GOF Chapter 11: Aboard the Hogwarts Express

[oryx_leucoryx]

Amos Diggory's head in the fireplace is talking to Molly and Arthur. This is Harry's first encounter with floo-calling.

Amos wants Arthur to 'smooth things over' to prevent Rita from finding about the curious incident of the dustbins in the night-time. Because Moody ( a recently retired Auror, if we believe Harry in DH thinking he personally trained Tonks) has a history of attacking things (and people, I suppose) for no reason. Later this book Sirius will describe him as one who did not kill suspects if he could avoid it, as if he were one of the saner in the bunch. So it seems his paranoia is a form of PTSD, developed after the war was over.

Of course we know the incident is the subdue of Moody by two dead men - Barty Jr and Peter. Had Amos and Arthur let the Improper Use of magic folks take care of things properly Voldemort's plot might have been halted in its tracks very early on. Voldemort will thank Arthur for his assistance in his resurrection by having Nagini bite him next year. Was Voldemort *counting* on Moody's friends rushing to get him out of trouble? And had it really been a case of Moody hexing Muggles in a bout of paranoia, would he have ended up in Azkaban, next to the DEs he arrested 13 years earlier?

So far Arthur's little ring of corruption includes himself, head of a minor office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amos in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Ludo Bagman in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, an unnamed contact in the Department of Magical Transportation and Alastor Moody, retired Auror. Four out of seven departments. Maybe his big disappointment with Percy was because his son wasn't willing to be his corrupt contact in International Cooperation.

Bill and Charlie share their parents' high opinion of Moody. Fred and George do not, nor do they have a particularly high opinion of their father, or even of Dumbledore's judgment (but somehow this doesn't make them evil).

Meanwhile the Voldie-Imperiurized Crouch is beginning to rely more on Percy. Not that any of his siblings care that he has to be at work rather than see them off to the train.

Sorry Molly, none of your husband's contacts was able to arrange transportation this year. You'll have to manage with taxis. (Why not use the Knight Bus? Because scaring Muggles with owls, fireworks and a clawing cat is more fun, I suppose.)

Charlie and Bill hint about an upcoming event at Hogwarts. Does Bill know he'll be coming to watch the opening of a maze for an hour or so? Molly joins the hinting - nobody will want to come home for Christmas! (Not even Ginny, who is too young to attend the Ball on her own.)

Is this really the first time the possibility that Draco would have attended Durmstrang comes up in a conversation with his friends? Because they are talking about the upcoming Tournament? Durmstrang doesn't take Muggle-borns and actively teaches the Dark Arts. This establishes the school as evil and everyone attending it as DE-equivalent. (Except in DH we learned that Durmstrang alumnus Viktor Krum was from a family that opposed Grindelwald.)

So Hermione read about Durmstrang and knows about the school's uniforms and curriculum, though not its (secret!) location nor the questionable history of its headmaster. I wonder if the school's 'horrible reputation' is because the book was written by a British wizard? Or a Dumbles supporter? How many British wizards are aware of said reputation? Or of the traditional rivalry between the schools? Ron certainly isn't. Oh, he heard of that school somewhere. Like, perhaps in an interview with his Quidditch hero? But he didn't realize Viktor was still a student. Ack! If wizards from different parts of a continent barely interact how can there be traditional rivalry between them? Or their schools? Maybe only the teachers are involved in the 'rivalry' anyway.

Yes, shame that Narcissa loves her son, indeed. In a few years Harry will be thankful to her for that. Or should be. (Is Ron evil for fantasizing about killing Draco the way Draco is evil for wishing the Heir of Slytherin would kill Hermione? Or is it IOIAGDI?)

Hermione is already learning the summoning charm because in 3 months time Harry will need her help with it.

To an innocent observer Draco may appear to be making friendly banter, but Harry and Ron take everything he says as  a declaration of war. Until Draco catches that Arthur did not tell Ron about the coming year's events. Then Draco capitalizes on Ron's insecurity and sense of inferiority over his dad and his position at the Ministry. The entire scene comes across as being more about Harry and Ron's defensiveness than about Draco's verbal 'attack'.

