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1. What do you think would happen if Harry, Ron and Hermione had approached Professor Dumbledore with their suspicions at this time?
I think Professor Dumbledore would have been as cryptic as possible, while re-assuring them that he doesn’t think Snape has anything to do with what happened.
2. What do Hermione’s actions at the Quidditch game reveal about her character?
They revealed that Hermione can be quick to jump to conclusions. On the other hand, it shows how much she values her friends and how far she’s willing to go in order to protect them. Even if it involves breaking rules, which she is normally dead set against. If Snape had caught her setting his robes on fire, she would have been in big trouble.
I’d like to discuss Quidditch itself. It’s remarkable how Rowling was able to create an entirely new sport, and one that inspired a real life variation that is growing in popularity. She even turned the fictional “Quidditch Through the Ages” textbook into a real book chalk full of Quidditch information. In fact, she also gave the filmmakers pages of Quidditch rules, to aid them in filming the Quidditch sequences.
[adrotate group="5"]I’ll answer my own questions.
1. What do you think would happen if Harry, Ron and Hermione had approached Professor Dumbledore with their suspicions at this time?
There is no way that Dumbledore would reveal anything to Harry this early in the game. Like most adults, he’d probably patronize the trio and tell them that it wasn’t something to worry about. Adults all throughout series underestimated the tenaciousness of Harry, Ron and Hermione. However, privately I think it would have alerted Dumbledore, if he wasn’t already aware, of the what those three children are capable of if working together.
What do Hermione’s actions at the Quidditch game reveal about her character?
I think Hermione’s actions in this chapter illustrate exactly why she’s in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw. She had no thought of anything but saving her friend’s life. She doesn’t weigh the strengths or weaknesses of her plan in a methodical manner, she just leaps. Hermione is brilliant, but she doesn’t often think through some of her actions, allowing instinct and feeling to sway her. Everyone talks about how smart and brilliant she is, but Hermione is also a highly emotional girl throughout the series. She’s not immune to overreacting or crying, as illustrated by her reaction to Ron’s insult the last chapter and the Yule Brawl, and the flock of pecking birds, and the… (Oh, I love Ron’s and Hermione’s lovers’ spats). This chapter shows that even at a young age, her bravery and willingness to help those she’s loyal to is a far stronger character trait than her intelligence.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
Excellent work, Jo!
Can we take a second and appreciate Lee Jordan’s commentary? Always did like him.
Teachers and authority figures are supposed to guide, mold, and teach the students. Rules are created for a reason.
And there’s something extra shocking about it being a teacher, not just an adult. Adults we allow to be more infallible, but teachers we hold to a higher standard. HP, over the course of seven books, does a nice job of constantly breaking down, surprising, and occasionally upholding our teacher standards.
Someone is jinxing Harry’s broom and it appears as if Snape is the culprit
To an extent I agree, but this goes back to a point I keep making. One of the major themes in this book is that things are not as they appear. Hermione sees what she expects to see. Hermione is already somewhat prejudiced against Snape because of his nasty teaching manner and because of Harry and Ron’s suspicions that they openly discuss after Harry finds Snape and Flich. Hermione doesn’t even scan the rest of the audience to see what is going on: she jumps right to Snape.
And what does she see? Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. No really: “Snape wasn’t blinking at all” and “muttering nonstop under his breath” is how she and Ron describe it. But if a student several miles off the ground is bucking around like mad, everyone is fixated on it. Everyone is spellbound. Moreover there is no way to know what Snape is saying. He could be exclaiming about Harry’s situation. He could be yelling for someone’s attention or talking to the person next to him.
Because Hermione is expecting a jinx–largely due to what Hagrid says–and because Hermione is expecting it to be Snape because he fits the bill of “black hat” she instantly jumps to Snape jinxing the broom. It’s called confirmation bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s beliefs or hypotheses while giving disproportionately less attention to information that contradicts it.
The other half of this is that she misses a key ingredient: knocking headfirst into Quirrell causes the broom to stop bucking long enough for Harry to climb back on because the entire affair–Quirrell, Snape, Hary on broom, takes only a minute.
1. What do you think would happen if Harry, Ron and Hermione had approached Professor Dumbledore with their suspicions at this time?
He would have told them that they had over active imaginations and that Professor Snape is a teacher of Hogwarts and Dumbledore trusts him. Of course, this would first involve Dumbledore being present in this narrative at all. (Strangely absent wise old wizard is strangely absent)
2. What do Hermione’s actions at the Quidditch game reveal about her character?
Going back to the sorting hat, it does show that Hermione is brave and protective and concerned with justice. She does set a professor aflame, after all. That takes some guts. We are also shown again how smart she is–from the first fire to the charm on the paint to the second fire–it is emphasized time and time again that Hermione is smart. BUT, as I pointed out above, she does jump to conclusions based on notions already held, like that Snape is the big bad.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Can we take a second and appreciate Lee Jordan’s commentary? Always did like him.
