CHAPTER DISCUSSION PS/SS 6, The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarter

[bboyminn]

No: HPFGUIDX 187954

---  "Geoff" <gbannister10 at ...> wrote:
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> CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone
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> Chapter Six: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
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> 1. Dumbledore seems to have left contact with Harry in the hands of Hagrid. What do you think would have happened if the Dursleys had refused to take Harry to Kings Cross? Was there a Plan B available? Being a special case, would it have made more sense to arrange to take Harry directly to Hogwarts?
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bboyminn:

I've always thought that Dumbledore was having a private laugh
to himself in sending Hagrid to assist Harry. I think Dumbledore
would find sending a giant to fetch Harry to be very impessive 
for Harry, and very amusing to himself.

Plus Hagrid has been involved with Harry since the very beginning.
I think Dumbledore felt that Hagrid has a real stake in Harry's
life, and as such, had a real right to take part in bringing
Harry to Hogwarts.

Now as far as Hagrid being the contact person, well, he was the
only wizard that Harry knew, and a letter to Hagrid is as good
as a letter to Dumbledore. Although I don't think Harry would have
been comfortable writing to Dumbledore, a headmaster, a respected
wizard, and a stranger. 

Now he might have seen McGonagall's name of the Hogwart's letter,
and assumed that she might be the person to contact. 

However, if he was forced to write because the Dursley's were
giving him a problem, I think Harry would have felt better 
writing to both a friend and someone who had the clear power to
intimidate the Dursley's. 

I don't think Harry would have ever refused himself. Hogwarts
and the wizard world were too much of a connection to his dead
parents, and he would have done anything to have a stronger
link to them. 

As to 'Plan B', I think it was probably a, we'll deal with it
when we come to it, situation. There was no planned out 'Plan
B', but certainly Dumbledore would have given Harry every chance
and every means to come to the school if he wanted to. 

As to arranging an alternate method for Harry to arrive at
school, I think not. I think Harry rode on the train because
Dumbledore wanted Harry's experience to be as normal as 
possible, and I suspect many first years met their friends on
that long train ride to the school. I think, if it was at all
possible, the train was Dumbledore's preferred method. 


> 2. It seems strange that Harry should just happen to overhear Molly mentioning Muggles and particularly strange that she should ask for the platform number considering that all three of the boys had made at least one previous trip on the Hogwarts Express. Could this be a discreet way of manipulating Harry so that he meets the "right" people on his way who will slant his thinking towards Gryffindor?
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bboyminn:

I think likely the Wealsey's stood out in a crowd, what with all
the kids having flaming red hair, and they tend to be a somewhat
outspoken family. Rarely do the Weasley's ever move quietly
about anywhere. So, I don't doubt that Harry would pick them out
of the crowd and zero in on them.

Though I do think Molly's comment muggles and the platform
number were a little contrived. We've discussed this here before. Molly has already had several kids go to Hogwarts, so she 
probably mutters the platform number in her sleep, she knows 
it so well. I mean there is only ONE magical platrom; it's not
like she was saying, well what platform are they using this year.
The bool later clearly states that there is only one. 

But, as a read I understand that JKR had to do something to get
Harry to follow the Weasley's, and it seemed to work; I didn't
question it at the time. 

As to their meeting being contrived by Dumbledore, I doubt it.
If that were true, then why not just have Molly keep an eye
out, and approach Harry and introduce herself. Seems simple
enough, and I can't see any negative consequences in doing so. 

But, I think JKR wanted Harry to proceed with uncertainty. I 
think she wanted us to feel how anxious Harry was in that
moment. 

 
> 3. Suppose Harry had not overheard this conversation? What then? Was there a Plan B here as well?
> 

bboyminn:

I sure Dumbledore or McGonagall, had casual thoughtof what they
would do if things we awry. But I don't think there was a plan.
However, if an alternate course of action became necessary, I
don't think they would have been at a loss for what to do. 

If you are referring to meeting the Weasley's, I'm sure they 
would have met eventually, it would have just taken longer. 
So, in this regard, I see no need for a Plan B here. They 
were both going to spend 10 month out of the year for the
next 7 years living in the same room and going to the same 
classes. They were likely to become friends anyway. 