Comments

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

Don't forget Gellert Grindelwald. According to an interview with JKR, he caused Dumbledore to temporarily "lose his moral compass." And he was the reigning Dark Lord before Dumbledore defeated him and Voldemort took his place. Speaking of Voldemort, he is indeed English, but he adopts a French name and he recruits foreign wizards like Dolohov and Karkaroff.

Although, one of the Death Eaters (I can't remember his name - was it Rowle?) seems to be xenophobic, as shown by the scene where he hesitates to take Ron's hand in DH when Ron is disguised as a foreign wizard. And while Durmstrang is portrayed as being a shady school, Beauxbatons is not. So, I don't think that there was meant to be an anti-foreigner theme. I think that JKR just chose to stick to stereotypes, that's all.

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

The only thing I remember about American's in the HP series is...we have a flag (LOL!) Wasn't that how Harry recognized the American group at the Quidditch cup game?

Don't forget Gellert Grindelwald. According to an interview with JKR, he caused Dumbledore to temporarily "lose his moral compass."

Don't you have to have a moral compass to loose one? JKR can say what she wants but it's quite possible that Albus the teenager didn't really have a moral compass, or more like not one developed enough to be an actual moral compass. Maybe it was just the arrow (ha)

Someone with a moral compass would know that talking over and enslaving muggles is wrong no matter how pretty the words are spun to make it sound like a good idea. If DD had a moral compass he would have told Gellard straight away he wasn't into the idea of world domination.

Dumbledore only gained the idea that Gellard was bad when his sister got killed. Not unlike the wakeup call Severus got when Voldie wanted to hunt down Lily.

Both were young and stupid. Dumbledore apparently was blinded by teenage lust if he really was in love with Gellert. Technically we only have a interview saying Dumbledore was gay, there is nothing in canon that really says that one way or the other.

Maybe it's an easy out for JKR. Making Dumbledore gay outside of canon is a good excuse to use for Dumbledore inside canon. He was in love and stupid. No, he really didn't believe what Gellard was selling, he just wanted some hot Gellard action. The Dumbledore is gay almost makes a 'better' excuse for young Dumbledore doesn't it? In story there is nothing there, outside in an interview, JKR gives him a love/sex reason to loose his 'moral compass'. My question has to be did he really have one at 16/17/18 years old?

You can take the love/infatuation aspect out of it and think thats it's a pretty screwed up thing to do for someone who supposedly has a moral compass. Gellard looks like a used car salesman trying to sell a crappy car, and Dumbledore buys it.

The idea JKR sets up for quite a few of her characters is, they have this reversal of their ideals.

James Potter apparently had some sort of moral compass adjustment. Though we all have to question that since Sirius/Lupin says that Snape was still a special case even after the supposed moral compass ajustment.

Dumbledore has this moral compass adjustment when his sister dies.

Draco malfoy seems to have a moral compass ajustment by the end of the series, as well as his mother and father. Because if it wasn't for Narcissa' choice to lie, the last book might have ended very differently.

Severus Snape also had a moral ajustment when Lily was being hunted by Voldie.

So, it seems like quite a few characters apparently go and get a compass.

But I think it's quite possible that like all the other characters Dumbledore's 'moral compass' was questionable; hell I still question if it exists right now on certain issues in canon.

I don't think Gellard made him loose it, maybe it should be more like Gellard made Dumbledore find it. To me someone with a moral compass doesn't loose it, they choose to ignore it maybe but then thats not really loosing it, thats something else.

[600ants.livejournal.com]

Someone with a moral compass would know that talking over and enslaving muggles is wrong no matter how pretty the words are spun to make it sound like a good idea. If DD had a moral compass he would have told Gellard straight away he wasn't into the idea of world domination.

