03 HP Chamber of Secrets

[chantaldormand]

I was going to post this yesterday, but sadly day has only 24 hours. *shrugs*

Ch3 The Burrow

>I suppose Rowling wanted to make Weasley’s home more charming by calling it ‘Burrow’, but for me it works in completely opposite manner.

>I bet that in Potterverse UFO sightings are moronic wizards who use such things as flying cars. +1 to Uncovered

>Ok, Story Time! For certain amount of time I worked in various governmental institutions. While to normal person Arthur knowing about Harry’s warning might seem strange, I can confirm that this kind of event could took place. For some strange reason, no matter how many secrecy clauses employees sign, juicy information about repeated offenders always makes rounds around office. Celebrity getting warning? Before lunch everybody and their grandma knows about it!

>So using object that was enchanted by someone else doesn’t count as breaking no-underage-magic law?

>I refuse to believe that man who cannot comprehend how plugs work was able to enchant a car,without breaking his primary function, so it would fly. As far as I’m concerned Ford Anglia is brainwashed Transformer.

>Fred revved up car’s engine. I’ll push aside question of whys and hows of engine being needed for floating, but I have to ask: Does this mean that until this moment engine was silent? +1 to Uncovered +1 to Crime Count for damaging building

>Apparently Durslays sleep like dead, since neither the car nor pulling out bars awoke them.

>Just how old is lock on Harry’s door, if it can be picked with hairpin?

>Where twins learned how to pick locks?

>So all this revving, shuffling and Harry’s panicky collecting his stuff from his room didn’t wake up Vernon, but Hedwig’s screech did??

>Once again I have to ask just what Dumbledore put in that letter. Vernon is surprisingly against Harry going to Hogwarts AND Harry running away from Privet Drive, yet he obviously hates the kid and wants to keep him away from his family.

>Saving Harry from his relatives is noble and all, but it still sounds like kidnapping. Especially since the rescue team includes only teenagers. +1 to Crime Count

>That must be fun night to explain to neighbours and police.

>Another +1 to Uncovered for Harry’s yelling.

>So weakened and hungry owl is let out to fly alongside magical car. I’m honestly surprised that she didn’t pull runner. Or fell to ground from her exhaustion.

>Now even Ron can pick locks... 

>I want to point out that after spending the last three days locked up in his room and having his stuff locked up for even longer, Harry does not decide to learn picking locks. Or find any other way to prevent this from happening again… +1 to Leap of Logic

>Apparently Harry managed to forget that until the final chapter of PS whole school hated him for one thing or another. After the final chapter the Slytherin House was probably plotting payback.

>It would be much more amusing if both Dobby and the nefarious plan didn’t belong to Lucius. That quiet fifth year Slytherin planning his career at the Ministry? Watch out Potter, he will find a way to tax and fine you into poverty.

>How Harry, who has huge problems with remembering his year mates’ names, can conclude that “Malfoy” is not very common name?

>How Arthur, who during Voldie War I was not part of the Order, knows that Lucius was in the Inner Circle?

>We know that Draco is way worse than Dudley, because he chose to go to Slytherin and as we know Slytherin is Hell. It’s like with those nasty atheists who chose to not believe in God, so they can keep sinning! Or so I am told.

>Weasleys have old owl who has tendency to ‘collapse on delivery’. It’s true that animal abuse is rampant in this series, but I would think security of their mail would force Weasleys to get a new owl. +1 to Leap of Logic

>New head canon: Weasleys are poor, because their owl keep loosing their correspondence, resulting in interest on payments brutalising their bank account.

>Do all wizards develop sexually later than normal boys? I cannot believe that twins wouldn’t suspect Percy of... polishing his prefect badge… Unless they were implying it, but it flew right over Harry’s head. +1 to FWBP

>Ugh, it just occurred to me that as far as I can remember Hogwarts do not have anything resembling Sex Ed classes. I also cannot imagine Vernon sitting down with Harry and explaining birds and bees to him. 

>The question for today is: how Arthur manages to cover all incidents with only two-man team?

>What is a point in enchanting your tea set to be aggressive?

>Once again good guys show double standards: Arthur enchanting muggle stuff=ok, somebody else doing so=bad.

>Burrow’s description sounds horrible. If you want to build obviously magical building you have so many options, yet Rowling settles on huge Jenga tower.

