CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 189437

 
> QUESTIONS:

> Harry senses something/someone watching him, he sees the outline of "something
> very big, with wide, gleaming eyes," Who/what did you first think of upon
> reading this?

Pippin:(snipping some questions where she has nothing to add)
I thought of Dobby, who was first glimpsed as eyes peering out of a hedge.

Lui:
> We know that Harry's location is relatively unknown, so much that even DE's/
> Voldemort couldn't swoop down on him during DH, even though "they know the
> general area of the house,"- yet, Ron and the twins were able to rescue him in
> CoS and now  Sirius in his Animagus form was also able to locate him . How do you think they know where to find Harry at all?

Pippin:
 I think the blood protection  keeps out anyone with a dark mark or  an intention to harm Harry or Petunia, and there must be additional magic to keep wizard sightseers away as well.  Since Sirius doesn't have a dark mark, doesn't want to hurt Harry and isn't a casual visitor, the magic wouldn't see him as someone to keep out. But I think any wizard not barred by the spells who bothered to learn how to read a muggle map and use a telephone directory could find the house. 

Lui: 
> It says in the newspaper that "Black" (eventually we know it was that rat
> Pettigrew) murdered thirteen people with one curse. What spell do you think he
> used? Do you think the Killing Curse was involved, or that Pettigrew would be
> powerful enough to cast a similar curse?

Pippin:
If Voldemort  had discovered a spell to kill numbers of people at once, he'd use it. In fact I see that as the source of his eventual dissatisfaction with the Elder Wand. I think Peter blew up the street, which really did cause a gas explosion. Like Draco, in fact like most people,  he's more lethal by accident than by intent. If he had known such a spell it would have been to his advantage to use it when he escaped from the Shrieking Shack, because there would have been no one to report that he was still alive. 

Lui: 
> Harry steps down to London and is greeted by none other than Cornelius Fudge,
> Minister of Magic. Why do you think such an important political figure came to
> fetch Harry?

Pippin:
I don't think it was a publicity stunt per se. There are no photographers or reporters present. But I do think Fudge wanted to say he'd taken personal charge of Harry's safety, and he made sure that Tom, Ernie and Stan knew it. The word would get out. 

Lui: 
> Harry is relieved from any punishment for blowing up his Aunt, and doesn't
> even get expelled for using underage magic. Fudge even looks uncomfortable and
> deliberately makes excuses to not explain his actions. What was your first
> reaction to this?

Pippin:
I thought Harry was lucky, and I wondered what was going on, much like Harry himself. In retrospect, it helps to set up Harry's angry confrontation with Scrimgeour later in the series, where he says that "you people", ie the Ministry, never get it right, always overreacting or not doing enough. He still thinks, at that point, despite all his experiences to the contrary,  that any decent person should automatically know what to do. 


Lui: 
> On a different note, with the knowledge of the series, do you think Dementor's
> can get angry?

Pippin:

Why not? I think they are a sort of personified spiritual projection, a bit like Peeves, but created by grief and despair rather than adolescent high spirits. 

Pippin
Thanks for the summary and the thoughtful questions