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

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 189441



> Potioncat:
> <big snip>
> I hate to say it, but Marge's overall theory may be correct (at
> least in this series of books.) Do we ever see any character who
> isn't a lot like his parents/family? The only ones I can think of
> who aren't alike are Lily and Petunia. 

Mike:
I got a couple more unalike siblings for ya, PC. How about Sirius and Regulus, Albus and Aberforth, Percy and the twins? But the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree when it comes to parents and their children in the series. I guess Percy is quite a bit different from his father, Arthur, but he's very much Molly's son.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/189420

> dzturtleshell:
> But now that we bring up Harry's growing independence throughout
> the series, do you think he would have handled that dinner of
> insults with Marge any differently if it had happened when he
> was 14 or 15 or 16?

Mike:
Funnily enough, I think Harry would have handled it worse when he was older. The combination of him needing his Hogsmeade pass signed and him not being that confident of his magic, holds Harry back here. In later books, his growing magical abilities made him somewhat arrogant around his muggle kin. Look at how he handled Dudley in OotP, with his wand in his pocket.

Here's a conundrum for ya: What would have happened if Aunt Marge had come calling in OotP? With the Ministry looking to discredit Harry, if he had lost control and blew up his aunt then... But would he had even remained at the table when Marge first opened her mouth? It wasn't until the end of OotP that Harry understood why he had to stay with the Dursleys. In the beginning of OotP, would he have walked out and gone to,... oh I don't know, the Leaky Cauldron? 

Come to think of it, why did Harry bother going back to the Dursleys after PoA or GoF? Did Dumbledore force him? Because he certainly had enough money for the month or two stay at the Cauldron, and that's even if Tom charged him full price, which he may not have.

Mike