First Time Readers – Details, episodes & analysis

Q1 - At the beginning of this chapter, Harry gives Hermione the details about what happened with Malfoy…do you have any other theories or thoughts on that?

• ‘He accused me of being “Dumbledore’s man through and through”.’ ‘How very rude of him.’ ‘I told him I was.’ Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry’s intense embarrassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore’s bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady. ‘I am very touched, Harry.’
• ‘So they still don’t know where you go?’ asked Harry, hoping for more information on this intriguing subject, but Dumbledore merely smiled over the top of his half-moon spectacles. ‘No, they don’t, and the time is not quite right for you to know, either. Now, I suggest we press on, unless there’s anything else –?’

Q2 - Where does Dumbledore go?

• Dumbledore listened to Harry’s story with an impassive face. When Harry had finished he did not speak for a few moments, then said, ‘Thank you for telling me this, Harry, but I suggest that you put it out of your mind. I do not think that it is of great importance.’ ‘Not of great importance?’ repeated Harry incredulously. ‘Professor, did you understand –?’ ‘Yes, Harry, blessed as I am with extraordinary brainpower, I understood everything you told me,’ said Dumbledore, a little sharply. ‘I think you might even consider the possibility that I understood more than you did. Again, I am glad that you have confided in me, but let me reassure you that you have not told me anything that causes me disquiet.’

Q3 - Why doesn’t this bother Dumbledore?

• I believe that it was then that he dropped the name for ever, assumed the identity of Lord Voldemort, and began his investigations into his previously despised mother’s family – the woman whom, you will remember, he had thought could not be a witch if she had succumbed to the shameful human weakness of death.
• ‘We have no memories to show us this, but I think we can be fairly sure what happened. Voldemort Stupefied his uncle, took his wand, and proceeded across the valley to “the big house over the way”. There he murdered the Muggle man who had abandoned his witch mother, and, for good measure, his Muggle grandparents, thus obliterating the last of the unworthy Riddle line and revenging himself upon the father who never wanted him. Then he returned to the Gaunt hovel, performed the complex bit of magic that would implant a false memory in his uncle’s mind, laid Morfin’s wand beside its unconscious owner, pocketed the ancient ring he wore and departed.’
• They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish, gravitating towards a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts.

Q4 - What do you think about this memory and Voldermort’s power?

• Dumbledore took from an inside pocket another crystal phial and Harry fell silent at once, remembering that Dumbledore had said it was the most important one he had collected. Harry noticed that the contents proved difficult to empty into the Pensieve, as though they had congealed slightly; did memories go off?

Q5 - Do memories go bad?

• As several of the boys tittered, something very odd happened. The whole room was suddenly filled with a thick white fog, so that Harry could see nothing but the face of Dumbledore, who was standing beside him. Then Slughorn’s voice rang out through the mist, unnaturally loudly: ‘– you’ll go wrong, boy, mark my words.’

Q6 - What happened here?

• ‘Look sharp, Tom,’ said Slughorn, turning round and finding him still present. ‘You don’t want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect …’ ‘Sir, I wanted to ask you something.’ ‘Ask away, then, m’boy, ask away …’ ‘Sir, I wondered what you know about … about Horcruxes?’ And it happened all over again: the dense fog filled the room so that Harry could not see Slughorn or Riddle at all; only Dumbledore, smiling serenely beside him. Then Slughorn’s voice boomed out again, just as it had done before. ‘I don’t know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn’t tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don’t let me catch you mentioning them again!’

Q7 - What are Horcruxes?

• ‘And so, for the first time, I am giving you homework, Harry. It will be your job to persuade Professor Slughorn to divulge the real memory, which will undoubtedly be our most crucial piece of information of all.’

Q8 - What is going on here? Why is this important?

Q1 - Do you think Dumbledore doesn’t know what Horcruxes are?

• Harry dawdled behind, taking an inordinate amount of time to do up his bag. Neither Ron nor Hermione wished him luck as they left; both looked rather annoyed. At last Harry and Slughorn were the only two left in the room.

Q2 - This obviously doesn’t work, but how do you think Harry will get the memory?

• “of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction” 

Q3 - What is this dark magic?

• The second attempt was no better than the first. The third was just as bad. Not until the fourth did anything exciting happen. There was a horrible screech of pain and everybody looked around, terrified, to see Susan Bones of Hufflepuff wobbling in her hoop with her left leg still standing five feet away where she had started.

