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Chapter 3: THE BURROW
SUMMARY
Harry is awoken in the middle of the night by a noise that turns out to be Ron Weasley floating outside his window. After not hearing from him all summer, Ron and his brothers decide to go get Harry themselves with the use of their dad’s enchanted car which is floating outside of Harry’s bedroom. Although they’re not permitted to do magic being underage, they have a loophole because the car was enchanted and they’re just using it, not actually performing magic themselves. Harry tells them he can’t leave because of the bars on the window so the Weasleys use the car to rip them out. They tell Harry to get in the car, but he informs them his stuff is locked away in the closet under the stairs. Fred and George have no trouble, having learned how to pick locks the Muggle way and soon have Harry’s trunk freed and with Harry’s help carry it up the stairs without waking anyone. Soon the trunk is loaded into the car and Harry is ready to leave but forgets his Hedwig, his owl. Climbing back into the room, he gets the owl but his Uncle Vernon hears the ruckus and barges in and grabs Harry’s ankle. Harry is able to escape and drives away with the Weasleys. Harry’s yells out to the Dursleys, “See you next summer.”
On the drive, Harry tells the boys about the strange creature that visited him. The Weasley tells him that house elves have powerful magic of their own but can’t use it without their master’s permission usually. Only wealthy and old wizarding families usually have house elves. They come to the conclusion that Dobby belongs to the Malfoys since Draco is the logical person to come from a rich family who hates him.
They arrive at Weasleys’ home, called The Burrow as dawn arrives. Thinking they got away with using the car without their mother knowing, the boys attempt to sneak in the house, but they are caught by an irate Mrs. Weasley. She punishes her sons, but quickly informs Harry she’s not angry with him and they were planning on getting him if he hadn’t contacted them soon. As they eat breakfast, Ginny, the youngest Weasley sees Harry and disappears. The twins tease Harry that she might ask for his autograph. After they’ve finished eating, the Weasley boys are forced to de-gnome the garden, a process by which you spin tiny potato-like creatures around until they become dizzy and can’t find their way back. Harry joins in, too wide awake to go back to sleep.
After the boys are done with their de-gnoming punishment, Arthur Weasley returns home from a night or raids. He works for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office at the Ministry. The Weasley patriarch is fascinated by all things Muggle, has a shed filled with Muggle things , and even wrote a loophole into Ministry law that allows him to collect Muggle objects. Mrs. Weasley informs her husband about their sons’ misdeeds but he seems more interested in the enchantments on the car working than chastising his boys.
Ron then decides to show Harry his room. One the way up the many flights, they pass Ginny, who is spying through a crack in her door. Ron replies that her behavior is strange. She isn’t shy and never shuts up normally. Upon reaching his bedroom, Ron is embarrassed by how small it is, but Harry declares it’s the best house he’s ever been in.
ANALYSIS
A Home: Muggle vs. Magical
But Harry, grinning widely, said, “This is the best house I’ve ever been in.”
–CoS, p. 41
Once again we have our transitional chapter from the non-magical world to the wizarding world. Throughout the series, Harry (and Hermione, too) straddles the divide between two different worlds. Although he goes to a magical school and is a wizard, he must continue to live with his Muggle relatives.
He may have to live with the Dursleys for a set period of time each year, but the house on Privet Drive is not a real home to Harry. It’s just a place he has to go for a few months after school. In the Muggle world he’s not famous. He’s not considered exceptional. He’s just Harry. But he’s also not nurtured. He’s locked in his bedroom, treated worse than a prisoner, and forced to suppress his true self. Harry lives in a nice house, with new things, and large rooms, yet he’s not able to enjoy any of it.
Contrast that with the Burrow. The first description we have of the Weasley house is:
It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of a red roof. A lopsided sign sticking the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.
“It’s not much, said Ron.
“It’s wonderful,” said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.
–CoS, p. 32For a boy who has never truly felt like he belongs anywhere other than Hogwarts, Harry’s experience with the Burrow is…well…magical. We know from the previous book that the Weasleys are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. They have seven children and little money. Ron is very embarrassed by his family’s lack of wealth. Even showing Harry to his room for the first time he points out the smallness and the sound of the ghoul in the attic banging on the pipes.
