text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 30

Synopsis
Professor Moody opens the door and invites Harry into the Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore asks Harry to wait there while he, Cornelius Fudge, and Professor Moody survey where Mr. Crouch appeared and then disappeared.

Alone in Dumbledore's office, Harry notices a shimmering light. Inside a partially opened cupboard is a stone bowl filled with an odd, glittering, substance. Peering into it, he sees a torch-lit stone room, filled with tiny witches and wizards. He moves closer for a better view and is catapulted into the scene. Nobody in the room notices him, and Harry, seeing that apparently younger versions of Dumbledore and Moody are present, realizes he is inside a memory, and settles down to watch.

In a courtroom, a younger Bartemius Crouch is overseeing the proceedings. Chained to a chair, Igor Karkaroff bargains for his freedom, offering to identify Death Eaters. He names Antonin Dolohov, Evan Rosier, Travers, and Mulciber. All have already been captured or killed. Karkaroff then claims that Augustus Rookwood, who works in the Department of Mysteries, was passing information to Voldemort. This information is apparently new to the court, but Karkaroff is to be returned to Azkaban while the court deliberates. In desperation, Karkaroff names Severus Snape as a Death Eater. Dumbledore interjects, saying that while Severus had been a Death Eater, he had turned double agent before Voldemort's downfall and is no longer the Dark Lord's servant. Crouch says he will review Karkaroff's case.

The memory fades and returns to the same room with a lighter atmosphere. A younger Ludo Bagman is seated in the same chair, but not chained, as he answers charges of aiding Death Eaters. Bagman claims he was unaware that Rookwood, a friend of Ludo's father, was working for Death Eaters and believed that he was collecting information for "our side." As the wizards vote, Harry realizes this is the Wizengamot. The judges vote to free Bagman, though Moody and Crouch seem annoyed by the verdict.

Again the memory fades and reappears, only now the room is grimmer. A witch and three wizards are chained before Mr. Crouch, accused of torturing the Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom to uncover Voldemort's whereabouts. The Wizengamot unanimously sentence them to life in Azkaban. The boy, Barty Crouch, Jr., pleads for his father to spare him; Crouch, stony-faced, disowns his son while Mrs. Crouch, weeping, watches as Barty is condemned.

A second Dumbledore suddenly appears and, grasping Harry's elbow, returns them to Hogwarts. The bowl, he says, is a Pensieve. When too many thoughts and memories cram Dumbledore's mind, he siphons some off and stores them there. Patterns can be seen inside the Pensieve that are not otherwise immediately apparent. Using his wand, Dumbledore extracts a thought and places it in the Pensieve. Harry sees his own face smoothly turning into Snape's who says, "It's coming back, Karkaroff's too . . ." It is a connection Dumbledore could have "made without assistance". Harry apologizes for snooping; Dumbledore responds that curiosity is not a sin, but it requires caution. A teenaged girl's image then rises from the Pensieve. It is Bertha Jorkins as she was at Hogwarts. She is complaining that a boy jinxed her because she reported him for kissing Florence behind the greenhouses. Dumbledore asks why she followed him behind the greenhouses in the first place.

Harry then recounts his dream, but is surprised that Dumbledore already knows about his scar hurting him that summer. Unknown to Harry, Dumbledore has been corresponding with Sirius. Dumbledore believes Harry's dream was hardly ordinary and that Harry's scar hurts whenever Voldemort is nearby or feeling strong emotions. In the dream, Harry never saw Voldemort, only an armchair from behind, but there would be nothing to see: Voldemort still lacks a body. Dumbledore says Voldemort is growing stronger, and his earlier accession to power was marked by unexplained disappearances; there are currently three missing people: Bertha Jorkins, Bartemius Crouch, Sr., and a Muggle, Frank Bryce. Dumbledore believes they are linked, though the Ministry does not.

Harry learns that Neville's parents, mentioned in the final memory, were tortured until they went insane, and now permanently reside in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. That is why Neville lives with his grandmother. Also, Ludo Bagman and Severus Snape have been uninvolved in anything Dark since the trials, and Dumbledore trusts Snape completely. Dumbledore requests that Harry say nothing about Neville's parents, not even to Ron or Hermione. That is Neville's story to tell. Finally, he wishes Harry luck in the third task.

Analysis
Readers have watched the story unfold mostly through Harry's point-of-view or as told to him by other characters; gradually, the author has added additional mechanisms for Harry (and readers) to gain information about Voldemort and his Death Eaters. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry viewed Tom Riddle's memories that were stored in his diary. Now Dumbledore's Pensieve provides another means for Harry to observe historical events at first-hand. The Pensieve is also introducing new characters from the past that readers may see again in the present. It also sheds light on some current characters, such as Ludo Bagman, who was interrogated but never convicted as a Voldemort follower, though his actual involvement is apparently still suspect to Dumbledore and Moody. And though Harry has learned much from Tom Riddle's Diary and Dumbledore's Pensieve, these are still memories, and they may be imperfect and somewhat tinged with personal viewpoints and biases. We note that Tom Riddle's memories, accurate though they may have been, were purposely presented in such a way as to give Harry a false impression. We suspect that will not be the last time Harry will see a deliberately skewed memory.

Harry has also been occasionally watching events in real time through a mental connection existing between him and Voldemort. As these mostly play out when Harry is asleep, he still believes these are just bad dreams. Harry's mental connection to Voldemort may become his most valuable information avenue, as he is viewing things that are currently happening, though he has yet to completely utilize this, being previously unsure if what he saw was actually real; also, the information he does receive is sporadic and incomplete, making it difficult to analyze. There is also a danger that Voldemort can learn as much through Harry if he also discovers this link; it is probably only a matter of time before he does.

Also, Dumbledore has likely been depositing his abundant thoughts into the Pensieve for many decades, presumably many unrelated to Harry or Voldemort. How then does Harry happen to see only those memories directly related to current events and that are the most helpful to him? Is it possible that Dumbledore intended for Harry to view these particular recollections, leaving him alone in his office at an opportune time? The opened cupboard door almost seemed an invitation, beckoning Harry to peer inside. Dumbledore may be legally prevented from sharing such confidential information with a student, and by making his memories available in this way, he is able to pass this on to Harry without reprisal. Quite possibly, Dumbledore was merely reviewing those particular memories because they may be related to current events, and Harry happened upon them during an unguarded moment. All this is, of course, only speculation and unfortunately, it remains unanswered.

The Pensieve also reveals much about Neville Longbottom through what happened to his parents. The trauma Neville has suffered over his mother and father's sad fate may partially explain why his memory and magical abilities are impaired. For whatever reason, Neville has chosen to keep his parents' condition secret; Harry's knowledge about this will bring the two boys closer together, and Harry realizes that Neville has lost his parents to Voldemort, just as he has lost his.

To the uncritical reader, the appearance of Bertha Jorkins in the Pensieve might seen unrelated. We note, however, that it immediately follows Dumbledore's comments about curiosity not being a sin, but requiring care. The incident which Bertha is complaining about is a case where she was jinxed because of excessive curiosity. We also note that she is close to the surface of the Pensieve, being able to rise to visibility so easily. There must be many cases in Dumbledore's memory of students who let their curiosity send them into trouble; one of them is, in fact, standing in front of him at that instant. Bertha's appearance does indicate that she is, for whatever reason, right near the top of Dumbledore's current thoughts. Dumbledore's mention of multiple unexplained disappearances might well be the reason she is on his mind.

As a side note, it is interesting that even though the courtroom scenes are from Dumbledore's viewpoint, he is seen as a bystander. This matches what had happened in Tom Riddle's memories; though it was Tom's memories, Harry was always standing beside Tom, rather than seeing directly through Tom's eyes.

Review

 * 1) Why has Neville never told anyone about what happened to his parents? How might this knowledge change Harry's relationship with Neville?
 * 2) Why is Harry so surprised that Dumbledore has been communicating with Sirius? Why has Sirius never mentioned this to Harry?
 * 3) Why did Harry wait so long to tell Dumbledore about his dreams?
 * 4) Why is Dumbledore convinced that Harry's visions are something other than dreams?

Further Study

 * 1) Why does Dumbledore refuse to tell Harry the reason he trusts Snape? Is Dumbledore's trust warranted?
 * 2) Why does the Ministry maintain that Bertha Jorkins', Mr. Crouch's, and Frank Bryce's disappearances are unrelated? Are they? Explain.
 * 3) Did Dumbledore intend for Harry to view his memories in the Pensieve? What evidence is there for this? If he did intend for Harry to see them, why didn't he just tell Harry all this instead?

Greater Picture
Knowing now that Harry has had at least two "dreams" which mirrored Voldemort's thoughts, Dumbledore is beginning to understand exactly what the link is between Harry's mind and Voldemort's. This causes Harry great concern in the next book, as Dumbledore takes great pains to conceal his and Harry's relationship from any potential eavesdropping by Voldemort through that link. Dumbledore believes, correctly, that if Voldemort knows that he and Harry have anything more than a student to headmaster relationship, he will use that as a weapon against Harry, Dumbledore, or both. To conceal his affection for Harry, Dumbledore will studiously avoid nearly all contact with him. As a result, Harry feels hurt and abandoned, and will, on several occasions, refuse to pass useful information to Dumbledore. Voldemort learns about the link near Christmas, when, through it, Harry "sees" Mr. Weasley being attacked. Shortly after that discovery, Voldemort will begin to use that link to manipulate Harry into stealing a Prophecy for him.

