GOF Chapter 10: Mayhem at the Ministry

[oryx_leucoryx]

Arthur is confident Mr Roberts will be alright, though at the moment he doesn't know which day it is, and worse. And Arthur knows that based on the extensive time he spent with Muggles, learning all about them and their culture? I doubt there is any long-term follow up on victims of Obliviation. How does Arthur know they don't develop some form of early-onset dementia later? Heck, maybe Mad Cow Disease is a front for Obliviation side-effects.

Molly is worried because of scary headlines in The Prophet. That's because she totally forgot to look at the living room clock where she could see that no family member was in mortal danger (or if any were for a while the danger was long over by the time she got the paper).

Rita Skeeter criticized the Ministry's lax security at the game. Last week she criticized Percy's cauldron project. And as we shall see later, earlier in the summer she called Dumbledore an obsolete dingbat. Does she have an agenda or is she an equal opportunity trouble-rouser? (Or perhaps she is in the process of upgrading from the latter to the former.)

Arthur keeps insisting nobody was hurt, but I can't forget those green flashes.

Molly tries to object to Arthur's going to the office to take care of the crisis when he is supposed to be on holiday. Percy doing the same is met with no reaction whatsoever.

Harry finally tells his friends about his dream, though as he expected they offer no help. Hermione disses Trelawney and her prophecy. Little does she know.

Sorry madderbrad (and other H/Hr shippers out there) but here we have evidence Hermione doesn't understand Harry all that well - not as well as Ron, at least. He does prefer playing Quidditch with the boys (Ginny? Who's that?) than going to bed early to worry.

Percy's help was in fact needed after all. (He reports no change in Crouch's behavior, though we know that by now Crouch has been placed under Imperius. Perhaps because at this point his instructions were 'act naturally'.) And kudos to Percy for catching Mundungus in his lie. This is the second mention of Mundungus before we learn he is an Order member. He gets a lot more foreshadowing than Sirius Black, though his role is significantly more minor.

Percy makes accusations against Arthur, Bill defends him citing his own run-in with Rita, but is countered by Molly who actually agrees with Rita's criticism of his hairstyle. Looks like Ms Skeeter has a talent for sowing discord that puts Voldie to shame.

Fred and George have already started their campaign to get Bagman to pay them with real money.

Bertha Jorkins' disappearance is finally serious business, once Rita found out about it (how dare she?). Now Arthur claims to have told Ludo to send someone to look for her. Hmm, he just asked him if there was any news of her and quickly shut up when Ludo said there wasn't. Can't afford to get on the bad side of the one who got you the tickets. It was Crouch who repeatedly asked for a search party.

You know, while Rita's style is annoying, she does catch instances of improper conduct at the Ministry. Maybe if she and her likes had better access to the goings-on people would be scared-straight and start doing things right. Though they'd probably only intensify the covering-up.

Hermione isn't of age yet so it is Molly who washes the socks.

Didn't Molly go shopping while the rest were at the match? So why is it that the first time either boy sets eye on the acquisitions it is the last night of vacation, 6 nights later?

I can understand Molly buying Harry more expensive robes than she bought Ron, since she was using his money for that, but that's still not a reason to buy Ron robes that were in bad taste, in a bad state, in the color he hates - and do nothing to improve them after the purchase. She did have 6 days for that. Any wonder locket-influenced!Ron believed his mother preferred Harry to him? (Now that I'm thinking about this - Molly treats Ron almost as badly or incompetently as Eileen treated Severus. Well, on the one hand, other than the dress robes Ron doesn't look visibly neglected, but on the other Severus seems to have been better informed about Hogwarts and magic than Ron. So perhaps it's a wash.)

Comments

[majorjune.livejournal.com]

You know, while Rita's style is annoying, she does catch instances of improper conduct at the Ministry.

It's a shame that Rowling didn't have a character who was a good, competent investigative reporter, rather than the caricature of a muckraking hack working for a scandal sheet that she gave us.

Now that I'm thinking about this - Molly treats Ron almost as badly or incompetently as Eileen treated Severus.

The major difference though is that Eileen only had one child, and Rowling doesn't give us enough of the Snape's domestic life for us to make any really informed decisions on what is going on. Young Severus' seeming neglect may have been solely due to his parents' poverty, but perhaps Eileen showed care and devotion in non-material ways.

