Chapter Discussion: Goblet of Fire Ch.11: Aboard the Hogwarts Express

[Shaun]

No: HPFGUIDX 192039

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SUMMARY: It is the end of the holidays for Harry and his friends, the day they return to Hogwarts for a new year. The weather reflects the gloomy outlook that going back to school always seems to bring (even if your school is Hogwarts).

Mr Weasley receives an urgent call from Amos Diggory (whose head, to Harry's surprise is sitting in the fire) summoning him to help get Mad-Eye Moody out of trouble - who has apparently over-reacted to a stray cat in his yard and triggered a minor crisis by jinxing Muggles including some 'please-men' (though nothing is likely to be proven). It needs to be dealt with quickly, because Mad-Eye is due to start a new job today.

Harry finds out from the Weasleys that Mad-Eye Moody was an Auror - a Dark-wizard catcher - a very, successful one, who was responsible for imprisoning many of the people now in Azkaban. Unsurprisingly he has enemies - and he is paranoid.

Percy claims to be very busy at the Ministry. He says his boss, Mr Crouch, is really starting to rely on him. George expresses scepticism.

Mrs Weasley, Bill and Charlie, take those returning to Hogwarts to King's Cross Station by Muggle taxi, to the annoyance of the Muggle taxi drivers. Charlie and Bill drop deliberate hints that something exciting and special may be going to happen at Hogwarts this years. So does Mrs Weasley. This reminds Harry, Ron, and Hermione, that Ludo Bagman had also tried to tell them something was going to happen, when they met him at the World Cup.

They overhear Draco Malfoy talking to his friends about the fact his father had considered sending him to another Wizarding School called Durmstrang - which actually teaches the Dark Arts. Hermione, naturally, has heard of the school and says it has a bad reputation. She remarks on the rivalry between Wizarding schools like Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons - and points out that Wizarding schools are typically hidden by powerful magic. But she thinks Durmstrang is probably somewhere in the far north.

They meet some of their friends on the train, but while they are talking to Neville, Draco and his cronies turn up looking for trouble. Draco teases Ron about his dress robes - teasing him about his family's lack of money. It becomes clear that Draco knows a lot more about whatever special event is planned for Hogwarts this year.

They arrive at Hogsmeade, and set off in the carriages for the school.

Questions:
1. Mr Weasley is asked to - and apparently is willing to - use his position at the Ministry of Magic to help Mad-Eye Moody avoid punishment for attacking Muggles. What does it say about the Wizarding World that even the 'good guys' are apparently willing to ignore their laws when they are inconvenient?

2. The Wizarding World is concerned about secrecy - to the extent that it is a significant issue to use magic in front of Muggles. But apparently, there is far less concern about potential giveaways like carrying owls through London in Muggle taxis, accidental setting off of magical fireworks, and the mere fact that hundreds, if not thousands of Wizarding children and their families all descend on one Muggle train station en masse at once. If you were in charge of a Ministry department, trying to ensure the Wizarding World remained secret, would you make any changes to how things operate?

3. Adults seem to enjoy keeping secrets from Harry. This might be understandable in cases where they are hoping it will help keep him safe (whether they are right or not) but here, Mrs Weasley, Bill, and Charlie all seem to take pleasure in teasing him (along with Ron and Hermione) by dropping hints that something is going to happen. What do you think of the fact that so much is concealed from Harry, even when there doesn't seem to be a good reason for it?

4. Once again, we are reminded of the fact that the Weasley's are not well off. But Mr Weasley has what seems to be a fairly high level position at the Ministry, and while they do have a large family, their older children (Bill, Charlie, and possibly, Percy) are presumably financially independent by now - what do you think they spend their money on when it actually leaves them short of what is needed to pay for things their children need for school?