Quote of the Week

"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you..."
"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" said Harry sarcastically.

-OotP

I picked this quote because it is a perfect Harry quote. He is so sarcastic, yet it is true most of the time. I relate to this quote a lot, so I thought it'd be a good one for this week.

Department of Queries: The Passages of Hogwarts

This DoQ is more focused on the setup of the passages, not so much the passages in Cannon themselves.

The question we started with for this week is: "How do earthen passages appear out of walls several stories up, like the passage that caved in on the fourth floor or the one that comes out of the second floor of the Hog’s Head in the seventh book?"

Calie and I began exploring this question by looking at the passage behind Ariana's portrait in the Hog's Head. This is one of the passages that are "earthen". We began discussing how the passage could be there in the first place. How could this huge tunnel just connect two places, and allow travel at the same time? I brought up the theory that it would semi-resemble the Floo network how it connects two places using an entry and exit. Another thing brought up was the possibility of an Undetectable Extension Charm on the passage to allow there to be an inside, like Arthur used on the car. We couldn't quite figure out how this extra dimension could be created and exist, rather than the explanation of "it's magic." We agreed that it is almost like a wormhole, and that it was probably "earthen" because it was literally underground, because maybe that was the only way to have this extra dimension. If you notice, all of the passages slope upward in some form before the exit.

Next, we discussed the creation of the passages. We know that there are at least two different kinds of passages-tunnels and slides- but why are they located where they are? We talked about who would've created them, and we came to a consensus that there were probably some that were established when the castle was built, made by the Founders, much like the Chamber of Secrets. I'd like to think that some at least, would be by the students, but I think that it would be very advanced magic, so there might not be many. We know that at least one teacher made one-Dumbledore with the Shrieking Shack for Lupin. Calie and I agree that it would've been awesome if Fred and George would've made one, because it seems like something they would do. If the students were able to make their own, they would have had to pass the secret on for them to become known, and since we don't know about very many other than the ones on the Marauder's Map, we expect that they are lost to the times, but I think that there would be tons of these passages everywhere in Hogwarts.

A great point brought up in our discussion was the protection of the Hogwarts grounds if there are more passages. Calie said that it would be a huge breach in security if there were all of these passages everywhere, but I argued that back in the day, security was probably not as big of an issue as it was during Harry's time, for obvious reasons. One thing that boggled us was how damage could be inflicted on one. We assumed that they would be protected magically, yet the one on the fourth floor was caved in. We couldn't think of what could damage it either.

Featured Essay: How Hollywood De-fanged Potter's Radical Politics Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1

       This essay caught my eye because I feel like it says a lot about the books, the movies, and the meaning of both. It is also not too lengthy. This review focuses on the political messages of the last book, and their presentation in the DH part 1. It is quite critical of the movie, which I must admit was one of my favorite of the series. This essay talks about how the political message was sidelined for a barely existent love triangle plot. I feel like this was not the only important plot that was pushed aside to make room for teen romance that was very unimportant to the overall story. If you feel the same as I do, or are just curious, I highly recommend this essay from Mugglenet.
 Link: http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/defangedpotter.shtml

Character of the Month: Petunia

This is September's character of the month; yes I am aware that it is half way through October already, please accept my apologies and enjoy the post!

Hatred of Lily and Magic
Paige and I discussed this point at length. We both agreed that Petunia's hatred of both Lily and magic was due to jealousy. We know that in the past, Petunia hated magic a lot less. She would send letters to Dumbledore begging to be let into Hogwarts. One thing we found was that we can't think of any other instances where one sibling is magical and the other is not. That may be why this seems uncommon in the wizarding world. I think that magical qualities usually pop up in an entire generation. Perhaps Petunia didn't get magic because of a fluke. Paige and I also talked about whether Petunia genuinely hated Lily or if she was just jealous. We talked about how jealousy can lead to hatred, and about how sometimes there is a fine line between them. We both, however, believe that Petunia certainly crossed that line. She had no contact with her sister for years, and couldn't even stand to hear her name. That sounds a lot like hatred.
Paige and I also briefly discussed how she would have reacted to Lily's death when she heard. I argued that she would have probably felt a little bit sad, but that she would have been surprised. She would have kind of been blindsided by the loss she felt. I also wondered if she would have felt some amount of satisfaction. It would have been proof, in Petunia's eyes, that being normal was better. She was normal and alive, while her "freak" sister was dead. She would have summed up her death in saying that magic caused it, only affirming her belief that life was better without magic. Paige disagreed a little on the satisfaction part however; she thought that might be too far. So on that point, the jury is out.