Molly, OTOH, is shown to be reasonably attentive to all of her children, except for Percy and Ron, and with Percy it may just be a recent development. Ron, tho, is shown to be basically ignored by Molly, and to some extent by Arthur.

Rowling presents the Weasleys as a cliche of a large, happy family; she never presented the Snapes that way. As such, Molly's indifference and possible outright hostility towards Ron to me is way more onerous than Eileen's treatment of Severus.

[sunnyskywalker]

Just think - what if Percy had gone into the Ministry's equivalent of Internal Affairs? His dad could be mad at him for "persecuting" all the good people at the Ministry just trying to make an honest living trading Quidditch tickets for cover-ups and suspect him of leaking tips to reporters, and Voldemort still could have manipulated Percy's job for his own ends. Don't know whether they'd have let Crouch be boss of that department, since it might still be too much law enforcement power, but if not maybe he and the IA department head would coordinate a lot anyway (can't cooperate well with other magical nations if they're complaining that all your officials are corrupt, right?). Maybe those cauldron bottoms are part of a giant fraud scheme involving crooked cauldron producers and a corrupt safety inspector.

And then we could all pretend that sometime between Harry's sandwich and the epilogue, Percy cleaned up the wizarding world and all really was well.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Were the dodgy cauldrons Mundungus was dealing with in OOTP thin-bottomed ones?

Anyway, I like your ideas!

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

So Percy gets to be heroic behind the scenes while Harry gets the credit? Poor guy, he deserves better.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

It's a shame that Rowling didn't have a character who was a good, competent investigative reporter, rather than the caricature of a muckraking hack working for a scandal sheet that she gave us.

As a professional journalist I find Rowling's porters of reporter higly offensive.
She gave us :
Rita : Scandal chasing (crating), life destroying immoral cow.
Quibbler's editor Xeno Lovegood : Somebody who only believes in things everybody else mocks and who shows himself as a "week" person by "betraying" Harry and co.
Reporters working for the Daily Prophet : A bunch of petty, week "do as the government says without any regard for the truth" ass-kissers/ :(

Rowling presents the Weasleys as a cliche of a large, happy family
She wants us to see them that way but she fails.
Weasleys are a very dysfunctional family.

[sunnyskywalker]

And after all the nice things so many journalists said about her and the books, too! Sure there are bad journalists, but seriously, Jo, there are also good ones who do important work. Hermione with all her investigating practically has Future Girl Reporter written on her forehead, too*; it seems like she would be a shoo-in for joining the Daily Prophet staff someday and blowing the whistle on house-elf abuses and DEs who got away with it and corruption at the Ministry. So why can't we see a little more respect for the profession itself, even it not some of its particular representatives?

*Since Hogwarts doesn't appear to have a school paper. Which is a shame - that could have led to some good drama.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

It's a shame that Rowling didn't have a character who was a good, competent investigative reporter, rather than the caricature of a muckraking hack working for a scandal sheet that she gave us.

Are we really so sure she gave us a muckraker? We never see Rita outside the "Harry filter." Harry likes the Weasleys; Rita has something against Arthur. She also has a lot to say about Dumbledore, little if any of it good; she writes critically about the same "heroes" we do when we criticize the series. Arthur takes bribes and covers up for his cronies, Dumbledore was an emotionally detached manipulator of the first water and, Harry's had some emotional issues (and why doesn't he have more, given his upbringing? Or is it just that we don't see those either, being stuck in his mind?) that she called him on, the same way we do.

Since all we ever see of her is from the viewpoint of someone she's gone after and who is friends (ultimately family) with someone she goes after, we don't get an unbiased view of her. One man's muck is another man's investigation.

[majorjune.livejournal.com]

One man's muck is another man's investigation.

"Muckraking" has nothing to do with the truth or fallacy of what is being reported on, but on the style of that reporting.

It doesn't matter that ultimately most of what Skeeter reported was indeed true -- Rowling doesn't present her as a serious investigative reporter, but as little more than a scandal mongerer...

What I'm saying is that it would have been nice to have had an intelligent, serious investigative journalist whom the author presented as a positive character.

[fishinginthemud.livejournal.com]

Maybe if Ron would shut the fuck up once in a while and quit being such an obnoxious prick, his mother would like him better. I wouldn't mind force-feeding him some corned beef sandwiches and strangling him with a maroon blanket.