Hell yeah! All arguments are futile. :)

He was in love and stupid. No, he really didn't believe what Gellard was selling, he just wanted some hot Gellard action. The Dumbledore is gay almost makes a 'better' excuse for young Dumbledore doesn't it? In story there is nothing there, outside in an interview, JKR gives him a love/sex reason to loose his 'moral compass'.

My problem with this is that while in Rowling's books love generally is redeeming (James, Snape etc.), in the only instance said love is homosexual, it makes the characters „lose moral compass“. I guess it's already been noted, but I couldn't help pointing this homophobic bit out again.

[oryx_leucoryx]

The only thing I remember about American's in the HP series is...we have a flag (LOL!) Wasn't that how Harry recognized the American group at the Quidditch cup game?


They had a banner with the name of their school (or whatever the Salem Witches' Institute was supposed to be, whitehound thinks it's supposed to be some kind of social club that does fund-raising for charity).

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

Opens GOF and reads - Ok, talk about JKR not being clear.

It says spangled banner with the words Salem Witches Institute.

But Spangled banner doesn't tell me anything. Spangled could mean the damn thing was bedazzled with glitter for all I know.

The star spangled banner is the national anthem but most times it's just called the flag. I don't go around looking at flag polls and saying, look the spangled banner. I think points should be deducted from JKR for not adding the word star.

So I'm assuming from the reference she's trying to tell me this 'spangled banner' looks like the American flag.

Nobody I know goes around calling the flag the spangled banner, you'd think the American publishers who had to go and have their own copy and change words and crap would have fixed that - but then again, I'm just being picky.

Spangled banner indeed.

[oryx_leucoryx]

I think points should be deducted from JKR for not adding the word star.

Does she have any points left?

Severus in the DTCL

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

Does she have any points left?

OUOUOUou!! (Gets to do a Snape parody)

"Ah, I see there are no longer any points left in Rowling's hourglass to take away." began Severus, "In that case, we will simply have to-"

"Who are you talking to?" said a curly headed blond witch standing in the DTCL doorway, "Who is Rowling?" the woman asks, walking over to stand in front of him.

Severus eyes the woman suspitiously, "I might ask you the same thing, madam. Who are you?" he questions, but he pauses to glance around, a crease forms between his eyebrows, "and for that matter, where the hell am I?"

"We are in the DTCL." the female responds, smiling.

"The...DTCL? What is the DTCL?" says Severus sharply.

"I'm not sure I can explain in a few minutes, Severus." the woman informs, her tone casual.

"We have not been introduced and therefor I would prefer you call me, Professor Snape." he states, his tone darkening.

"Ohh, Professor then," she allows, her voice edging towards annoyance, "If we have to use titles then you have to call me Professor Fairstone." she insisted.

"And what are you a Professor of, might I ask?"

"Defense against the Dark Arts." she answered.

Severus made a sound, it was a mix of humor and disbelief.

"You don't believe me?"

"Not really. Thats about as likely as a hippogriff wearing a party hat and eating cake." he states firmly, with a nod of his head.

KarentheUnicorn pushes a hippogriff into the DTCL room, on it's head is a pink party hat with tiny spangled stars all over it. The hippogriff looks highly confused, not sure how it got into the room. KarentheUnicorn shoves a cake in the hippogriffs beak and then licks the icing off her hooves.

Severus stares at the Unicorn and the hippogriff in disbelief.

"That is-"

"A Hippogriff in a party hat." says Professor Fairstone, smiling very smugly. "Eating cake."

"You forgot the unicorn." Severus mutters, as if he is a little wary.

"Yea, and a Unicorn." repeats Professor Fairstone. "It must be a bonus."

Severus gave the woman a hard stare, then glances around again, pretty sure he has either been hit in the head, was asleep, or dead. "So, DTCL, explain."

"I think this calls for a little chat, maybe in the DTCL dungeon." says KarentheUnicorn, tiping her horn towards a door that looks remarkably like the Hogwarts castle doorway that leads to the dungeons. "Why don't you two run along and discuss."

"The Unicorn is talking," Severus says cautiously, "it sounds as if it is trying to give us orders?" he added.

