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

[twirlability.livejournal.com]

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.

Maybe this is why Tom Cruise is being so nutty. 'Everytime someone goes on Paxil, a Dementor is born...'

[(Anonymous)]

Errr...me again...

-- 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.

God YES, this has been annoying me too - you see it has to be Tony Blair because JKR says the previous prime minister was a man - so unless she's just made British political history an AU then it is simply a maths error. How very ff.net of her...

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

Featuring real politics makes me remember that the wizarding world has essentially no democracy of any kind - we Brits may have a rubbish electoral system but at least we get some say, unlike the poor old wizarding community who get lumbered with Fudge...

-- 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?

*Photoshops lewd pictures of Tony Blair and a suitable actor*

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

You have to feel sorry for the PM. He's in way over his head.

Yeah, and the wizards feel free to rearrange his schedule and tamper with the memories of his colleagues...I'd be seriously pissed, if I were him.

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

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?

Hmm – I assumed it was Majors, and the reference to the last PM being a "he" was a slap at Thatcher. Blair took office in 1997 IIRC; even if this was a case of JKR – Maths – Oh Dear!, Blair as PM would have been new to his office and therefore not as aware of the Ministry of Magic as this fellow (reluctantly) seems to be. This PM remembers his first encounter with Fudge "as though it were yesterday", but it was over three years ago (because three years ago they discussed "Serious" Black). He's been in office for a while and due for an upcoming election – it has to be Majors.

...he's just another politician put there to illustrate how the ministry uses Harry. Man, JKR gypped us.

I assumed Rufus would be a teacher as well. But he may well play an important role in book 7, so I don't feel too cheated yet. :) (I also think Liam Neeson would make a fabulous Rufus Scrimgeour, if the Batman Begins franchise doesn't swallow him up and tire him out. But that's just me...)

Thanks for starting up the HPB readalong!

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

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<i.- 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?</i>

Now, that would be sexy- big elegant Kingsley in high heels and very tasteful jewerly. Like Rupaul, maybe?

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

Because he has, you know, sense.

[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!

[t0ra-chan.livejournal.com]

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

I thought that the Serious/Sirius thing was way worse. I mean, normally I immediately hit the back button if I see it in a fanfic because it's been so overdone?

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

I wonder why they bother telling him some things, like the Triwizard Tournament. 'Hey, we're importing highly dangerous magical creatures into the country for a tournament. Why I'm telling you this, even though you can do jack shit about it? Not like we care what you think anyway. No idea.'

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.

So this is where all the the Emo kids come from.

[jollityfarm.livejournal.com]

I shall have to get my chapter summary up soon. If only I'd realised. Not that I mind or anything :)

First of all, I'd really like to know who the Prime Minister is meant to be.

I have a suspicion it's meant to be an AU not-real PM. I do like the idea that Fudge mistook Margaret Thatcher for a man (she does have a bit of a man-voice going on, after all). But another thing that might ruin the idea that this is John Major is that Fudge apparently came to office in 1990 - and that's when Thatcher was booted out. Either he was made Minister just before the leadership contest, or this is some timeline AU, probably not helped by Rowling's refusal to acquaint herself with the basic use of a pocket calculator. Though the idea that the identity of the PM is up-in-the-air probably helps Tony Blair to imagine he has an oh-so-kid-friendly part in the latest Potter book. It's all about the image, you know.

He threw Fudge out the window?

Another thing supporting the AU timeline scenario in which wholly different people are in power is the fact that I cannot imagine John Major throwing anyone out of a window either (Maggie Thatcher, sure, but John Major clearly isn't the sort). Mind you, maybe this is just another one of those secrets the Muggle world never hears of.

who appoints the Minister of Magic anyway?

I would guess from the information we have that it seems to be other people in the Magical governmental department. The Wizengamot, perhaps. I guess they have to do it a bit differently, otherwise it'd just be reappointed in the next Cabinet reshuffle, and the new MoM would be David Blunkett or someone.

Dementor sex.

It's a beautiful thought :) You know, when I first saw the PoA film, I swore they looked a bit phallic. Oddly tall heads, I thought to myself. I'm clearly not the only one :/

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

It's probably just the same charm sticking them both to the walls. This book could have done with more Mrs. Black, in my opinion. We never got her reaction to Sirius' death.

[fraught.livejournal.com]

Right, so this is the chapter JKR was waiting so long to put out there? It's all exposition and contains the one joke that stopped being funny after the third time I saw it (Sirius/serious) (in all fairness, maybe JKR doesn't know everybody and their mother rolls their eyes at this).

What's the point of this chapter anyway? The other times JKR left Harry's POV (first chapter of GoF, Quidditch match in PS/SS), it served some kind of purpose, but this one?

And thanks for starting the readalong :)