Q4 - What would your preferred mode of wizard transportation be?

Q5 - Where is Malfoy going? Is he really going off campus?

• ‘Harry!’ said Ron suddenly. ‘What?’ ‘Harry, I can’t stand it!’ ‘You can’t stand what?’ asked Harry, now starting to feel definitely alarmed. Ron was rather pale and looked as though he was about to be sick. ‘I can’t stop thinking about her!’ said Ron hoarsely. Harry gaped at him. He had not expected this and was not sure he wanted to hear it. Friends they might be, but if Ron started calling Lavender ‘Lav-Lav’, he would have to put his foot down.

Q6 - What do you think of the whole love potion thing?

Q7 - Can you imagine if Ron died here?

• ‘So, all in all, not one of Ron’s better birthdays?’ said Fred.
• Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Harry outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened, she had taken almost no part in Harry and Ginny’s obsessive discussion about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him.

Q1 - What is Hermione feeling?

Q2 - What is the deal with these two failed attempts at danger?

• ‘I dunno, Harry, I shouldn’ta heard it at all! I – well, I was comin’ outta the Forest the other evenin’ an’ I overheard ’em talkin’ – well, arguin’. Didn’t like ter draw attention to meself, so I sorta skulked an’ tried not ter listen, but it was a – well, a heated discussion, an’ it wasn’ easy ter block it out.’ ‘Well?’ Harry urged him, as Hagrid shuffled his enormous feet uneasily. ‘Well – I jus’ heard Snape sayin’ Dumbledore took too much fer granted an’ maybe he – Snape – didn’ wan’ ter do it any more –’ ‘Do what?’ ‘I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin’ a bit overworked, tha’s all – anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he’d agreed ter do it an’ that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him. An’ then he said summat abou’ Snape makin’ investigations in his house, in Slytherin. Well, there’s nothin’ strange abou’ that!’ Hagrid added hastily, as Harry and Hermione exchanged looks full of meaning. ‘All the Heads o’ House were asked ter look inter that necklace business –’

Q3 - What is this conversation about?

• Harry added, getting to his feet and picking up his Firebolt, ‘will you stop pretending to be asleep when Lavender comes to see you? She’s driving me mad as well.’ ‘Oh,’ said Ron, looking sheepish. ‘Yeah. All right.’ ‘If you don’t want to go out with her any more, just tell her,’ said Harry. ‘Yeah … well … it’s not that easy, is it?’ said Ron. He paused. ‘Hermione going to look in before the match?’ he added casually.
• He hurried down through the deserted corridors; the whole school was outside, either already seated in the stadium or heading down towards it. He was looking out of the windows he passed, trying to gauge how much wind they were facing, when a noise ahead made him glance up and he saw Malfoy walking towards him, accompanied by two girls, both of whom looked sulky and resentful.

Q4 - What is Draco up to?

Q5 - How do you like Luna’s coverage of the match?

• ‘Dobby is a free house-elf and he can obey anyone he likes and Dobby will do whatever Harry Potter wants him to do!’ said Dobby, tears now streaming down his shriveled little face on to his jumper.

Q6 - What do you think of Dobby now?

• Hermione even escorted them down to breakfast, bringing with her the news that Ginny had argued with Dean. The drowsing creature in Harry’s chest suddenly raised its head, sniffing the air hopefully. ‘What did they row about?’ he asked, trying to sound casual as they turned into a seventh-floor corridor which was deserted but for a very small girl who had been examining a tapestry of trolls in tutus. She looked terrified at the sight of the approaching sixth-years and dropped the heavy brass scales she was carrying.

Q1 - What does Secumsempra do?

Q2 - Why do people stay together if they are miserable?

• ‘I see,’ said Dumbledore eventually, peering at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles and giving Harry the usual sensation that he was being X-rayed.

Q3 - Do you think Dumbledore is ever using Legilimency on Harry?

Q4 - Do you think that the pensieve itself holds ancient magic? Like does it sift through thoughts and give you a better analysis of them?