Harry will use the Pensieve again, to provide answers not only about Voldemort, but also his father and mother, Aunt Petunia, and also Snape. Perhaps interestingly, the Pensieve's primary purpose in the narrative is not to store and search for connections between existing memories, as is implied here. Its function is to replay memories placed in it. In the next book, it will show us an episode in Snape's life. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we will examine memories belonging to individuals who knew Voldemort in his younger days, when he was still known as Tom Riddle. And in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we will replay Snape's memories from both his youth and adult life, thereby learning more than a little about Harry's parents.

The Pensieve also, apparently, has the ability to store memories outside of the user; Snape's placing a memory in the Pensieve before Harry's Occlumency lesson is apparently intended to keep it away from Harry in the unlikely event that he is able to overpower Snape and read his memories. From this we conclude that the magic that allows memories to be extracted from the mind allows for either copying or moving: Snape seems to think he is safeguarding the memory by moving it to the Pensieve, which would imply that the memory is removed from his mind, while a later memory of Professor Slughorn is retrieved twice, which implies that the earlier, highly edited extraction was a copy of the original memory.

A little further comment is germane also to Bertha Jorkins' appearance in the Pensieve. Dumbledore seems to be implying that Bertha is the sort of person who would allow her curiosity to lead her into trouble. We learn, later in this book, that she had discovered that Barty Crouch was still alive, and had her memory massively altered as a result of that discovery. She had also strayed into Voldemort's clutches, and had been interrogated and killed as a result of that. As we see neither of these incidents directly, we cannot be certain, but we suspect from what we are told that both of these cases involved curiosity on Bertha's part.

Connections

 * This is the first appearance of the Pensieve. Professor Snape will store memories in it as a precaution in the next book, starting with the first Occlumency lesson, and continuing until Harry experiences that memory by examining the Pensieve when Snape has left the room. Professor Dumbledore and Harry will use it repeatedly in the sixth book to examine memories that Dumbledore has retrieved, and Harry will use it in the final book to view Snape's autobiography.
 * We have here the first confirmation that Snape was a Death Eater, and we hear of Dumbledore's trust in his conversion. This will be a recurring issue throughout the series, and will only be fully understood once Harry experiences Snape's memories in the final book.
 * While it has not been identified specifically as yet, Snape's "it's coming back" refers to the Dark Mark, the combination identification and communication technique Voldemort forces upon his Death Eaters. Karkaroff mentioned it earlier, and Snape will show it to the Minister for Magic at the end of this book. Harry will spend a lot of effort trying to see if Draco is wearing the Dark Mark throughout the sixth book, and it will be used by Death Eaters for communication later in this book and in the final book of the series.
 * We learn here why Neville is being reared by his grandmother. Neville will shortly be enraged by allusions Draco makes regarding mental patients confined to hospital, even though it is Harry who is then Draco's target, and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny will meet Neville's parents in the next book. Later in that book, Bellatrix Lestrange, who we also saw in this chapter, will taunt Neville with his parents' fate.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 32

Synopsis
Harry is frantic about Sirius, and rushes to the infirmary to see the only member of the Order of the Phoenix that he can think of: Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey says that Professor McGonagall has been transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital. Harry is unsure what to do; Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid are now gone. He runs to find Ron and Hermione. Convinced his vision is real, Harry wants to go immediately to the Ministry of Magic in London to save Sirius. Hermione warns him that the vision could be false, and suggests that Harry seems to "have a bit of a — a — saving-people thing". She suggests using Umbridge's fireplace to contact Grimmauld Place to see if Sirius is there.

Ron volunteers to distract Umbridge, while Ginny and Luna Lovegood stand guard outside as Harry and Hermione, under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, sneak into the empty office. Harry contacts Grimmauld Place, and Kreacher, the Black family House Elf, answers. He claims Sirius has gone and did not tell him where, but adds gleefully that he will never return. Harry is suddenly yanked from the fireplace, and Umbridge demands to know who he is contacting. Ron, Luna, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville are being held by Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad.

When Harry refuses to answer, Umbridge has Malfoy fetch Snape. Harry suddenly remembers that Snape is an Order member. When he arrives, Umbridge orders him to use Veritaserum on Harry, but Snape claims she has used up his entire stock, and it takes a month to brew more. Harry desperately yells, "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden." Umbridge asks what this means, and Snape coldly replies he has no idea what Potter is blathering about, and leaves.

Umbridge prepares to cast the Cruciatus curse on Harry to extract information. In passing, she admits having sent the Dementors to his home last summer. As she is about to curse him, Hermione, "crying", blurts out that Harry was contacting Professor Dumbledore about a weapon the students were building for him. They were letting him know it is ready. Umbridge demands to see it.

Analysis
Hermione warns Harry that Sirius may not actually be in danger, and believes Harry is being lured into a trap. Though Harry believes she is being overly cautious, she knows he often acts rashly and without considering the possible consequences. Hermione, mentioning Harry's "saving-people thing", is verbalizing a personality trait he has which has been obvious to readers throughout, but not to him. She has previously criticized him for rushing in to be the "hero" whenever he believes friends are in danger, just as he did during the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament the previous year, when he attempted to "rescue" all the hostages, even though Ron, Hermione, Cho, and Gabrielle, who were tethered underwater, were never in any danger. This trait, she believes, has made Harry dangerously predictable. Unwilling to hear these harsh truths, he responds with a good deal of aggression towards Hermione. But Hermione is consistently presented as the only one among Harry's friends who is not only willing to follow him, but counterbalance him when necessary. Interestingly, Harry suggests at one point that only he and Ron go to London, implying he still largely undervalues Hermione's devotion and places more stock in Ron's soldierly steadfastness.

Kreacher tells Harry that Sirius is gone from Grimmauld Place, but the loyal (though not to Sirius) Black family House-elf is an unreliable source. It should be noted that Kreacher has chosen his words carefully, possibly coached by someone: while he does say his master has gone out, he never explicitly states that Sirius is at the Department of Mysteries.

Once again, Neville has been dragged into a situation simply because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. One might wonder if the author has something against Neville, as he always seems to be getting himself into trouble that is not of his own making, sometimes dragging others with him.

Umbridge's personality is observed again in how she treats Snape. When her demand for Veritaserum is met with the simple fact that it will take a month to brew more, Umbridge, in what might be best described as a fit of pique, puts Snape on probation. If we assume that Snape is loyal to the Order, and that he is either concealing a stock of Veritaserum, or overstating the preparation time, then Umbridge's rage might be valid, but placing a teacher on probation for failure to perform physically impossible extracurricular activities is unwarranted and laughable.

The byplay concerning the Veritaserum confirms that our and Harry's earlier suspicions about Umbridge spiking his tea were correct. It now seems likely that, when Umbridge had added what she thought was Veritaserum to Harry's tea before interviewing him, she had never used this potion before. Clearly unaware of how it works, she failed to recognize that Harry was never showing Veritaserum's effects as he answered her questions. We will not speculate on why Harry, who had previously seen Veritaserum in action, failed to mimic its characteristic signs. Umbridge had also apparently used the entire vial in the process, when even a tiny amount would have caused Harry to reveal everything he knew.

Further, the incident should provide some proof to Harry that Snape's loyalty is now to the Order, rather than to Voldemort. Even though Harry never drank the tea, he should now be able to guess that Snape may have given Umbridge something other than Veritaserum. Harry fails to realize that Snape could have used this incident to betray the Order without falling under suspicion: he could have provided Umbridge with true Veritaserum, and then simply stood by as Harry betrayed Sirius to her, claiming later that he had not known why she wanted it. His providing fake Veritaserum to Umbridge certainly indicates more loyalty to the Order than Harry currently believes he has. However, it is hard to see failure to do something as a proof; and Harry cannot be certain that the Veritaserum in the tea was in fact harmless. We note that this is not the first time that Snape has had an easy and apparently blameless way to betray Dumbledore. Snape similarly could have failed to correctly mix the Wolfsbane potion that was keeping Professor Lupin from harming students at the school. While Snape did reveal that Lupin was a werewolf at the end of that year, we note that at any time during the year he could have disposed of Lupin, possibly permanently, by making a simple mistake in the brewing of the complex Wolfsbane potion, and he did not.

Snape's dismissing Harry's plea concerning "Padfoot" (Sirius), however, leaves Harry uncertain whether or not Snape will warn the Order. Having previously witnessed Snape and Sirius at wands' point with each other, Harry has reason to fear that, given the opportunity to save Sirius, Snape may simply choose to do nothing. Hermione likely shares this belief, which is why she concocts her own risky plan to subdue Umbridge.

Review

 * 1) What does Harry do after having a vision? Who does he go to for help?
 * 2) Why does Hermione want Harry to use the fireplace to contact Sirius at Grimmauld Place?
 * 3) Who does Harry talk to at Grimmauld Place and what does Harry learn? Is the source reliable? Why or why not?
 * 4) What does Hermione tell Umbridge after she and Harry are caught? Why does Hermione tell her this?