True Knowledge of Magic
Paige and I also briefly discussed her hatred of magic. Paige wondered if Petunia was actually afraid of magic, but we both decided that she most likely wasn't. She had grown up with Lily doing magic and talking about it. She would be familiar with a lot of it. We see that she knows more than she lets on when she knows what Dementors are and who Voldemort is. She isn't ignorant to magic. Her longing to be magical probably meant that for a little while she probably learned a lot about it, until her jealousy made her decide that it was worthless. Paige brought up a good point in our discussion. She said that by locking up Harry's books, it is confirmation that she knew some of what was contained within them. Petunia wasn't oblivious to all of the magic when she was growing up, she remembers. She knows more than she lets on, that is for sure.

Treatment of Harry
The way that Petunia treated Harry throughout the books was cold and heartless. Paige and I disagreed on whether she had any affection for Harry at all. I argued that she didn't. She never showed any sign of caring for him. But Paige and I agreed that she was taking out her anger with Lily on Harry. She had this defenseless kid plopped on her doorstep. He couldn't fight back, but he became an opportunity to do all the things that she had wanted to do to Lily. We also agreed that she was trying to prove something to herself by treating Harry this way. She wanted to prove that even if she wasn't magical, she was still powerful. As a kid, she probably felt inferior to Lily, and this was her opportunity to show that she was stronger than magic. She bullied Harry, and she also didn't stop Vernon from bullying him either. He was magical and he was defenseless, and she was able to overpower him for years. She was insecure about her strength, and it is sad that by bullying Harry it made her feel stronger.

Vernon and Dudley
Petunia created a life of complete normality, well at least, in her mind. In her decision to marry Vernon, she made a mad dash to cast off all the oddities of her childhood to embrace her own world. But she didn't go to a normal level of normality. She and Vernon were normal to an extreme. They were bland, and fit into every cookie cutter expectation of the Muggle world. Vernon was the polar opposite of everything that she had grown to despise. Now to her treatment of Dudley. Paige said that why she treated Dudley so well was that she wanted to give him everything she felt she had lacked in her childhood. She probably felt ignored, so she wanted to give Dudley all of her attention. She wanted to make Harry feel how she felt as a kid, jealous and left out.


Well that is Petunia, a little more complex than she first appears I suppose. Paige and I would love to hear your input on Petunia or any other character. Just leave a comment below. If you have any suggestions on future characters to analyze, do the same.

Quote of the Week

"You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it."

-Dumbledore, Goblet of Fire

 I think when we read stories like Harry Potter, we sometimes forget that the characters are so extraordinary. In my literature class we recently discussed young characters who take on adult problems, and succeed where every adult failed. This quote reminds of that, because Harry is probably the best example of that situation that I can think of. At the time of the triwizard tournament, he was only fourteen. Here in the US, he would probably be just a freshman in high school. Yet he measured up to a standard far above what could be expected. It is easy to relate to Harry because he seems so ordinary, but it is also important to remember that he truly is not. 

Quote of the Week

"Peeves was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you were late to class."
- Narration, SS 132'

I chose this quote for two reasons; the first, because I love Peeves. I wish that he had more roles in the books and especially in the movies. It would've been a fun addition for the non-readers to see this wacky poltergeist. This has to be my second favorite quote about Peeves. The other one comes from OotP, and I'm sure everyone knows what that is. The other reason that I chose this quote was because I was very Peeves-ish this week. I did my fair share of pranking and practical joking this week on my softball coach. It was awesome, and I thought that this would be a suitable choice.

Paige