• ‘But now, Harry,’ said Dumbledore, ‘now things become murkier and stranger. If it was difficult to find evidence about the boy Riddle, it has been almost impossible to find anyone prepared to reminisce about the man Voldemort. In fact, I doubt whether there is a soul alive, apart from himself, who could give us a full account of his life since he left Hogwarts. 
• ‘I wonder whether you know what it is, Tom? Pick it up, have a good look!’ whispered Hepzibah, and Voldemort stretched out a long-fingered hand and lifted the cup by one handle out of its snug silken wrappings. Harry thought he saw a red gleam in his dark eyes. His greedy expression was curiously mirrored on Hepzibah’s face, except that her tiny eyes were fixed upon Voldemort’s handsome features. ‘A badger,’ murmured Voldemort, examining the engraving upon the cup. ‘Then this was …?’ ‘Helga Hufflepuff’s, as you very well know, you clever boy!’ said Hepzibah, leaning forwards with a loud creaking of corsets and actually pinching his hollow cheek. ‘Didn’t I tell you I was distantly des- cended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess, too, but I haven’t tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here …’

Q5 - What power do magical objects possess?

• ‘That’s right!’ said Hepzibah, delighted, apparently, at the sight of Voldemort gazing at her locket, transfixed. ‘I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn’t let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently, from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value –’ There was no mistaking it this time: Voldemort’s eyes flashed scarlet at her words and Harry saw his knuckles whiten on the locket’s chain.
• ‘Time to leave, Harry,’ said Dumbledore quietly, and as the little elf bobbed away bearing the boxes, Dumbledore grasped Harry once again above the elbow and together they rose up through oblivion and back to Dumbledore’s office. ‘Hepzibah Smith died two days after that little scene,’ said Dumbledore, resuming his seat and indicating that Harry should do the same. ‘Hokey the house-elf was convicted by the Ministry of poisoning her mistress’s evening cocoa by accident.’

Q6 - Why is he collecting these objects?

Q7 - Is there anything else in the Hepzibah memory that seems odd to you?

• ‘So, Tom … to what do I owe the pleasure?’ Voldemort did not answer at once, but merely sipped his wine. ‘They do not call me “Tom” any more,’ he said. ‘These days, I am known as –’ ‘I know what you are known as,’ said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. ‘But to me, I’m afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers, I am afraid, that they never quite forget their charges’ youthful beginnings.’

Q8 - Why is calling him Tom such a flex?

• I have come to you to ask that you permit me to return to this castle, to teach. I think you must know that I have seen and done much since I left this place. I could show and tell your students things they can gain from no other wizard.’ Dumbledore considered Voldemort over the top of his own goblet for a while before speaking. ‘Yes, I certainly do know that you have seen and done much since leaving us,’ he said quietly. ‘Rumors of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them.’ Voldemort’s expression remained impassive as he said, ‘Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore.’ ‘You call it “greatness”, what you have been doing, do you?’ asked Dumbledore delicately. ‘Certainly,’ said Voldemort, and his eyes seemed to burn red. ‘I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed –’ ‘Of some kinds of magic,’ Dumbledore corrected him quietly. ‘Of some. Of others, you remain … forgive me … woefully ignorant.’

Q9 - What is he talking about here?

Q10 - What is the magical power of love?

• ‘I am surprised you have remained here so long,’ said Voldemort after a short pause. ‘I always wondered why a wizard such as yourself never wished to leave school.’

Q11 - Does Tom have a point…why would Dumbledore stay on as headmaster and not anything greater?

• Dumbledore set down his empty glass and drew himself up in his seat, the tips of his fingers together in a very characteristic gesture. ‘… let us speak openly. Why have you come here tonight, surrounded by henchmen, to request a job we both know you do not want?’ Voldemort looked coldly surprised. ‘A job I do not want? On the contrary, Dumbledore, I want it very much.’ ‘Oh, you want to come back to Hogwarts, but you do not want to teach any more than you wanted to when you were eighteen. What is it you’re after, Tom? Why not try an open request for once?’

Q12 - What is he coming back to the school for?

• ‘The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom … I wish I could …’

Q13 - What do you think of this memory?

• ‘Ah,’ said Dumbledore, ‘perhaps she could. But it is my belief – I am guessing again, but I am sure I am right – that when her husband abandoned her, Merope stopped using magic. I do not think that she wanted to be a witch any longer. Of course, it is also possible that her unrequited love and the attendant despair sapped her of her powers; that can happen. In any case, as you are about to see, Merope refused to raise her wand even to save her own life.’
• ‘She wouldn’t even stay alive for her son?’ Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. ‘Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?’ ‘No,’ said Harry quickly, ‘but she had a choice, didn’t she, not like my mother –’ ‘Your mother had a choice, too,’ said Dumbledore gently. ‘Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother’s courage. And now, if you will stand …’

Q1 - What does Dumbledore mean that Lily had a choice?

