The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read: Chapter 3

[slowfox]

Chapter 3: The Advance Guard

Well, it seems a bit odd to go to the trouble of breaking into (and just plain breaking, Tonks) the Dursleys' house, to then unlock Harry's door from distance before announcing one's presence. I would've thought that Lupin might've come up with a better security question than asking what form his Patronus took, though: isn't that a bit public? Especially when you consider that someone set the Dementors after Harry, and it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that said person was on hand, somewhere, to ensure they did what they were supposed to...

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said, looking back at her reflection and turning her head so that she could seeher hair from all directions. "It means I can chage my appearance at will."

Why oh why did JKR introduce the concept of a Metamorphmagus to then singularly fail to do anything with it? Tonks' introduction mainly reminded me of Harry's introduction waaaaaaaaay back in PS/SS, where we're told about that time his Aunt cut his hair and it all grew back. I assumed that that would prove to be foreshadowing of Harry's own Metamorphmagic abilities, but as we know, not to be. Which then leads us to wonder why Tonks needed to be a Metamorphmagus at all.

"...If they take out all of us and you survive, Harry, the rear guard are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you."

"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously," said Tonks...

Moody does seem to be taking things awfully seriously :-)

Nice to see the Put-Outer get another outing, although I can't help thinking that had any Muggles been looking out, they'd have noticed a gaggle of wizards arriving by broomstick before they turned out the streetlights.

And finally, despite all the directions that we're quoted in the text being south, southeast and southwest, we land in London (Little Whinging is in Surrey, a county that lies to the southwest of this green and pleasant land's fair capital).

I know that the text says that the Floo's being watched, that they can't make an illegal Portkey (although Wormtail managed, didn't he?) and Harry's too young to Apparate, but we know that it's possible to Apparate under someone else's power, as it were, and surely Kingsley would've been able to do that, even if it was beyond Tonks or Moody or Lupin? Broomsticks made... well, a journey, I guess, out of what could've been a hop, but it seemed awfully involved, and rather risky.

Comments

[aome]

I suppose the "point" of including a Metamorphmagus was just to expand the magical world a little bit. There have been other things which didn't really seem to have a real plotty purpose, like Neville's plant, the one he'd lovingly cared for over summer, but which squirted foul-smelling stuff. No purpose, really, just expanding our knowledge of HP-verse. But, yeah, there could have been so much more done with it.

Frankly, the thing that threw me off most about Tonks in this chapter and the one that follows was her incessant clumsiness. I thought surely this was a ruse, designed to throw us off the track and make her appear charmingly nonthreatening, when in reality she was going to turn out to be one of the Bad Guys. I was actually faintly disappointed when Tonks turned out to be just ... Tonks. On the other hand, I like Tonks a WHOLE lot better in this book than in the next two. Her being a Metamorphmagus might not have been terribly significant, but her wit and changeable faces did provide more much-needed levity, especially early on.

I, of course, have no way of knowing exactly how much JKR had plotted out in advance, but the inconsistencies of getting Harry out by massively-guarded broomstick instead of side-along Apparation or some other method might simply be that she hadn't thought of those things yet. :P

What, do you suggest, could Lupin (who, of the group, knew Harry best) have asked instead of the Patronus question? It does have those potential security gaps as you've mentioned, but I wonder if there's anything else he could have asked instead. "What brand of chocolate did I feed you after Dementor practice?" ;-)

[slowfox]

Lupin could've picked any random element from his DADA lessons. Or, since he's in contact with Sirius, he could've asked something about Pig or Buckbeak or somesuch. But to ask what form your ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE, SILVER, SHINY Patronus takes when you've just used it, in an environment they're assuming is being watched just feels... lacking in vigilance ;-P

I was disinclined to like Tonks purely for the Mary-Sueish-ness of a special ability that no-one else has. And it strikes me that you really wouldn't miss that aspect of Tonks if it wasn't there - her character didn't really need bolstering that much.

[cynthia_black]

I suppose it would have been nice and tidy to have Tonks' magical ability foreshadow something similar for Harry, but I agree with aome that JKR probably simply thought, "Ooh, that's a neat magical idea!" and put the Metamorphmagus bit in. Must admit, there are quite a few little bits in my fanfic like that: just little ideas and thoughts put in there for dressing or simply because I liked the thought rather than them having any great plot relevance. But sometimes you need some stuff in there like that to keep the reader guessing...

The Put-Outer did need another showing after the first book, bearing in mind its relevance in the 7th book.

I do tend to agree with you about the oddness of using broomsticks rather than side-along Apparition. I think JKR used this method - not only because she hadn't thought of Apparating him away with someone else at that point - but as a way of introducing a lot of minor characters/members of the Order in a very short space of time. Quite a few of these people end up being mentioned as dead/disappeared, etc in later books (Sturgis Podmore and Emmeline Vance, for example), and by introducing them now, albeit briefly, it makes the mention of them later on more real or poignant and therefore more effective.

This isn't substantiated in the books at all, but it could be argued that Apparition is magic at source and could have been detected at Privet Drive if they had used that method, and if Harry is being closely monitored, it could have got him into more trouble, or maybe even worse, made him traceable to the place he'd gone to hide. And maybe the same applies in Book 7 when Harry needs to escape from Privet Drive from the Death Eaters, and Moody & Co again come in on broomsticks to remove him.

My favourite part of the chapter:

"Come here, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harry towards him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you."

Now that could be taken as indicative of Harry's state of mind as well as the spell that's just about to be cast.

[aome]

Ooh, good point about avoiding "magic at source".

As for favourite bits - I love the part where Moody chides Harry for keeping his wand in his back pocket, lest his buttocks fall off, and Tonks later says, "Ok, ready? Both buttocks still on?" :-D

[slowfox]

a way of introducing a lot of minor characters/members of the Order in a very short space of time. Quite a few of these people end up being mentioned as dead/disappeared, etc in later books (Sturgis Podmore and Emmeline Vance, for example), and by introducing them now, albeit briefly, it makes the mention of them later on more real or poignant and therefore more effective.

Ah, excellent point - I'm not sure that we saw quite enough of them to feel emotionally invested in them, but yes, it does raise the stakes a little from a completely random name-drop later on in the tale.

[cesy]

Yes, it doesn't seem to be a very well thought-out rescue, once you start applying logic to it. And Tonks' clumsiness always seemed overdone to me - if she was really that clumsy, she couldn't have been a very good Auror.