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

Umm, Ron being a brat sometimes isn't an excuse for Mrs. Weasley's passive-aggressiveness. She's supposedly the mature adult in the relationship. If she has a problem with his behavior or attitude, she should properly discipline him, not buy him maroon, lacy dress robes.

[fishinginthemud.livejournal.com]

Of course. But since I didn't give birth to the bastard, I'm free to strangle him with said lacy robes.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

And not rapidly switch from angry to doting the minute that Harry shows up. I know that it's supposed to be humorous, but really, what sort of message is Ron getting from the fact that his mother dotes on Harry and makes sure to buy him robes that match his eyes, but doesn't care about buying her own son robes in a color that he hates? Does she not care that other people might tease him for it (like Draco does, once they meet up again on the train)? oryx_leucoryx is right; is it really any wonder that Ron secretly feared that Molly preferred Harry to him? When will Molly and Hermione learn that passive-aggressiveness is *not* the way to go?

Shipping

[urbanman1984.livejournal.com]

>>Sorry madderbrad (and other H/Hr shippers out there) but here we have evidence Hermione doesn't understand Harry all that well - not as well as Ron, at least. He does prefer playing Quidditch with the boys (Ginny? Who's that?) than going to bed early to worry.<<

I think you'll find that H/Hr shipping is actually a joke pairing, as are Harry/Voldemort and the occasional Harry/Umbridge story that could be found on ff.net.

Re: Shipping

[oryx_leucoryx]

All non-canon ships can be done as crack-ships or seriously. Depends on how the author develops the characters. Harry/Hermione was a ship people argued for very passionately both as one that they expected Rowling to make canon (as long as there was at least one more book to go) and one that would ahve (in their opinion) worked out better than canon according to their reading of the characters. Many alternate ships involving kids were argued for seriously as 'going to be canon, just you wait' - Draco/Hermione, Draco/Ginny, Harry/Luna, Neville/Luna, Draco/Luna.

One of the advantages of shipping Severus with students is that nobody in their right mind expected the ship to become canon, but it was still interesting to explore how the characters might interact and how the development of such a relationship would have influenced both characters.

There is a lot of serious SSHG, Snarry, Snaco around, but also Snuna, Severus/Neville, Severus/Percy, Severus/Bill etc. It's a challenge to write an alternative pairing while keeping both characters recognizable.

Re: Shipping

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

I have a hard time seeing Snape with a former student. Something about the Snape character screams outrage at me over the idea of dating a former student.

And I know that there are probably some good stories out their, and I have tried to read Hermione/Snape, but...no matter how well written they are something about it I just can't get into or feel entirely comfortable with.

But I also get that everyone has their own idea of what is fun to write/read/see/experience. So I'm not trying to be judgemental of anyones favorite ship or guilty pleasure...but for me I just cant' get into certain ships.

Re: Shipping

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

Yes, H/Hr was always a serious contender for canonisation. Urbanman is just trying to get our goats with his 'joke pairing' statement, I reckon. Things could have easily gone H/Hr. For what it's worth - depending on one's opinion of Rowling - the author herself said so. In the end, given Rowling's incompetence and failures, the fact that she stuck with the simplistic OBHWF means little to me (or other H/Hr fans) regarding the value of H/Hr.

I've come across a couple of Snape/Hr stories which were excellent reads.

The draw of Snape/Hr - for me, on these chance encounters, it's not a 'ship I'm seriously into or for which I have searched - is that Hermione gets a man who's her equal. Any decent H/Hr story has to have Harry grow up so he's worthy of the girl. Goodness knows she's right about almost everything in the books even though Harry ignores or disagrees her conclusions half the time, just out of bull-headed stubbornness (fuelled by a collusion with Ron).

The couple of Snape/Hr stories I've read have Snape almost automatically being seen as Hermione's equal, as being mature and intelligent enough to satisfy/warrant her. And that's a great thing to read.

There's a colossal suspension-of-disbelief required to adjust Snape's *personality*, of course. The stories I've read have always had Hermione as a young adult, so the age difference has never really bothered me too much.

Occasionally I consider that I should read some of the highest-ranking Snape/Hr or Draco/Hr stories out there, once I've exhausted the supply of H/Hr and H/L fics.

Re: Shipping

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find that H/Hr shipping is actually a joke pairing, as are Harry/Voldemort and the occasional Harry/Umbridge story that could be found on ff.net.