>”‘Now, we’ll go upstairs really quietly,’ said Fred, ‘and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, ‘Mum, look who turned up in the night!’ and she’ll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car.” I see Fred still has very low opinion of his mother. There is no parent in the world that wouldn’t start to suspect something horrible upon witnessing the imagined scene. +1 to Crime Count since kids stole the car.

>Just how short is Molly, if Ron and the twins are taller than her? And how tall Harry is for that matter?

>Harry is clearly a bad influence on Ron. After hearing Molly ranting about how disappointed she is and what could happen to the boys, a few weeks later Ron will still steal his father’s car and go for joy ride.

>So instead of outright killing gnomes or using magic to discourage gnomes from settling in Weasley’s backyard, our heroes indulge in something that we would call ‘animal abuse’. Wonderful. +1 to Crime Count.

>”Of course, it’s very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking – they’ll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they’ll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it’s staring them in the face … but the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn’t believe –” Yes, bless muggles who depend on science, because it works. Yes, bless muggles who are constantly brainwashed by your gov into ignoring magic. I swear I almost prefer Hagrid’s style of interacting with muggles. Almost.

>Either I don’t understand how WW’s gov works or Jo does not understand how politics work. Probably both, because usually executive branch does not write laws.

>”‘Good Lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron’s told us so much about –’” Arthur’s reaction is nice call-back to Tom-the-barkeeper’s from PS. 

>I can see why twins are so horrible- one of their parents is more bark than bite and the other has absolutely no spine.

>Another sign that Harry not only is not interested in Quidditch, but also doesn’t know much about his ‘friend’. Talking about favourite sport teams is usually the first thing you do after learning that somebody else likes the same sport.

>Why Ron’s room has two beds?

>Ron being nervous over showing his friend his room is cute :)

Crime Count: 4

Death Count: 0

Freud Would Be Proud: 1

Leap of Logic: 2

Uncovered: 3 

Spell Count: 0

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

Hah, I know lots of people in state service and I know what you mean about "confidential" information. That person who just "retired"? Well, X says s/he accepted a gift well over the legal limit and it was "retirement" or investigation... but of course, everyone knows it's really that s/he knew too much about how the boss is, er, creatively distributing funds... And that's not even getting into the dirt on people using the agency's services.

Malfoy can't be a common name, because it is French, and only a small percentage of wizarding society could possibly be evil rich French Slytherins. QED!

These poor owls. I never could get through this chapter without feeling so awful for them.

Yikes, that is a good point about the lack of sex ed. Does this mean most of what Harry knows comes from Ron? Who probably learned most of what he "knows" from the twins? *shudders* Poor kids.

So that probably is what Fred and George meant. Percy is 16, so he probably was "polishing his prefect badge" and hoping it would be impressive enough for his new girlfriend. Like an average teenager.

I wonder whether the wizarding government's branches aren't as separate as in the Muggle world? Or maybe someone on the Wizengamot technically introduced the bill but Arthur is known to have been the guy who suggested it and helped his friend draft it, so he gets the credit whenever people talk about it?

It is really hard to believe Ron went an entire year without mentioning the Chudley Cannons, or that even Harry could blank out a year's worth of Ron's excited chatter about them. It might have been more convincing if he at least had a vague memory that Ron liked a team called the Cannons and was just surprised by how much orange filled the room.

[chantaldormand]

/Yikes, that is a good point about the lack of sex ed. Does this mean most of what Harry knows comes from Ron? Who probably learned most of what he "knows" from the twins? *shudders* Poor kids./

Honestly it's no wonder that Harry compares Ginny's jaw to twins' in his head if most of what he knows about sexuality comes from his dorm-mates. Or his Draco-stalking period in HBP. The kid has to be horribly confused.

/I wonder whether the wizarding government's branches aren't as separate as in the Muggle world? Or maybe someone on the Wizengamot technically introduced the bill but Arthur is known to have been the guy who suggested it and helped his friend draft it, so he gets the credit whenever people talk about it?/

The way it's worded here and in about... 10 or so chapters, it sounds like Arthur was major contributor in writing this law. In most of democratic countries there is something called "Citizen Initiative". It's a way for citizens to introduce new law to legislature branch for consideration. Only there is a catch: citizens must collect certain amount of signatures from country's citizens to present their proposition to the legislature. It may be 10 thousand signatures or more. Now while Arthur manages to get a bribe in form of tickets for a major sport event I sincerely doubt he would be able to drum up enough support for this law. Especially considering how dismissive wizards are towards muggles.
This could mean that WW's gov works very differently from their muggle counterpart.

