Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Quidditch!

1. What momentous event was the reason that the members of the Order of the Phoenix felt it necessary to move Harry out of the Dursley’s house?

d. Harry’s upcoming birthday

Of course, Dumbledore had never made Harry spend the entire summer at the Dursley's since his first year, but they knew the protection would vanish when he turned 17. I understand they had to take him early, but why they felt they had to specifically end the protection early confuses me. They make a big point of it, but if they hadn't made a big point of it, wouldn't Harry have been more protected on his ride to safety?

2. Who revealed the actual date of Harry’s transfer to Voldemort, despite the misinformation the Order had been spreading around that the move would occur on the eve of his actual birthday?
b. Snape

Snape revealed it to Voldemort, because Dumbledore had planned it and it was Snape who actually planted the idea on Mundungus. This was done, among other reasons, to preserve Snape's cover, which was necessary to Harry's continued safety and possible success. Snape had things left to tell Harry, and the sword to get to him. This whole business was yet another of the moments in Snape's life no sane person would actually WANT to have to live through.

3. With the use of Polyjuice Potion (and to confuse any possible attack by Death Eaters), six member of the Order were disguised as Harry and escorted out of Privet Drive, along with the real Harry. Which member of the order did not survive that night?

a. Mad-Eye Moody

Tonks survived until the Battle of Hogwarts, Hagrid is still alive my unle George s as well, although on the night in question he lost an ear.

Now while the book reports that my father died, the book is in error, or, obviously, I would not be here. He did fall from the sky, as reported, and he was missing for the entire period of the book. However, he was alive, and my mother knew it, or I am not sure she would have gotten through what she once told me was the absolutely most difficult part of her life. Their story is being told - see link in my earlier blog post...

4. Who informed Harry, Ron and Hermione of the bequests left to them in Dumbledore’s will?

d. Rufus Scimgeour

He was very suspicious and at moments pretty hostile to the whole thing, but he did deliver the things they had been left - the "Put-outer,' for Ron, the copy of "Tales of Beadle the Bard" for Hermione and the snitch from his first Quidditch game for Harry. While Harry had been left the Sword of Gryffindor, Scrimgeour et al refused to give it to him - also part of Dumbledore's convoluted plan to keep the actual sword out of Voldemort's reach.

5. During the wedding celebration for Bill and Fleur, Kingley Shacklebolt sent a Patronus to tell the guests that the Ministry had fallen, Scrimgeour (the Minister) was dead and the wedding celebration was about to be attacked by Death Eaters. What form did the Patronus take?
a. A lynx

The otter is Hermione's patronus, the doe was Snape's and Lily's and the stag was Harry's. I can't quite recall if the stag was James' patronus as well, or just his animagus form.

6. Escaping from the wedding to London, our three friends found themselves confronted by a pair of Death Eaters, disguised as workmen. This close brush impressed on them the need to find someplace to hide. Where did they decide to go?

b. Sirius Black’s house

By using Voldemort's name they had enabled the Death Eaters to find them, and so had to go hide someplace. However, technically, none of these answers is totally correct. While 12 Grimmauld place had been the home of Sirius Black when he was alive, at the time of the book it was technically Harry's house. Although the Order had been quite concerned about Snape leading Voldemort there, and although Snape had gone through the house himself, as we discover much later in the book, they were unmolested while there.


7. Kreacher’s animosity towards Harry, Ron and especially Hermione (a Mudblood) was well documented in book five, “The Order of the Phoenix.” His initial interaction with them showed that his attitude had not changed. How did they win him over?

d. By giving him Regulus Black’s old locket

Kreachur had always been devoted to Regulus, and indeed Regulus saved Kreachur's life and lost his own, although perhaps not much more quickly or any more horrifyingly than he would have once Voldemort discovered his change of heart. Still, being grabbed by Inferi and dragged beneath the water...

At any rate, by giving him the locket that had been Regulus's, they won Kreachur over in a sense. He was never going to love Harry as he had loved Regulus, but he did treat him quite differently. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Kreachur calls on his fellow House Elves to fight in the name of Regulus, still wearing the locket, which I doubt he ever took off.

8. Who did they eventually find was in possession of the locket/Horcrux?

d. Dolores Umbridge

Dolores Umbridge had gotten it from Mundungus by Threat.

9. What did Harry find embedded in the door of Umbrdige’s office?

a. Moody’s magical eye

While many people believed that this was evidence that my father was dead, in fact, it was merely evidence that they had his eye. Details forthcoming...


10. After retrieving the Horcrux, they tried to return to their safe place but they were pursued (actually Yaxley tagged along when they disapparated). This meant that the Death Eaters knew their hiding place and they had to go somewhere else. Where did Hermione take them?

d. To the site of the Quidditch World Cup

It was not just a matter of the Death Eaters knowing where they were, however. Hermione felt that Yaxley had been with her when she landed on the top step - that she had taken him past the wards, and that he should possibly be able to enter at will, then. This may or may not have been true - we never find out in the book. She takes them to the site of the Quidditch World Cup - more accurately, the forest into which they had run while the Death Eaters were tormenting the Muggles, and where Barty Crouch Junior had conjured the first Dark Mark in over a decade. There is an irony in their finding safety in the same forest where they were accused of casting this mark themselves.


Picture Scavenger Hunt
The pictures must be posted on your blog or at least linked to from your blog. Make sure that the links work or you will not get credit.



Mad-Eye Moody
Nymphadora Tonks

A picture of the people playing my dad and his fellow auror, Nymphadora, in the movie. My dad is actually much older, much handsomer, and, well, my dad. I never met Tonks.



George Weasley

Mom says that Uncle George really used to look pretty much like this actor who played him in the movies. Of course, he's a bit older now, and she says he really hasn't totally gotten over Uncle Fred's death. He hung out at our house all the time till he got married - now we don't see him quite as often.





The Dursley's House

No one talks much about where Uncle Harry grew up. The only homes he really admits to is Hogwarts, and where he's living now with his family.



Kreacher

I've never met him, but I've heard stories...

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