Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Ch 21-24

Episode Summary

Jon and Lizzy talk about occlumency and what it means to be in essence divided.

Episode Notes

Chapter 21 - The Eye of the Snake

• ʹOi!ʹ bellowed Ron, finally losing patience and sticking his head out of the window, ʹI am a prefect and if one more snowball hits this window—OUCH!ʹ  He withdrew his head sharply, his face covered in snow. ʹItʹs Fred and George,ʹ he said bitterly, slamming the window behind him. ʹGits…ʹ 
• ʹDonʹ worry, it wonʹ hurt yen,ʹ said Hagrid patiently. ʹRighʹ, now, who can tell me why some oʹ yeh can see ʹem anʹ some canʹt?ʹ  Hermione raised her hand. ʹGo on then,ʹ said Hagrid, beaming at her. The only people who can see Thestrals,ʹ she said, ʹare people who have seen death.ʹ  Thaʹs exactly right,ʹ said Hagrid solemnly, ʹten points ter Gryffindor. Now, Thestrals— ʹHem, hem.ʹ Professor Umbridge had arrived.

Q1 - What do you think of Thestrals

Q2 - Is Umbridge still okay after this?

• ʹYou can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?ʹ she said. Neville nodded. ʹWho did you see die?ʹ she asked, her tone indifferent. ʹMy… my grandad,ʹ said Neville.

Q3 - Harry is going to the Burrow for Christmas…what’s the most memorable Christmas you’ve had?

• ʹWell,ʹ said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, ʹweʹve finally replaced you.ʹ  ʹReplaced me?ʹ said Harry blankly. ʹYou and Fred and George,ʹ she said impatiently. ʹWeʹve got another Seeker!ʹ  ʹWho?ʹ said Harry quickly. ʹGinny Weasley,ʹ said Katie.

Q4 - You think Ginny will be good at Quidditch?

Q5 - When Cho was hanging back during the DA meeting, did you know everything that was going to happen, like Hermione did, or were you oblivious like Ron.

• ʹWell?ʹ Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. ʹHow was it?ʹ  Harry considered for a moment. ʹWet,ʹ he said truthfully. Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell. ʹBecause she was crying,ʹ Harry continued heavily. ʹOh,ʹ said Ron, his smile fading slightly. ʹAre you that bad at kissing?ʹ
• ʹWell, obviously, sheʹs feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect sheʹs feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she canʹt work out who she likes best. Then sheʹll be feeling guilty, thinking itʹs an insult to Cedricʹs memory to be kissing Harry at all, and sheʹll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably canʹt work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so thatʹs all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and sheʹs afraid sheʹs going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because sheʹs been flying so badly.ʹ  A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, ʹOne person canʹt feel all that at once, theyʹd explode.ʹ  ʹJust because youʹve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesnʹt mean we all have,ʹ said Hermione nastily picking up her quill again.

Q6 - Is Hermione the best?

• He had to tell Ron, it was very important that he tell him… taking great gulps of air, Harry pushed himself up in bed, willing himself not to throw up again, the pain half‐blinding him. ʹYour dad,ʹ he panted, his chest heaving. ʹYour dadʹs… been attacked…ʹ  ʹWhat?ʹ said Ron uncomprehendingly. ʹYour dad! Heʹs been bitten, itʹs serious, there was blood everywhere…ʺ 

Q7 - Was this dream real?

• ʹNo!ʹ said Harry angrily; would none of them understand? ʹI was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didnʹt imagine it. Mr Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someoneʹs got to find out where he is…ʹ  Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing. ʹIʹm not lying and Iʹm not mad!ʹ Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. ʹI tell you, I saw it happen!ʹ  ʹI believe you, Potter,ʹ said Professor McGonagall curtly. ʹPut on your dressing gown—weʹre going to see the Headmaster.ʹ

Q8 - Was Harry the snake or was he watching the whole thing happen?

Chapter 22 - St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

• Professor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched them all off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Harry and Ron inside.

Q1 - What are those voices? And what are they talking about?

• ʹHow did you see this?ʹ Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry. ʹWell… I donʹt know,ʹ said Harry, rather angrily ‐ what did it matter? ʹInside my head, I suppose—” ʹYou misunderstand me,ʹ said Dumbledore, still in the same calm tone. ʹI mean… can you remember —er— where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?ʹ  This was such a curious question that Harry gaped at Dumbledore; it was almost as though he knew…

Q2 - What does Dumbledore know?