Having grown up in the sterile, unfriendly environment of Privet Drive, Harry find the Burrow fascinating. The clock on the wall lists tasks to do and not the time of day, real living gnomes infiltrate the garden, and the house is filled with magical things. The exact opposite of anything Petunia Dursley would tolerate. It’s also has a mother who is scared and worried when her children go off in middle of the night for their safety and takes in Harry as if he was one of their own. It’s everything a home should be.
And yet even though magic is everywhere at the Burrow, the household is not that different than that of the average Muggle family’s. The children have chores, there are consequences for breaking rules, parents who care and have mundane jobs.
FORESHADOWING
–Flying Ford Anglia might show up again
–Mention of Gilderoy Lockhart (names always come back up)DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What was your opinion of the Burrow the first time you read the novel?
2. Why is Vernon so set on keeping Harry in his room instead of letting him leave and not having to see him for another year?
3. Although mentioned quite briefly, what does Ginny’s behavior when contrasted with her brothers’ descriptions of her tell you about her personality?
[adrotate group="5"]Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
Does nobody like CoS or are we all watching too much new tv?
I guess I’ll go and answer my own questions. 😉
1. What was your opinion of the Burrow the first time you read the novel?
I, like Harry, thought it was fantastic. Our first glimpse into how witches and wizards live in the real world. Yes, we have life at Hogwarts, but even in real life, school doesn’t portray necessarily how things are done outside of the institution. Again, like Harry, the reader is just soaking up every description we can get, from the clocks on the wall, the rusted cauldron on the stoop, or how Mrs. and Mrs. Weasley interact as a couple. This new dimension of the wizarding world is one of the reasons I love CoS so much.
2. Why is Vernon so set on keeping Harry in his room instead of letting him leave and not having to see him for another year?
Seeing that the Dursleys despised Harry so much, a rational reaction would be to just leave him alone, do his homework, and have minimal contact with him. In the previous chapter, Harry even touches on this. Why don’t the Dursleys just leave him alone and realize that everything would be easier all around since he’s only in the household for a short duration each school year? But the Dursleys aren’t rational. They pride themselves on their normality to the point that it’s abnormal. For Petunia I think it’s a combination of jealousy and resentment. Her own sister had abilities that she never had and I can imagine that could lead a complex sibling relationship. On top of that she now is raising her deceased sister’s child, who also has these abilities. I despise Petunia immensely but it doesn’t take a degree in Psychology to see some of her issues. For Vernon, I think part of it is fear. He can’t control magic, he has no knowledge of it, and it’s foreign. So therefore it’s something to fear. And for someone who wants to be the Jones, not just better than them, any deviation from the norm is denounced. So you try to suppress and deny those who are different. In this instance, it’s Harry being the target.
3. Although mentioned quite briefly, what does Ginny’s behavior when contrasted with her brothers’ descriptions of her tell you about her personality?
There is a contradiction going on with Ginny that will eventually cover a few books. And really, one thing I’d change about the series is I’d want to see more of Ginny. But here we see her brothers discuss about how outgoing she usually is. She’s talkative and not shy or backward. But Harry sees the opposite. She’s been told stories of baby Harry for most of her life and has a bit of hero worship for him. The fact that he becomes her brother’s best friend doesn’t lessen it. As any young girl with a crush, you usually get shy, quiet and withdrawn, or you try to beat him up. 😛 Ginny has taken the former route. She’s so in awe that she can’t be herself. This dichotomy of her personality is interesting and will come up further along.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
1. What was your opinion of the Burrow the first time you read the novel?
This has always been one of my favorite chapters, mostly because this is the first time we really get a description everyday magical life, not just life at Hogwarts. It was so magical to me to imagine how this family lives, and it’s normal enough for us to connect to our own lives with just a few twists. The kids have chores, they raise chickens, they have dinner together, there’s lots of conversation as expected in a big family. But there are gnomes and ghouls and quidditch games, instead of weeds and leaky roofs and soccer (or football, which ever you prefer).