/ It might have been more convincing if he at least had a vague memory that Ron liked a team called the Cannons and was just surprised by how much orange filled the room./

Yup, it's like in PS where in train Ron seems to explain Quidditch to Harry, yet when few chapters later Woods explains it to him again, he acts like he hears about it for the first time.

[sunnyskywalker]

Yeah, and there is a ballot initiative process in California which allows the public to directly vote on new laws too, though I think the signature requirements are a lot higher. It would seem odd to me if a director of even a minor government department authored one, though. Like, a firefighters' association or a former politician, sure, but not actively serving executive government officials. I'd have to check whether that's due to tradition or whether there's an actual legal barrier, though.

Gilderoy Lockhart says something about wishing for "harmony" between Muggles and wizards on his quiz, I think, which suggests that paying lip service to the idea of Muggles as people has enough support for him to want to take advantage of it, but you're right that getting enough people to actually sign a petition seems unlikely unless there's some other factor we don't know about.

Also, come to think of it, we do have some evidence that their government works differently: we never see a separate court system. The Death Eater trials Harry sees in the Pensieve are overseen by Crouch, who was the head of law enforcement, and Harry's trial is held before the Wizengamot, which seems to also be a legislative body. Now, maybe those are all special cases somehow, like how in the US, the Senate acts as the court for impeachments of high officials (which has some centuries-old British precedent iirc). And I think it was condwiramurs who made a good case for the Death Eaters being considered guilty of treason, because they were apparently trying to overturn/destroy the Statute of Secrecy (the foundation of their entire society). Harry was also charged with violating the Statute of Secrecy. So, it could just be that those are all extremely atypical cases.

But still, no one ever seems to go to court for anything that I recall. They get fined for things, but they don't go to Broom Traffic Court as part of the process. Buckbeak is tried before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, which sounds more executive than judicial. And there don't seem to be any lawyers, which is just bizarre. Surely we should have heard about the Malfoys' slimy lawyer who made sure Lucius and his pals never went to Azkaban? Shoudn't someone have sued Hogwarts (or particular professors) for negligence or reckless endangerment over the years?

[oryx_leucoryx]

The closest thing to representation by a lawyer that we see is when Dumbledore shows up in Harry's trial and brings a supportive witness. But I don't think he was there in official capacity. Perhaps a wizard's best hope is to have a Wizengamot member who is sympathetic to their case show up and present evidence in their favor.

[chantaldormand]

I agree with the person who claimed that Death Eaters were considered guilty of treason. I will go even further and say this: WW most probably doesn't have courts.
The only thing that WW's government cares about is staying hidden from muggles. Each time a law is mentioned in the series it's somehow connected to Statue of Secrecy. Registration of Animagi? Extension of Statue of Secrecy. Not enchanting muggle objects? Extension of Statue of Secrecy. Putting down magical creatures who are out of control? Extension of Statue of Secrecy.
This leaves us with question: what about things not covered by Statue of Secrecy? What if drunken wizards start brawl? What if newspaper writes slanderous article? What about inherence laws?
And answers to those are terrifying. According to what we see in books and on Pottermore, wizards are supposed to deal with the brawl on their own, the offended citizen is supposed to hunt down the reporter to torture them and inherence is ruled by race vindictive creatures who are bidding their time to pay wizards back.

[sunnyskywalker]

That really is terrifying. It must be like Verona in Romeo and Juliet, with everyone brawling in the streets and killing one of theirs every time they kill one of yours. (Two Houses, both alike in dignity...) The Order vs. the Death Eaters must have been like an extreme form of the usual state of things.