Q3 - Dumbledore tells Fawkes that they will need a warning…what is he talking about?

• The instrument tinkled into life at once with rhythmic clinking noises. Tiny puffs of pale green smoke issued from the minuscule silver tube at the top. Dumbledore watched the smoke closely, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds, the tiny puffs became a steady stream of smoke that thickened and coiled in the air… a serpentʹs head grew out of the end of it, opening its mouth wide. Harry wondered whether the instrument was confirming his story: he looked eagerly at Dumbledore for a sign that he was right, but Dumbledore did not look up. ʹNaturally, naturally,ʹ murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. ʹBut in essence divided?ʹ  Harry could make neither head nor tail of this question. The smoke serpent, however, split itself instantly into two snakes, both coiling and undulating in the dark air. With a look of grim satisfaction, Dumbledore gave the instrument another gentle tap with his wand: the clinking noise slowed and died and the smoke serpents grew faint, became a formless haze and vanished.

Q4 - What does Dumbledore mean, in essence divided? What is happening here?

• ʹYour father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix,ʹ said Dumbledore, before Harry could speak. ʹHe has been taken to St Mungoʹs Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Siriusʹs house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there.ʹ  ʹHowʹre we going?ʹ asked Fred, looking shaken. Floo powder?ʹ  ʹNo,ʹ said Dumbledore, Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey.ʹ He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. ʹWe are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back… I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you—” There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor. ʹIt is Fawkesʹs warning,ʹ said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. ʹProfessor Umbridge must know youʹre out of your beds… Minerva, go and head her off—tell her any story.”ʹ

Q5 - Does it scare you that Dumbledore is being this intense?

• It happened in a fraction of a second: in the infinitesimal pause before Dumbledore said ʹthreeʹ, Harry looked up at him—they were very close together—and Dumbledoreʹs clear blue gaze moved from the Portkey to Harryʹs face. At once, Harryʹs scar burned white-hot, as though the old wound had burst open again ‐ and unbidden, unwanted, but terrifyingly strong, there rose within Harry a hatred so powerful he felt, for that instant, he would like nothing better than to strike—to bite—to sink his fangs into the man before him — ʹ… three.ʹ 

Q6 - What is going on here?

Q7 - Do you side with Sirius or the Weasleys wanting to go see their dad?

• If Harry had ever sat through a longer night than this one, he could not remember it. Sirius suggested once, without any real conviction, that they all go to bed, but the Weasleysʹ looks of disgust were answer enough. They mostly sat in silence around the table, watching the candle wick sinking lower and lower into liquid wax, occasionally raising a bottle to their lips, speaking only to check the time, to wonder aloud what was happening, and to reassure each other that if there was bad news, they would know straightaway, for Mrs Weasley must long since have arrived at St Mungoʹs.

Q8 - Maybe this is too personal but have you ever had a moment of waiting for bad news like this?

• Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his Butterbeer in one. ʹBreakfast!ʹ said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. ʹWhereʹs that accursed house‐elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!ʹ  But Kreacher did not answer the summons. ʹOh, forget it, then,ʹ muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. ʹSo, itʹs breakfast for— letʹs see— seven… bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast—”
• ʹBut thatʹs not all,ʹ said Harry, in a voice only a little above a whisper. ʹSirius, I… I think Iʹm going mad. Back in Dumbledoreʹs office, just before we took the Portkey… for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one ‐  my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore ‐ Sirius, I wanted to attack him!ʹ  He could only see a sliver of Siriuss face; the rest was in darkness. ʹIt must have been the aftermath of the vision, thatʹs all,ʹ said Sirius. ʹYou were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and—”  ʹIt wasnʹt that,ʹ said Harry, shaking his head, ʹit was like something rose up inside me, like thereʹs a snake inside me.ʹ 

Q9 - What do you think is happening here?

• ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS… Ground floor Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc. CREATURE‐INDUCED INJURIES… First floor Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc. MAGICAL BUGS… Second floor Contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrojungulus, etc. POTION AND PLANT POISONING… Third floor Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable 2, etc. SPELL DAMAGE… Fourth floor Unliftable jinxes, hexes, incorrectly applied charms, etc. VISITORSʹ TEAROOM / HOSPITAL SHOP… Fifth floor

Q10 - What floor would you want to work on?