Further Study

 * 1) Does Harry really have a "saving-people-thing", as Hermione says?
 * 2) Why didn't Harry think to ask Snape, who is an Order of the Phoenix member, for help?

Greater Picture
Although Snape appears to coldly disregard Harry's plea about Padfoot, he is carefully maintaining his cover as Dumbledore's double agent. According to Dumbledore later, Snape had immediately checked on Sirius' safety, then alerted the Order of the Phoenix when Harry and Hermione did not return from the Forbidden Forest. Harry, informed of this, believes that Snape deliberately waited too long before summoning help. Although Snape does sound the alarm, it can be debated whether he acted quickly enough and if that affected the resulting consequences. Even assuming Snape is loyal to the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore, he was in an interesting position here. Assuming that what he is able to read from Harry's mind is all he knows of the matter, Snape may now believe that Sirius is being tortured by Voldemort. Deliberately waiting to warn Phoenix headquarters could have allowed his hated nemesis (Sirius) to possibly be killed by Voldemort without him (Snape) technically betraying the Order. However, Snape claims that he had checked on Sirius, though we have only his word for this, and he could have altered his story in light of circumstances. If Snape was still unaware whether or not Sirius was actually in danger, the temptation to delay warning the Order would certainly have been present. On the other hand, there is no indication that Snape did anything to endanger Sirius. Although Dumbledore later defends Snape's actions and reiterates his continued trust in him, Harry, and readers, will continue to doubt Snape's loyalty.

Harry's predictable behavior will be used against him again in the final book when he is recognized by means of his signature Expelliarmus spell. However, he will deliberately exploit this predictability in his final confrontation with Lord Voldemort.

Kreacher's response to Harry may have been dictated in part or in full by Voldemort, acting through the Malfoy family. Interestingly, we will find out later that Voldemort has had direct dealings with Kreacher before, and will have believed that Kreacher died; if Voldemort had known that "the Black family house elf" that was talking to Narcissa was, in fact, the same elf that he had utilized before, he might have been more worried about his Locket Horcrux. Discounting other types of magic as much as he does, however, it is hardly surprising that he dismissed the possibility that the two Black family house elves were both Kreacher.

As mentioned, Kreacher's words are carefully chosen. Kreacher knows that the ultimate plan is to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries and then send Sirius after him, thus disposing of Sirius who is, in his mind, a blood traitor and unfit to be his Master. So Kreacher is speaking truthfully when he says that Sirius will never return from the Department of Mysteries, and very carefully avoids saying that he is at Grimmauld Place when Harry asks. "Nobody here but Kreacher," is shading the truth; Kreacher is the only one in the kitchen, certainly. The only outright lie that Kreacher makes is when he says, "Master has gone out," and even that could be simply shading the truth if Kreacher mentally adds "of the kitchen." But Kreacher does know that Sirius is upstairs tending to Buckbeak, who Kreacher injured.

Despite his carefully chosen words, though, Kreacher is deliberately misleading Harry at Voldemort's indirect request. In our interactions with Dobby, we have seen that deceptions like this will produce agitation in a House-elf if he is acting against instructions. That Kreacher seems quite cool about this aligns with what Dumbledore later tell Harry: "You are not his master, he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself." We suspect that the careful wording was selected to prevent distress in Kreacher because the instruction did not come from his master, but merely from a Black family member. It is unlikely that Voldemort would have worried about this; the instructions would have come from Narcissa (Black) Malfoy, and the careful wording would have been hers.

While we wonder at Neville's inclusion in the group, he will be of some use in the upcoming battle in the Ministry. While his contribution there will be limited, we will see that it acts as something of a "baptism of fire", resulting in his being much more effective in later battles and in the guerrilla fighting at Hogwarts in the final book.

Connections
This chapter seems to be entirely local to the action in this book. Although we do see a perhaps surprising consistency of character in Severus Snape, there is very little else occurring in this chapter that is either initiated in an earlier book, or has effects beyond this one.

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text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 31

Synopsis
Harry immediately shares with Ron and Hermione what transpired in Professor Dumbledore's office and in the Pensieve. He also sends Sirius a message by owl post. Though they knew Karkaroff was a Death Eater, this is the first confirmation that Professor Snape was one or that Ludo Bagman was involved. Hermione wonders if this is what Rita Skeeter meant by saying that Bagman had an evil past. Harry is unable to stop thinking about Neville's parents and Mr. Crouch's son, who died in Azkaban.

As Ron and Hermione coach Harry on jinxes for the third task, Ron spots Draco Malfoy outside. His cronies, Crabbe and Goyle are standing guard as Draco apparently talks to something in his hand. Harry suspects he is using a walkie-talkie, but Hermione reminds him that electronic devices do not work around Hogwarts.

Sirius, concerned about Harry finishing the Third Task, sends regular owls with tips and pointers, plus adjurations to ignore what is happening outside Hogwarts. Harry will be safe under Dumbledore's protection, and they can consider other problems once the Third Task is over.

In the latest the Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter claims that Harry has mental problems, had collapsed, and has pain in his scar. According to Draco Malfoy, Harry is a Parselmouth. Harry takes the article lightly, but wonders how Skeeter knew that he fainted in Divination. There was an open window during class, but Hermione points out it is too far above ground level for anyone to eavesdrop. Something suddenly occurs to her, and she runs to the library.

The Champions and their families are congregating in the chamber off the Great Hall just before the Third Task. Not having any relatives present, Harry is about to leave the Great Hall when he is called to join the other champions. Inside, Harry is pleased to find that Mrs. Weasley and Bill are waiting. Amos Diggory appears upset that Rita Skeeter's first story only mentioned Harry as the Hogwarts Champion. Not even Mrs. Weasley reminding him that Rita delights in making mischief calms him down.

Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill spend the morning touring the Hogwarts grounds. Mrs. Weasley mentions that the Ministry has become suspicious that Mr. Crouch's instructions may not be genuine, and Percy has been called in for questioning. Cornelius Fudge is replacing Percy as a judge. Returning to the castle, they meet Ron and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley is rather cold towards Hermione until Harry, remembering Skeeter's article in Witch Weekly, tells her that Hermione is not his girlfriend. Hermione, meanwhile, has something to tell Harry and Ron, but she has to wait until they are alone. Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley return to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry notices that Madame Maxime's eyes seem red, and Hagrid keeps glancing at her.

As the sky darkens, Professor Dumbledore sends the Champions to the maze. After checking if Harry is feeling confident, Ludo Bagman announces that Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid will patrol the maze from outside. If a Champion runs into trouble, he can send up red wand sparks. Harry and Cedric, whose scores are tied, enter the maze together, separating at the first intersection. Krum goes next, then Fleur. Harry, navigating towards the maze's center, is already unnerved by its apparent emptiness. A noise behind him is Cedric, still smoking after a run-in with a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Shortly after, Harry successfully defends himself against a Boggart disguised as a Dementor. Harry hears Fleur screaming, but, unable to locate her, continues towards the center, running into a Skrewt. As Harry looks for another route, he hears Krum using the Cruciatus curse on Cedric. Burning a hole through a hedge, Harry Stuns Krum, and sends up red sparks. He and Cedric separate and again head for the center.

Nearing the center, Harry encounters a Sphinx and correctly answers its question. Seeing the Cup, he starts running for it, while Cedric appears from a side passage ahead. Harry spots a giant spider and warns Cedric, and together they defeat it, but Harry's leg is injured. Harry wants Cedric to take the Cup, but Cedric demurs, insisting Harry earned it. Because they have continually helped each other throughout the Tournament, Harry suggests they grasp it simultaneously. Cedric agrees, but as each grabs a handle, a great howling wind whirls them from the maze. The Cup is a Portkey.

Analysis
While we can't be certain what criteria the Goblet uses in its selection, it seems that the Triwizard Champions were chosen because they are the best representatives of their respective schools. Cedric represents his House's finest traits, embodying Hufflepuff virtues of hard work, honesty, and fair play. Harry, whose name was selected through trickery, still represents much that is good in Gryffindor house: bravery, nobility, and resourcefulness. However, throughout the Tournament, each has demonstrated characteristics apart from those associated with their own House. Harry shows integrity and fairness, first by tipping off Cedric about the Dragons, and now by insisting that he equally share the victory. Cedric is certainly as noble as any Gryffindor, and he has demonstrated increasing cleverness and ingenuity by quickly solving the Egg riddle and developing a successful strategy for the Second Task; Cedric also shows great courage, both inside the maze and with the Dragon. The two boys have helped each other throughout the Tournament, and as they reach the Cup, both feel the other deserves to win; therefore, it is fitting that they agree to grab the Triwizard Cup together, though the outcome is unexpected.

Unlike Crouch, who was talking to a tree, it is unlikely that Draco is suffering from any mental malady when he is seen speaking to his hand. Rather, he is probably engaged in some activity he should not be. We will learn shortly what this is, but for now, it is sufficient to know that he is holding something in his palm, and there is a reason he is talking to it.