2. Why is Vernon so set on keeping Harry in his room instead of letting him leave and not having to see him for another year?
I’ve always wondered this myself. Wouldn’t it just have been easier to get rid of Harry? But then, Harry would want that, it would make him happy to leave and be with his friends. And the Dursleys certainly do NOT want Harry to be happy.
3. Although mentioned quite briefly, what does Ginny’s behavior when contrasted with her brothers’ descriptions of her tell you about her personality
Fred, George, and Ron, have all gotten the chance to get to know Harry outside of his “Chosen One” status. Ginny never has, to her he’s a celebrity and one that’s not too much older than her. She obviously has a crush, but I do think a part of her behavior is that he’s very famous, and that makes anyone nervous. We all probably have a few actors, musicians, authors, or even athletes that we would probably turn into a nervous wreck around, if the opportunity to spend time with them presented itself.
Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection
So obviously we’ve hit the new TV season and the re-read is slowing down by quite a bit. As it stands, there’s no real solution but to just continue on, perhaps at a slower pace. Analysis might not be posted as on time as they were for HP: SS but we’ll get them up and then allow people to discuss at their leisure. I have a lot of responding to do, so I’ll just dive in by responding to Jo’s response to my chapter 2 analysis.
However, Harry’s current situation is horrible. He’s being held prisoner by his aunt and uncle. He has no freedom, no contact with his outside world. The thought of facing Voldemort, something he’s done already, might seem not as horrible as what it would mean to stay at Privet Drive.
Yes, had Privet Drive been a happier place, Harry likely would have thought harder about Dobby’s warnings. But facing Voldemort again (again) feels palatable to being in the Dursley household.
He’s a slave and yet he thinks it’s worth the punishment to warn this young boy about what might happen in the future
This is a great point. Dobby’s not thinking of himself and what Harry might do for *him* someday, but rather he’s thinking about what Harry might do for the world. Dobby has…a noble heart.
Looking at it from a real life historical perspective, it’s abhorrent to enslave another group. But then this is in a fantastical context.
It is a fantastical context but slavery is slavery is slavery, right? I won’t jump several books ahead but the situation becomes even more complex when we learn about what Elves are like when they are free.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Okay, moving on to Jo’s analysis.
He may have to live with the Dursleys for a set period of time each year, but the house on Privet Drive is not a real home to Harry.
If we had to give a little cliche saying to this chapter, it’d be “a house is not a home.” Harry’s house is Privet Drive. It is where he technically lives, with his legal guardians. But it’s not home. Hogwarts became home and now he has another home in the Burrow. Even the name Burrow invokes something warm and cuddly, like a rabbit warren with too many rabbits but with a real sense of community.
1. What was your opinion of the Burrow the first time you read the novel?
omigod I love this house. This house is…COOL. Basically I’m Harry and I can’t stop looking at all the fun things that Wizard houses have. Even the gnomes seem cool. It’s inviting and playful and magical.
2. Why is Vernon so set on keeping Harry in his room instead of letting him leave and not having to see him for another year?
Because Vernon doesn’t think things through. I said this back in Chapter 1 about how the smart thing would be to use Harry to endear the Masons to Vernon but Vernon is myopic and once he’s made up his mind, his mind is made up. To Vernon, Harry is bad and that’s that.
3. Although mentioned quite briefly, what does Ginny’s behavior when contrasted with her brothers’ descriptions of her tell you about her personality?
There’s a contradiction in Ginny that we’ll see as the series progresses but here, it strikes me how young she is. It’s obviously her first crush (at age 11!) and she’s acting like a lot of us probably would. But man, I am struck by how young she really is.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Chapter 4: At Flourish and Blotts
“Where did you come out?” Ron asked.
“Knockturn Alley,” said Hagrid grimly.