Q11 - What was Mr Weasley guarding?

• ʹCourse heʹs worried,ʹ growled Moody. ʹThe boyʹs seeing things from inside You- Know-Who’s snake. Obviously, Potter doesnʹt realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who’s possessing him —ʹ

Q12 - What does this mean?

Chapter 23 - Christmas on the Closed Ward

Q1 - What is Voldemort after? Is Harry really the weapon?

• ʹYou know,ʹ said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry ʹthis is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed‐up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard‐done‐by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning—”

Q2 - Is Dumbledore right to keep his secrets?

• The feeling of being unclean intensified. He half-wished he had not obeyed Dumbledore… if this was how life was going to be for him in Grimmauld Place from now on, maybe he would be better off in Privet Drive after all.

Q3 - Is it crazy to you that Harry would rather be back with the Dursleys now?

Q4 - It’s great that Hermione comes, but is she being a bad kid to her parents?

• ʹWell, that was a bit stupid of you,ʹ said Ginny angrily, ʹseeing as you donʹt know anyone but me whoʹs been possessed by You‐Know‐Who, and I can tell you how it feels.ʹ  Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round. ʹI forgot,ʹ he said. ʹLucky you,ʹ said Ginny coolly.

Q5 - What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

• Thanks for the book, Harryʹ she said happily. ʹIʹve been wanting that New Theory on Numerology for ages! And that perfumeʹs really unusual, Ron.ʹ 

Q6 - Thoughts on Ron giving Hermione perfume?

Q7 - One of the healers thought Ron had Spattergroit…do you think he does?

Q8 - What do you think about them seeing Lockhart again?

• ʹWhat?ʹ said Ron, looking amazed. (Harry wanted to stamp on Ronʹs foot, but that sort of thing is much harder to bring off unnoticed when youʹre wearing jeans rather than robes.) ʹIs that your dad down the end, Neville?ʹ  ʹWhatʹs this?ʹ said Mrs Longbottom sharply. ʹHavenʹt you told your friends about your parents, Neville?ʹ  Neville took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone, but he could not think of any way of helping Neville out of the situation. ʹWell, itʹs nothing to be ashamed of!ʹ said Mrs Longbottom angrily. ʹYou should be proud, Neville, proud. They didnʹt give their health and their sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!ʹ ʹIʹm not ashamed,ʹ said Neville, very faintly, still looking anywhere but at Harry and the others. Ron was now standing on tiptoe to look over at the inhabitants of the two beds.

Q9 - What do you think of the group meeting Neville here?

• Nevilleʹs mother had come edging down the ward in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy‐looking face Harry had seen in Moodyʹs old photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead‐looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand. ʹAgain?ʹ said Mrs Longbottom, sounding slightly weary. ʹVery well, Alice dear, very well ‐ Neville, take it, whatever it is.ʹ  But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Droobleʹs Best Blowing Gum wrapper. ʹVery nice, dear,ʹ said Nevilleʹs grandmother in a falsely cheery voice, patting his mother on the shoulder. But Neville said quietly, Thanks, Mum.ʹ  His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself. Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think heʹd ever found anything less funny in his life. ʹWell, weʹd better get back,ʹ sighed Mrs Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves. ʹVery nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now.ʹ  But as they left, Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the sweet wrapper into his pocket.

Q10 - What do you think of Neville after this?

Chapter 24 - Occlumency

Q1 - What is Kreacher up to?

• “Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one.”

Q2 - Thoughts on Occlumency?

Q3 - What’s in the package that Sirius gave Harry?

Q4 - What’s the best story you have of asking someone on a date?

• “Only muggles talk of ‘mind reading.’ The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure, Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter — or at least most minds are.” He smirked. “It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so can utter falsehoods in his presence without detection.”

Q5 - Would you want to be good at Occlumency or Legilimency?

• “Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!”

Q6 - Would you be good at controlling your emotions like this?

Q7 - What’s in the department of mysteries?

Q8 - Why is Snape hiding his memories?

Q9 - Why is Voldemort so happy at the end of this chapter?