Sirius telling Harry not to worry about anything happening outside the school seems rather odd; that type of insularity in a school environment happens normally anyway. However, Sirius' belief ought to be right; Dumbledore should be able to protect Harry, though recent, and even past, events make this seem less than certain.

Also, while the maze makes for a difficult and interesting obstacle the Champions must maneuver, the author may also have chosen it for its mythic symbolism. In mythology, a labyrinth, or maze, represents a difficult challenge or quest that the hero must overcome by navigating a convoluted and dangerous path leading to its center where whatever is being sought awaits. Magic and battling strange, dangerous creatures often play a significant role in these epic myths, just as it does in our story. In this task, each Champion must enter the maze alone, away from the cheering crowd, and with almost no advance information regarding what they will encounter; this challenge is less about competing against one's opponents than it is about confronting and overcoming one's own personal frailties. That the Third Task begins at dusk adds an additional eerie twist, as what lies inside becomes even more intangible, less definable, and increasingly terrifying when cloaked in nightfall. And while darkness can represent evil and oppression, it also symbolizes fear and uncertainty, which often seem magnified at night and less daunting by day. It can also represent the unknown, transition, and also life – darkness preceding birth. The maze could also be interpreted as a metaphor for Harry's life. His late induction into the Wizarding world was much like entering the maze at twilight—he was faced with murky, unknown paths, difficult obstacles, and occasional dead ends, forcing him to retrace his steps and find alternate routes. Harry is navigating a tangled emotional labyrinth, searching for a center containing answers about his parents, Voldemort, and himself.

Review

 * 1) What might Hermione know that she wants to tell Harry?
 * 2) Why are Madame Maxime's eyes red? Why does Hagrid keep looking at her?
 * 3) Why does Harry insist that he and Cedric grab the Triwizard Cup at the same time? What does Cedric think?

Further Study

 * 1) Why is Draco talking to his hand? Is he going mad like Mr. Crouch?
 * 2) Why is Sirius confident that Harry is safe at Hogwarts, even though he suspects someone wants to kill him? Is Harry really safe? Give examples of whether he is or isn't.
 * 3) Mrs. Weasley tells Amos Diggory that Rita Skeeter likes to create trouble by printing lies about Harry. Why then does she continue to believe Skeeter's story about Hermione?
 * 4) Why would Krum attack Fleur and Cedric? Did he also intend to harm Harry?
 * 5) Why would the Triwizard Cup be a Portkey? Where might it be transporting Harry and Cedric to?
 * 6) Even though Harry and Cedric were sorted into different Houses, they both have many qualities that reflect the other's House. Compare and contrast these qualities.
 * 7) Why might the author have chosen to use a maze for the third task, and what could it represent?

Greater Picture
Note that Mr. Crouch's son having died while imprisoned in Azkaban is mentioned here again. However, we will learn shortly that someone other than Barty actually died in Azkaban. This mistaken belief being reiterated here is almost certainly meant to heighten our surprise when it is discovered what Barty has been doing since his supposed death.

Sirius now admits that someone at the school may be trying to kill Harry; likely Dumbledore is thinking this also, but neither suspects it is Barty Crouch, believing he is dead and unaware that the real Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody has been kidnapped. Given this belief, though, it is odd that Sirius is ordering Harry to stay at the school and play out the Tournament. If someone entered Harry in the Tournament solely to get him killed, it would seem to be advantageous to Harry if he deliberately failed the three Tasks in such a way as to avoid any risk. Harry, however, seems unable to give any mission less than his full effort, regardless of any danger. Sirius' opinion here seems faulty, and it could be an early indication that his still-fragile mental state is deteriorating, affecting his judgment. This becomes more apparent in the next book. Sirius may also be considering that Harry is magically bound to compete, and it is unknown what might happen should he attempt to abandon the Tournament or otherwise alter his performance in it.

Harry thinks the Maze is easier to navigate than he expected. Barty Crouch confesses later that he deliberately eased Harry's path through it, while attempting to eliminate Harry's competition by controlling Krum. Barty, like Ludo, intended Harry to win the Tournament and be the first to reach and touch the Cup, a Portkey, to transport Harry to an as-yet unknown destination. It will turn out that Barty had been helping Harry throughout; it is possible that Harry would have ended up winning the Tournament even with last-place showings in the first two Tasks. Knowing the nature of the third and final Task, Barty likely believes that even without the advantage of an early entry into the maze, Harry can be assisted to a win. This actually seems to be the case, as Barty manages to eliminate two other competitors before Harry reaches the center of the maze.

We should mention that Ludo's motivation is gambling; most unethically for a Tournament judge, he actually is betting on Harry to win. Barty's motivation is more evil: his intent is to arrange to have Harry carried away from Dumbledore's protection.

Draco is talking to his hand because he is holding Rita Skeeter, who is in her beetle Animagus form. Draco has been passing information to her about Harry and others that she uses in her articles. She was also present, transformed, when Harry had his nightmare in the Divination tower, witnessing that event directly. Because the word "bugged" was frequently mentioned, it prompted Hermione to conclude that Skeeter may be an illegal Animagus, transforming into an insect. Hermione presumably goes to the library to research whether such a transformation is even possible. Though she has confirmed this by the time we see her at lunch, the author has arranged events so that Hermione is unable to share her discovery with Harry and Ron, and apparently chooses not to discuss her discovery with Ron alone.

Connections
This chapter is largely preparation for the Third Task, and the Third Task itself. Very little in this chapter has connections outside this book.
 * Rita Skeeter, here being held in Draco's hand, has visited the Hogwarts grounds in her beetle form on several occasions. Hermione will trap her in this form at the end of this book, and will use her unregistered status as a lever to prevent her writing nasty things about Harry in the next book.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 33

Synopsis
Hermione leads Umbridge and Harry, who is trying to look like he knows where they are going, into the Forbidden Forest. As they near a clearing, an arrow whizzes through the air, hitting a tree. About fifty Centaurs surround them, demanding to know why the humans are in their forest. Treating them as inferior half-breeds, a haughty Umbridge unleashes an insulting tirade, infuriating the Centaurs. When she binds Magorian, the Centaurs charge. Bane seizes Umbridge. She drops her wand, but before Harry can reach it, another Centaur steps on it, breaking it. As other Centaurs hold Harry and Hermione helplessly off the ground, Bane carries the hysterically screaming Umbridge into the woods. Hermione tries explaining the situation to the other Centaurs, hoping to gain their sympathy, but they are only more incensed at being involved in human affairs and prepare to take her and Harry away with Umbridge. Despite her protests that they are "foals", and Ronan's reminder that they do not attack young humans, the Centaurs consider Harry and Hermione as devious as their adult counterparts.

As they are about to carry off Harry and Hermione, Grawp crashes through the trees. Recognizing "Hermy", he yells for "Hagger" (Hagrid). The panicked Centaurs shoot him with arrows. Enraged, the Giant howls in pain, and flails blindly at the Centaurs. Harry and Hermione get away amid the confusion.

Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville have escaped the Inquisitorial Squad and find Harry and Hermione; they have brought along Harry's and Hermione's wands. Harry wants to go to the Ministry in London to find Sirius. Everyone volunteers to go with him, but Harry, feeling Ron is the only capable one, suggests the others follow them later. All four of the others insist on accompanying him, but how can they reach London? With all the school's broomsticks locked up, Harry has no idea how they can travel. Luna suggests flying on the Thestrals that, smelling Grawp's splattered blood on Harry and Hermione, have migrated to the group.

Analysis
Of all the members of Dumbledore's Army, Luna, Neville, and Ginny are very nearly the last ones that Harry or Ron would have chosen to go with them to London, believing they are the least qualified. They are even reluctant to include Hermione, perhaps out of a misguided chivalry, and try to persuade her and the others to remain behind or to come later. But Harry can underestimate or misjudge his friends' abilities, often valuing the popular and seemingly more capable students over the ones who are loyal, determined, and dependable. It is Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna who usually respond first to Harry's distress calls, and they display immense bravery by risking their own lives to help Harry face Voldemort, a fact Harry does not yet fully appreciate.

Although Hermione quickly devised a clever plan to save Harry from Umbridge's Cruciatus curse, she nearly gets them both captured as a result. The Centaurs' hatred of cooperating with humans usually excludes children, or "foals" as they call them. Hermione counts on this when she leads Umbridge into the forest, knowing the Centaurs will resent the intrusion, and that Umbridge will probably further infuriate them. Umbridge, as expected, arrogantly confronts the Centaurs, believing her Ministry-backed authority will intimidate any "sub-human" creature into stepping aside. Even though the Centaurs carry Umbridge off into the forest, Hermione's plan backfires because she underestimated their reaction, and mistakenly believed that if she explained their plight, the Centaurs would be sympathetic. The herd, still outraged over Firenze's "betrayal" to serve Dumbledore, only became more incensed that Hermione used trickery to involve them in human affairs. Harry and Hermione are no longer considered so "innocent", and one Centaur argues that Harry is nearing manhood. If not for Grawp's timely intervention, it is unlikely they would have survived the Centaurs' wrath unscathed.

