POA: Chapter Three

[kaskait.livejournal.com]

The Knight Bus

*Harry is at large on the streets of Magnolia Crescent and there is anger burning in his heart. But don't worry the love is there too. Its mixing with the anger to create something really good and is sure to save the world.

*Oh no, Harry's stranded in a muggle world. As if the wizarding world is any safer.

*Damn, Harry is now a fugitive and expelled from Hogwarts! He violated the underage magic rule.

*There is a lack of notices from the MOM. I'm thinking this was still during the years that Fudge was still Dumpeydore's water boy.

*Well, now that he is a magical JD, an underage runaway BUT with a vault of gold, why not just use MORE magic? To hell with it all, right Harry? I'm sure the MOM can't pin down you're whereabouts at all. Too bad you aren't as smart as Riddle. I'm sure HE knew all the places he could practice magic without getting expelled. In fact, I'm sure most of Hogwarts (who aren't friends with the trio) know where they can practice magic without being expelled.

*You know, I'm thinking that this restriction is really just to handicap powerful muggle kids.

*Harry feels as if he is being watched. He turns to see a large dog and promptly falls down in surprise.

*The knight bus arrives just in time to prolong the mystery. Damn you Shunpike.

*Shunpike jumps out of the bus to deliver his speech. He is dressed in a purple outfit and his ears are really large and his skin is pimply. I suppose that was why he didn't get a job at the MOM. He was too ugly. We can't have ugly people running around the Ministry. Nope.

*Of course Shunpike has a thick, low class accent. Which is why he is working for a bus company. Don't you just love these books? We always know who is the upper crust from the low because Harry and pals have an RP dialect. Even Ron who should really be speaking with a lower class accent. But then again, his family were most assuredly former Kings of England fallen on low times. Nothing really, really bad can happen to the heroes. The Weaselys may be poor but their blood is the PUREST OF ALL!

*Harry tells Shunpike that he is Neville Longbottom. This is the only time Harry ever thinks of Longbottom away from school. Neville can always be good for an alibi.

*Harry asks Shunpike why muggles can't see the bus. Isn't it great that Harry buys into the prejudice of this world? It is a wonderful example of how loving and giving he really is.

*Shunpike is here only to give information about Black. He is a veritable scholar on Black crimes. He also very generously gives us information on Azkaban.

*Fudge is waiting at the Leaky Cauldron for Harry. Poor Shunpike he fawns all over Fudge. I guess he is still hoping for a better job. Clear up that acne, shrink your ears and learn better pronunciation Shunpike.

*A Harry Potter series bon mot: People who don't speak well deserve the low class jobs they get.

*Another bon mot: If you aren't connected by blood or friendship to someone better, you deserve the low class job you have.

*Fudge laughs off Harry's magical mistake. He states that Aunt Marge has been obliviated and the Dursleys will take him back.

*I shudder to think of what the aurors did to the Dursleys to convince them to take back Harry.

*Harry asks Fudge if he could give him permission to go to Hogsmeade.

*I love how Harry completely forgets all the trouble he has caused and immediately just thinks about his own silly problems. Harry needs to go to Hogsmeade, dammit!

*Fudge refuses to give permission. Damn Fudge, the aurors couldn't get a signed permission note from the Dursleys while they were messing with the Dursleys memories? This is HARRY POTTER you know. He just can't be treated like any old normal person.

*Harry is shown to his room and Hedwig is waiting for him.

*I guess staying with the Weaselys was too much for even Hedwig to handle. She would have rather taken shelter with the homeless Harry. Darn, that is saying quite a bit about the Weaselys.

*Harry then sleeps the sleep of the pure and blameless at the Leaky Cauldron inn.

Comments

Re: Part II

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

This would be a pretty futile activity, and also sad if it meant you missed things in the books that could make reading them more rewarding and add to the sum of your pleasure!

I can't speak for anyone else's experience but this type of community has actually greatly increased my enjoyment (and sometimes opinion) of the books so it must be doing something right. I like pulling apart how the books work, even if there's something that doesn't. I know there's a strain of thought in fandom that this ruins the enjoyment of canon, but that's just as bizarre to me as this type of thing is to them.

On the other hand, it’s probably a good way of keeping disputatious oafs like me at a distance

How disputatious are you being? Because while I certainly think it's possible to argue against something that somebody else here thinks is a flaw or doesn't work, the "negative" reading might be negative but it still seems coherent. The "positive" one seems to jump around and contradict itself, or deny things that seem kind of dishonest or pointless to deny. The first reading seems more like the books I know, even if I disagree with points of it. The other threatens to become non-offensive mush.

Re: Part II

[(Anonymous)]

this type of community has actually greatly increased my enjoyment (and sometimes opinion) of the books

Same here.

HP is the only fandom I know anything about, and pretty much only the LJ bit of it. The “negative” approach seems to prevail on LJ – perhaps it is a reaction to the prevalence of a squee! approach elsewhwere? You’re absolutely right, the “positive”, squee! approach would make the books become non-offensive mush!

My problem with with what I’ve experienced of the “negative” approach is that it comes over as rather monotone. It seems to demand a, well, deathly uniformity from the story. I read some comments and then try to imagine the story if it conformed to their requirements, and my mind boggles and all vital signs fade! An overly negative approach is in as much danger of descending into absurdity or tedium as an overly positive one. It'd unremarkable but fair to say that it’s a good idea to start with a critical approach as opposed to an uncritical one, objective as opposed to either positive or negative. (wi)

Re: Part II

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I think you may be incorrectly assuming that anyone wants the books to conform to that approach. What I think people are doing is just noting the patterns they *do* follow, not saying that they would necessarily be better if they didn't follow those patterns. I think one reason one can do that so easily with these books is that they are sort of brashly opinionated in their tone or use bold strokes to get to where they want to go. Describing the way they work--even when something seems ridiculous the more you think about it--shows how the books are constructed (to me, anyway).

So like with this original question, Stan's accent isn't exactly central to the way things work, but using accents in certain ways is part of the style of the books. We're not necessarily holding the books to an ideal that they lose points from if they don't conform to it. Noting that Fleur's accent is a part of her characterization, and that's she's a very recognizable snooty French girl, doesn't have to mean the book shouldn't have that characterization, it just means that the books do have it. IMO, anyway.