Fun fact. Lee Jordan in the films is played by Luke Youngblood, who we of course know as Sid on Galavant!
One more passing thought with regards to Hermione: while she has softened to breaking the rules since becoming friends with Ron and Harry a month ago at Halloween, she still has a tendency to think she’s right all the time. Hagrid insists that Snape wouldn’t jinx Harry to which Hermione, rather proudly declares: “I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid. I’ve read all about them!”
Well, if all you’ve ever done is read about a jinx then no, you may not know one when you see one, especially if your only telltale sign is not blinking. Lots of things require not blinking. But her insistence is that it must be right because she learned it. It speaks to her naive nature at so young an age: reading it in a book, somehow makes you wiser and more competent. Which, on some level is true, but book learning is not everything. I could read an anatomy book cover to cover, but you wouldn’t want me to perform surgery on you.
It’s also ironic because this “I read it in a book” line is also the lie she tells from the previous chapter.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"it is emphasized time and time again that Hermione is smart. BUT, as I pointed out above, she does jump to conclusions based on notions already held, like that Snape is the big bad.
I agree. A perfect example of this would be in GOF when Hermione sets up SPEW under the assumption that all house-elves shouldn’t be made to work when in actuality the Hogwarts elves don’t want to be “let go”, they enjoy their job.
It’s not just Hermione though who likes to take the moral high ground, Gryffindors in general seem to have a particular rivalry with Slytherin just because they’re Slytherin. Ron said that “there’s not a with or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin”, whilst this may be true certainly with the “bad” wizards/witches we meet in later books, it doesn’t mean that all the kids in Slytherin are going to turn bad. It’s stereotyping that breeds resentment from both sides which then sort of reinforces the stereotype. It’s a vicious cycle that just keeps going. We never see how the Slytherins interact with the students in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff or vice versa. Not forgetting that the Slytherin kids probably come from parents and families that were also in Slytherin and also had to endure the same treatment. Harry’s “not Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin” moment came about because he heard nothing but bad things about that particular house. Not every kid in Slytherin is going to be a Draco or a Voldemort, but when they are looked down upon by the other houses because of their house, you can see why joining a group of likeminded individuals that don’t treat them like something on the bottom of their shoe might start to sound appealing.
As mentioned on tvtropes.org, for Voldemort to become as powerful as he did, he must’ve had supporters. His “political view” would never have gained as much traction as it did unless people agreed with him. (That’s not to say Voldemort’s view is in anyway right, it isn’t.) But think about it, you’ve got a bunch of ex-Slytherins who’ve spent all they’re Hogwarts years being treated like dirt by at the very least Gryffindor just because their Slytherin and Slytherin is the “bad” house. They then meet an individual who makes them promises that they want to hear, that was in their house and basically offers them the chance to make those that belittled them pay. Suddenly that “political party” is starting to sound good.
The Slytherin house does have a bad reputation because of past events but all its students are being tarred with the same brush and prejudice from past, present and future.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixThe Slytherin house does have a bad reputation because of past events but all its students are being tarred with the same brush and prejudice from past, present and future.
This is actually a question I have and have raised in the past: does the Slytherin reputation stem from *just* the recent past or has it been the house of ill repute (so to speak) since the beginning? I mean, Godric Gryffindor and the other two seem to have no qualm about setting up an entire school with Salazar Slytherin.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"does the Slytherin reputation stem from *just* the recent past or has it been the house of ill repute (so to speak) since the beginning? I mean, Godric Gryffindor and the other two seem to have no qualm about setting up an entire school with Salazar Slytherin.
I think Slytherin has been that way since the beginning: its founder sought to exclude all muggle-born wizards and witches from Hogwarts. The other founders opposed Salazar’s policy; Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff didn’t see eye to eye with Salazar Slytherin, who thought “pure-blooded” wizards and witches were the best. In fact, Godric and Salazar had a big falling out over it, because Godric insisted on admitting muggle-born wizards, resulting in Salazar leaving Hogwarts never to return.
My question is this: has any muggle-born witch or wizard ever been admitted to Slytherin? How would she or he have been treated by the other Slytherins? We know ‘half-blooded’ wizards have come from Slytherin, but even they were full of self-loathing for having a muggle as a parent.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
does the Slytherin reputation stem from *just* the recent past or has it been the house of ill repute (so to speak) since the beginning? I mean, Godric Gryffindor and the other two seem to have no qualm about setting up an entire school with Salazar Slytherin.
