Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 14
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Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Percy and Padfoot
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[edit] Synopsis
The next morning, Harry writes Sirius a letter about Professor Umbridge and his burning scar. He uses a code name and shared experiences to encode the contents (such as saying Umbridge is, "almost as nice as your mum"). In the Owlery, he sends Hedwig off with the letter. Looking out, he sees one of the skeletal black horses flying over the Forbidden Forest. Cho Chang suddenly arrives to mail a birthday gift. She is furious at Umbridge for denying that Voldemort has returned. They are interrupted by Filch, who accuses Harry of sending for a large order of Dungbombs, and he demands to see the letter he was sending. Cho stands up to Filch, saying that the letter was already gone, and Harry is almost inordinately pleased.
At breakfast Hermione reads a story in the Daily Prophet implying that Sirius was spotted in London. Harry thinks Lucius Malfoy recognized Sirius' Animagus dog form at King's Cross station. Harry also reads that Order member Sturgis Podmore was arrested after attempting to break into a sealed door at the Ministry of Magic. Ron thinks he was lured into a trap. Hermione agrees.
Harry and Ron attend Quidditch practice, but they are harassed by Slytherins. Ron is particularly singled out with insults. Flustered, he passes the Quaffle to Katie Bell so enthusiastically that it slips through her hands and hits her face, causing a nosebleed. Fred and George apply what they think is the healing end of a Nosebleed Nougat, but instead give her a Blood Blisterpod and have to take her the hospital wing, ending the practice.
Late that night, Ron receives a letter from his brother, Percy, congratulating him on becoming a Prefect. He writes he is relieved that Ron has not followed in Fred and George's "footsteps," and advises that he steer himself away from their parents' misguided beliefs and actions. Percy also warns Ron to disassociate himself from Harry and Professor Dumbledore and hints there may soon be a change at Hogwarts. He goes on to commend Dolores Umbridge, believing she is a fine, upstanding person and an asset to the school. Furious, Ron rips apart the letter.
Shortly after, Sirius' head appears in the Gryffindor fireplace. He tells Harry that he does not believe Umbridge is a Death Eater, and that his scar hurting was probably just Voldemort experiencing a strong emotional reaction to something. When Harry complains that Umbridge is not letting them perform magic, Sirius says it is because a paranoid Fudge fears that Dumbledore is secretly building a wizard army to take over the Ministry. Harry asks about Hagrid, but Sirius says he does not know where he is, but that Dumbledore is not worried. He warns against drawing attention to Hagrid's absence. When Sirius suggests meeting Harry and the others while in his Animagus dog form at the next Hogsmeade weekend, both Harry and Hermione sternly tell him it is too dangerous. Sirius chides Harry for being so cautious, saying that his father, James, would have loved taking the risk. And with a faint pop, he vanishes.
[edit] Analysis
Two people's personalities are becoming more apparent — Sirius and Percy.
Although Sirius is still an attentive and loving godfather, his reckless behavior is increasing. When he suggests meeting Harry in Hogsmeade in his Animagus dog form, it is the students who tell the adult that it is too dangerous, remembering that Sirius was recognized by the Malfoys at the train station. Sirius chides Harry for being so cautious, saying that his father, James, loved taking risks. Unfortunately, Sirius' emotional development has been stunted by his years in Azkaban, impairing his judgment and causing him to treat Harry more like his peer rather than his ward. Molly Weasley had earlier felt it necessary to remind Sirius that Harry is not James Potter. Sirius is likely to decline mentally as the story progresses. His confinement to Grimmauld Place, a house he has always hated, is another prison. He is often left alone, accompanied primarily by his hate-spewing, mad mother's portrait, and a surly and insulting House-elf. Constantly hiding from the authorities and unable to live a normal life is stressful and causes Sirius to become increasingly sullen and irritable, leading to his careless and rash behavior. However, insanity and mental instability are also prevalent in the Black family, and Sirius appears to show symptoms similar to those exhibited by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.
Percy's growing estrangement from his family has reached a breaking point and his career ambition blinds him to what is actually happening within the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding world at large; he will continue to adamantly support the Ministry's stance that Voldemort has not been resurrected. The other Weasleys' assertion that he is a Ministry pawn being used to garner information about Harry and Dumbledore only offends Percy. He firmly believes his rapid advancement within the Ministry of Magic is due to his abilities, rather than his connections. Whether or not Percy can realign his faulty judgment and reconcile with his family is unknown until the final book.