"Should we do what it says?" asks Professor Fairstone.

"You are the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor." he replies smoothly.

"Sure, why not, it can't be worse than following Dumbledore's orders could it?" Professor fairstone decides, trying to fight back a grin.

Severus gets ready to argue but stops to consider the answer, "Indeed, a point well taken," he agrees. He studies the curly blonde headed witch carefully before he speaks again, "The Dungeon sounds perfect for our little chat, after you," he finishes, waving a hand towards the Dungeon doorway.

"have fun you two." KarentheUnicorn offers, Severus glares at the Unicorn for a moment but then proceeds out of site down the Dungeon steps.

(just a little fun because I felt inspired)

Re: Severus in the DTCL

[majorjune.livejournal.com]

He studies the curly blonde headed witch carefully before he speaks again, "The Dungeon sounds perfect for our little chat, after you," he finishes, waving a hand towards the Dungeon doorway.

"have fun you two." KarentheUnicorn offers, Severus glares at the Unicorn for a moment but then proceeds out of site down the Dungeon steps.


But just as he turned the corner on the steps, his way was blocked by another blonde woman.

She wore a beautiful black, backless gown with silver embroidery, and her hair was upswept and held in place by a silver and amethyst comb. She wore amethyst earrings, a huge amethyst and silver ring, and a silver and amethyst brooch of strange design. But what was most remarkable about her was her extremely pale, almost transparent skin, and her deep violet eyes that flashed with sparks of indigo. For some reason Severus thought she seemed familiar, but he could not place where he knew her from.

She raised her well-manicured hand to give him something; when Severus looked down, he saw that she was offering him a gaily-colored paper birthday party hat.

"What is this?!" he demanded.

"You left this behind," the woman answered in an American accent. "There seems to be a birthday party going on here, you'll need this."

Severus batted the offensive item away, and it scattered into a dark corner at the bottom of the stairs. "I would never wear something like that!"

The woman glanced at the hat, and then turned back to Severus smiling, but her unnaturally violet eyes were sad.

"Yes, you would," she answered cryptically. "You just don't remember."

"Do I know you?" Severus demanded. One side of the woman's mouth twitched.

"Some people here have been calling me 'Jo', some others seem to think I'm someone named 'Narcissa'," she replied. "I have no idea who those people are..."

She turned and went down the stairs, and stooped to pick up the party hat. She then came back up the steps to Severus' side and without asking, placed the hat on his head, adjusting the elastic under his chin.

"Who are you?" Severus demanded, ripping the hat off. The woman chuckled sadly.

"Just the illusion of an old hallucination," she replied. "No more real or unreal than that talking unicorn at the top of the stairs, and whatever that animal is that's with it that's eating birthday cake."

The woman took a few steps up the stairs, then turned back to Severus.

"Someone's waiting for you," she stated, gesturing to the door at the bottom of the stairs. "You should bring her a gift..."

Before Severus could comment on the absurdity of that statement, the strange woman stepped back down to stand next to him, and with a quick gesture put something into the party hat that Severus was holding by the elastic chin strap, and then she disappeared up the stairs.

Severus looked down at the party hat, and gingerly retrieved what the woman had deposited into it -- one perfect bloom of jasmine.

"Is that for me?" he heard an annoying voice ask from the bottom of the stairs. Professor Fairstone had come thru the door at the bottom of the stairs and climbed the steps to his side.

"I got tired of waiting and was wondering what you were up to," she continued. She smiled as she took the flower and held it to her nose. "It smells lovely...this will definitely sweeten our chat."

She winked at Severus, stuck the flower into her hair, and then turned and descended the steps.

Severus glanced back up the stairs, but could only see the infuriating talking unicorn chatting up the hippogriff who was still wearing a birthday hat and scarfing down birthday cake.

Severus sighed and followed Professor Fairstone to the dungeon...his own party hat still in hand.

