HBP Chapter One

[biichan.livejournal.com]

-- First of all, I'd really like to know who the Prime Minister is meant to be. I mean, is he just a generic prime minister? Or is he a Real Person being 'Cleverly Disguised' by Rowling? If you go by the date you get in CoS at Sir Nicolas' deathday, it would be the fall of 1996 which means the PM would be John Majors, but what if she meant it to be Blair? Sigh. Maths. JKR's maths.

-- Nowhere does it say that the President that is giving the PM his headache is the American one. Possibly, he's from some other democracy. Or Clinton was hitting on Mrs Majors.

-- Hurricanes. Right. So where does the rain come from, giant drool? Ew.

-- He threw Fudge out the window? Um. I'd heard Maggie Thatcher was a bit butch but that's taking it a little too far.

-- "Serious." "Kwidditch." Hah hah hah. I'm shaking in my boots, really. (Not.) But seriously, I think I like the spelling Kwidditch better.

-- You have to feel sorry for the PM. He's in way over his head. So... who appoints the Minister of Magic anyway?

-- Dementor sex. Dementors... fugging. In a writing career of batshit ideas, the Great Dementor Spawning definitely takes the cake. I wonder if they have anything to do with Muggle clinical depressiveness levels.

-- Remember how when JKR first unearthed that quote about Lion Dude and we all thought he'd be really important? Like maybe the new Defence master or Godric Gryffindor or the Heir of Gryffindor or something like that? And he's just another politician put there to illustrate how the ministry uses Harry. Man, JKR gypped us.

-- I can't be the only one that is now picturing Kingsley in pearls and high-heels, am I? (I know he's not that kind of secretary. But one can wish.) Speaking of which, PM/Kingsley anybody?

-- "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister." Was that meant to be horribly profound? Because it wasn't, really.


Box Picture: John Majors (or maybe Tony Blair) is THE MINISTER. Cornelius Fudge is THE OTHER MINISTER. And Rufus Scrimgeour is THE OTHER OTHER MINISTER.

Exploitation Filmmakers’ Credo: Oh, I'm sure you can't remember the last three books anyway. Have some exposition.

Nut o’ Fun: The talking portrait in the PM's office. That must be related to Sirius' mum somehow 'cause he won't budge.

POV Shots: The PM. For the whole chapter.

Whooshing Powder: In the wizarding world, we call this floo powder.

Unfortunately, our brave PM doesn't bring quite so much snark as the wizards do. Think it's a co-incidence?

Comments

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister." Was that meant to be horribly profound? Because it wasn't, really.

I dunno, it kind of sums up the dominant mindset in the books. The trouble for the good guys is that their opponents aren't hopelessly outmatched and helpless. WOE!
Cause Gryffindors (which as the 'warriors' pretty much represent the whole WW) have honour and all, but it's pretty convenient that most of the people they get into fights with are outnumbered.

You have to feel sorry for the PM.

I felt sorry for Fudge, too.
...I'll get my coat.

And he's just another politician put there to illustrate how the ministry uses Harry.

But then we wouldn't get the ever-so-eyeroll-worthy scenes of Harry showing off his sexy scars and being all Punk Rawk anti-authority (except not, cause he's Dumbledore's Man and all.) Where would we be without cheese in the HP books, huh? Answer me that!

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

Oh yes...cheese and whine. ;)

[little-aphid.livejournal.com]

I felt sorry for Fudge, too.
...I'll get my coat.

Wow, me too! We should start a club or something. I mean, yeah, he was kind of an asshole while introducing himself to the PM, but it really does sound like he's getting desperate, and trying like hell to convince himself and everyone else that Voldemort really isn't back. Yeah, I feel sorry for him.

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

I felt bad for him in GoF - he can't be back! - and all.

And then they fired him, and he took it in pretty good grace. Go Fudge!

[romeoambiences.livejournal.com]

The trouble for the good guys is that their opponents aren't hopelessly outmatched and helpless. WOE!

But they are. The author provides them with an invisibility cloak, map, timeturner (If I were a DE and had broken into the ministry, this would be one item I'd definitely take.), Felix Felicis (rather too convenient this one), unusual talent (Tonks) and so on...not to mention Harry being a natural on his broom and Ginny being so special as a seventh child. What do the DE's get?
The Jabootu score for these things alone is astronomical.

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

to mention Harry being a natural on his broom

God, just Harry's list of Super-Speshul talents could probably qualify the whole series, let alone Dumbledore/God, Hermione the Genius, and amazing Animagi/Metamorphaguses/etc.