We also see another step in the growing romance between Cho and Harry. Finally, they have a chance to talk, without Stinksap or Quidditch-inspired animosity, and Harry finds that Cho is whole-heartedly on his side, sharing his and Dumbledore's beliefs unquestioningly. While neither we nor Harry have any idea whether this will go anywhere, after this meeting Harry at least has some hope, as we do, that Cho and Harry will become a couple. This, actually, is an interesting illustration of how the author has chosen to avoid certain young adult fiction stereotypes. The series, covering seven years of Harry's life, will of necessity cover his maturation, and as most young men do at this stage in their lives, he will start having romantic thoughts; his relationship with Cho, as we have seen, takes a realistically long time to grow, and is visited by a very natural set of setbacks and issues. The author has here rejected the standard scheme of having the romance entirely contained within one book of the series, instead having it mature as a real romance does.
One small highlight also is cast on the character of James Potter, when Sirius points out that he would have loved the risk. Readers may begin to wonder here how much Harry is James' son, and how much he is Lily's.
Filch appearing with an obviously specious story about Harry ordering dungbombs is somewhat odd. Harry himself wonders who could have told Filch that; this question is never answered, but the reader, like Harry, suspects a connection with Umbridge.
Readers may wonder how Lucius Malfoy could recognize Sirius in his dog Animagus form. Peter Pettigrew, as readers most certainly remember, was a close friend of Sirius' in their school days, and will have seen him transform numerous times, as Sirius did Pettigrew. Pettigrew will likely have described Sirius' Animagus form to Voldemort, and Voldemort in turn may have passed that on to his Death Eaters. We are never told why Voldemort would have been interested enough in Sirius to prime his Death Eaters to spot him, but it is likely that Pettigrew's confirmation that he was still alive, his having escaped Azkaban, and the likelihood of his joining Dumbledore made it worth keeping an eye out for him.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why does Sirius chide Harry for being cautious? Is this appropriate? Why or why not?
- What does Filch accuse Harry of doing in the Owlery? Could there be another reason he's interrogating Harry about his owl post?
- Why is Ron angry at Percy? Is Ron justified?
[edit] Further Study
- Why does Sirius warn the Trio about drawing attention to Hagrid's absence? Does he know more than he is letting on?
- Why would Percy advise Ron to stop associating with Harry and Dumbledore?
- What does Sirius say that Cornelius Fudge thinks Dumbledore is planning? What would lead Fudge to believe this, and could it be true?
- What is Percy's opinion of Dolores Umbridge? Why might he think that?
- What change at Hogwarts might Percy be hinting at?
[edit] Greater Picture
Percy remains estranged from his family until the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Finally realizing he was wrong, he arrives at Hogwarts just prior to the final battle, apologizing to his family for his stupidity. He joins forces with Harry and the other allies against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
While Harry and Cho's relationship may now proceed, ultimately it will be doomed by Cho's need to revisit Cedric's death, a loss for which she has not yet reached closure. We do not see this yet, and will not until Christmas, when Harry and Cho kiss under the mistletoe. At that point, Hermione will give Harry and Ron a quick rundown of Cho's current emotional state, which will explain most of her interactions with Harry since September.
Surprisingly, Umbridge seems to realize the value of having Argus Filch on her side. Quite possibly, Umbridge recognizes a kindred soul, as she hates the students almost as much as Filch seems to. It is also possible that she recognizes that among the staff, she has no other allies; even the Slytherin Head of House, Professor Snape, seems to not be in favour of her appointment. Immediately after the attempted arrest of Dumbledore, we will see that Filch believes that he will shortly be allowed to torture the students physically for malfeasance. Many readers believe that Umbridge has promised this to Filch, but has no plans to carry out her promise. It is certainly true that Filch never seems to get permission to whip or chain any students during the remainder of Umbridge's tenure.
While it is never confirmed, it is likely that Podmore's attempt to break through a sealed door at the Ministry was done while he was under the Imperius curse, trying to retrieve the Prophecy that Voldemort is seeking. A later attempt, which we will learn of later in the year, will involve an Unspeakable, Bode. In that attempt, Bode will be placed under the Imperius curse by Lucius Malfoy. Harry will guess that the reason Lucius had been at the Ministry on the day of Harry's hearing, was that he was trying to find someone he could curse to retrieve the Prophecy. While Podmore failed because he was unable to open a sealed door, Bode will fail due to a curse placed on the Prophecy itself – as an Unspeakable, he is cleared to work in the Department of Mysteries.