Re: Severus in the DTCL

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

(Story time - I used to love to do finish the story. Where someone starts a story and the next person does the next bit and then back to the first person or another person adds some more)

Severus sighed and followed Professor Fairstone to the dungeon...his own party hat still in hand.

He paused when the woman, Professor Fairstone stopped at the door that would usually take him into his office; however the door visually appeared to be the same but for whatever reason it was alien to him, like someone had place a differnent door that looked exactly the same.

Fairstone opened the door and moved inside, Severus hesitated, trying to see inside, but it was dark, no light entered into the void the open door created. He moved his hand down to his robe pocket where his wand should be; it was not there.

Fear gripped him, he did not want to go into the black room.

"Severus?" the Fairstone woman said inside the darkened room, he could not see her. "Don't be afraid." she added.

"I-I'm not afraid,." he snarled viciously. "Why would I be afraid of my own office." he complained gruffly, but his feet would not move to take him inside.

"Because it's dark, most people are a little afraid of the dark." the female voice said softly.

"I am not a afraid of the dark," he insisted.

"I know you are brave, but you are still hesitating." she replied.

Severus felt a great lump of frustation swell his chest, like something just happened to him that was not registering in his mind.

"Nobody notices me in the dark, it's safe. A person can get by in the dark and never be bothered." said Severus, but he was not quite sure why he said it.

He felt strange, like his head was very heavy. He touched his hand to the wood door frame, as much for support as to reasure himself it was solid and actually there.

"I don't think thats right, Severus." Fairstone's voice disagreed, "People are likely to bump into you if you stay in the dark...maybe even run over you." the woman continued, "and you're more likely to get hurt, hiding in the dark. People will not trust you."

Severus narrowed his eyes, "Turn on the damn lights, woman." he barked angrily; he was feeling hot and uncomfortable.

(Okay, thats all I've got right now, I gotta run or I'll be late for work)

Re: Severus in the DTCL

[majorjune.livejournal.com]

I used to love to do finish the story. Where someone starts a story and the next person does the next bit and then back to the first person or another person adds some more

Yeah, my friends and I used to do the same thing back in high school...often to hilarious results.

I even had a creative writing teacher who had us do that as a writing assignment; I ended up with a prompt that involved a rich, handsome, albeit insipid hero who had a bright shiny sportscar and all the beautiful women he wanted but no living relatives, and his Gary Stu BF.

I brought it to the teacher and begged her to let us redo the sorting of the prompts; she read what I'd gotten and laughed, and told me to just do the best I could.

So I had the jealous Gary Stu modify the brakes of the sportscar so that the hero died in a car crash, after making sure the hero had left his fortune to the Gary Stu; the girls who'd written the prompt were suitably crushed when they read it. :-)


"I don't think thats right, Severus." Fairstone's voice disagreed, "People are likely to bump into you if you stay in the dark...maybe even run over you." the woman continued, "and you're more likely to get hurt, hiding in the dark. People will not trust you."

Severus narrowed his eyes, "Turn on the damn lights, woman." he barked angrily; he was feeling hot and uncomfortable.

"There's no need for lights, Severus," Fairstone replied. "Just follow your nose, it's big enough to smell the jasmine flower in my hair..."

Severus could just make out Fairstone receding further into the dark, the jasmine bloom shining like a star in her hair.

He started to follow, suddenly he was no longer in the dark dungeon, but in an open field. It was sunny, and he was surrounded by more people than he could count, who all seemed to be singing. Hundreds of crystal spiders streamed by, sparkling in the sun, and a shining angel hovered overhead, with a face that seemed vaguely familiar to Severus.

[majorjune.livejournal.com]

Spangled could mean the damn thing was bedazzled with glitter for all I know.

From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spangled :

span·gle (spnggl) n.
1. A small, often circular piece of sparkling metal or plastic sewn especially on garments for decoration.
2. A small sparkling object, drop, or spot: spangles of sunlight.

v. span·gled, span·gling, span·gles
v.tr.
          To adorn or cause to sparkle by covering with or as if with spangles: Lights spangled the night skyline.
v.intr.
          To sparkle in the manner of spangles.

