Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 9
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Chapter 9 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Woes of Mrs. Weasley
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[edit] Synopsis
Harry leaves the courtroom to tell Mr. Weasley the good news; Mr. Weasley comments that Professor Dumbledore brushed past him without speaking. As they stand outside, wizards file out of the courtroom, and Mr. Weasley expresses surprise that Harry seems to have been tried by the entire Wizengamot. Percy is the last person out, and he and Mr. Weasley studiously ignore each other, though the lines around Mr. Weasley's mouth tighten as Percy walks past.
While walking up the stairs, they meet Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy, whom Mr. Weasley surmises was attempting to sneak down to the courtroom to learn what was happening. In amongst the usual barbed comments exchanged between Lucius and Arthur, Malfoy cites "private matters" to explain his conversation with Fudge. Arthur Weasley comments privately to Harry that it likely has more to do with the exchange of gold, and that Malfoy is contributing to all the right causes as a means to get laws he dislikes delayed or ignored. Harry suggests that with Fudge meeting privately with Death Eaters, it is possible that he has been put under the Imperius Curse. Mr. Weasley says they considered that, but Dumbledore believes Fudge is acting on his own, for what little reassurance that provides.
When they arrive back at 12 Grimmauld Place, everyone is relieved that Harry has been exonerated. Fred, George, and Ginny break into a victory dance and chant, "He got off, he got off, he got off!" until Mrs. Weasley yells at them. During the next few days, however, Harry realizes that Sirius seems despondent. Hermione suggests that Sirius was secretly hoping Harry would become an outcast like him and live at Grimmauld Place. Regardless, Harry's spirits are lifted, and he dreams about Hogwarts.
The day before school starts, booklists finally arrive, raising the question as to who the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher might be. They also bring a surprise—as expected, Hermione has been named a Gryffindor prefect, but so has Ron, much to everyone's astonishment. As a reward, Mrs. Weasley agrees to buy Ron a new broom. Harry struggles with jealousy and resentment, believing that between the two, he would have been chosen over Ron, but Sirius telling him, at the celebration dinner, that his father had not been a prefect either helps Harry come to terms with this. Of the Marauders, it was Lupin who was made Prefect. Lupin comments that Dumbledore probably expected him to be able to keep his friends under control, but he failed miserably. Harry gives his sincere congratulations to Ron.
After the celebratory dinner, Mad-Eye Moody shows Harry a photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Moody apparently thought this would be a treat, allowing Harry to see his parents again. However, Harry finds it disturbing, seeing them amongst so many others who have died at Death Eaters' hands. Harry, angry at being cornered with something so negative, makes his excuses and leaves the party.
Harry passes the drawing room in which Mrs. Weasley is attempting to banish a boggart. She is sobbing, and each time she waves her wand, another family member's image appears—dead. It also appears as a dead Harry. Lupin comes to her rescue, finishing off the boggart and comforting her. As Harry slips away to bed, he feels quite old and wonders how he could have been upset about who was made a prefect when there are so many more important matters at stake.
[edit] Analysis
For once, it is Harry, rather than Ron, who copes with jealousy and being in second place after Ron is named a prefect and Harry is not. It is likely Dumbledore appointed Ron partially to help Ron develop his own identity, apart from Harry's influence and the constant attention surrounding him. Ron has always contented himself to tag along after others, suffering from a lack of confidence caused mostly by feeling overshadowed by his accomplished siblings, Hermione's intellect, and Harry's celebrity. Lupin may have been appointed a prefect for similar reasons. It is also possible Dumbledore was concerned that other students would feel Harry was chosen due to his fame, and that this may have caused more resentment and detracted from Harry doing an effective job. Harry also fails to understand that Ron is struggling to discover his own unique talents and abilities. Also, with Voldemort re-emerging and so many doubting Harry's claims, Dumbledore may simply want to avoid putting any additional stress and focus on Harry.
We do see a small conflict at this point. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid tells Harry that his parents were "Head Boy and Head Girl in their day." We have already seen that Percy had progressed from Prefect to Head Boy, so the assumption is that, in order to become Head Boy, James Potter must have first been a Prefect. Yet, here we learn that it was Lupin who was Prefect. This anomaly is never explained, but if Lupin had resigned or been forced out as Prefect, or had elected not to complete his seventh year at Hogwarts, it is possible that James would have been made Prefect and Head Boy in his stead.
Lucius Malfoy meeting with Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge so close to Harry's hearing is highly suspicious, although there is no proof that Fudge is connected to Death Eaters. Likely he is not, but Malfoy has certainly courted his and the Ministry's favor and influence, mostly through generous monetary donations. Here, Lucius, a Death Eater, may be attempting to manipulate Fudge regarding Harry's hearing, or may be attempting to extract information that he can relay to Voldemort. A clueless Fudge is more inept than corrupt, and he is mainly concerned with cultivating his public image rather than paying attention to what is actually happening in the Wizarding world. He truly believes that Voldemort has not returned and that Harry is an attention-seeking liar. Fudge is also highly paranoid and is convinced that Dumbledore is plotting to overthrow the Ministry.
Molly Weasley's deepest fears are shown here. A devoted and loving wife and mother, she lives in constant terror that her family will fall victim to Voldemort. She has lost her brothers, and it is unlikely she could bear to lose Arthur or any of her children. From seeing her fears, we can tell that she is convinced that the Weasley family will not survive the war unscathed. Harry is deeply disturbed by witnessing this, although the Boggart turning into his image shows how deeply Molly cares for him, considering him as a son. Harry is also confronted with his own mortality and realizes that he may not get through this alive.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why is Harry upset that Mad-Eye Moody showed him the picture of his parents?
- How does Harry react when he sees Mrs. Weasley's boggart turning into her family, dead? What does this say about Molly Weasley?
- How does Harry feel when he sees the same boggart becoming him, dead?
- What changes Harry's attitude about Hermione and Ron becoming prefects?
[edit] Further Study
- Why might Lucius Malfoy have been meeting with Cornelius Fudge immediately after the hearing?
- Why might Ron have been made a prefect and not Harry? Does Harry think he is better qualified than Ron?
- Is Ron really qualified to be a prefect or will he just rely on Hermione's guidance?
- Who might be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor?
- How might the boggart scene foreshadow other events in the books?
[edit] Greater Picture
It is unlikely that Lucius being so near the Department of Mysteries is an innocent coincidence on his part; we will discover that Voldemort is seeking something in that department, and Lucius may be searching for a suitable candidate he can place under the Imperius curse to fetch that for him. Within days, Sturgis Podmore will be caught attempting to enter a secure door, probably having been magically compelled to breach the Department of Mysteries by Malfoy. Later in the book, we will learn that one Broderick Bode, an Unspeakable who was seen in the previous chapter, will run afoul of protective spells within the Ministry. Bode will be seen in St. Mungo's hospital recovering from a severe jinx around the Christmas holidays. Hermione will later surmise that Bode, like Podmore, had been compelled to try and retrieve the object that Voldemort had wanted. We will also overhear a conversation between Voldemort and Rookwood, a Death Eater, which confirms this, and that Bode had been jinxed in the Department of Ministries. It is Voldemort's ongoing attempts to fetch this object which will result in the climactic battle of this book.
The Boggart transforming into "dead" Weasley family members may foreshadow a tragedy in the series' final book.
