CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 8: Flight of the Fat Lady

[willsonteam]

No: HPFGUIDX 189630



> 1) Do you think, considering that Harry is usually wrong about Professor Snape, that the 'Neville's boggart' story is why Snape seems so tense and angry these days?

Potioncat: I think it was a nice job of misdirection on JKR's part. She set us up with the Neville/Trevor/Boggart storyline and tied it to the Snape/Lupin dynamic—which we didn't fully understand until much later. So it was easy for Harry to attribute Snape's behavior to the Boggart and easy for us to go along with it.

Now that we've completed DH, the scene in this chapter, where Snape looks after DD with resentment makes sense. Snape's reason for being is to protect Harry and right now DD is rejecting every idea Snape has.

Another misdirection in this chapter is Black's attack on Halloween night. Ron thinks they were fortunate that Black forgot about the feast and so didn't get Harry, but really Sirius was using that opportunity to go after Scabbers.

 
> 3)How do you imagine Hermione survived all those years in the girls' dorms?

Potioncat: Some years she seems to get along better with her roommates than others;  she seems to know who people are in general. So I don't think she's completely at odds with the girls. She also seems to finds friends from other years and houses.


> 
> 4) What did you make of the interactions between Lupin and Snape?

Poitioncat: I thought it was Snape's usual jealousy of the DADA teacher, but with something else going on.  Again, JKR gave us just enough to have us wondering and  so that things made more sense later.


> 
> 5) Is Lupin's idea that Harry's Boggart might be Lord Voldemort reasonable, considering Harry was just over a year old when he saw him?

Potioncat: Harry himself thought of LV first. So, yes, I think it was reasonable.


> 
> 6) Do you think Peeves might have had an amicable relationship with the Marauders, as later it's apparent he has with the Weasley twins, and might he have been present when Sirius was in the castle?

Potioncat:
I missed any reference to Peeves getting along the twins—unless you mean later during Umbridge's time. I think Peeves is always out for trouble and doesn't care who he taunts. It doesn't seem to me that he and Lupin have any good vibes.

What do you think of Peeves's parting comment that Sirius Black had a bad temper? Do you think he was referring to young Sirius—or just exploiting the current situation?

One thing really jumped out at me this time—others may have picked up on it earlier. Harry came very close to telling Lupin about the dog he saw, but changed his mind. Lupin would have known at once the dog was Sirius. How do you think he would have reacted? Would he have thought Harry had a near miss, or would he have realized Sirius wasn't trying to hurt Harry?

Thanks for the great questions.