So you are correct that using just the word "spangle" doesn't convey anything other than the banner was covered with something sparkling.

Nobody I know goes around calling the flag the spangled banner, you'd think the American publishers who had to go and have their own copy and change words and crap would have fixed that - but then again, I'm just being picky.

I'll cut Jo some slack on this, she was just trying to be artsy and write something she thought was descriptive and flowery. Since the National Anthem of the United States is specifically about our flag (but does Jo realize that it was composed during the War of 1812, when we were fighting the British?), then I don't have a problem with her, or the many other writers who have also used the term, describing it as a "spangled banner".

But yes, if we are to take that specific term by it's literal meaning, it could mean a cloth of any color, or tie-dyed in a rainbow of colors for that manner, with bedazzled rhinestones or glitter-gluepen adornment scattered on it; by the above definition, the cloth could have been gold lame' with the sun sparking on it. :-)

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

Hell no, I'm not cutting no slack for the asumption that American's are in that tent because there is a spangled banner that has the words Salem Witches Institute.

For all I know spangled banner could be the symbol for marysue house of sparklepoo.

And, I know, that rhymes, I'm just spouting non-sense. Is on obnoxious overdrive...must...hit...breaks.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

/Dumbledore only gained the idea that Gellard was bad when his sister got killed. Not unlike the wakeup call Severus got when Voldie wanted to hunt down Lily./

Good point. I hadn't noticed that connection. I've seen some fans argue that Snape's rejection of the Death Eaters wasn't all that morally impressive because he was apparently fine with being with them until his crush was threatened. I have to wonder what they'd make of the fact that Dumbledore was apparently fine with taking over the world with Grindelwald until Gellert tortured his brother and Ariana was killed.

/No, he really didn't believe what Gellard was selling, he just wanted some hot Gellard action. The Dumbledore is gay almost makes a 'better' excuse for young Dumbledore doesn't it?/

Yes, that explanation tries to get him off the hook, but it doesn't do him or his relationship with Gellert any favors, either. Albus and Gellert were attracted to each other because they had a "meeting of the minds," right? Dumbledore himself tells Harry that he was fascinated with Grindelwald's ideas. You mean to tell me that Albus just happily ignored all of Gellert's talk about ruling over Muggles in favor of staring dreamily at him and his golden curls? How does that make Albus seem admirable? What sort of picture does that paint of their relationship, when one of the parties is completely oblivious to the other's ideas and intentions? Regardless of whether or not he and Gellert were in love, the text makes it pretty clear that Albus found his ideas compelling. Albus being Gellert's boyfriend is not an excuse.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Do you know it took me up to this reread for the purpose of these reviews to notice that book!Karkaroff does not have a foreign accent? I can't figure out what that is supposed to mean. Is British magic so superior that the east-European school had to recruit the son of immigrants to Britain as headmaster? Or did Igor get rid of the accent of his childhood in order to move up among the DEs? (I don't think Dolohov gets much speaking so I don't know if we can judge his accent.)

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

There's a lot about Karkaroff that doesn't quite make sense to me. If he's a foreigner, how did he get mixed up with Voldemort? Why did Voldemort keep him in Britain instead of having him networking in other countries? How was a former death eater able to get himself appointed as the headmaster of Durmstrang?

[oryx_leucoryx]

If he's a foreigner, how did he get mixed up with Voldemort?

I used to think Tom found him during his 10 year Sabbatical. But he may have been British-raised.

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

Like you said, it's kind of depressing then that Durmstrang needed to have a British wizard as headmaster.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Maybe having an accent is like being fat. The fat characters are evil but ineffectually so. The ones that appear to be a believable threat are thin. Similarly, foreigners with accent are inferior, foreigners without an accent are threatening. Of course Igor is both thin and devoid of accent, which is what enabled him to survive over a year on the run. (Why did he escape to northern England or Scotland? Why not go abroad?)

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

It's astonishing how fucked up these books are.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

Truer words never spoken.

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

THIS.