Chapter Discussion: Goblet of Fire Ch 3: The Invitation

[June Ewing]

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

June:
Haha, I thought that too. It could be though that it was the only
thing she could get her hands on to send him. Maybe at the time
there wasn't anything in the house she could send that would not
spoil being hidden in his room.

> 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?

June:
Poor Errol, I have often thought it was time to retire the poor
guy and get a new owl for delivering post, however the Weasleys
don't have a lot of money and it could be that they cannot afford
a new owl. Also Ron was not supposed to send Errol on that trip so
maybe Errol is all right to handle short trips but Ron went behind
his parents' backs so it is really Ron's fault.

> 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?

June:
There most likely are but only when considering the Dursleys. If
you will remember, at the end of "POA" Mrs. Weasley smiled at Mr.
Dursley and he did nothing more than scowl at her. Mr. Dursley is
set in his ways and thinks everything should be what he calls
"normal" and can't see that there are perfectly normal people who
do not live like he does.

> 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?

June:
I think Harry would have gone stomping up to his bedroom with the
threat that he was going to tell Sirius in the hopes that Vernon
would panic and go after him to tell him he could go, however had
that happened he would have run into Pig anyway and know he was
going and just stay in his room until the Weasleys got there.

> 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?

June:
In Harry's case he is worried that telling about the dream would
either make him look insane or cause a panic. In the Dursleys'
case they have always turned a blind eye to the wrong that Dudley
does and they pretend it isn't true. It is easier to turn a blind
eye when you don't see what is going on in front of you and pretend
everything is good. However, they cannot turn a blind eye to the
fact that Dudley had gotten so big that they could not get the
uniform. They could not pretend that did not exsist because if they
did Dudley would have had no uniform for the upcoming year and
worse, he may have been unaccepted back to the school without the
school uniform.

> 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?

June:
I think Petunia only had eyes for her own son so she didn't notice
anything about Harry unless he was doing something that she thought
the neighbors would find odd.

> 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?

June:
I am sure JKR knows her math. We learn quarters in grade school.
She just told the story the easiest way to tell it with there being
5 in the family you can't really cut in quarters to feed 5 but
Harry never got a full piece any way. It could be that she was
cutting one grapefruit into quarters and had bits from another for
Harry.