Chapter Discussion: Goblet of Fire Ch. 13: Mad-Eye Moody

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 192192


> Questions:
> 
> 1. Do you think JKR was poking fun through Hermione at people who rush to the
> defense of those they consider victims without considering the feelings of the
> so-called victims or was she trying to make a point about treating everyone
> fairly?


Pippin:
I think she was doing both. JKR often approaches a serious issue through parody. The House Elves *are* being treated unfairly.  Hermione's heart is in the right place. But while she recognizes how foolish it would be to tackle  mountain trolls or Death Eaters without practical knowledge and an experienced trainer, it doesn't occur to her that fighting social evils needs preparation too. Oops.


> 
> 2. Crouch, Jr. was behaving in a way that would convince the faculty and DD
> that he was Mad-Eye., so did he attack Draco because it was something Mad-Eye
> would do or was he angry at the Malfoys in general?

Pippin:
I think the manner of the attack was something Mad-eye would do -- when the Death Eaters want to punish somebody, they use the Cruciatus Curse. That's what put Barty Jr in Azkaban. 

 I never noticed this before, but transfiguration as a punishment appeals only to the relatively virtuous, whether it's Hagrid attempting to turn Dudley into a pig or the repentant Percy turning on Thicknesse. I guess if you're a DE, you don't need to dehumanize your victims before you  can torture them.

I do think he was angry mostly at Lucius, as a DE who walked free. But I don't think Crouch Jr would find Draco's smugness about his family any more appealing than Ron and Harry do. 


> 
> 3. Why did Draco become a ferret? Would that be his Animagus form or did
> Mad-Eye make that choice?

Pippin:
Since Draco hasn't mastered the animagus transformation, we'll never know <g>  There seems to be  no way to predict what your animagus form or your patronus will be, so if either was a ferret, it would be sheer coincidence. I suppose Mad-eye, or rather, Barty Jr, picked the ferret form because he thought Malfoy was ferret-like in some way, same as Hagrid thought a pig's form would be appropriate for Dudley. 

> 
> 4. What do you think really happened at Mad-Eye's house with the Muggle
> policemen that required modification of their memories? Is Arthur authorized to
> do that?

Pippin:
As I recall, when Barty Jr gives his version of events, the protections, including the exploding trash cans,  went off as a result of his attack on the real Moody. I suspect that Moody knew he had cried wolf so many times that attracting the attention of Muggles was the only way to make sure the Ministry responded. Too bad it didn't work. 

Arthur's work requires him to deal with minor mischief involving Muggles that doesn't rise to the level of Dark Wizardry. The exploding trash cans didn't actually hurt anyone, AFAWK.


> 5. Did you have any ideas about what Hermione was doing in the library?

Pippin:
I thought she'd be researching the House Elf issue.

Thanks for the questions. 

Pippin