England had a legal system before the wizarding world split off, so they must have actively ditched it. I mean, maybe there were so few of them in 1689/91 that they figured it was easier to handle things on their own, and then just.... never redeveloped the system, but even that seems unlikely. (Not least because we still can't be sure of the current magical population, never mind historical.) They developed a police force, after all. They adopted the Muggle school calendar. Why not inheritance lawyers? There's something really screwy here.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

It's possible that the only laws we see in the HP universe are related to the Statute of Secrecy because those are the only laws our protagonist could break. He's supposedly too scrawny to be fist-fighting (and breaking up a fist-fight would be easy for wizards with wands) and he's still in school so not supposed to be magically brawling in the streets so he'd be gotten on a SoS violation anyway; he's his parents' only child so the laws of inheritance wouldn't apply - no other sibling to challenge his inheritance - and his godfather Sirius has no heirs or relations that aren't stripped of rights due to criminal status, so Grimmauld Place might reasonably go to Harry, and we also don't see that part of the transfer of property. Just being the age he is, our protagonist and gateway to the WW wouldn't see most types of law in the WW.

[chantaldormand]

Yeah, but until Hagrid comes and stops the brawl between Arthur and Lucius in CoS ch4 nobody tries to call Aurors or stop them.
According to one of entries (pre-wipe up of Pottermore) during Quidditch championship Rita made a few ugly comments about Harry and his friends. In the same entry we learned that Ginny hexed her. There is no talk about either side wanting to drag the case before the court.
Sirius is formally an escapee from Azcaban. Yeah he didn't have a trial, but under law of most countries he would be guilty of escaping from prison. Sirius should have access to any inherence from his family and even goblins letting him access his personal account looks bad, thus I say that most financial matters must be in hands of goblins otherwise we wouldn't have this situation.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

If their laws were from the time the WW split with the Muggle world, it's possible that they didn't update as the Muggle world did and fist-fights and even duels aren't reasons for legal intervention. Same with nasty comments and hexes - these are private matters and law enforcement doesn't get involved. Sirius - he was afraid of being recaptured and hid out for most of that book, so there is some law enforcement that would have taken him in if he'd been captured. What the goblins do - it's possible they have the WW by the throat and so can do as they please. They might even get a kick out of people getting one over on the WW government. I took Griphook's attitude to be fairly common among the goblins.

But, I do agree that the world we're shown is messed up. That our protagonist doesn't really pay attention to things doesn't help our understanding of the world, either.

[nx74defiant.livejournal.com]

I remember someone writing that the wizarding world is a Feudal society with the trappings of a modern Republic.

It more important to link up to a powerful patron, than following any legal system.

[sunnyskywalker]

Oh, and why enchant a tea set to be aggressive? Petunia would probably say for the same reason you might enchant a teacup to turn into a rat: so you can prank your terrified Muggle sister with it.

Ok, to be fair, you could also prank other witches and wizards with it. I'm sure Pomfrey heals biting teacup injuries at least a few times per year.

[elanor-x.livejournal.com]

Wanted to ask whether Anonymous comments being prohibited was done on purpose, or lj changed some rules and it happened accidentally. Before Anonymous could comment here and some did. May be, more people would comment if they could w/o having a lj.

>Where twins learned how to pick locks?

After googling, I found:

Ginny Night Flying, “She’s been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren’t looking.” (OP26)

May be, small twins also had to break into a broom shed in order to practice flying without Molly's supervision.

>How Arthur, who during Voldie War I was not part of the Order, knows that Lucius was in the Inner Circle?

Lucius is a very influential, rich and not stupid wizard, so it would make sense for Voldemort to admit him into the Inner Circle in order to gain Lucius's full cooperation.

Also, I am sure DD told that to new members. It's something they would need to know.

>Burrow’s description sounds horrible. If you want to build obviously magical building you have so many options, yet Rowling settles on huge Jenga tower.

Burrow indirectly characterizes Ron's parents since they supposedly built and then expanded the house themselves.

>Either I don’t understand how WW’s gov works or Jo does not understand how politics work. Probably both, because usually executive branch does not write laws.

I love the most the theory that Harry and then readers misunderstand many things in WW, especially when 'usual' Muggle terms are used to mean something very different. For instance, the main role of WW gov is to hide from Muggles, not to care for the welfare of the wizarding population. We assume many things which may not be true for the WW. The separation of gov branches doesn't even exist in every RL country today, does it? At least, not in practice.

>What is a point in enchanting your tea set to be aggressive?

Remembering DD's visit to the Dursleys in HBP, the tea set could be triggered by impolite behavior, like people refusing to drink tea or holding the cup too strongly after being forced to drink it.

[chantaldormand]

/Wanted to ask whether Anonymous comments being prohibited was done on purpose, or lj changed some rules and it happened accidentally. Before Anonymous could comment here and some did. May be, more people would comment if they could w/o having a lj./

It's either accidental or on part of LJ. When I'm posting, I use default settings. I'll take look on it little later.