I think Slytherin has been that way since the beginning: its founder sought to exclude all muggle-born wizards and witches from Hogwarts. The other founders opposed Salazar’s policy; Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff didn’t see eye to eye with Salazar Slytherin, who thought “pure-blooded” wizards and witches were the best. In fact, Godric and Salazar had a big falling out over it, because Godric insisted on admitting muggle-born wizards, resulting in Salazar leaving Hogwarts never to return.
My question is this: has any muggle-born witch or wizard ever been admitted to Slytherin? How would she or he have been treated by the other Slytherins? We know ‘half-blooded’ wizards have come from Slytherin, but even they were full of self-loathing for having a muggle as a parent.
I think if a muggle-born witch/wizard had been admitted to Slytherin, they would have generally been treated fine. Slytherin seem to look out for their own and it’s not necessarily the house that is racist but certain individuals.
As I said before, Slytherin has a bad reputation and there is a sense that Gryffindor looks down on Slytherin whereas if they treated them more equally then maybe there wouldn’t be so many problems. It seems like Slytherin/Gryffindor have to take classes together and Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw take classes together. Had Slytherin taken classes with Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, would they be viewed so negatively since they seem to be most antagonistic with Gryffindor?
As it is, we only get Harry’s/Ron’s view of Slytherin. The book seems very biased towards Gryffindor’s point of view since that is the house the main heroes are in. We also don’t get many named Slytherin. We have the likes of Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and a few others. It’s almost as if a few bad apples are seen as representative of their house. Not only that, but the only times we really see the Slytherins is when they are in conflict with our heroes which in turn automatically paints them in a negative light as the villains.
Question: In the books, is Draco generally referred to by his first name or is it generally his last name Malfoy that is used?
If it is the latter, then that can make the reader subconsciously dislike the Slytherins because there is a lack of kinship. We have Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, Neville, the reader is all on first name basis with them but then for Slytherin you’ve got Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle which suggests a less friendly connection.
During GOF Both Hufflepuff and Slytherin students were wearing the “Potter Stinks” badges whilst showing support for Cedric Diggory. Chances are some of those Hufflepuffs may have been Muggle-born and yet that didn’t bother the current Slytherins.
The thing is, as far as I can recall, the only time we have seen Draco use the term “Mudblood” is in reference to Hermione which suggest that, whilst the term is still derogatory and he was wrong to use it, his problem isn’t with muggle-born witches or wizards in general but with Hermione. In context this makes sense as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle are written as the antagonist trio to Harry, Ron and Hermione’s protagonist trio.
Also one has to consider where Draco would even have heard the term “Mudblood” to be able to use it in the correct context. It is seen as derogatory so it’s not something that would be thrown about in polite conversation. When we meet Draco’s parents especially his father, we find them quite elitist and snobbish and these are all values that they would’ve passed down to their son. When Draco first uses the term “mudblood” as an insult towards Hermione, it’s in COS when Hermione accuses Draco of buying his way onto the team with the new broomsticks. She is very snooty about it as well. The viewer is biased towards seeing Hermione as in the right (and there is a strong suggestion that she may be correct about the broomsticks being a bribe) but the way she went about it, if you take a step back, is very wrong. She basically belittled another student in front of not only their new quidditch team but in front of the opposing quidditch team as well, insinuating that they don’t have the talent to earn their place on the team. Of course Draco was going to come back with the most insulting thing he could think of. Whilst Draco was wrong to say what he did, Hermione was equally wrong to try and embarrass him in front of 13 other people. If Hermione was so concerned about Draco bribing his way onto the team rather than earned it, she should have taken it up with a teacher, not accusing him in front of a large crowd. For all that Hermione and the reader knows, the truth could actually be that Draco did try out and earned his place on the team honestly and that the broomsticks were a reward for making the team.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixI think Slytherin has been that way since the beginning: its founder sought to exclude all muggle-born wizards and witches from Hogwarts.
I 100% forgot about that, so thanks.
My question is this: has any muggle-born witch or wizard ever been admitted to Slytherin? How would she or he have been treated by the other Slytherins?
Excellent question because “ambition” isn’t just localized to pure-blood witches/wizards. For instance: where would the Dursleys be placed in Hogwarts?
Question: In the books, is Draco generally referred to by his first name or is it generally his last name Malfoy that is used?
If I remember correctly, it is almost always Malfoy unless it’s one of his parents then it’s Draco.
If it is the latter, then that can make the reader subconsciously dislike the Slytherins because there is a lack of kinship. We have Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, Neville, the reader is all on first name basis with them but then for Slytherin you’ve got Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle which suggests a less friendly connection.
Excellent point. Even later when we become friends with some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, they are “first name” friends.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
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