CHAPTER DISCUSSION: PS/SS 4, The Keeper of the Keys

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No: HPFGUIDX 187855

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Thanks again Alla, for some great questions. This is my first re-read of the series since well before DH came out. So it's fun to read the books after a span of time and with knowing how it all turns out. I just have a few observations rather than questions.

This had me laughing out loud, and not for JKR's intended reason. It's the first 2 lines of the chapter.

** Boom! They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.
"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

Ha! Who would have thought Dudley was a list-member! --(I have an idea or two about his member-name.) (Sorry, I'm still recuperating from the fire-whiskey at the party.)

A few pages later, Hagrid has just learned that Harry was never told about his heritage, and at that moment Vernon channels DD.

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!" **

This scene reminded me so much of the events at 12 GP Place with DD determined to keep information from Harry. Hermione apologized for not writing more but said DD wouldn't let them tell Harry anything. When Sirius wanted to explain things to Harry, Molly did her best to enforce DD's orders.  Not a foreshadowing exactly, but I guess a recurring theme.

And now, the often-debated incident of the pig's tail. 

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."** 

As I read this section this time, several different thoughts came into my head. 

The first has to do with the retribution issue. We've debated before why a good guy would punish a child for his father's actions. I don't know that we have an answer, but there is a basis for it. Fairy-tales are full of witches turning people into things. There is also a basis for evil wizards/witches harming children to get back at the parent. So I wonder now if that was what JKR had in mind.

McGonagall says "We don't use transfiguration as punishment at Hogwarts." But we know now that other parts of the WW do. There's a Wizard Card for a wizard who turned his 7 sons into porcupines. Crouch! Moody turned  Draco into a ferret.  We'll see at least 2 examples of children being punished because of their parents, but it will be Dark Wizards doing it. 

(OK, 3 if you count Snape/Harry)
 
The next thought had to do with the magic itself. Transfiguring a boy into a pig would be a difficult bit of work for someone who never finished 3rd year and has a broken wand. Hagrid doesn't really do so bad, does he?---at the magic, I mean.

And last, Harry asks a question. "Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" followed by "Why were you expelled?" Two biggies that of course don't get fully answered.  The final paragraphs smoothly moved on as if we had simply learned a tiny bit about Hagrid.

Isn't it fun how JKR slipped in little things like this?