Q2 - It mentions that Dumbledore’s hair was Auburn…is he a Weasley?

• And then –’ Mrs Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time, ‘on the summer outing – we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside – well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they’d gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they’d just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I’m sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things …’

Q3 - Should Dumbledore have denied entrance for Tom knowing these things?

• ‘I don’t believe you,’ said Riddle. ‘She wants me looked at, doesn’t she? Tell the truth!’ He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still.
• ‘I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.’

Q4 - Is it alarming that he is this advanced in magic already?

• ‘I knew I was different,’ he whispered to his own quivering fingers. ‘I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.’

Q5 - What do you think of Tom and Dumbledore’s interaction?

• ‘He believed it much quicker than I did – I mean, when you told him he was a wizard,’ said Harry. ‘I didn’t believe Hagrid at first, when he told me.’

Q6 - What’s the difference in Harry and Tom?

• ‘Did you know – then?’ asked Harry. ‘Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?’ said Dumbledore. ‘No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already, I felt I ought to do for others’ sake as much as his.
• ‘Firstly, I hope you noticed Riddle’s reaction when I mentioned that another shared his first name, “Tom”?’ Harry nodded. ‘There he showed his contempt for anything that tied him to other people, anything that made him ordinary. Even then, he wished to be different, separate, notorious. He shed his name, as you know, within a few short years of that conversation and created the mask of “Lord Voldemort” behind which he has been hidden for so long.
• ‘I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive and, apparently, friendless? He did not want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same. You will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I believe that he has ever wanted one
• ‘And lastly – I hope you are not too sleepy to pay attention to this, Harry – the young Tom Riddle liked to collect trophies. You saw the box of stolen articles he had hidden in his room. These were taken from victims of his bullying behavior, souvenirs, if you will, of particularly unpleasant bits of magic. Bear in mind this magpie-like tendency, for this, particularly, will be important later.

Q7 - Why is this important?

Q8 - What happened to the ring?

• ‘But I still don’t get why Dumbledore’s showing you all this. I mean, it’s really interesting and everything, but what’s the point?’ ‘Dunno,’ said Harry, inserting a gum shield. ‘But he says it’s all important and it’ll help me survive.’

Q1 - Why is Dumbledore showing him all this?

• ‘“Slug Club”,’ repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. ‘It’s pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don’t you try getting off with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug –’ ‘We’re allowed to bring guests,’ said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, ‘and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it’s that stupid then I won’t bother!’

Q2 - Is Ron being stupid?

Q3 - Is Harry an idiot for interrupting their communication session?

• When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual short cut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as if glued together. It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry’s stomach, clawing at his insides: hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx Dean into a jelly.

Q4 - Have you experienced the large scaly thing in your stomach?

• ‘You go!’ said Ginny. ‘I want a word with my dear brother!’ Dean left, looking as though he was not sorry to depart the scene. ‘Right,’ said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, ‘let’s get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron –’ ‘Yeah, it is!’ said Ron, just as angrily. ‘D’you think I want people saying my sister’s a –’ ‘A what?’ shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. ‘A what, exactly?’ ‘He doesn’t mean anything, Ginny –’ said Harry automatically, though the monster was roaring its approval of Ron’s words.

Q5 - What was Ron going to call her?

• ‘Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?’

Q6 - Is Ginny a savage?

• They hurried up the stairs and along a seventh-floor corridor. ‘Oi, out of the way!’ Ron barked at a small girl who jumped in fright and dropped a bottle of toad-spawn. Harry hardly noticed the sound of shattering glass; he felt disorientated, dizzy; being struck by a lightning bolt must be something like this. It’s just because she’s Ron’s sister, he told himself. You just didn’t like seeing her kissing Dean because she’s Ron’s sister …

Q7 - Harry loves Ginny, right?

• It seemed as though Gryffindor could do no wrong. Again and again they scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite Weasley is our King, he pretended to conduct them from on high.

Q8 - What was your favorite sports moment that made you feel like Ron?

