CHAPTER DISCUSSION PS/SS 9, THE MIDNIGHT DUEL

[bboyminn]

No: HPFGUIDX 188296



--- "powerbabe7" <powerbabe7 at ...> wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
> CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone
> Chapter Nine, The Midnight Duel
> 
> ...
> 
> Questions:
> 
> 1. Why do you think the Gryffindors are forced to do flying lessons with the Slytherins? and why is this the only time flying lessons are even mentioned?
> 

bboyminn:

Again, I'm with others on this, they are not 'forced' to have
classes together. It is just, within the world, a natural 
offshoot of having a certain number of students and a limited
number of teachers. Slytherin and Gryffindor have several 
other classes together. And we can logically assume that other
Houses also have mixed classes.

Of course, outside the world, as observers, we know JKR needed
to have Slytherin and Gryffindor together to perpetuate the
animosity between Harry and Draco. 

I think flying lesson are only ever mentioned this once because
we see most of the story from Harry perspective. After this 
lesson, he discovers he is a natural flier, and he is now on
the Quidditch team, so he never again needs to give thought
to flying lessons.

Also, I suspect flying lessons are not regular classes, they
exist only for first years, and only as an introduction to
broom flying. The goal is not to turn out proficient flyers,
it is to make sure everyone has the most basic level of
skill at flying. 

As a result, I don't really think Madam Hooche, who is a
Madam not a professor, is a full time teacher. I think she
comes in at the beginning of the year to introduce students
to broom flying, and to scope out the new Quidditch talent. 

After that, she merely come to Hogwarts to officiate the 
Quidditch games, and of course, there was the time when she
was called on to guard Harry during Quidditch practice.

So, I don't think Broom Flying is a regular on-going class,
it is a short schedule of classes at the beginning of the
year to introduce first years to flying. 

Keep in mind, that there may have been a few more flying
lessons after that first one that we are not told about because
Harry is now on the Quidditch team and doesn't need to think 
about them.  


> 2. Would you like to have a Remembrall ? Why or why not? What would you like to make sure you remember?
> 

bboyminn:

Well, as others, including Neville himself, have pointed out,
what it is knowing you've forgetten if you can't remember what
it is you've forgot. 


> 3. Do you think Neville is naturally clumsy and somewhat scatterbrained? or do you think his grandmother had a role in that?
>

bboyminn:

I think Neville is showing both the effects of stress and a
lack of confidence. And, yes, certainly his grandmother is 
doing nothing to ease either one. 

When people are pychologically stressed then tend to tighten 
up, both physically and mentally. That leads to all kinds of
physical clumsiness and awkwardness, but also to a range of
mental problems like an inability to do deep analytical 
thinking and a noticeable degree of forgetfulness. Neither
the other students, Snape, or Neville's grandmother to anything
to understand and improve his core problem. In fact they all
seem to be determined to do everything in their power to make
Neville worse. Only Harry, Ron, and Hermione seem to make any
really effort to help Neville, and I think it is very much 
their help and influence that gradually turn Neville around.

Remember Harry saying to Neville that he is worth 12 Malfoys,
and shortly after Neville standing up to Grabbe and Goyle? 

 
> 4. Malfoy chooses Crabbe as his second. If Crabbe and Goyle are both his friends, why do you think he picks Crabbe over Goyle?
> 

I'm inclined to think this is just random choice. I really 
doesn't matter whom he chooses since he doesn't intend to 
turn up anyway. 


> 5. Duels are written into many books and stories. More often than not, they are between a good and a bad person and they do not end on a happy note. What were your thoughts as soon as the duel was scheduled to happen? Did you think Ron, Harry, Malfoy, or even Crabbe might have died or gotten hurt?
> 

bboyminn:

I'm somewhat with Ron on this, I certainly didn't predict any
thing serious happening. At best it would have been roughly as
bad as the typical school boy fight between typical 11 year
olds. 

I also agree with Ron that neither of them knew enough magic
to do any real harm. Though I think part of Draco's motivation
might have been in knowing Harry didn't know /anything/ about
magic, and that would give Draco a distinct advantage and a
chance to show Harry up. I wonder if the idea of setting a 
Filch trap for Harry didn't come up later. 

If they had gone to the duel, they would have certainly gotten
into trouble. It seem almost impossible that they could or
would not get into trouble. However, if they just sent Harry
on a wild goose chase, then Draco comes off the hero for
reporting them, and only Harry is in trouble. Sweet revenge
for turning that broom flying/Rememberal incident against 
Draco. 


Additional Question and Answers -

>6. When arranging the duel Draco mentions that the door to 
the trophy room is "always unlocked." How does Draco know this?
And, perhaps more importantly, why is the trophy room always 
unlocked?
>

bboyminn:

There is A LOT that happens off page in these books. We see 
from Harry's perspective, so we have a limited view. Maybe
another Slytherin told Draco. Maybe Draco and his buddies
were discussing getting back at Harry, maybe even challenging
him to a Duel, and another student over heard and mentioned
the Trophy Room.

Or maybe Draco simply overheard other students or his father
and his father's friends talking about it. It really doesn't 
seem like that much of a mystery to me. 

If we assume Draco challenged Harry with the intension of 
setting a trap for him, then it doesn't even matter if it is
true, only whether Harry believes it is true. 

However, my personal opinion is that Draco challenged Harry
with the intension of humiliating him, but only later decided
it was safer for himself, is he simply told Filch and let
Harry get into trouble on his own.  

Next, it is not just the Trophy Room that is unlocked, during
the course of the stories, they are ducking into unused class
rooms all the time. I suspect the only rooms that are locked
are rooms that are for some reason restricted. 


> 7. Why was the door to the forbidden corridor set up so that
a simple "alohomora" could open it? Did Dumbledore simply trust
that the students would follow his orders?
>

bboyminn:

I think in general, during the day, the teachers were keeping
an eye on the room to make sure students were staying away. I
suspect all the upper years knew very clearly what room or area
Dumbledore said was off limits. But, Harry and the gang didn't 
specifically go seeking that room, they found it by accident 
when running from Filch. 

I suspect Dumbledore assumed that after his warning, and with
the teacher watching, and students finding the door locked, 
that would be enough to keep people away. Especially after 
the strength of his warning - painful death, I believe he
said. I think he believed none of the upper year students
would use that charm to open such a dangerous door, and I 
think he assume none of the lower years would be sufficiently
familiar with or proficient in the Alohomora charm to use
it. 

Again, remember that Harry and the gang are not there 
intensionally and are not willfully opening a forbidden door.
They are there by accident, and if they had known where they
were, they would not have opened the door. So, in that sense,
it would have worked. 

Steve/bboyminn