“Excellent!” said Fred and George together.Summary:
Harry spends the remainder of the school holidays at the Burrow, and the Weasleys go out of their way to make him feel at home. When it’s time to go shopping for school supplies, Harry uses Floo Powder for the first time as a mode of transport. Despite the warnings to speak clearly, he is taken not to Diagon Alley, but Knockturn Alley, the seedy underbelly of the magical world in London. Harry exits a grate in Borgin and Burkes, a shop long known for it’s dabbling in the Dark Arts, where he overhears a conversation between the shop owner and Lucius Malfoy, who is trying to sell some objects from his household that may “embarrass him” due to recent Ministry raids.When Harry leaves the shop, he is lucky to run into Hagrid who leads him towards Gringotts to meet the Weasley family, who has been worried by Harry’s disappearance. As they arrive at Flourish and Blotts to purchase their schoolbooks, they find that Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous author, is doing a book signing, and a large crowd of (mostly female) wizards have gathered for the event. When Lockhart sees Harry, he pulls him to the front, and announces to all that he will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts.
As the Weasleys and Harry are about to leave the shop, Lucius and Draco Malfoy approach them, clearly disdainful at the amount of attention Harry has received. As tensions rise between Arthur and Lucius, Ginny defends Harry, which leads Lucius to take an odd interest in her school books. After Lucius insults Arthur’s family, a fight breaks out between the two men, and the group is subdued for the rest of the day, mostly due to Molly’s obvious disappointment in her husband.
ANALYSIS:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…” A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
There are quite a few major reveals in this chapter. We see Knockturn Alley for the first time, a dark and dingy area of wizarding London. It’s the first time we’re told that there are still remnants of a darker time or darker magic still existing in our world, as it’s almost assumed that disappeared along with the Dark Lord. We learn that Lucius Malfoy has some “undesirable” objects in his possession still that he’d like to get rid of, but also that he is strict and disapproving of his sons performance at school, and desperately hates anyone not of pure wizarding blood. We learn who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a rather vain, fame hungry man named Gilderoy Lockhart, who uses Harry for his own publicity. We see how truly poor the Weasley family is when they have to scoop all the coins that are left in their vault at Gringotts just to make sure they can buy supplies for all of their children. And most certainly, the hatred and intolerance of Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy.
What’s most intersting to me about this chapter is JK Rowlings use of juxtaposition (hence my quote from Tale of Two Cities). We know how Harry feels and is treated at the Dursleys, which is in stark constrast to how he feels and is treated at the Burrow, where he is liked, and loved, and fed (I think Molly certainly knows or suspects the Durlseys practically starve him) and is allowed to have fun and be with friends.
“What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron’s however, wasn’t the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him.”
We see this contrast even during the short scene with Lucius and Draco in Borgin and Burkes. While Molly and Arthur love all of their children and want them to succeed unconditionally, there is not a huge sense of competition between the children to be better than the next (except for maybe Percy). Lucius not only expects Draco to have high marks, but to beat others purely because of their family blood, because he’s a Malfoy. He disapproves because Draco doesn’t beat Hermione in marks, not any of the other pure blood children.
“I would have thought you’d be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam.”
Other notable examples are: Diagon Alley is safe and bright and the children are allowed to wander on their own before meeting up with their parents, while all the adults are fear stricken at the thought of Harry wandering Knockturn Alley alone. Harry tries to hide the wealth of his vault when he sees how bare the Weasley one is. Gilderoy Lockhart is a very famous wizarding author, who thrives on more fame and attention, while Harry, who may arguably be the most famous wizard of the moment, would rather stay in the shadows and not draw any more attention to himself. He is mortified when Lockhart brings him up in front of the crowd, to take pictures for the Daily Prophet.
But more importantly, and most obviously, is the sharp juxtaposition between Arthur and Lucius. Both of long lines or pureblood wizards with a very “different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard.” The men obviously don’t like each other, but it’s certainly not just because the Weasleys are poor while the Malfoys are rich. One cold and discerning, the other warm and bumbling. One with a clear disdain for all things Muggle related, whether objects or people, and the other completely fascinated by it’s world.
“But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?”