• ‘I didn’t put it in!’ said Harry, now grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. ‘I wanted Ron to think I’d done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking.’ He looked at Ron. ‘You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself.’

Q9 - Is Liquid Luck a placebo?

Q10 - What’s the deal with Ron and Hermione?

• Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted.
• ‘She can’t complain,’ he told Harry. ‘She snogged Krum. So she’s found out someone wants to snog me, too. Well, it’s a free country. I haven’t done anything wrong.’
• ‘I never promised Hermione anything,’ Ron mumbled. ‘I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn’s Christmas party with her, but she never said … just as friends … I’m a free agent …’

Q1 - What will the outcome of this be between the two?

• ‘There isn’t anyone I want to invite,’ mumbled Harry, who was still trying not to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.

Q2 - What is Harry dreaming about?

Q3 - What’s your favorite prom/dance story?

Q4 - Hermione mentions that love potions aren’t dark…is she right?

• ‘The library is now closed,’ she said. ‘Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct – what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?’ ‘It isn’t the library’s, it’s mine!’ said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand. ‘Despoiled!’ she hissed. ‘Desecrated! Befouled!’ ‘It’s just a book that’s been written in!’ said Harry, tugging it out of her grip. She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.

Q5 - Do you write in books?

Q6 - Harry mentions there might be something going on between Pince and Filch. Is that possible?

• ‘She’s a bit upset,’ said Luna. ‘I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley …’ ‘Yeah, they’ve had a row,’ said Harry. ‘He says very funny things sometimes, doesn’t he?’ said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. ‘But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.’

Q7 - Is Ron unkind?

• ‘Hi, Harry,’ said Parvati who, like him, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends. ‘Hi,’ said Harry. ‘How’re you? You’re staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave.’ ‘I managed to talk them out of it for the time being,’ said Parvati. ‘That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn’t been anything since … oh, hi, Hermione!’

Q8 - Let’s rehash what has happened at Hogwarts…

• There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced.

Q9 - Is Hermione kinda a low-key it girl?

• Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing. Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.

Q10 - Is Rufus Scrimgeor a vampire?

Q11 - Are Slughorn’s parties good parties?

Q12 - Should Harry have a biography written about him?

• ‘Harry Potter!’ said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time. ‘Oh, hello,’ said Harry unenthusiastically. ‘My dear boy!’ she said in a very carrying whisper. ‘The rumors! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time … the omens were never good, Harry … but why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!’

Q13 - Should Harry have taken divination this year?

• ‘Remind me what other subjects you’re taking, Harry?’ asked Slughorn. ‘Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology …’ ‘All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror,’ said Snape, with the faintest sneer. ‘Yeah, well, that’s what I’d like to be,’ said Harry defiantly. ‘And a great one you’ll make, too!’ boomed Slughorn. ‘I don’t think you should be an Auror, Harry,’ said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. ‘The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They’re working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark magic and gum disease.’
• Filch’s expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and … was it possible? … a little afraid?

Q14 - Why is Snape afraid?

• ‘Who suspects me?’ said Malfoy angrily. ‘For the last time, I didn’t do it, OK? That Bell girl must’ve had an enemy no one knows about – don’t look at me like that! I know what you’re doing, I’m not stupid, but it won’t work – I can stop you!’ There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, ‘Ah … Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?’

Q15 - Is it shocking to know that Draco has learned Occlumency?

Q16 - Who is his master?

• ‘Looks like you’ll have to break it, then, because I don’t need your protection! It’s my job, he gave it to me and I’m doing it. I’ve got a plan and it’s going to work, it’s just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!’

Q17 - What is going on?

• ‘An Unbreakable Vow?’ said Ron, looking stunned. ‘Nah, he can’t have … are you sure?’ ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ said Harry. ‘Why, what does it mean?’ ‘Well, you can’t break an Unbreakable Vow …’ ‘I’d worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?’ ‘You die,’ said Ron simply. ‘Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,’ said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. ‘Only time I’ve ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.’

Q1 - Thoughts on Fred and George wooing muggle women with magic tricks?