> 4. When Hermione first appears, she is described as having a "bossy voice" and she seems to behave in this way when she returns to the compartment after the incident with Malfoy. What was your first impression of Hermione? Did later events confirm this for you or not?
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bboyminn:

I never gave much though to Hermione, though I assumed they
would eventually be friends. When a character is introduced
this early and with this level of prominence, she is certainly
going to be significant in the story. The only logical way she
could be significant would be to become of friend and ally of
Harry's. 

Perhaps that was a less than sound assumption on my part, but
it seemed to work out.


> 5. At this point in the story, do you see the friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione taking off as it did later after the troll incident at Hallowe'en? On first reading, how would you have expected things to proceed?
> 

bboyminn:

I intuitively assumed it from the beginning, that they would 
become friends, but Harry's comment about tackling a troll 
together cemented it.


> 6. What do you think prompted Draco's visit to the compartment? Do you think he genuinely wanted to make a friendly contact with Harry? If not, how do you interpret the contact? If he did want to strike up a relationship, what effect do you consider Harry's rejection had? What long term implications did there seem to be at this point in time? 
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bboyminn:

This has also been a much discussed subject, and my opinion has
never wavered on it.

I think, in a sense, Draco sees himself as a Prince of the wizard
world. He grew up in power and privilege and assumes that just
how things are. He sees himself as an aristocrat, inherently 
better than those commoners around him. 

I think he assumed that when he arrived at Hogwarts he would
be admired, adored, and envied by everyone. 

I think Draco went to Harry's compartment with the full intension
of making Harry his friend. But, not to be Harry's friend, but
to make Harry his friend; one of his fawning admirers. 

And he might have stood a chance of forging a polite grudging
friendship. If he has only NOT insulted Ron Weasley and the
Weasley family. By the time Draco had shown up, Harry had 
already started to like Ron, and the beginning of their
friendship was forged. 

Draco made the arrogant mistake of making his handshake 
conditional, by accepting me and my handshake, you are rejecting
him, Ron. Harry simply couldn't shake Draco's hand under the
impossible conditions that Draco had set.

Harry is a very polite well mannered boy, I'm sure he would
shake anyone's hand simply out of courtesy, but Draco made
that basic act of courtesy impossible for Harry, and more
importantly, I'm not sure Draco ever understood this.

When Harry refused his handshake, Draco was genuinely hurt
by it. It would be like meeting Prince Harry, and refusing
to shake his hand. I think that hurt and that slight are
what turned Draco against Harry for the entire series. To
think that someone like Harry would choose a common Weasley
over himself, was impossible for him to fathom or to accept.

If he couldn't raise Harry up above the Weasley's then he would
have to take him down a peg or two. And from that point on
taking Harry down became an obsession. Yet we see that
Draco is not very good at it. Every attempt to bring Harry
down, ultimately ended up hurting Draco more, and thereby
infuriating him more. Then he turned to more dark and 
desperate way of taking Harry down, which in turn all went
badly for him.

Now back to one other aspect that had to drive Draco nuts.
He expected himself to be the King of the School, yet once
'the famous Harry Potter' arrive, all eyes were on Harry 
instead of Draco, which is where they belonged. Poor Draco,
driven by anger and envy to continually make the wrong 
choice, and to continually hurt himself far more than he
ever hurt Harry. 

Later though, when things move beyond schoolyard taunts, Draco
gets himself in WAY over his head. I think to some extent
he felt he had to take his father's place in the family. To
uphold the name of Malfoy, but he found that schoolboy 
taunts were a lot easier than have to do dark and dangerous
things like kill people. 

In a small way, I felt sorry for Draco. His whole pattern of
'aristocratic' thinking, brought him nothing but misery and
pain. I think by the end, he had learned a little humility. We
don't see Draco and Harry as friends at the end, but we don't 
see them as enemies either. They seem to maintain a polite
distant acceptance of each other. And, I think given all that
happened, that is indeed something.

Steve/bboyminn