Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 22
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Chapter 22 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
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[edit] Synopsis
Professor McGonagall takes Harry and Ron with her, past the gargoyle (password: "Fizzing Whizbee") and to the Headmaster's office. Many people are heard talking from within Professor Dumbledore's office, but when McGonagall knocks, the voices fall silent, and inside, Dumbledore is sitting alone. Harry is vexed that Dumbledore continues to avoid looking at him. However, he tells Dumbledore what he saw in his dream, and, in response to Dumbledore's question, says that it was seen from his point-of-view, as if he was the snake, and that Mr. Weasley is badly hurt. Dumbledore immediately sends the portraits of two past headmasters, Everard and Dilys, to search for Mr. Weasley. Dumbledore explains that they were two of Hogwarts' most famous headmasters, and they have many other portraits they can visit. Dumbledore addresses Fawkes, saying they will need a warning. Fawkes vanishes in a flash of fire. Dumbledore places an intricate silver machine on his desk and sets it in motion; it emits a puff of green smoke that forms into a snake. Dumbledore says, "Naturally. But in essence divided?" The smoke stream splits into two snakes. Before Harry can ask its meaning, the Everard portrait returns, reporting that an injured man was found. Dilys then appears and says that the man has been taken to St. Mungo's, and that he looks bad. Dumbledore sends Professor McGonagall to fetch the other Weasley children. McGonagall asks about Mrs. Weasley, and Dumbledore says it is a job for Fawkes, though Mrs. Weasley's clock may have already alerted her.
Dumbledore creates a Portkey from an old kettle, and addresses Phineas' portrait. Phineas feigns awakening from a deep sleep and grudgingly agrees to deliver a message to his other portrait at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Told to inform Sirius that the Weasley children and Harry will arrive, Phineas slopes off. Fred, George, and Ginny arrive with Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore informs them that their father has been injured, and they are being sent to Grimmauld Place. Because the Floo network is being watched, they will instead travel by Portkey. A flash of fire, Fawkes' warning, appears, and McGonagall leaves to head off Umbridge. Phineas returns and reports that Sirius would be delighted to have the children. The Weasley children and Harry hold the Portkey. As it activates, Dumbledore looks directly at Harry for the first time. Intense pain in his scar and overwhelming hatred causes Harry to want to attack and bite Dumbledore.
Arriving at Grimmauld Place, Harry hears Kreacher muttering, "Back again, the blood-traitor brats. Is it true their father's dying?" Sirius orders him out. Harry tells the worried Weasley children and Sirius about his vision, although he refrains from sharing that he was the snake. The Twins demand to go to the hospital, but Sirius vetoes it, saying that the Order wants it kept secret that Harry is seeing events happening hundreds of miles away. Sirius serves Butterbeer as they silently wait for word. Harry wonders about the hatred he felt for Dumbledore, and why it seemed like he had fangs.
A Phoenix flame arrives; Molly Weasley has sent word by Fawkes that Arthur is seriously injured but still alive. She arrives herself at about 5:00 a.m., saying that Arthur is sleeping, and Bill is sitting with him. She expresses her deep gratitude to Harry for saving her husband's life. Harry now privately confesses to Sirius the fact that he seemed to be the snake in his dream, and the intense rage and hatred he felt towards Dumbledore. Sirius tells him not to worry about it, to get some rest, but Harry is unable to sleep, fearing he will turn into a snake and attack Ron.
The group decide to stay at Grimmauld Place over the Christmas holidays, to be close to the hospital. That afternoon, among merriment and relief that Arthur is out of danger, Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody arrive to escort them to St. Mungo's. After visiting with the children, during which Fred and George try unsuccessfully to learn where Arthur was and what he was guarding when he was attacked, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Moody have a (they think) private discussion regarding the previous night's events. Using Fred and George's Extendable Ears to eavesdrop, Harry and the Weasley children overhear Moody saying that Harry is seeing inside Voldemort's mind, and wonders if he is being possessed by Voldemort.
[edit] Analysis
The voices heard in Dumbledore's office, we can now guess, were the portraits of former Headmasters talking with Dumbledore. In this chapter, we see that they are far more than mere "talking heads." While they counsel the present Headmaster, they also act as a surveillance and communication system, able to travel to their other portraits throughout the wizarding world to deliver messages, report news, and occasionally act as spies. It is, in fact, possible that the office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts is potentially better informed than even the Minister of Magic as to events in the Wizarding world.