We see here, also, an instance of Luna's matter-of-fact nature and her willingness to ignore heckling, coupled with a perhaps surprising intelligence, and an awareness of her environment quite out of line with her usual dreamy appearance. It is Luna who connects Hagrid's mention that the Thestrals are excellent fliers with the fact that they are attracted to raw meat and blood. Ignoring Ron's gibes about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, she sticks to her guns, pointing out the arriving Thestrals to Harry and Neville, who she knows can see them.

Review

 * 1) Why does Hermione take Harry and Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest and who do they meet?
 * 2) What happens to Umbridge in the Forbidden Forest? Why?
 * 3) Who wants to attack Harry and Hermione in the Forbidden Forest and why? What stops them?
 * 4) What are attracted by the blood on Harry and Hermione's clothing?
 * 5) How does Luna suggest getting to London? How do the others react this?
 * 6) Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and Hermione insist on going with Harry to the Ministry of Magic to help save Sirius. Why does Harry only want Ron to accompany him?

Greater Picture
Up to this point, it has been Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the Trio, who have been the central characters in the series. Harry, with Dumbledore's assistance, has been moving towards his apparent destiny, that of facing and defeating Voldemort, and Ron and Hermione have been traveling alongside. Now, we have a new group of assistants, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. As mentioned, Harry does not want them along, possibly thinking them not as competent as himself, Ron, and Hermione. Circumstances will prove him wrong, however, not only in this book, but in the final two books of the series. When Harry calls up Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to defend the school in Dumbledore's absence, it will be only these three who respond; and Neville will be the core of the resistance to Voldemort's rule of Hogwarts, while both Ginny and Luna will have pivotal roles, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

We can see the beginnings of civilization happening with Grawp, surprisingly. Grawp is looking for Hagrid, and recognizes Hermione. It seems that, despite Hagrid having only missed one visit, Grawp is already feeling his absence. Grawp's progress will happen off-camera for the rest of the series, but he will be civil enough at Dumbledore's funeral at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

It is interesting to note the Centaurs' reaction to Grawp. Despite their vaunted logic and mental superiority, the Centaurs react to Grawp in a singularly emotional manner, bombarding him with arrows when he has not, in fact, directly threatened any of them. We will see later, when Hagrid is carrying the apparently lifeless Harry out of the Forest, that he is able to shame the Centaurs into entering the battle on humanity's side. This may lead us to recognize that the Centaurs are much more emotional than they are willing to admit to themselves. This is also an indication that, despite their belief in their mental superiority over humans, they share the human traits of prejudice and intolerance.

Connections

 * The centaur's isolationist tendencies, first seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, are here pointed up, and will be revisited in the final book.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 32

Synopsis
The Triwizard Cup is a Portkey and deposits Harry and Cedric in a graveyard. As they look around, wondering where they are, a figure approaches, apparently carrying a baby. Harry's scar is burning causing him agony; he drops his wand and falls to the ground. A high voice orders, "Kill the spare." Cedric is instantly murdered by the approaching man. Harry, through his pain, dimly realizes he is being tied to a grave marker inscribed with the name Tom Riddle. He recognizes his assailant—Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew).

Wormtail checks Harry's bonds and gags him roughly, then departs. Looking at the bundle next to the graveside, Harry is appalled by the half-infant, half-snake creature. His scar burns again as the thing glares back through red, slitted eyes. Wormtail returns with a huge stone cauldron containing a clear potion, placing it beside the bundle and lighting a fire beneath. Wormtail picks up the creature and drops it into the cauldron; Harry hopes it drowns.

Wormtail causes the grave under Harry's feet to disgorge something that looks like dust; he chants, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given. You will renew your son!" Wormtail sends it into the cauldron. Slicing off his right hand and dropping it into the cauldron, he continues haltingly, "Flesh — of the servant — w-willingly given — you will revive — your master." In pain and weeping, he slits Harry's arm with the knife and collects blood in a vial. As it drips into the cauldron, he chants, "B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."

The cauldron emits huge vaporous clouds from which a tall, skeletal figure ascends then alights on the ground, demanding Wormtail robe it. Lord Voldemort has risen again.

Analysis
As Cedric dies, Voldemort is reborn. Cedric's death is a tragedy, but all the more so as he is killed only for being an unexpected impediment to Voldemort's evil plot. After his hard-fought and well-deserved victory, Cedric's life is flicked away in an instant as if he was nothing more than an annoying insect. Not only does Harry see Cedric die, but he also witnesses Voldemort's horrific resurrection, in which Harry is forced to participate, his blood being added to the monstrous mixture that restores the Dark Lord's body. In addition to being tied by their brother wands and Harry's scar, through which Harry imbibed some of Voldemort's powers, they are now bound even closer by their blood; just how this bond will affect future events is unknown.

When Harry comes face-to-face with the completely restored and fully powerful Voldemort, he sees him for the first time as an actual human. Previously, he was only a grotesque face attached to Professor Quirrell's head (in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) and as the young Tom Riddle's memory in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, first in the Diary, and later in the Chamber. Now he is a flesh and blood being, poised to kill Harry before inflicting more evil on the unsuspecting Wizarding world that he intends to conquer.

We note that, though it is not mentioned directly, evidence would lead the reader to believe that these events are occurring in Little Hangleton. The key items that the reader may note would be the fact that the cemetery is the one where Tom Riddle's father is interred, and "the outline of a fine old house" which Harry sees on the hillside above them at their arrival. Voldemort and Wormtail being present is also strongly suggestive, as we know from the first chapter of this book that they have been living, at least part of the time, in the old Riddle mansion.

Review

 * 1) Why was Cedric Diggory killed?
 * 2) Was Harry transported to this particular cemetery for a reason? If so, why?
 * 3) Why does Voldemort use Harry's blood in the ritual?

Further Study

 * 1) Why would Wormtail sacrifice his hand? Could his flesh being used in the ritual change his relationship with either Harry or Voldemort? Explain.
 * 2) For the first time, Harry sees Voldemort as a fully restored human. How does this change Harry's perspective about Voldemort, and how will this affect their ongoing conflict?

Greater Picture
Voldemort, by using Harry's blood for his resurrection, has unintentionally strengthened the existing connection between them. Both Harry and Voldemort are unaware that this previous connection, forged by Voldemort's attempt to kill the one-year-old Harry, exists. Professor Dumbledore, upon hearing that Voldemort used Harry's blood, displays a "gleam of something like triumph". In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Voldemort again casts the killing curse on Harry, this blood tie between Harry and Voldemort is all that tethers Harry to life, enabling him to survive the Avada Kedavra curse a second and third time, and ultimately causing Voldemort's downfall.

Wormtail's flesh is also used in the ritual, though it is never revealed if this also gives him any significant tie to either Harry or Voldemort. Wormtail already owes Harry a life debt. Could their intermingled blood and flesh strengthen that obligation? While interesting to consider, this is only speculation.

One of the things elided in the books, as they are nominally for children, is the origin of the "baby" Wormtail is carrying. An adult reader may pause to question where it had come from, as Voldemort, disembodied, would be too weak to cast spells, and Pettigrew does not seem to be the strongest wizard. We note that many events, similarly passed over, seem to have more resonance for adult readers; we note, in particular, the episode with Professor Umbridge and the Centaurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Adults, knowing more about the supposed habits of centaurs, understand why Umbridge is in the Hospital Wing after her rescue by Dumbledore. No hints are given as to the origin of what fans have dubbed "baby Voldy," but we can speculate.

Going deep into speculation, then, we consider Bertha Jorkins. Bertha, who was in Hogwarts at the same time as the Marauders, would have been about 34 years old when, we are told, she went on vacation and did not return. Apparently she went to Albania, a curious destination for a single woman going on vacation. It is possible that given her memory problems, she had managed to get herself pregnant, had forgotten to do anything about it until after the cutoff for pregnancy termination under UK law, and was taking a "medical holiday" to a country where she could get the pregnancy terminated despite it being relatively advanced. In the next chapter we will discover that she had been entrapped by Wormtail and brought to Voldemort, who interrogated and then killed her. It is possible that Voldemort appropriated her unborn child to house his own soul. We do hear that Wormtail is feeding the infant with something, probably venom, that is milked from Nagini, presumably with some magical modification. How this is keeping the pseudo-infant alive is never even hinted at, but we suspect that Voldemort rankles at this dependency on another.

Witnessing Cedric's murder will adversely affect Harry, giving him nightmares through the coming summer. It will also alter his relationship with Cho Chang, as she first looks to Harry for information about Cedric's death, then clings to him for consolation that he is unable to provide, and finally leaves him when she is unable to cope with her loss. Cedric's demise will also enable Harry to see creatures called Thestrals that are visible only to those who have seen death first-hand, and are a constant reminder of those who have died. The Thestrals play a role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Though Dumbledore accepts them immediately, Harry's claims that Voldemort has returned will be disputed by the Ministry of Magic, who will continue to deny this "inconvenient truth" while subjecting both Harry and Dumbledore to public damnation and ridicule, painting Harry as a delusional, attention-seeking liar. This must be particularly troubling to Harry because of Fudge's stated position, barely a year earlier, that Sirius Black was preparing for Voldemort's return. Adding more insult, the Ministry will also claim that Cedric died from injuries resulting from his own carelessness during the Tournament. The Ministry's refusal to accept Voldemort's return will cause a year-long conflict between Dumbledore and the Ministry, with Hogwarts students, especially Harry, becoming victims trapped between these two opposing forces.

