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

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 189398


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

Pippin:
The same sort of person she is as a dog-fancier who drowns puppies. Childhood, to Marge, is not a protective cocoon -- it's a Darwinian contest from birth. Resources should not be wasted on the unfit, ie anybody who might take them away from her Dudders. 

Megan: 
> 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?

Pippin:
I doubt they believe the St Brutus story and I'm sure they know Dudley is a bully. But they probably think there's something odd and possibly very wrong about Harry too. Their kids will  be aware of the weird stuff that happens when Harry's around. Best not to get involved. It isn't all wizard concealment that allows the WW its clandestine existence. There's a great deal of Muggle denial involved as well. 

Megan:
> 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?
> 
Pippin:
Harry's had a lot of practice. He's also about  the age when I discovered that it was in fact possible to pretend that what the bullies said didn't bother you, so yes, I think I could have done it. 

> 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?

Pippin:
We know that there's a special degree of watchfulness on Privet Drive. The ministry wants to know if magic is being performed in Harry's vicinity, in light of previous events, as Fudge puts it somewhere. Unfortunately the Trace apparently can't detect any difference between a hover charm performed by a wizard and one performed by a House Elf. And what would a House Elf be doing at Privet Drive? 

I suppose the person monitoring for magical activity at Privet Drive in CoS wanted to show that they were on the job and referred the matter to Mme Hopkirk without considering what the consequences for Harry would be.


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

Pippin:
Oh yes. She could pretend to have Harry's best interest at heart and have a quill that makes him cut words into his hand. 

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

Pippin:
There is a lot of talk in this chapter about people getting what they deserve. Do people get what they deserve in the Potterverse? Or is that a myth which the characters use to explain away the arbitrary inequalities in their lives?

Pippin