Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 34
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Chapter 34 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Department of Mysteries
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[edit] Synopsis
Harry, Neville, and Luna quickly mount their Thestrals, but Hermione, Ron, and Ginny have difficulty finding them; Luna dismounts and helps them. Harry asks his Thestral to take them to the Visitor's Entrance of the Ministry of Magic, in London; the Thestrals promptly take off. Upon reaching the Ministry of Magic, Ron swears he will never fly on one again. The students cram into the phone box that is the Ministry's visitor entrance. Ron dials the Ministry's number and is asked their names and business; the phone dispenses ID badges, and they descend to the atrium. At the reception area, there is no Security Guard on duty. Harry is certain Sirius must be there. Harry and the others enter a lift (elevator) and descend to the lowest basement floor—the Department of Mysteries.
From his dreams, Harry recognizes the corridor and knows which door to enter. Within is a large circular chamber with twelve doors. Harry is unsure which one to go through, the more so as, as soon as a door closes behind them, the room's walls rotate. When the doors come to a standstill again, they open the first one; but the room does not match Harry's dream. Instead, it contains a large tank with floating brains. Retreating, Hermione marks the door with her wand so they know they have already looked there. The next room is a large stone amphitheater. On a raised dais at the center is an ancient stone archway, a tattered veil fluttering in the entrance. Harry investigates, and standing next to the veil, he has the strange sensation that someone is on the other side. Hermione, in particular, seems frightened, and calls Harry back to the circular room.
The next doorway refuses to open; Harry uses Sirius' knife that will "open any door", but the door remains shut and the knife's blade melts away. At the next door, Harry recognizes the sparkling, shimmering light from his dreams. Inside is a bell jar containing a beautiful hummingbird that hatches from an egg, flutters to the top, falls back down into the egg, then hatches again. Passing through this room, they reach the huge chamber containing the shelves loaded with glass orbs that Harry recognizes from his dream. Finding no trace of Sirius, Harry considers returning to Hogwarts when Ron spots an orb labeled "S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?)Harry Potter". As Harry reaches for it, Hermione warns him it might be dangerous, but nothing happens when he grasps it. Although the chamber is cold, the orb feels warm in Harry's hand.
A voice from behind breaks the silence: "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."
[edit] Analysis
Harry has become so consumed with rescuing his godfather that he rushed into an unknown situation without a plan, without fully considering the risks to himself and his friends, and without confirming that Sirius was actually in danger. He ignores Hermione's warning that his dream could be a false vision, and he instead relies solely on his own intuition that is fueled by intense emotions and a desire to protect Sirius. When under duress, Harry often becomes impervious to others' advice and acts according to emotions rather than logic, thinking linearly and single-mindedly, although his intentions are usually noble. His attempts to dissuade the others from accompanying him are futile, they refuse to remain behind, despite suspecting Harry is pursuing an unwise and potentially dangerous course. Unfortunately, they are right, and Harry's rash and predictable behavior has led him and the others directly into a deadly trap.
Readers are probably able to guess that the initials S.P.T. and A.P.W.B.D. that are on the orb stand for Sybill Patricia Trelawney and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
It is interesting to note, although it plays no part in the storyline, the beautiful hummingbird that continually hatches from the egg is similar to a Phoenix, the mythical bird that continually dies by bursting into flames, then is resurrected from its own ashes. In this context, however, it is meant to be an indicator of one of the great Mysteries, the mystery of Time.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why was Ron worried about flying on the Thestrals?
- Why was the Department of Mysteries so easily accessible to Harry and the others?
[edit] Further Study
- What are the 'Orbs'?
- Was Hermione right to be worried about Harry touching an Orb, even with one that had his name on it? What might have happened?
- Why does Harry experience a strange sensation standing next to the veiled archway? What might have happened if Harry had stepped through it?
- Why do Ron, Hermione, and the others insist on going with Harry, even though they believe it might be a trap? What does this say about their characters?
[edit] Greater Picture
While it is never entirely made certain, Luna's reaction to the veil in the stone amphitheater, and Harry's, leads us to believe that what Harry may be hearing are the voices of those who have died. It would appear that this room is meant to be the physical embodiment of a Muggle figure of speech: when we say that someone has "passed through the Veil," we mean that that person has died. This room, and its physical Veil, would then be a figure of speech made real. This interpretation will be reinforced later by Sirius' passing physically through the Veil, and by Luna's telling Harry that what he heard at the veil were the voices of those who had gone before, waiting there for Harry to join them.
This being the Department of Mysteries, one might reasonably expect that eleven of the twelve doors off the circular room would lead to an area devoted to the study of a Mystery, the twelfth one being the way back to the Atrium. This does seem to be the case; in turn we see the mysteries of Thought or Consciousness, Death, and (skipping the locked door) Time. It makes sense that Prophecies would be associated with the mystery of Time, as they do somewhat violate our understanding of Time as being unidirectional. Later, in another room, is a giant orrery, obviously devoted to the mystery of the Physical Universe; Dumbledore will tell Harry about a department whose door is always locked because of the mystery therein's great power, devoted to the mystery of Love. It also makes sense for the various Mysteries to be interconnected. Later, we will see that, leaving the amphitheater, Harry will run through the brain room; it is obvious, in retrospect, that the mystery of Consciousness and the mystery of Death are linked.
