CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 2: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

[dzturtleshell]

No: HPFGUIDX 189399

1. Seriously - what is wrong with Aunt Marge? What kind of person hits a 5-year old in the shins?

dzturtleshell: I think we should be asking what Marge could have against Harry. She treats him like he somehow ruined her life, and it seems as though she has felt that way since he was an infant. Her attitude toward him, her insistence that he be present at all times for her constant criticisms, and the fact that the majority of her complaints are things over which he has no control. It sounds like sour grapes to me. (And I do think it's quite ridiculous to act like a sore loser as compared to a helpless five-year old!)


2. Given the little glimpse of Harry's life with the Dursleys that we see at the beginning of each book, what do you think the Dursleys' neighbors believe to be the reason that Harry attends St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys? And do you think they are concerned that he is allowed to come home every summer?

dzturtleshell: With Petunia being the type to crane over the garden fence to spy on the neighbors and Vernon calling the family out to admire the new car in loud voices for the rest of the street to hear, I've always felt that the Dursleys don't really have friends in their neighborhood. We never hear about Petunia having ladies over for tea or Vernon out doing something with the other dads. All of their interactions are related to image - cover up anything embarrassing and flaunt anything even mildly impressive. Taking this into account, I doubt the residents of Privet Drive believe anything the Dursleys say. 


3. Back to Aunt Marge - would you have been able to control yourself as long as Harry did? How about when you were his age?

dzturtleshell: I tend to remove myself from situations like that. I probably would have found a way to become violently ill so that I would be quarantined to my room safely away from her mouth for the week. 


4. Do you think that students from wizarding families are watched as closely by the ministry to see if they perform magic during the summer? Why or why not?

dzturtleshell: I can't remember which book addressed this, I believe it was 5, 6, or 7 because I remember thinking it would be frustrating to learn this tidbit when he was almost of age - But, at some point, one of the adults told Harry how the Ministry tracked underage magic, they could only tell where magical activity had occurred, they couldn't tell who did it. Whoever said it (I think it was Mr. Weasley??) said that the Ministry relies on the parents in wizarding families to police their own children at home. 
So, if the Ministry really isn't able to pinpoint magical activity like that, then Harry was "caught" in CoS and OotP because there are no other wizards on record in Little Whinging so any magic is most likely to have been done by Harry. But, in CoS when Ron uses his wand to start the flying car, the Ministry doesn't say or do anything because they are in the middle of London and there are a ton of wizards in that vicinity dropping their kids off at Kings Cross.  

Makes me wonder why no one noticed when Tom Riddle murdered his father and grandparents in the Muggle village in which they lived when he was 16. I thought there weren't supposed to be any other wizards there either?


5. OK, one more about Aunt Marge - can you think of any way in which she could have been written to be more unlikeable?

dzturtleshell: Definitely. The worst ones are those that pick at you so subtly and so personally that it makes you feel like dirt but you can't even complain (or say that they deserve being blown up like a balloon) because they did it so subtly everyone will just say you are being sensitive or paranoid. Snape was quite good at this. I'm sure each of you know someone in real life that is also. (Hopefully you aren't that person!)


6. Anything else that caught your eye in this chapter that should be discussed? 

dzturtleshell: This chapter is our first introduction to the mass murderer, Sirius Black. The first time you read this book, (assuming you read them in sequence and already knew of JKR's knack for easy-to-overlook hints), did you think the armed menace mentioned on the Muggle news was THE prisoner of Azkaban mentioned on the cover?

Also, did they announce Black's breakout on the Muggle news because they expected him to be after Harry (who lived in an all Muggle neighborhood at the time)? Or just because they didn't know how to find him and wanted to use every resource possible?