• There was silence for a moment or two, then Ron said, ‘Course, you know what they’ll all say? Dad and Dumbledore and all of them? They’ll say Snape isn’t really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy’s up to.’ ‘They didn’t hear him,’ said Harry flatly. ‘No one’s that good an actor, not even Snape.’ ‘Yeah … I’m just saying, though,’ said Ron. Harry turned to face him, frowning. ‘You think I’m right, though?’ ‘Yeah, I do!’ said Ron hastily. ‘Seriously, I do! But they’re all convinced Snape’s in the Order, aren’t they?’

Q2 - Do we trust Snape?

• ‘You are determined to hate him, Harry,’ said Lupin with a faint smile. ‘And I understand; with James as your father, with Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice.

Q3 - Do you think this is true?

Q4 - What do you think of Lupin’s background and being bitten by Greyback?

• Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur (on whom, it appeared, Mrs Weasley had not wanted to waste one) and Mrs Weasley herself, who was sporting a brand new midnight-blue witch’s hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.

Q5 - Is Fleur that unbearable?

• She gave Lupin an annoyed look, as though it was all his fault she was getting Fleur for a daughter-in-law instead of Tonks, but Harry, glancing across at Fleur, who was now feeding Bill bits of turkey off her own fork, thought that Mrs Weasley was fighting a long-lost battle. He was, however, reminded of a question he had with regard to Tonks, and who better to ask than Lupin, the man who knew all about Patronuses? ‘Tonks’s Patronus has changed its form,’ he told him. ‘Snape said so, anyway. I didn’t know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?’ Lupin took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, ‘Sometimes … a great shock … an emotional upheaval …’ ‘It looked big, and it had four legs,’ said Harry, struck by a sudden thought and lowering his voice. ‘Hey … it couldn’t be –?’

Q6 - What was Tonk’s new patronus form?

Q7 - What do you think of Scrimgeor and his proposal?

Q8 - HOW is Umbridge still working at the ministry?

• ‘I don’t want to be used,’ said Harry. ‘Some would say it’s your duty to be used by the Ministry!’
• You don’t care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you’re winning the war against Voldemort. I haven’t forgotten, Minister …’ He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh: I must not tell lies.

Q9 - Is Harry right or wrong?

• ‘Well, it is clear to me that he has done a very good job on you,’ said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. ‘Dumbledore’s man through and through, aren’t you, Potter?’ ‘Yeah, I am,’ said Harry. ‘Glad we straightened that out.’

Q1 - What is the nicest thing anyone has ever told you?

• ʹNo, they canʹt have done, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed,ʹ said Hermione grimly. ʹBelieve me, if anyoneʹs run off and told Umbridge, weʹll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it.ʹ 

Q2 - Was Hermione right to do this?

• ʹLooks like somethingʹs attacked her. Canʹt think what would have done it, though. Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagridʹs got the Hogwarts Thestrals well-trained not to touch owls.ʹ 

Q3 - What do you think Thestrals are?

Q4 - What happened to Hedwig?

• “My father says itʹs a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St Mungoʹs… apparently theyʹve got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic.ʹ  Malfoy made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter; Pansy Parkinson shrieked with glee. Something collided hard with Harryʹs shoulder, knocking him sideways. A split second later he realized that Neville had just charged past him, heading straight for Malfoy.

Q5 - Do you think Neville would have won this fight?

Q6 - Danny, what's the significance of Snape being a teacher for 14 years!?

Q7 - What is Molly Weasley on duty for?

• A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings. The three of them ran for it. At the door of the boysʹ dormitory Harry looked back. Umbridgeʹs hand was still making snatching movements amongst the flames, as though she knew exactly where Sirius’s hair had been moments before and was determined to seize it.

Q1 - Harry’s scar hurts during quidditch and he guesses Voldermort is angry…what is he angry about?

Q2 - Any further thoughts about what the weapon might be?

• ʹDobby knows the perfect place, sir!ʹ he said happily. ʹDobby heard tell of it from the other house‐elves when he came to Hogwarts, sir. It is known by us as the Come and Go Room, sir, or else as the Room of Requirement!ʹ  ʹWhy?ʹ said Harry curiously. ʹBecause it is a room that a person can only enter,ʹ said Dobby seriously, ʹwhen they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seekerʹs needs. Dobby has used it, sir,ʹ  said the elf, dropping his voice and looking guilty, ʹwhen Winky has been very drunk; he has hidden her in the Room of Requirement and he has found antidotes to Butterbeer there, and a nice elf‐sized bed to settle her on while she sleeps it off, sir… and Dobby knows Mr Filch has found extra cleaning materials there when he has run short, sir, and ʹAnd if you really needed a bathroom,ʹ said Harry, suddenly remembering something Dumbledore had said at the Yule Ball the previous Christmas, ʹwould it fill itself with chamber pots?ʹ  ʹDobby expects so, sir,ʹ said Dobby, nodding earnestly. ʹIt is a most amazing room, sir.ʹ 

Q3 - What do you think about the Room of Requirement?

