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

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 189464



> CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
> Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

Mike:
This was one of my favorite chapters in the entire series. We got to see Harry interact in the wizarding world, without anyone knowing who he was, until Fudge showed up. We got to see everyday, ordinary witches and wizards, going about their day. It was exciting to see such a boring part of wizarding existence. ;-)

BTW, I loved how we saw a sickly Mrs. Marsh in this chapter and later, in OotP, the same Mrs. Marsh shows up on the Knight Bus. It's one of the things that JKR does well throughout the books.


> QUESTIONS:
> We are introduced to Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the Knight
> bus. What do you think of his magical education?

Mike:
This is what I mean. I know Stan shows up later as a kind of running joke (until DH). But I enjoyed the moment in this chapter, Stan and Ernie just being bus driver and conductor. It was a slice of life, with nobody special (as far as Stan and Ernie knew). 

Oh yeah, the question. I pretty much figured Stan was a dropout. In fact, I figured Stan quit after his third or fourth year, probably never even made it to his OWLS. Or if he did, he didn't pass anything and was told his magical education is over. As Pippin said, he was then free to practice whatever magic he could perform, he was already out of Hogwarts so they couldn't expel him.


> QUESTION:
> 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? 

Mike:
I didn't know at the time, but when I later learned of the Reducto spell, I figured Pettigrew used that to blow up the street. Whichever people that weren't killed by flying debris probably *could* have died from a gas main explosion.

As far as power of the curse, Pettigrew was trapped and probably had a powerful incentive to put behind the curse. We know in the WW that intent counts for a lot, and I'm thinking adrenaline doesn't hurt. Pettigrew probably had both going for him, enough to conjure a very powerful Reducto.


> QUESTION:
> 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?

Mike:
Fudge? Important? Well, I guess by position, but not in stature. I had already pegged Fudge as the bumbling bafoon, political division. 


> QUESTION:
> Do you think that Fudge knows about Harry's blood protection in
> Privet Drive ?

Mike:
I figure Dumbledore told Fudge that Harry was protected at Privet Drive and that was about it. I doubt very much Fudge knew how or what was protecting Harry. Dumbledore doesn't give up those kind of secrets very easily. In fact, I'll bet the Order didn't know it was "blood protection" either.


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

Mike:
Well, Fudge thinks so. He said they were angrier than he'd ever seen them when Black escaped. I don't know how Fudge can tell, or even if he could tell. But that's what he said, right before he shuddered. In this same chapter, in his talk with Harry. We're never given anything to refute that, so even if it was Fudge, I gotta believe he wasn't completely making it up.

~Mike