Chapter Discussion: Goblet of Fire Ch 3: The Invitation

[willsonteam]

No: HPFGUIDX 191366

Pippin wrote a wonderful summary and these questions:

1. Sugar-free treats seem an odd gift for someone complaining about diet food. What was Hermione thinking?

Potioncat: They do seem odd, don't they? I don't Hermione was thinking of calories, but of oral hygiene. Her parents are dentists and she is probably used to limiting sweets. Or perhaps while at her parents, only has access to sugarless foods.

2. We learn that it took Errol five days to recover from delivering the Weasley's care package to Harry. Is it fair for the Weasleys to overwork their owl, even though he's evidently willing?

Potioncat: Poor Errol, I've always felt bad for him. Their treatment of Errol, and their way of dealing with gnomes have always made me a little uncomfortable with the Weasleys.

3. The Weasleys' attempts to show consideration for the Dursleys backfire, arguably causing more offense than if they hadn't bothered. Are there other instances in canon where naive attempts to show consideration aren't appreciated?

Potioncat:  I can't think of anything to this degree. Dobby's portrait of Harry, Hagrid's attempt at baking, perhaps are appreciated if not enjoyed.

4. Harry doesn't actually want Sirius to come out of hiding. What do you think Harry would have done if Vernon had called his bluff?
 
Potioncat: He would have been in trouble. But I think he knew Vernon pretty well, and was confident in his own ability to deceive his  uncle.

5. Harry is willing to admit he's troubled about the pain in his scar, but doesn't tell about the dream. Meanwhile the Dursleys are forced to admit Dudley's weight problem, but disregard the school's reports of poor grades and bullying. What do you think of these choices? What do they tell us about the characters?

Potioncat: I think Harry had enough experience being the weird kid, that he doesn't want to open himself to that label again. Just bringing up the scar was difficult enough.
 
I'm not sure that Petunia and Vernon see bullying as a problem--like father like son; and I don't know that they value good grades. So they may have thought the school was setting unrealistic standards, or didn't understand Diddykins. The weight was different. It was clearly obvious-- uniforms wouldn't fit him and he had to have uniforms.  As the one who prepared family meals,  weight was the one problem  of the three that Petunia could control. Even if she had recognized  the bullying and the grades as problems, I doubt if she was strong enough to take on more than one problem. She had always caved in to Dudley's tantrums in the past
  
6. Do you think Petunia noticed that Harry wasn't losing any weight? Does she really have no idea that Harry is getting extra food?

Potioncat: I don't think she notices Harry that much anymore.

7. JKR seems unaware that quarters are supposed to be four *equal* parts. Do you think the books would be different if she had more of a head for math?

Potioncat: I think she knew and was making a little joke. I think it was Petunia who managed to divide the grapefruit unevenly. Besides, in normal conversations, 'halves" and "quarters" aren't always  intended to be precise. But, yes, the books would have been different--we would have had fewer heated debates.--Missing 24 hours, how many Gryffindors, how many students at Hogwarts, how long did it take for the character to get from there to here? 

I think it's more likely that JKR doesn't  know anything about dieting. She looks like she never needs to, and I can't say she's very kind toward the plumper characters in her story.  Chopped celery!? A quarter grapefruit? Who eats like that?

7. Any other questions?

Nope, but thanks for a great summary (I hate writing the summary part) and for new, interesting questions.