Q4 - What would you have the room change into for you?

Q5 - How did Dumbledore tell Harry about the room at the Yule Ball?

Q6 - Do you agree that Harry should be the leader of the group? Who else would be a good leader?

• Harry moved off into the middle of the room. Something very odd was happening to Zacharias Smith. Every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would fly out of his hand, yet Anthony did not seem to be making a sound. Harry did not have to look far to solve the mystery: Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking it in turns to point their wands at his back.

Q7 - How was the first meeting of the DA?

Q8 - What would you call the group?

• ʹWell, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting,ʹ said Hermione brightly, ʹbut it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So, does that mean weʹre using the Galleons?ʹ 

Q1 - Should Hermione be in Ravenclaw?

• ʹGood luck, Ron,ʹ said Hermione, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. ʹAnd you, Harry—” Ron seemed to come to himself slightly as they walked back across the Great Hall. He touched the spot on his face where Hermione had kissed him, looking puzzled, as though he was not quite sure what had just happened. He seemed too distracted to notice much around him, but Harry cast a curious glance at the crown‐shaped badges as they passed the Slytherin table, and this time he made out the words etched on to them: Weasley is our King.

Q2 - What’s the best bit of trash talk you’ve ever heard? (Weasley is our King)

Q3 - Was Hermione’s kiss tactic a good one?

• ʹAnd itʹs Johnson—Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, Iʹve been saying it for years but she still wonʹt go out with me—” ʹJORDAN!ʹ yelled Professor McGonagall. ʹ‐ just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest.

Q4 - What’s the most exciting sporting event you’ve ever seen?

• Harry was not aware of releasing George, all he knew was that a second later both of them were sprinting towards Malfoy. He had completely forgotten that all the teachers were watching: all he wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible; with no time to draw out his wand, he merely drew back the fist clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as he could into Malfoys stomach.

Q5 - Was Harry and George right to do this?

• ʹBut instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you two decided to give an exhibition of Muggle duelling, did you?ʹ bellowed Professor McGonagall. ʹHave you any idea what youʹve—?ʹ  ʹHem, hem.ʹ

Q6 - What were your thoughts when you initially read this?

Q7 - Is Umbridge the worst?

Q1 - How do you like Hagrid being back?

Q2 - What do you think about Hagrid’s story?

Q3 - Do you think the giants will be on Voldemort’s side?

• ʹI—Iʹve been away for me health,ʹ he said. ʹFor your health,ʹ repeated Professor Umbridge. Her eyes traveled over Hagridʹs discolored and swollen face; dragon blood dripped gently and silently on to his waistcoat. ʹI see.ʹ  ʹYeah,ʹ said Hagrid, ʹbit oʹ oʹ fresh air, yeh know—ʹYes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by,ʹ said Umbridge sweetly. The small patch of Hagridʹs face that was not black or purple, flushed.

Q4 - How do you think the Hagrid Umbridge dynamic will work out?

Q5 - Will Hagrid get sacked?

Q1 - Would you want to squeeze the pus out of a bubotuber?

Q2 - Which lesson would you rather go to—care of magical creatures or herbology?

• You are preoccupied, my dear. My Inner Eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas… most difficult… I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass… and perhaps sooner than you think.”

Q3 - What do you think Trelawney is talking about here?

• “I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,” said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. “Born under — what, sorry?” said Harry. “Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!” said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn’t riveted by this news. “I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth… Your dark hair… your mean stature… tragic losses so young in life… I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?” “No,” said Harry, “I was born in July.”

Q4 - Trelawney is wrong.

• “Oh, professor, look! I think I’ve got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one’s that, Professor?” “It’s Uranus, my dear,” said Professor Trelawney peering down at the chart. “Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?” said Ron.

