapter of Prisoner of Azkaban or The Order of 
the Phoenix, but there would have been a lot of interesting 
information in this scene if it was the opening chapter of the first 
book.  I think the scene would have been set in approximately the 
same time frame as "The Boy Who Lived." The scene could have been 
entirely about the events at Godric's Hollow.

The scene wouldn't have worked as well at the beginning of the 
series... sure we might have gotten some juicy information up front, 
but the opening to the series that we got works better.  We got to 
see some intriguing events that lead up to Harry being left on his 
Aunt and Uncle's doorstep, and then we learned about the Wizarding 
World along with Harry.  I think the scene works well where it is in 
the series.  We know enough about the ministry by this point in the 
series that it is fun to see the ministry interact with the muggle 
government, even though the conversation really only rehashes what 
has come before, rather than doing much to advance the story.

--n_longbottom01