CHAPDISC: DH13, The Muggle-born Registration Commission

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 181321

Lizzyben:

6. Harry takes a number of impulsive actions in this chapter: taking
Moody's eye, stupefying Umbridge, and helping the group of Muggle-
borns to escape. These actions create both negative consequences 
(tipping off the Ministry), and also positive consequences (freeing
the Muggle-born wizards). Do you believe that Harry's actions were
rash, or were his actions justified?


Alla:

I would say both rush and justified. I mean maybe after the fact they 
could came up with something else entirely, but this is after the 
fact.

But I guess that I should say that to me no matter how rash it was, 
it was definitely justified, tipping off the ministry or not, they 
saved people.

Lizzyben:
8. Umbridge accuses Mrs. Cattermole of taking another wizard's wand,
and the Ministry propaganda accuses Muggle-borns of "stealing" magic
from pure-blood wizards. What does this mean? Does the Ministry
believe that Muggle-borns are literally stealing wands; or that
Muggle-borns steal magic by their very existence in the wizarding
world? How could this propaganda succeed when all wizards had seen
Muggle-born wizards perform magic on their own at Hogwarts? Do you
believe that the Ministry propaganda has convinced the wizards, or
are they simply too intimidated to contradict the Ministry?


Alla:

Actually I do not think Ministry ( or at least people in charge 
there) believes that muggleborns are stealing any magic in any way. I 
believe that people who came up with this propaganda (Voldemort and 
Co I mean) were just looking for any piece of idiocy to justify the 
mistreatment of muggleborns and voala, they did come up with this 
idiocy.

Now, whether general population believes it, I truly have no idea. If 
we look at how Harry and Dumbledore were treated at the beginning of 
OOP, I will not be surprised if general population does believe it. 
Although how and why they would believe it, I have no clue whatsoever.

I do want to believe that they are simply too intimidated to 
contradict the Ministry, as it often happens in the dark times in RL, 
but I just do not know.
 JMO of course.

Lizzyben:
9. In this chapter, the Ministry's "courtrooms" are used to terrorize
and intimidate the powerless. What is the novel's view of the legal
system? What does JKR seem to be saying about law versus instinct as
a basis for morality?

Alla:

I would say that JKR does not care much about WW legal system. I 
would say that she has no problem with good people changing the WW 
legal system as needed. 


Thanks for the interesting questions.