/May be, small twins also had to break into a broom shed in order to practice flying without Molly's supervision. /

Contrary to what Jo thinks and what action movies show lock picking is not so simple. You have to interact with correct pins in correct order.
I can buy that wizards use very old types of locks so you can use hair pins to pick them up, but lock types you could encounter in 90'? Nope, you can't even fit hair pin into the lock.

/Also, I am sure DD told that to new members. It's something they would need to know. /

Yeah but this is 1992. The Order was revived in 1994. While Arthur might hear allegations and have his own prejudiced due the feud suspicions, he doesn't know anything for sure. Speaking such things against "very influential, rich and not stupid wizard" when you are a gov worker who is on verge of poverty is stupid. *shrugs*

/Burrow indirectly characterizes Ron's parents since they supposedly built and then expanded the house themselves. /

I'm just pointing out that if any muggle saw this monstrosity, there would be inspection from proper authorities. This means that the property is protected from muggles so Weasleys might as well build something that doesn't look like safety hazard. *shrugs*

/ For instance, the main role of WW gov is to hide from Muggles, not to care for the welfare of the wizarding population. /

Actually I point out in PS ch 5 that is what Hagrid suggests.
While Britain might be odd duck among European democracies, they still have certain standards. Britain's WW on the other hand gives many dystopian novel's run in "dysfunctional government" department.
Each time we get a glance on how WW works I have to wonder about Jo's outlook onto government. Especially since she seems to praise Pottervers so much.

[elanor-x.livejournal.com]

While Britain might be odd duck among European democracies

May I ask what you refer to?
I am from Israel but am interested in EU and Britain, so became curious what people from Europe think. :)
Which country are you from?

[chantaldormand]

I meant of course Common Law and lack of one formally written constitution. They have constitutional law, just not written nicely in one place like most European countries.
Not that there is anything wring with this approach, but it can be confusing for other Europeans.
Thus I say they are bit of odd duck :)

[sunnyskywalker]

I always liked the theory that Arthur was Imperiused during the first war, and he learned something (at least enough circumstantial evidence) to be sure Lucius was really guilty. And it just burns him that Lucius got off on the same defense he did, so he can't shut up about it even when he really shouldn't be making himself a target like that.

It's surprising that they don't have a Department of Acceptable Architectural Design or something like that for people whose houses might be seen by Muggles. Or to make sure that wizarding houses in general don't fall down due to improperly cast building charms by the inhabitants, for that matter. They have such a low population that they really can't afford to lose people to balcony collapses.

I wonder whether there are wizarding contractors who specialize in roofing spells and whatnot? Because even if most of them are theoretically capable, it seems like it's very hard to learn all the spells for everything well enough, and it would be easier to have specialists.

[chantaldormand]

Weeell you see houses are kind of muggle objects so any magic done onto them could fall under Misuse of Muggle Artefacts whose head is... Oh wait, yeah Arthur.
No, seriously it would be hilarious if that was truth and he signed up documentation from inspection of his house :D

[sunnyskywalker]

It's good to be the boss, isn't it? But the house is just as convincing at being Muggle as that guy at the Quidditch World Cup wearing a kilt and poncho, so I'm sure they signed off on it if he did submit paperwork and get an inspection!

[smirkingcat.livejournal.com]

i think most of TCoS is proof that jkr did not take good notes on her own story, and that she pantst it along, what always gets to me is how heir editors (there must have been many and still this is the end result) did not point out the repetition, i am not even a native, and in all my beta-works repetition is the first thing i point out, plot holes and leaps of logic are the 2nd - especially how we have been trained by hollywood to talk at the mission about what we are here to do- NO!!! at the mission we are doing missioning, everything has already been talked about *stupid moiviemakers* sorry going of the rail here...
and yes its not just schools/workplaces - agencies are also unable to keep their secrets, in a way this amuses me, because no secret is ever save...
well thank you again for you amazing review- also i never noticed the lock picking and why harry didn't pick it up... that is sort of strange, as it is such a handy thing to know...

[oryx_leucoryx]

I want to point out that after spending the last three days locked up in his room and having his stuff locked up for even longer, Harry does not decide to learn picking locks. Or find any other way to prevent this from happening again… +1 to Leap of Logic

Actually in POA he does pick the cupboard lock in order to be able to do his summer homework.

