CHAPDISC: DH1, The Dark Lord Ascending

[pwrmom2]

No: HPFGUIDX 176269

Geoff:
> Why did JKR create Charity Burbage, Professor of Muggle Studies,
> just to be killed by Voldemort in Chapter 1?
>
> She is effectively a non-entity. we have no other references to
> her and  I have to say that it left me emotionally untouched because
> she was a stranger, just another name in the long list of Voldemort's
> victims.That probably sounds callous but that often happens in real
> life situations.


My personal opinion wasn't that the death was supposed to have much impact on us, think of the other deaths in the opening chapters of the other books, people we really don't know or care about.  I think the purpose of this was to show Voldemort's feelings about Muggle studies.  It wasn't enough just to kill her, he kind of tortured her.  In his opinion she is a major traitor, a witch who respects Muggles, worse she teaches impressionable magical youth to respect and understand them as well.  The ultimate blood traitor.  Also, he had her hanging there with Malfoy present, I think to make an impression on him as well, he knew who she was, look at his reaction to her presence there.

Pwrmom2