Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 11
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Chapter 11 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Aboard the Hogwarts Express
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[edit] Synopsis
The next morning, Harry and Ron put on Muggle clothing to avoid attracting attention at the train station. Mrs. Weasley tells Arthur that there is an urgent message from the Ministry. Mr. Weasley talks to Amos Diggory's head, which is floating in the fireplace. They are discussing someone named "Mad-Eye" who thought he heard someone creeping around his house. Mad Eye booby-trapped his garbage bins to attack intruders. Apparently Mr. Weasley and Diggory want to minimize the charges against Mad Eye, so it will not be reported in the news. Harry learns that this person is apparently rather famous, is starting a new job, and the Ministry wants to keep his reputation relatively clean. Bill, Fred, and George evidently recognize Mad Eye's name, as does Charlie, who tells Harry that Mad-Eye Moody was a great Auror but is now retired. He still has many enemies, mostly families of those he put into Azkaban, and he has apparently become paranoid in his old age.
Mrs. Weasley braved the telephone in the village post office and so there are three Muggle taxis waiting to take them to London. Bill and Charlie are going with them, but Percy decides that he is needed at the Ministry. They arrive at King's Cross Station and head to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find a compartment on the train, then hop off again to say goodbye. Bill and Charlie hint that something interesting will be happening at Hogwarts this year, but Ron, Harry, Fred, and George are unable to get any additional information from them or Mrs. Weasley, who apparently knows the secret.
As the train departs London, Draco Malfoy is overheard in the next compartment saying that he almost went to Durmstrang, another wizarding school. Hermione comments that it probably would have suited him, there is more emphasis on the Dark Arts there. No one knows Durmstrang's location, both it and the Beauxbatons Academy conceal themselves, much as Hogwarts does. This is news to Ron, who was unaware that Hogwarts is concealed. He asks, "How can you conceal a bloody great castle?" Hermione explains the various ways, including that the castle cannot be mapped and no one can Apparate or Disapparate within it. The Trio greet old friends like Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom, and the conversation turns to the Quidditch World Cup until Draco enters the compartment. Spotting Ron's embarrassing dress robes draped over Pigwidgeon's cage to quiet him, Draco mocks Ron, then asks if he is entering. When it becomes apparent that Ron has no idea what Draco is talking about, Draco sneers that maybe Ron's father and brother are not high enough employees within the Ministry to know what is going on and leaves without further explanation.
They arrive at Hogsmeade station in a thundering downpour, and quickly head to the horseless carriages that carry students to the castle. Hermione does not envy the first-years their trip across the lake.
[edit] Analysis
Two main plot lines are advanced or initiated. Early on, the character, Alastor Moody, a former Auror, is introduced when the Ministry is forced to cover up actions resulting from his paranoia. Moody sets boobytraps to safeguard his property, and he is likely to attack anyone he considers a threat, although it is unclear why or by whom he would be attacked. The Ministry being so concerned that the public might learn about the incident at Moody's home indicates that his new job is probably a high-profile and closely scrutinized position. Although it is unknown yet just what Moody has been hired for, readers may be able to surmise what it is based on his previous career.
Hints are being dropped that something mysterious and exciting may be happening at Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie know about it, and likely that is what Percy was actually begging questions about at the family dinner before the World Cup. On the Hogwarts Express, Draco, as obnoxious as ever, indicates that the Malfoy family knows the secret and seizes this as an opportunity to further undermine Ron and his family. The astute reader may be wondering if this is what Ludo Bagman was alluding to in an earlier chapter. Readers should also pay attention to Draco's comment about almost attending Durmstrang, as there seems to be a particular reason it is mentioned here.
In chapter 9, it was learned that there are other Wizarding schools in Europe, including Beauxbatons, which is apparently in France. Durmstrang, which has a slightly less than savory reputation, is mentioned in this chapter. Durmstrang is likely in the cold northern regions of East Europe, because its uniform includes fur-lined capes, although its actual location is secret.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why would Mrs. Weasley use Muggle taxis to transport the children to King's Cross Station?
- Why doesn't Ron know that Hogwarts Castle is magically hidden, and what does that say about his character in general?
- What might Malfoy mean when he asks Ron if he is "entering"? What other hints have been dropped that something special is happening at Hogwarts this year?
[edit] Further Study
- Based on his former occupation, what new job might Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody be starting?
- Why is it so important that Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory get the charges against Moody minimized?
- What might the nickname, "Mad Eye" refer to?
- Would Draco Malfoy's character be different if he had attended Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts? If so, how? What are some possible reasons why he did not attend that school?
[edit] Greater Picture
It will be learned later that the incident with Moody and his trash cans is actually when Wormtail and Barty Crouch Jr. overpower and kidnap him. It is Barty who animates the garbage bins so there will be something to report as having caused the commotion when Ministry wizards arrive. Evidently Moody's paranoia was well-founded. It is not known if there actually were traps on Moody's property; it is only important that Wizarding officials believe there were, and given Amos Diggory's and Arthur Weasley's reactions to the story given by Moody's impostor, they believe this.
It will shortly be revealed that the Bulgarian Quidditch team's Seeker, Viktor Krum, is a student at Durmstrang. This could indicate the school is located in Bulgaria, or at least draws some of its students from there as well as other near-by countries, although that is only speculation. Krum will have a larger role to play in this book, as he is a potential Champion for Durmstrang in the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. Another Wizard school, Beauxbatons, has also been mentioned, and will provide the third Champion in that tournament. The tournament, in fact, is the pending event at Hogwarts which Bill, Charlie, Percy, Mrs. Weasley, and Draco Malfoy have all alluded to.
Krum will also become romantically interested in Hermione, which affects Ron, who becomes jealous. Krum is sporadically seen throughout the rest of the series, triggering attacks of jealousy and insecurity in Ron at each appearance. Hermione, knowing her own heart better than Ron knows his, will retain Krum as a friend, but never seriously reciprocates his romantic interest.