“I went on the Underground -”
“Really?” said Mr. Weasley eagerly. “Were there escapators?”What’s illuminating is that final straw isn’t when Lucius insults Arthur, his family, his home, or his wealth (or lack there of). It’s when Lucius Malfoy insults Hermione’s parents. Even after the fight is broken up by some assistants at the bookstore, Lucius can’t leave without one last insult, as he thrust Ginny’s tattered schoolbook. This chapter is used to set up not only the very long Malfoy-Weasley feud, but the turmoil and struggles Harry, Ron and Hermione will all have to face over the rest of the school year.
FORESHADOWING:
Every single item identified in Borgin and Burkes: the cabinet Harry hides in, the deadly opal necklace, and the Hand of Glory.
Lucius Malfoy’s interest in Ginny’s schoolbooksDISCUSSION POINTS:
Why does Lockhart grab Harry in Flourish & Blotts?
What you do think Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley might think disgraces wizardkind?
Why would Mr. Malfoy want to inspect Ginny’s books?Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection
my quote doesnt work so can i talk about chapter 3 AND 4?
how did i feel about the burrow? i think jkr was brilliant with it! i mean, that quote “it looked like it was held by magic”…. brilliant! i was laughing the whole book! and i think it was in this chapter when i first fell in love with fred and george. (no, wait, i think i already fell in love the first book, when their mother told them not to blow up a toilet or something) but who didnt LOVE how they came to harry’s rescue in that car???
chapter four, i didnt really like the soot or the floo powder for that matter. i mean, whats the point of floo when there are so many other ways to travel, but yeah.
anyway, you meet lucius malfoy, and realize that draco is jealous of hp (well draco gets to be more rounded as a character)
also,
YOU MEET LOCKHART!!!
and omg! he is the most fun character ive ever read about!!
and as runaroundmacy mentioned, there are alot of contrasts here. durslys vs weaslys etc. and with that in mind, lockhart is the polar opposite of harry (almost like hook is the polar opposite of rumple, but nah, lockhart is SO much more fun than hook)
oh, and yes, lucious’ disdain for anything muggle, vs. the adorable arthur’s enthusiasm and curiosity, i love that!!*attention*
My deepest apologies. We have hit a major snag in this re-read, as you can tell. Right now, we need to go at a much slower pace. All of us have full time jobs that are currently eating our lives. I shall TRY to respond to Macy’s post and get the next chapter up sooooooon.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I have to say it’s really interesting seeing the artifacts in Bourgin & Burkes and linking them to future plotlines. I’ve said this a few times but JKR has said CoS is part one and HBP is part two of the same story. Looking at the inventory in the small shop in Knockturn Alley really brings that point home.
Discussion Questions:
1.Why does Lockhart grab Harry in Flourish & Blotts?
Lockhart is a fame whore. He specifically pointed out that he and Harry warranted the front page of the newspaper. His class booklist is all his own books, which even being a brilliant, experienced person in his field makes him seem a bit egotistical. Add in the fact that the majority of his fans are middle-aged witches gives him the appearance of being liked only for his looks and not his talent.
2.What you do think Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley might think disgraces wizardkind?
Lucius Malfoy views anyone who doesn’t hold similar beliefs as a disgrace. From the attitude he exhibits with his son and Mr. Borgin toward Muggles and Muggleborns, you know he supports Pureblood supremacy. He criticizes his own son for allowing a Muggleborn to outperform him at Hogwarts. Arthur Weasley, although a pureblood, is looked down upon by Malfoy because of his pro-Muggle leanings in addition to his low wealthy status.
Arthur Weasley thinks Lucius is a disgrace because he knows Malfoy was a former supporter of Voldemort and still has Pro-Pureblood beliefs. Arthur works in a job he enjoys despite the low pay. He has no problem with his son being friends with a Muggleborn or a Half-Blood. From his
3.Why would Mr. Malfoy want to inspect Ginny’s books?
Lucius Malfoy seems to enjoy lording his wealth over those less fortunate. He’s making a statement by pointing out that the Weasleys can only only afford used books for their children. He’s pointing out in a public arena that they are not a family to associate or socialize with despite their connection to Harry Potter. Plus, I’ve read the book. I know he used it as a cover to slip Ginny Tom Riddle’s diary
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
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