Q5 - Do you still like Rita Skeeter? Do you think her portrayal of Moody is accurate? (A handshake from attempted murder)

• “Professor Moody!” said a shicked voice. Professor McGonagall was coing down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. “Hello, Professor McGonagall,” said Moody calmly bounding the ferret still higher. “What — what are you doing?” said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferrets progress through the air. “Teaching,” said Moody. “Teach — Moody, is that a student?” shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.

Q6 - What do you think of Moody?

• “So…do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?”

Q1 - Should Moody be teaching them these things?

Q2 - Thoughts on the imperious curse?

• “Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will?”

Q3 - How do you think the ministry did this?

• Hermione’s hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry’s slight surprise, did Neville’s…Neville looked surprised at his own daring. “Yes?” said Moody, his magical eye rolling over to fix on Neville. “There’s one — the Cruciatus Curse,” said Neville, in a small but very distinct voice. Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes. “Your name’s Longbottom?” he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again. 

Q4 - Thoughts on the Cruciatus Curse?

• “Not nice,” he said calmly. “Not pleasant. And there’s no counter-curse. There’s no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he’s sitting right in front of me.”

Q5 - What are your thoughts on the killing curse?

Q6 - What do you think this means to Harry to know?

Q7 - Do you side with the students in thinking this was a good lesson, or with Harry and Hermione?

• “You’ve got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you’ve got to know. No point pretending.

Q8 - What do you think about Neville?

• “No—that sounds like we’re accusing him. Got to be careful…”

Q9 - What are Fred and George up to?

Q10 - What do you think of Harry and Ron’s predictions, and what would you predict about yourself?

• “You’re treasurer, Ron. I got you a collecting tin upstairs — and Harry, you’re secretary, so you might want to write down everything I’m saying now, as a record of our first meeting.”

Q11 - Why is Harry such a bad pet owner?

Q12 - Do you think Sirius coming back is a good thing?

• The dormitory was completely silent, and, had he been less preoccupied, Harry would have realized that the absence of Neville’s usual snores meant that he was not the only one lying awake.

Q13 - Why is Neville awake?

Q1 - How do you like the name Mad-Eye?

• Mrs Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack on the kitchen table, put it into the fire tongs and transferred it into Mr Diggory’s mouth.

Q2 - have you guys ever had a mountain pie?

• “Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody,” said Mrs Weasley sternly. “Yeah, well Dad collects plugs, doesn’t he?” said Fred quietly, as Mrs Weasley left the room. “Birds of a feather.”

Q3 - Which is your favorite Weasley?

Q4 - What is your favorite part of the books?

Q5 - You don’t know a ton about Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but which would you rather go to?

• “But Hogwarts is hidden,” said Hermione, in surprise, “Everyone who’s read Hogwarts: A History, anyway.” “Just you, then,” said Ron. 
• “If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.”

Q6 - Is this sign keeping you out?

Q7 - What do you think of the summoning charm?

Q8 - Would you wear Ron’s robes?

Q1 - Do you like Peeves?

Q2 - What’s the best prank you ever pulled?

• “Now slip me snug around your ears, I've never yet been wrong, I’ll have a look inside your mind and tell you where you belong!”

Q3 - Thoughts on Dennis Creevey?

• “There are house-elves here?” she said….”Certainly,” said Nearly Headless Nick, looking surprised at her reaction. “The largest number in any dwelling in Britain, I believe. Over a hundred.”

Q4 - What are your thoughts on Hogwarts having house elves?

• A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. Hermione gasped. The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any Harry had ever seen. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

Q5 - Is this her best description of someone that she’s given so far?

• “It is my pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.” “You’re joking!” said Fred Weasley loudly. The tension that had filled the hall every since Moody’s arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively. “I am not joking, Mr Weasley.” he said, “though, now that you mention is, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar —” Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

Q6 - What are your thoughts on the Triwizard Tournament and what do you think they’ll have to do in it?

Q7 - Neville falls through a trap step…why does Hogwarts have these?

• “Get up! Ron — Harry — come on now, get up, this is urgent!” Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas. “S’matter?” he said. Dimly. He could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running.

Q1 - Have you ever been in a riot or a situation this scary?

Q2 - What do you think of these masked people’s actions?

• The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain.

Q3 - Do you think Lucious might be out there among the masked people?

Q4 - How many magical schools do you think there are?

• A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back.

Q5 - Do you think Harry is right, that Winky is just disobeying, or do you think she was cursed?

Q6 - