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

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 187959

 
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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?

Pippin:
Hagrid had already made it plain that no Muggles were going to stop Harry from attending Hogwarts. If he hadn't shown up or sent an owl, someone would have been sent to fetch him. The Dursleys were laughing as they left King's Cross, though. If Harry wanted to put himself in the hands of the madmen who got his parents murdered, abandoned him in the first place, and now, suddenly and unaccountably (to the Dursleys) want him back again, let him go, and see how he likes it.

As for Dumbledore, the more he can appear to treat Harry like any other wizarding child, the better it will suit his plans.  

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> 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?

Pippin:
We don't know if Ron or Ginny had ever been to King's Cross before. In any case, Molly has five children and three baggage trolleys to manage. She'd want to make sure that everyone knows where they're supposed to go in case they get separated, especially since Fred and George would probably think it very funny to tell Ron or Ginny that the platform number had been changed.

As for slanting Harry's thinking towards Gryffindor, I'm not sure anyone ever thought that was necessary. Dumbledore's plan at this point is only to be sure Harry lives long enough to help him find and destroy the one horcrux that he assumes must exist, IMO. I don't think he *planned* to make Harry noble enough to voluntarily give his life in order to rid the world of Voldemort. Indeed, I think Dumbledore expected the opposite; that Harry would never cooperate with the horcrux project if he knew that he himself had no chance of living in a Voldemort free world. 


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

Pippin:
We'll see in Year Two what happens when Harry does not arrive on the train . McGonagall says then he should have sent  an owl. If Hagrid hadn't provided Hedwig for him, I think Dumbledore would have made sure Harry had some other way to keep in touch. 

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> 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?

Pippin:
IIRC, I had her pegged as a major character and Ron's future love interest as soon as she told him he had dirt on his nose. It's a pretty standard plot development: the hero will fall for the first eligible female he sees. Ginny, being Ron's sister, counted for Harry but not for Ron. 

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> 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? 

Pippin:
I think Draco was genuinely curious and genuinely suprised to be rebuffed. I imagine people in the Malfoy circle either like Draco or think it would be prudent to pretend to. And he couldn't imagine anyone actually wanting to be friends with blood-traitors like the Weasleys or a savage like Hagrid. He really thought he was offering Harry a better choice.

My impression was  that the Malfoy family were survivors and would somehow manage to come through it all, smelling like a rose but not much changed. 

Pippin