Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 2
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Chapter 2 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Scar
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[edit] Synopsis
Harry awakes with a start, his scar burning painfully. He goes over the dream he just had and remembers seeing Wormtail and Voldemort in a dark room, killing an old man. Concentrating, he recalls that they were also plotting to kill someone else—him. Focusing on his current whereabouts, Privet Drive, Harry deliberates over what to do about this—his burning scar usually has something to do with Voldemort. Should he tell his friends? Hermione comes to mind, and he imagines her advice; he should just tell Dumbledore. Ron would want to ask his Dad about the usual behaviour of scars made by Curses.
He decides to write to his godfather, Sirius Black, and tell him what has been happening with the Dursleys and his scar. He finishes the letter and waits for his owl, Hedwig, to return from hunting.
[edit] Analysis
Much in this chapter revisits familiar ground – reintroducing Harry, his friends, his school, and the Wizarding world in general. This is a common pattern in the series, and the author may feel it is necessary to reestablish ground rules and bring new readers up to speed on the plot, or at least the characters and situation.
Ron and Hermione are reintroduced by Harry's imagined reactions to him telling them his latest news. The Dursley family is also mentioned in this way, as is Professor Dumbledore, by way of Harry's thoughts about what the consequences might be if he were to reveal what has happened. Harry's relationship with Sirius Black is also revisited, and it is Sirius who Harry believes is the one person he can confide in about his dream without any concern over how he will react. This may indicate that Harry now considers Sirius as his real family.
We are led to believe that the dream Harry has experienced is a real event by the narration of the previous chapter. That chapter travels seamlessly from past events which Harry could not have known about, through current events as seen by Frank Bryce, and brings us back into the story with his fatal encounter with Voldemort and Wormtail. In this chapter, we see Harry doubting its reality and wondering if he had seen a real event. We don't have any proof at the moment, but we accept that somehow, by means of his scar, Harry has perceived something that is occurring in Voldemort's life.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- When was the last time Harry's scar was burning?
- In the dream, Wormtail attempts to discourage Voldemort from using Harry in Voldemort's scheme. Why would Wormtail do this?
- Why does Harry choose to write to his godfather rather than Ron or Hermione about his scar hurting?
[edit] Further Study
- Why doesn't Voldemort experience the same mental connection with Harry that Harry has with him?
[edit] Greater Picture
Harry's scar has taken on a significant new role. While it has always been a focal point in the story, until now it has mostly served as a visible symbol of Harry's near-fatal encounter with Voldemort, while also acting as a warning beacon, alerting Harry to Voldemort's presence by causing pain. Now it seems to provide a mental connection between Harry and Voldemort, allowing Harry glimpses into Voldemort's thoughts. Voldemort is as yet apparently unaware that this connection exists, but it may well prove to be both dangerous and useful to Harry under certain conditions. And while Harry remembers few details about his dream, which was not a dream at all, we at least have learned that Wormtail (Pettigrew) seemed unwilling to involve Harry in whatever scheme Voldemort is planning. This may be tied to the life debt that Wormtail now owes Harry. Voldemort is probably still unaware that his servant has such an extreme obligation to his greatest enemy, and will likely be extremely displeased when he learns of it.
It is important to the story line, actually, that Harry perceive Voldemort's mind only when he is asleep. Voldemort reveals things to us that Harry is likely to want to pursue if he recalls them. In particular, the name Bertha Jorkins is mentioned in the "dream," and will be mentioned again repeatedly in the next months. If Harry was able to recall that name from the dream sequence just past, likely he would mention the occurrence to someone, most likely Arthur Weasley or Professor Dumbledore, and our story probably would have developed differently.
No real reason is ever given as to why Harry can sense Voldemort's thoughts, but Voldemort cannot sense Harry's, at least not until a year later. We can, of course, speculate: Harry is able to perceive Voldemort's thoughts only when Voldemort is feeling very strong emotions. During this sequence, for instance, Voldemort is first planning the demise of his most hated enemy, and is likely inflamed with rage against Harry for daring to exist; and then, he is murdering Frank Bryce, a spell which requires deep hatred of the target. In this book, and the subsequent one, Harry only senses Voldemort's thoughts when he is asleep or nearly so. One can assume that the reverse transmission of thoughts can only happen when Harry is feeling strong emotions, and when Voldemort is in a similarly relaxed state. It is likely simply an accident of timing, that Voldemort is never in a receptive frame of mind when Harry is experiencing his strongest emotions.
There is a small inconsistency regarding when Harry actually learns Sirius is his godfather. It says here that: "he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago." In fact, it was around the previous Christmas when he overheard a conversation in the Three Broomsticks that Sirius was James Potter's best friend and Harry's godfather. However, at that time, he still believed Sirius was a mass murderer and responsible for his parents' deaths, so he could have disavowed the connection. It may have only been after the revelations in the Shrieking Shack, which happened just two months before, that Harry finally accepted that Sirius was truly his godfather.
