The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read: Chapter 15

[slowfox]

Even if Umbridge's appointment is ghastly, at least we know where Malfoy lives:

"I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night.

What's interesting about the next paragraph is this snippet:

Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments... which have included... delusional ex-Auror "Mad-Eye" Moody."

Note that the paper doesn't allege that it was Crouch impersonating Mad-Eye... so who actually knows that it wasn't the real Mad-Eye taking that class? Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Harry, Ron and Hermione for sure. But Dean's partial defence of the lessons a couple of chapters ago said, "Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?". So does this mean that Dean knew? And was Crouch's impersonation therefore common knowledge or not?

When Umbridge is inspecting Trelawney's lesson, we are given the tiny nugget of information that Trelawney was appointed 'nearly sixteen years' previously. Hmm. Term's just started, and unless Trelawney was appointed mid-term (which could've happened), then wouldn't it be simpler to have taken the actual start date of term itself as the anniversary of appointment?
Sixteen years previously means she's been in post for fifteen years (because the start point is year zero).

Harry, as we know, turned 15 at the end of July. This suggests that Trelawney was appointed when Harry was a couple of months old :-)

Umbridge's inspection of Transfiguration went pretty much as the Trio had hoped, but there must, presumably, be some kind of inter-lesson break between Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures, since Umbridge gets there before they do, and you'd think they might have noticed if they'd wandered across towards the Forbidden Forest en masse.

Harry get's a week's detention from Umbridge in DADA, and then collects a further night's detention in Care of Magical Creatures: for someone with two Prefects for best mates, he's not proving good at toeing the line, is he? And as Ron notes just a little later in the chapter, this is only the second week of term!

And then Hermione broaches the subject of her scheme to get Harry to run DADA for the students. Harry's a bit incredulous, prompting this gem from Ron:

"You know, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron said to Hermione, smirking slightly.

Sometimes I can't help feeling that JKR puts in little bits in canon to specifically knock the films:

"Harry," she said timidly, "don't you see? This... this is exactly why we need you ... we need to know what it's r-really like ... facing him ... facing V-Voldemort."

It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name and it was this, more than anything, that calmed Harry.

The chapter concludes with another reference to Harry's dreams of long corridors and locked doors, and by now I should imagine that we're supposed to realise that this is Significant.

Comments

[aome]

for someone with two Prefects for best mates, he's not proving good at toeing the line, is he?

If you recall, Lupin said something rather similar - that he'd been given the prefect-ship in hopes of getting his friends to toe the line. And they didn't. ;)

How do you see Hermione's stuttering line about Voldemort as a way to knock the films?

It's a pity that Trelawney doesn't remember making any actual predictions. (Is this true for all seers, I wonder?) Otherwise, she'd be able to give something more substantial to Umbridge as evidence, ie "You can ask Dumbledore if you don't believe me!" (I'm sure Umbridge would have LOVED that response :P) Also, I assume that she's already been there 16 years, whatever time of year she was hired; I would translate that to mean she'd taught sixteen full school years. Her prophecy, which was made before her hiring (in fact, was the reason Dumbledore hired her), states that the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies... *Will be* born, implying this occurred before Harry's (and Neville's) birth, aka 16 years ago.

[slowfox]

How do you see Hermione's stuttering line about Voldemort as a way to knock the films?


Because I think it's Film!CoS where Hermione, in Diagon Alley, says 'Voldemort: fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself', or something like that, taking Dumbledore's line (as is Kloves' wont).

Yep, you're right, I didn't remember the prophecy's wording, but since it's will be born then she obviously must've made the prophecy before Harry was born.

[cynthia_black]

No, it's never made clear whether Crouch's impersonation of Moody was ever made public, or whether that knowledge was kept within the Order. I can imagine that the Ministry discredited Moody as it has been doing with Dumbledore, by taking a half-truth - Fake!Moody/Moody turning the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey to spirit the winner away to who knows where - to ensure no one listens to him in future. That's why Dumbledore and McGonagall were so livid that the Dementors inflicted a Kiss upon Crouch it could be easily covered up.

I do like the part with Hermione broaching the DADA teaching with Harry and Ron's slow but growing involvement in the process :-) Harry really can be quite thick at times...

[slowfox]

No, it's never made clear whether Crouch's impersonation of Moody was ever made public

Which is why I wondered about the bit where Dean states that 'he was a maniac'... did Dean know know, then, or not? And if it was the former, then who else knows? It's really not clear, and this caused me some bother when writing TTK...