Connections

 * Cedric's death will be the direct cause of several events in later books.
 * Harry will experience nightmares centering on this event early in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
 * The relationship between Harry and Cho Chang will be a direct result, as Cho needs details around Cedric's death to reach closure.
 * Harry will be able to perceive the Thestrals which pull the apparently horseless carriages to the school, and will be left wondering whether these creatures, that Ron cannot see, are perhaps some Dark manifestation.
 * The return of Voldemort is of course a central plot element and has effects through the entire story arc.
 * Voldemort's use of Harry's blood in his reanimation will extend the protection initially afforded by his mother's sacrifice, and maintained by Harry's staying with the Dursleys. Because of this, Voldemort will be unable to kill Harry. This is also a major plot point, though hidden at this time.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 34

Synopsis
Harry, Neville, and Luna quickly mount their Thestrals. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny have difficulty finding theirs until Luna dismounts and helps them. Harry asks his Thestral to take them to the Visitor's Entrance of the Ministry of Magic in London, and the Thestrals 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, and Ron dials the Ministry's number. They descend to the atrium and find the reception area deserted, with not even a watch-wizard on duty. Harry sees this as an indication that Voldemort has passed through the Atrium, with his usual casual disregard for human life, and this bolsters his belief that Sirius must be there. Harry and the others enter a lift (elevator) and descend to the lowest sub-level—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, once a door closes behind them, the room's walls rotate rapidly. 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. Standing next to the veil, Harry feels a strange sensation that someone is on the other side. Hermione, frightened, calls Harry back to the circular room.

The next doorway refuses to open; Harry inserts Sirius' knife that will "open any door", but its blade melts away and door remains shut. 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 a huge chamber containing 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. Despite the cold chamber, 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."

Analysis
Harry is so consumed with rescuing his godfather that he has rushed into an unknown situation minus a plan, ignoring the risks to himself and his friends, and without confirming that Sirius was actually in danger. He rebuffs Hermione's warning that his dream could be a false vision, instead relying 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 his emotions rather than logic, thinking linearly and single-mindedly, though 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 fatal course. Unfortunately, they are correct, and Harry's rash and predictable behavior has led him and the others directly into what may be a deadly trap. Connected with this, we note that it is Luna, not Harry, who dismounts to assist Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in climbing onto their Thestrals; it would seem Harry is too impatient to be off.

Readers are probably able to guess that the initials S.P.T. and A.P.W.B.D. inscribed on the orb stand for Sybill Patricia Trelawney and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

It is interesting to note the beautiful hummingbird that continually hatches from the egg and returns to it. Clearly, this 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.

Review

 * 1) Why was Ron worried about flying on the Thestrals?
 * 2) Why was the Department of Mysteries so easily accessible to Harry and the others?

Further Study

 * 1) What are the 'Orbs'?
 * 2) Was Hermione right to be worried about Harry touching an Orb, even with one that had his name on it? What might have happened?
 * 3) Why does Harry experience a strange sensation standing next to the veiled archway? What might have happened if Harry had stepped through it?
 * 4) 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?

Greater Picture
While it is never entirely made certain, Luna's reaction to the veil in the stone amphitheater, as well as Harry's, leads us to believe they are hearing voices belonging to those who have died. This room appears to physically embody a familiar Muggle figure of speech: when we say that someone has "passed through (or beyond) the Veil," it means that person has died. This room, and its physical Veil, would then be a figure of speech made real, or the reality behind it. This interpretation is reinforced later by Sirius' passing physically through this tattered curtain and vanishing, and by Luna's telling Harry, later in this book, that the voices he heard at the archway's entrance belonged to the dead, waiting there for Harry to join them.

While this has not been revealed yet, the orbs actually are recordings of prophecies, extracted from those who viewed the original prophecy in much the same way that memories can be extracted and placed in a pensieve. What Voldemort has been seeking, which was earlier identified as a "weapon," is in fact this prophecy. We will learn that he has only heard half of it, and believes the other half may have information he needs in order to defeat Harry and complete his conquest of the Wizarding World.

This being the Department of Mysteries, one might reasonably expect that eleven of the twelve doors off the circular room would each 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 great power of the mystery therein, namely 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. This, incidentally, is an illustration of the Doctrine of Signatures, the belief that function follows appearance: e.g. a plant that grows in the shape of a heart must have effects, assumed beneficial, on people's hearts. The Doctrine of Signatures was the core of a large part of medieval "magic"; we do not know if it plays any part in the Wizarding world, though it likely did in ancient times. Whether or not the Doctrine of Signatures was a consideration in the design of the Department of Mysteries, it is likely that the wizards studying the Mysteries would feel that it would be sensible to have the connections between the Mysteries echoed in the connections between the rooms devoted to them.

Connections

 * The small glass orb that Harry takes off the shelf here, a recording of the prophecy which drives much of the series, will be destroyed in the next chapter. Dumbledore alluded to its existence in the first book, and will actually reveal it later in this book. This is the first of the two real prophecies that Professor Trelawney has made, according to Dumbledore two years earlier. We will revisit this prophecy and the events surrounding its revelation in the next book.
 * Sirius will fall through the Veil in the next chapter, and Luna will speak with Harry about it later in the book. While the room of the Veil does not re-enter our story, the associated idea, of death being a "moving on" rather than a final end, permeates much of the story arc through all seven books. It is enunciated most clearly by Dumbledore in the final book.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 33

Synopsis
Ignoring the weeping Wormtail, the newly-risen Lord Voldemort examines his new body closely. Producing his wand from a robe pocket, he orders Wormtail to extend his arm. Wormtail proffers his severed limb in relief, but Voldemort demands the one containing the Dark Mark. Peter utters a quiet "Master...", but at an order from The Dark Lord presents his remaining hand. Voldemort touches the Mark on Wormtail's forearm, turning it black, and Wormtail whimpers in pain. Voldemort tells Harry that he is standing on Riddle, Sr.'s grave, and the house on the hillside above them was his Muggle father's home. Tom Riddle, Sr. abandoned his pregnant mother, leaving Voldemort to be raised in an orphanage after his mother died. Voldemort vowed revenge on his father.

Hooded figures that Voldemort calls his "true family" begin appearing, forming a circle around the Dark Lord, Harry, and the sobbing Wormtail. Voldemort chastises them for believing him defeated and asks if they now owe their allegiance to Albus Dumbledore. When one Death Eater, Avery, pleads for forgiveness, Voldemort curses him. Voldemort never forgives, nor does he forget; he will want thirteen years repayment from all of the Death Eaters. Wormtail has made some repayment and will be rewarded. Voldemort conjures a magical silver hand that attaches itself to Wormtail's wrist.

A Death Eater speaking with the smooth voice of Lucius Malfoy claims to have been loyal to Voldemort throughout his absence. Starting to walk around the circle of Death Eaters, Voldemort claims Lucius ran from the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. Stopping at an empty space, Voldemort says the Lestranges, who were sentenced to life imprisonment Azkaban, will be rewarded when the prison is broken and the Dementors are recruited to the Dark side. Voldemort will also recall the banished Giants. Voldemort also addresses Macnair, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott, then pauses at six empty spaces. Three dead in his service, one too cowardly to return (Karkaroff), one may never return (Snape) and needs to be killed. The sixth, his most faithful servant (Barty Crouch Jr.), has re-entered his service and is at Hogwarts. His efforts brought Harry Potter to Voldemort's rebirthing.

Voldemort explains that his return both starts and ends on the night he went to kill Harry Potter. Lily Potter's death while attempting to save her son gave Harry an unforeseen protection: Voldemort was unable to touch him. Voldemort touches Harry's face to prove this has been overcome. Lily's sacrifice caused Voldemort's killing curse to rebound, ripping his soul from his body. He was left alive, though less than a Ghost. He waited for his trusted Death Eaters to find him, and without a body or a wand, he could only possess other bodies, including animals. Four years ago, a young, gullible teacher at Hogwarts crossed his path. Voldemort possessed his body to steal the Philosopher's Stone, only to be thwarted by Harry Potter. When Voldemort fled, weak as before, he returned to the forest.

Wormtail came looking for Voldemort, aided by his ability to communicate with rats. He ran into Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry employee. Wormtail overpowered Bertha and brought her to Voldemort, who learned about the Triwizard Tournament and discovered that a faithful Death Eater was willing to help. When Bertha was no longer useful, Voldemort murdered her. Wormtail fashioned Voldemort a rudimentary body and kept him alive with Nagini's venom. Old Dark magic could restore Voldemort's body. One vital ingredient, the flesh of the servant, was readily available. The "bone of the father" meant the ritual had to be performed in Little Hangleton, where Tom Riddle was buried. The "blood of the foe" is Harry's blood. This would remove the Lily's protection so Voldemort could touch Harry without being harmed at all. To capture Harry, the Triwizard Cup was turned into a Portkey, and ensuring Harry's victory would remove him from Dumbledore's protection. Voldemort's faithful servant helped to accomplish this. To prove how defenceless Harry is, Voldemort casts the Cruciatus Curse on him; Harry writhes and screams in intense pain that stops as suddenly as it started. Voldemort offers Harry a chance to fight him so the Death Eaters will see who is stronger.

