CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 5: The Dementor

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 189516


> Questions:
> Why do you think Mr. Weasley tells Harry not to look for Black?

Pippin:
Although Fudge says that the worst that Black did (betraying the Potters) isn't widely known, he's not keeping it a secret. He freely shares it with Hagrid, McGonagall, Flitwick and Rosmerta. Arthur has obviously heard something too, and Harry's question, "Why would I go after someone who wants to kill me?" or words to that effect, points us at what it is. Harry thinks he has a right to go after Voldemort for killing his parents (as Arthur may have heard from Ron) and  he might think he should go after Black as well. 

> 
> How well do you think the Dementor scene worked after the build-up, and why?
> What did Dumbledore's speech add to our knowledge of Dementors?

Pippin:
 I was prepared for something terrifying but the dementor was much eerier and much stranger than anything we had encountered in the WW so far except for Voldemort himself. The monsters Harry encountered previously had been  terrifying because of their size and strength: trolls, gigantic three-headed dogs, giant spiders and the basilisk. 

Dumbledore's speech tells us that Harry's invisibility cloak won't protect him, that Dementors are merciless and they will seize any excuse to harm a human, even a child. 


> 
> Chocolate is good for you. Discuss.

Perhaps Snape's teeth are so bad because he overmedicated <g>

> 
> Do you suppose Remus has been a teacher before?
> What do you imagine are the requirements for teachers at Hogwarts?


Pippin:
My personal theory is that the battered briefcase with its worn lettering belonged to a relative of Lupin's, perhaps his father. That would fit with all the people in canon who set their hearts on careers  because they're trying to live up to their fathers' example. I don't know if there are any official requirements for teaching at Hogwarts. You don't even have to be alive, witness Binns. Apparently the headmaster can select whomever he likes, though, as in the case of werewolf Lupin, there may be protests. 

> 
> What did you make of Ron & Harry noticing Professor Snape's expression of
> loathing of Lupin?

Pippin: 
I was sure there was something personal behind it. 

As for the other questions that have come up:

I think the Ministry ordered the train to be inspected -- I don't think the dementors did it on their own, although since they can make lights and fires and even stars go out or seem to go out, it's conceivable that the train lost power to its engine as well as its lamps when they arrived. 

I suspect Lupin doesn't find it easy to travel: possibly he can't afford floo powder and finds apparation difficult after a transformation. It's not unheard of for a teacher to take the Hogwarts express: nobody thinks it's odd when Slughorn does it. 

Pippin