By this time, the reader should be beginning to suspect that Harry's mind is being accessed by Voldemort. This is confirmed when Harry relates to him that he could see the events at the Department of Mysteries from Voldemort's (or the snake's) point-of-view and feel his emotions. The small instrument Dumbledore consults emits a serpent-shaped puff of smoke, which splits into two when questioned. Its significance, which is never completely explained in the book, could be interpreted several ways. From the shape, we can assume that it is somehow related to the snake that attacked Arthur Weasley. Its splitting into two may represent the snake and Voldemort sharing its experiences. Alternately, it may represent Voldemort and the snake on one side, and Harry on the other. In the latter case, that it splits into two images may indicate that Harry and Voldemort remain separate, meaning Harry has not been possessed by the Dark Lord. Whatever its meaning, there seems to be some mental connection between the two, and when Harry makes eye contact with Dumbledore, the rage and hate he feels is almost certainly Voldemort's. Harry is more distressed than ever, unable to understand what is happening to him, and angry that Dumbledore is deliberately withholding information.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Whose voices did Harry hear inside Dumbledore's office, even though Dumbledore is alone? Why was Dumbledore talking with them?
- Why is McGonagall sent to head off Umbridge?
- Why aren't the Weasley children allowed to visit their father in the hospital right away?
- What does Moody say about Harry? What makes him believe this?
[edit] Further Study
- Where was Mr. Weasley when he was attacked, and what was he doing?
- Why does Harry feel hate and rage when he looks at Dumbledore?
- What might be the significance of the smoke stream from Dumbledore's instrument forming into a snake and splitting in two?
- Why is Harry reluctant to tell the other Weasleys what he actually felt when he witnessed the attack on Arthur Weasley?
- Why doesn't Kreacher respond when Sirius summons him? Is it possible that he could have left the house, even though he would need his master's permission? How could he have done that, and where might he have gone?
[edit] Greater Picture
While Harry is not yet completely aware of this, Dumbledore by now is reasonably certain that there is some connection between Voldemort's mind and Harry's. He will have come to this conclusion based on Harry's recounting of the dreams he had which involved Voldemort in August and May of the previous school year. While he may not yet be aware of the dreams of corridors that Harry is having, he will have guessed that Voldemort's regaining his body may have strengthened that link, and will have known that it was only a matter of time until Voldemort realized the link was present. Recognizing that Voldemort could use that same link to spy on Harry and himself, Dumbledore chooses to appear aloof and indifferent to Harry, in the hopes of hiding the fact that their relationship is more than headmaster-to-student. Harry, of course, is unaware of this, and is hurt by Dumbledore's apparent disregard.
Regarding Dumbledore's "in essence divided" comment, J.K. Rowling explained its meaning during an online chat at a fan site shortly after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published. Says Rowling, "Dumbledore suspected that the snake’s essence was divided – that it contained part of Voldemort’s soul, and that was why it was so very adept at doing his bidding. This also explained why Harry, the last and unintended Horcrux, could see so clearly through the snake’s eyes, just as he regularly sees through Voldemort’s. Dumbledore is thinking aloud here, edging towards the truth with the help of the Pensieve."
Sirius was unintentionally overly forceful in ordering Kreacher to leave. Kreacher manipulated this into being permission to leave the house and visits the only still-living Black family member he respects: Narcissa Malfoy. While he is unable to tell Narcissa about the Order of the Phoenix, or anything else that Sirius has expressly forbidden him to discuss, he does tell Narcissa, and through her, Voldemort, that Sirius and Harry have a very caring relationship. At almost that same instant, Voldemort senses Harry's thoughts and glimpses Dumbledore through him, causing Harry to feel the Dark Lord's rage and desire to kill Dumbledore, and rise, snake-like, within him. As Dumbledore suspects, Voldemort will now be aware that he and Harry share thoughts on occasion. While this is not yet useful to Voldemort, he will exploit it shortly.
Harry is already worried that Voldemort may be possessing him, and he is additionally worried that he had been physically transformed into a snake and transported to London to attack Mr. Weasley. Ron reassures him on the latter point, saying that he was still in his bed and most definitely not a snake during the vision, but Harry is still unsure, and Moody's comment in St. Mungo's seems to be confirmation: Harry now believes that Voldemort may be using him to spy on his surroundings. This will shortly result in Harry deciding to depart Grimmauld Place, a departure that will be forestalled by a message from Dumbledore, relayed sarcastically by Phineas Nigellus.