Analysis
By updating his Death Eaters about his exile, Voldemort confirms much that was surmised about him earlier in the series. He arrogantly considers himself superior to everyone, even believing that fate favors him more—he has overcome death itself. Voldemort also believes that Harry's repeated survival is nothing more than chance or luck, rather than any special talent. This belief in his own power, and the associated disregard of all others, would seem to be among Voldemort's greater flaws, and it is, we believe, one reason Harry has survived to this point.

Voldemort's maniacal personality is also on full display here as he lords over his cowering Death Eaters. Voldemort rules by fear and intimidation, punishing followers for any perceived mistake or disloyalty, often lashing out randomly in uncontrollable rage. And though Voldemort does reward loyalty, he does so sparingly and at a high cost; he also simultaneously punishes followers, as shown by his cruel indifference to Wormtail's suffering, even though Pettigrew was instrumental in bringing about Voldemort's resurrection. Voldemort replaces his severed hand only after a prolonged agonizing period, fully aware that Wormtail's servitude is only to protect himself, rather than out of loyalty to the Dark Lord. It will be a long time, if ever, before Wormtail's debt to Voldemort can be fully settled.

Voldemort also believes his supreme abilities will be proved beyond doubt by defeating Harry in a duel. It is questionable how Voldemort rationalizes to himself that defeating a young, unqualified wizard that Voldemort proclaims has no special talent will accomplish this. For the moment, Voldemort savors any opportunity to grandstand before his cowering Death Eater audience, and he intends to herald his return by slaying the famous Harry Potter, shocking the Wizarding world and undermining resistance to his takeover.

Just how Voldemort survived his first encounter with Harry thirteen years before is also hinted at here, though the full story is still unknown. Voldemort believes Harry survived the killing curse because old magic, powered by Lily Potter's maternal love and self-sacrifice, protected Harry. Readers have seen how new magic is constantly being invented (the Weasley twins are a prime example of this inventiveness), with many spells, charms, and hexes constantly falling in and out of fashion. Voldemort places great importance on it being ancient magic that protected Harry, indicating that it may grow stronger as it survives through the centuries, forgotten by many perhaps, but a powerful tool for those few wizards who know its existence. The ancient magic that saved Harry is also what ripped Voldemort's soul from his body when his Killing Curse rebounded off baby Harry. Harry is privy to this explanation only because Voldemort chooses to share it, perceiving Harry as being nearly powerless, and delighting in showing off his "superior" knowledge before killing him. If Harry can escape the cemetery, he will carry this valuable information back to Hogwarts and to Dumbledore.

Voldemort's "servant" who died after Voldemort failed to steal the Philosopher's Stone is obviously Professor Quirrell; this is our first complete confirmation that he died after Voldemort fled his body. We are also meant to surmise that the servant who is cowardly is Karkaroff, and the one at Hogwarts must be Snape.

Review

 * 1) Which servant that died when Voldemort fled is he referring to?
 * 2) Why does Voldemort tell Harry what happened to him (Voldemort) after he was disembodied, why Harry survived the Avada Kedavra curse, how Lily's love protected her son, and so on?

Further Study

 * 1) Voldemort had a body – an infantile one – when he is first seen. Where might it have come from?
 * 2) Why would Voldemort challenge Harry to a duel, rather than kill him outright?
 * 3) Why does Voldemort place such importance on it being "old magic" that protected Harry?
 * 4) Why does Voldemort consider the Death Eaters his "true family"? Are they? Explain.
 * 5) Voldemort says his Death Eaters knew he was still alive. How did he know this? Why wouldn't they have searched for him if they suspected he still lived?
 * 6) Why does Voldemort wait so long to replace Wormtail's hand and relieve his suffering? What does this say about how he treats his followers?
 * 7) Who might Voldemort's faithful servant at Hogwarts be? Snape, or someone else?
 * 8) Why does Voldemort call Harry "Harry", when most people other than his friends call him "Potter"?

Greater Picture
As Voldemort struts around his Death Eaters, commenting on the gaps in the circle, he comes to the largest gap of all... "And here we have six missing Death Eaters ... three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return ... he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever ... he will be killed, of course ... and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already re-entered my service. ... He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived tonight..." By withholding these Death Eaters' names, and by not completing the circle, the author leaves doubt as to who is being referred to here. We are led to believe, correctly, that it is Karkaroff who has run, but it is unclear whether he is the cowardly one, or the one who has left Voldemort's service forever. Being unaware of Barty Crouch at this point, we are misled into believing that the faithful servant who has already re-entered Voldemort's service is Severus Snape. And despite the revelation, two chapters ahead, of Barty's role in the events preceding this chapter, the casual reader may well retain this mistaken belief, and may see this particular scene as confirming Snape's continuing loyalty to the Dark Lord. In fact, the faithful servant is Barty, Karkaroff is the cowardly one, and it is Snape who Voldemort feels has left. Snape has been working at Dumbledore's side for the thirteen years since Voldemort vanished, he has not answered Voldemort's summons via the Dark Mark, and he assisted in preventing Voldemort from retrieving the Philosopher's Stone in the first book. After Snape appears to have rejoined Voldemort's service, his explanation to Bellatrix Lestrange regarding this last item will be that he was unaware that it was Voldemort seeking the Stone, believing instead that Quirrell wanted it for his own benefit alone. Voldemort, Snape says, accepted this explanation, and also his reason for not immediately responding to Voldemort's summons.

By having spared Wormtail's life (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Harry can claim a "life debt" from him. Wormtail repays this debt in the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when he momentarily hesitates to kill Harry on Voldemort's command. Wormtail's actions result in his being fatally strangled by the silver hand Voldemort has just given him; Voldemort, who may have known that Wormtail owes Harry this debt, and certainly realizes how weak Wormtail's character is, apparently charmed the hand to kill Wormtail should he exhibit any disloyalty or fail to carry out any order. Note that after Voldemort gives Wormtail the silver hand, he says "May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail", which could be taken as a warning, and as an allusion both to Voldemort's perception that Wormtail has had disloyal thoughts in the past, and his suspicion that Wormtail may be disloyal to him in the future.

Voldemort here tells his gathered followers that he has "gone further than anybody along the path leading to immortality." Dumbledore has also theorized this about Voldemort, though he has yet to reveal his suspicions. Dumbledore has correctly concluded that Voldemort's "path leading to immortality" involves creating and concealing Horcruxes, soul shards that anchor a person's soul to the earth, and has recognized that Tom Riddle's Diary, seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is one such. In two years, he will tell Harry that he was worried, however, because ordinarily Horcruxes are considered extremely valuable and are carefully concealed; yet the Diary was crafted to be a weapon and was used as one. This is not how someone treats one's only shot at immortality. Thus, Dumbledore suspects that at least one more Horcrux exists, and this is largely confirmed by Voldemort's statement. Much of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince involves determining how many Horcruxes there are, and, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry will be tasked with finding and destroying the remainder.

Connections

 * Though we never see their faces, Harry recognizes the voices of a few Death Eaters, and Voldemort names some as well – which would seem to make the hooded robes superfluous. This is confirmation that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott, all fathers of students in Harry's year at Hogwarts, plus Avery and Macnair, are active Death Eaters. We already knew Pettigrew's allegiance, of course. Our, and Harry's, new certainty over the identity of Voldemort's minions, will help in understanding of their motives throughout the story arc.
 * While it is not named, and the association with the Diary is not made here, this is the first mention of a technique for surviving death, and its side effects. We will learn that the mechanism involved is called a Horcrux, that the Diary was one, and that there remain five others. The hunt for the remaining Horcruxes will comprise a major part of the final two books.
 * While Voldemort is correct when he says that his use of Harry's blood eliminates his inability to touch Harry without damage, he is incorrect in his further statement that it also eliminates Harry's invulnerability to Voldemort's curses. This will be touched on later in this book, and finally in the final book of the series. We will then learn that in fact it had renewed Harry's protection from Voldemort.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Order of the Phoenix/Chapter 35

Synopsis
Lucius Malfoy and eleven other Death Eaters, including the powerful, sadistic and dangerous Bellatrix Lestrange, emerge from the shadows. Harry refuses to give Malfoy the orb, threatening to smash it, and demands to know where Sirius is. It is becoming apparent, however, that Harry's visions were false. Bellatrix reviles Harry for being half-blood, but Harry reminds her that Voldemort's father was a Muggle, riling Bellatrix. She attempts to attack Harry with a Stunning spell but Malfoy intervenes and explains that the sphere contains a prophecy about the Dark Lord and Harry. They needed Harry to retrieve it because only those whom a prophecy concerns can safely pick up the orb, any others go insane. And Voldemort could not risk being seen at the Ministry, so lured Harry there to retrieve it for him.