[chantaldormand]

I must admit I was bit confused by your statement, because in my sister's translated version the lock was "broken" instead of picked. But yeah in original version it is "picked".
As it is it doesn't really matter. Jo skipped perfectly good excuse for Ron (or twins) to bond with Harry over learning a new skill so our hero ends up magically learning a new skill. Just like with mimicking voices in PS.
If this isn't Mary Sue-ish trait then I'm boiled broccoli.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

/I refuse to believe that man who cannot comprehend how plugs work was able to enchant a car,without breaking his primary function, so it would fly/

Maybe this is another one of these little inconsistencies: the Malfoys are pureblood supremacists, but Draco knows about ballet and helicopters; many wizards live right by Muggles, but don't know how Muggles dress, etc.

/As far as I’m concerned Ford Anglia is brainwashed Transformer/

That would be hilarious if that were true. :)

/We know that Draco is way worse than Dudley, because he chose to go to Slytherin/

As if Dudley would be sorted anywhere else if he were a wizard, since he's an antagonist? I wonder if this is what other people have theorized: Draco's a wizard, so he's automatically more important than Dudley, so anything he does has to be worse than what Dudley has done, even if it isn't.

/I see Fred still has very low opinion of his mother/

But he is right about his mother's adoration of Harry. This is the same woman who coos over Harry in one minute and snarls at Ron in the next.

/they’ll go to any lengths to ignore magic/

This is a common handwaving trope in urban fantasy that's never worked for me. You'll see this excuse a lot: oh, our masquerade functions because the mundanes/normal people just convince themselves that they're hallucinating or they try to pretend it isn't happening because they don't want to believe in magic.

In a world where mediums and psychics still exist, where alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs still happen, where bookstores are still stocked with New Age sections, you really mean to tell me that your masquerade depends on regular humans simply ignoring supernatural occurrences? It's kind of hard to ignore the evidence of your own eyes. It's even harder when that same magic burns down your store right in front of you.

And it gets even more annoying and frustrating when this trope, originally a handwave, then devolves into mundane characters being made out to be pigheaded fools who ignore the overwhelming evidence in favor of stubbornly clinging to their belief that magic isn't real and who turn into strawmen for the magical protagonist to preach to when complaining about how narrow-minded regular people are.

But in Harry Potter, this is unnecessary because, yeah, Arthur, did you just forget that your government regularly mind-wipes Muggles so that they can't remember magic, even if they do believe in it? Arthur didn't even need to say this, since JKR already has a reason for the masquerade.

/I can see why twins are so horrible- one of their parents is more bark than bite and the other has absolutely no spine/

And the one who is more bark than bite frequently pits them against their siblings by playing favorites.

[chantaldormand]

/As if Dudley would be sorted anywhere else if he were a wizard, since he's an antagonist?/

Nah, he would end up in Hufflepuff since he is fat and incompetent. Then during the final battle he would push small children out of his way during his daring escape. Wait a moment...

/This is a common handwaving trope in urban fantasy that's never worked for me./

IMHO it can work (just like any trope) but all depends on how author implements it.
A mother who believes in mediums, but claims her changeling child has behavioural problems/mental illness is ok.
Someone who believes in demons and angels, claiming that werewolf is mutated rabid dog is ok.
Someone who believes in aliens, but thinks that Harry Dresden is fraud and pyromaniac is ok.
But when character gets fireballed into face and still is strong sceptic, I'm going to have a beef with the author.

Arthur rubs me extra bad in this chapter, because of his dismissive attitude. It's like colonial era explorer who is fascinated by what those savage members of a tribe he observes came up with to deal with their problems.
It's even worse once we learn how Ministry deals with cases of breaching Statue of Secrecy

/And the one who is more bark than bite frequently pits them against their siblings by playing favorites. /

Yup. It's almost Battle Royal level of pitting kids against each other. It's a wonder that only Percy breaks away from the fold...unless my suspicions about Charlie and Bill's career choices are true.

[sunnyskywalker]

I bet you're right and Bill and Charlie deliberately chose careers that would take them far, far away. We know that Bill grew his hair out and got an earring, and he had to know Molly wouldn't approve, so there's a bit of evidence for a rebellious streak.