Heh, funny.

You weren't serious, right? You know better than that, urbanman!

Re: Shipping

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

While I don't have favorite alternative parings (I'll read any paring as long as the characters and plots are good) I do strongly dislike almost all cannon parings.
Maybe they could have worked if a better writer then Jo wrote them. But from what we see in cannon the parings are grossly mismatched and unbelievable.

I think you'll find that H/Hr shipping is actually a joke pairing
A bit offtrack but is it only my imagination or are the HP filmmakers H/Hr shippers?
A lot of times it looked to me like they deliberately inserted things that weren't in the books and in those scenes they had H/Hr interaction that can be seen as shipping.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Interesting point about Rita Skeeter! :D

Yes, the lady has issues. At the same time though...she *is* a reporter. 'Nuff said. :/

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

Hermione disses Trelawney and her prophecy. Little does she know.

Well, she was sort of on the right track. This second 'real' prophecy of Trelawney's was the real deal. But the first one, the one on which the entire series is supposedly founded - pfah. Hermione was right there, it meant very little (well, it caused Voldemort to try and kill baby Harry, but the rest of it fell flat when Rowling couldn't finish her series properly).

Sorry madderbrad (and other H/Hr shippers out there) but here we have evidence Hermione doesn't understand Harry all that well -

Huh? Wazzat? Sorry, I was looking at the chapter and got sidetracked at this sentence on the previous page -

He had teetered for a moment on the verge of saying "me," but couldn't bring himself to make Hermione look any more horrified than she already did.

Harry's a cold unfeeling son of a gun most of the time but I'd never noticed this (I only read the book once, wow, must have been before I settled on the ONE TRUE 'SHIP of H/Hr). Isn't that nice, showing such solicitude to his real soul mate, HERMIONE GRANGER! Ah, that's good stuff.

Sorry, what were you saying?

Oh, right. No, this isn't evidence that Hermione doesn't understand Harry, it's evidence that she doesn't understand (silly) boys. As she notes herself, muttering "Boys". We H/Hr folk all know that H/Hr had to wait until Harry grew up a little. Right now he's being dragged back by Ron (which was the Weasley's scion main purpose in the Trio).

Out of sympathy for Hermione here I've elected to use one of my Hermione icons for this LJ comment. I will use more if you continue to malign my girl Hermione.

Hermione isn't of age yet so it is Molly who washes the socks.

Hee. :-)

[snapes-witch.livejournal.com]

I can understand Molly buying Harry more expensive robes than she bought Ron, since she was using his money for that, but that's still not a reason to buy Ron robes that were in bad taste, in a bad state, in the color he hates - and do nothing to improve them after the purchase.

Somehow I got the impression that Ron's robes were hand-me-downs, but I see in re-reading that they were second-hand and all that was available. Still no excuse for Molly not fixing them for him. She's supposed to be a talented witch, yes?

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

Molly have a lot of issues with Ron that's for certain.
I can understand not having a lot of gold to buy Ron a nice set of robes but she still could have bought him something nicer.
We don't see Fred or George complaining about their robes. Nor they where made fun of for they way they dressed for the ball.
If she was able to find nice / acceptable robes for them why not for Ron?
Or why hadn't she bought him a bigger but nicer pair or robes and then altered them? You don't need magic for that. :(

But what's to expect form a mother who gifts her son a with a jumper in the color he hates for every Christmas?

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

As to the dress robes problem: You are totally right, stating Molly could at least have altered them if she didn't have the money to buy decent ones. The real bummer, however, is, that Ginny obviously did have decent dress robes - although she wasn't really expected to go to the Yule ball at all because she was only in third year and depended on being invited by someone older. So - if you are a mother, trying to get your kids through on the little money you have, wouldn't you make sure to buy halfway decent things for those of your kids who are definitly going to need them, instead of for the kid who only might?

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

Assuming that wizard-produced clothing will *take* magical adjustments by anyone other than their creator. I'm assuming that there may be some kind of "protectoin of wizarding trades enhancements" which might resist alterations by 3rd-parties.

Muggle clothing, of course could probably be altered by anyone competent with a tailoring spell. But Muggles do not produce dress *robes*. If it's robes you want, you are stuck with wizarding-produced stock, only.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Is it stated when Ginny received her robes? Any chance Molly went to buy them later, after Ginny was in fact invited to the ball by Neville?