Chapter Discussion: Twenty Two, Goblet of Fire: The Unexpected Task

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 192479

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This chapter is a joint venture, credit also goes to Geoff, Ceridwen and Sherry, thanks for the help with the questions guys .

Chapter 22. The Unexpected Task.

During the transfiguration lesson McGonagall announces that Yule ball is
approaching and that it is a regular part of the TriWizard Tournament. She also
specifically tells Harry that Champions and their partners open the Ball. Harry
is now worried about choosing a partner. In fact "choosing whom to invite to the
ball" frenzy starts all over Hogwarts. Harry wants to invite Cho, but cannot
work up his courage and when he does, it is too late - she is already going with
Cedric. Ron finally invites Fleur, but she refuses. When Ron gets the bright
idea to invite Hermione, she tells him that she is going with someone else as
well. Eventually Harry and Ron end up with Padma and Parvati as their partners
and Hermione is going with the mystery partner.


Questions:

1. "Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl...
"Oh, well spotted," she said accidly"
So do you think this was indeed the moment when Ron starts noticing Hermione as
somebody more than a friend, if not, when did you think it start?"


2. Neville for all his timidness, apparently invited Hermione before Ron and
Harry worked up a courage to invite the girls they wanted to go with. Did this
signify Neville's courage coming into spotlight or something else? Anything?


3. "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something.  Didn't even answer".
If Ron's recollection is true to what happened, I thought Fleur could have been
nicer to him, even though of course as an older girl to hear fourteen year old
invite her may have felt as beneath her. What did you think?

4. Bearing in mind that Harry had been effectively dragged into the Tournament
without his knowledge or approval, do you think that Professor McGonagall
treated him harshly in overruling him and insisting that he have a partner
despite his insistence that he did not dance, bearing in mind that the dance,
in Harry's perception was a waste of time against the threst to him from
Voldemort?

5. What do you think of the boys' approaches to potential ball partners? Do
you think that Ron's rather flippant views about the Ball created problems
for Harry?

6. Do you think that Hermione's comment that people only liked Krum because
he was famous might also be applicable to Harry ? If so, why had only a
handful of girls – mainly from junior forms – made any sort of move in his
direction?

7. Harry was very suspicious of Rita Skeeter's interview with Hagrid. What did
you feel about her motives and possible article when Hagrid described it to
them?

8. It seems strange that, in the past, when younger people were allowed to enter,
they would have been expected to have a date and to lead off a ball. What does
this tell us about the Wizarding World historically? Would the younger
contestants have been considered closer to marriageable age than younger witches
and wizards today? Would they have had marriage arrangements and so not have
had the difficulty of asking someone for a date? Has the Wizarding World changed
much since then, as far as dating is concerned?

9. Please insert your own question here.

Alika