On Harry's signal, the D.A. members blast the shelves and orbs with their wands. Harry, along with the others, runs from the Chamber clutching the prophecy, chased by the Death Eaters. Harry, Hermione, and Neville enter the bell jar room, though Ron, Ginny, and Luna have gotten separated from them. Malfoy organizes his fellow Death Eaters into pairs, excluding two as one is injured, instructing them to search the department for the six teens. Two Death Eaters enter the bell jar room and Hermione Stuns one, while Neville disarms the other.

As they head for the circular room, two more Death Eaters appear; Harry, Hermione and Neville veer into a side office, followed by Death Eaters. Hermione silences one Death Eater who is calling his accomplices, and Harry Petrifies another. The silenced Death Eater kicks Neville, breaking his wand and his nose. Harry, Hermione, and Neville make their way to the circular room, where they find Luna, Ginny, and Ron. As they search for an exit, several Death Eaters enter, including Bellatrix, and start attacking. Harry, Neville, and Luna quickly exit into the Brain Room, and through it into a library of sorts; they try sealing the doors, but five Death Eaters burst in. After Hermione, Luna, Ron, Ginny, and Neville have been incapacitated, Harry runs for a door, tumbling down stone steps, landing near the Veiled Arch.

Surrounded by Death Eaters, Harry backs onto the dais with the veiled archway. Neville bursts in but is quickly immobilized, and is then tortured by Bellatrix to force Harry to surrender the prophecy. Harry is about to relinquish it when Sirius, Tonks, Shacklebolt, Lupin, and Moody arrive. Macnair grabs Harry around the neck and demands the prophecy. Neville stabs McNair's eye with Hermione's wand, and he releases Harry who Stuns him. Knowing he needs his hands free for spellcasting, Harry gives the orb to Neville who puts it in a pocket of his robe. Neville is then hit by a perpetual dancing jinx. As Harry grabs Neville's robe to pull him up the steps, Neville's pocket rips, and the orb falls out and is smashed, its wispy vapors vanishing. Dumbledore enters, and quickly apprehends the combatants while Sirius duels Bellatrix. As Sirius taunts her, Bellatrix blasts a spell squarely at his chest. His rigid body falls through the veiled arch. Harry rushes after him, but Lupin restrains him before he reaches the portal, saying it is too late. Sirius is dead.

Analysis
This chapter is largely action, preparing for and then executing the battle. A number of things are learned here as Harry stalls the Death Eaters, but this chapter is mostly immediate; this is the book's climax, the battle we have been building up to throughout this book.

Only the persons connected to a prophecy can safely pick it up. (Presumably the people listed on the label: in this case Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Trelawney.) This explains Bode's illness. We heard earlier that Malfoy put Bode under the Imperius curse, but he had resisted having to retrieve something; it is now clear (through Harry's comments and Malfoy's confirmation) that he was ordered to fetch this Prophecy, knowing it would drive him insane. As he was recovering his sanity, the Death Eaters moved to murder him in the hospital.

Although Harry and the others were outnumbered and outmatched by Voldemort's Death Eaters, all fought ably, mostly thanks to Harry's superb defensive training. Had a few more D.A. members been present, the Death Eaters conceivably could have been defeated without the Order of the Phoenix. Even though Harry considers them among the weakest D.A. members, Neville, Ginny, and Luna perform admirably while under attack. And though they may not be the most technically proficient members, they are arguably the bravest, willingly risking their own lives to aid Harry, and fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Ginny and Neville prove they are true Gryffindors, while Luna could easily have fit into that House, despite being Sorted into Ravenclaw. We can guess that Harry will never forget what they have done for him.

When Harry contacted Grimmauld Place, Kreacher told Harry that Sirius "would never return" from the Ministry of Magic. Clearly this was a lie, though as is usual with House-Elves, it is a clumsy rewording of the truth: Sirius would not return from the Department of Mysteries because he had not gone to the Ministry. It is unknown what is impelling Kreacher to lie, but we do know that he has been unhappy with having Sirius as his master. His hatred for "mudbloods" may be behind his misleading Harry.

As he assigns them tasks, Malfoy names the twelve Death Eaters involved in this battle shortly after Harry, Hermione, and Neville re-enter the bell jar room. They are: Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Nott, Rodolphus, Crabbe, Rabastan, Jugson, Dolohov, Macnair, Avery, Rookwood, and Mulciber. Of the two that initially attack Harry, Hermione, and Neville, one is Stunned, and the other falls into the bell jar then stumbles through the rest of the battle with a baby's head. The second pair that attack Harry are Dolohov and Jugson, who both get Petrified. Nott is injured by falling shelves and may be out of the battle. Lucius counts ten Death Eaters standing against Harry in the amphitheatre, so the Stunned and Petrified Death Eaters may have been resuscitated, but the baby-headed Death Eater and possibly Nott may be too incapacitated to fight.

Various sources have said that the two Death Eaters that Harry, Hermione and Neville first encounter are Crabbe and Rabastan, with Crabbe being the one who becomes the baby-headed Death Eater due to his large size, as described that is.

Review

 * 1) Who can safely pick up a Prophecy Orb? What happens to those who are unable to?
 * 2) How was Bellatrix able to kill Sirius?
 * 3) Why does Lupin restrain Harry from going after Sirius?
 * 4) Which D.A. members were left standing at the end of the battle?

Further Study

 * 1) Who alerted the Order of the Phoenix that the students were in trouble?
 * 2) What is the veiled archway? Why can only Harry and Luna hear the voices behind the veil?
 * 3) Based on what is learned in this chapter, what might have happened if Harry had gone through the veiled archway? Could he have returned?

Greater Picture
We mentioned Kreacher's lying to Harry in the Analysis section above, and speculated briefly on what would impel him to that course of action. We will learn shortly that Kreacher had interpreted an order of Sirius' as authorization to leave Grimmauld Place. He had used that as an excuse to visit Narcissa Malfoy, the only Black family member available who he still respected. It is at Voldemort's bidding, conveyed through Narcissa, that Kreacher is sending Harry to the Ministry.

We will discover that Order of the Phoenix reinforcements arrived at the Ministry of Magic because Snape alerted them, when Harry and the other students did not return from the Forbidden Forest. However, Harry later accuses Snape of deliberately waiting too long to sound the alarm, resulting in Sirius' death. Dumbledore will tell Harry shortly that following Harry's warning in Umbridge's office, Snape had contacted Sirius and found him at Headquarters and in no danger. Snape's defence, if he ever made one, for this delay would likely be that he knew Sirius was in no danger when contacted, and the first he knew Harry was in danger was when he failed to return from the Forest.

It is uncertain exactly why, or whether, Harry considers Ginny to be a "relatively weak" member of Dumbledore's Army. We find out through later books that she is, in fact, quite a capable witch, and we have to assume that Harry will have seen this in the DA classes. His reluctance to take her into battle might stem from her being Ron's younger sister, and worries about what Ron, his best friend, would think if Harry was responsible for her injury or death. It also might be the result of nascent romantic feelings, which will become apparent in the next book. Neville, Luna, and Ginny will again show their bravery in the next book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, being the only members of Dumbledore's Army to answer Harry's distress call before the battle inside Hogwarts.

Harry later bemoans the Prophecy having been destroyed, but Dumbledore informs him that the prophecy itself was not lost, only a memory of it, and that the prophecy remains in the memory of the person who was present when it was made. Dumbledore then reveals the prophecy by extracting it from his own mind and showing it in his Pensieve.

We note that in the room of Time, one of Neville's curses misses its target and destroys a glass-fronted cabinet full of things that looked like hourglasses. We will later learn that among these are the world's entire existing stock of Time-turners. This destruction of the Time Turners will prove to be a minor, but in some ways essential, plot point. Time-Turners are an almost insanely useful device to have in a wizard duel, as a wizard could, if he chose, go back an hour multiple times using a Time Turner to multiply himself. Harry would stand precious little chance facing five Voldemorts. While there are laws preventing their use in such manner, we see that Voldemort pays little attention to laws, and if he were able to retain a Time Turner, things would go badly for the Order of the Phoenix. The only mention of this destruction, however, is in the opening chapters of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where Hagrid rationalizes the Trio's decision to not take his Care of Magical Creatures course as being due to lack of time, which could not be remedied without the destroyed Time-Turners.

Connections

 * Many of the jinxes cast in the battles in this chapter are used elsewhere in the books, most of them frequently enough to not make them worth singling out. However, this is only the second time we have seen the Tarantallegra jinx, the first being the Dueling Club in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Then, the jinx was cast by a second-year student, whose target was afterwards able to control himself well enough to jinx his attacker. Here, cast by a fully educated adult wizard, it seems to completely incapacitate Neville.
 * The orb, broken in this chapter, is a recording of the prophecy which drives much of the series. Dumbledore alluded to its existence in the first book, and will actually reveal it later in this book. This is the first of the two real prophecies that Professor Trelawney has made, according to Dumbledore two years earlier. We will revisit this prophecy and the events surrounding its revelation in the next book.
 * We first heard about time turners two years earlier, when it was revealed that Hermione was using one to get to all her classes. They will be mentioned again at the beginning of the next school year, where we will learn that they had all been destroyed. While the devices that Neville here destroys accidentally are never explicitly named, they are in the Hall of Time, and so we conclude that the wall of things Neville accidentally destroyed must have included the entire existing stock of time turners.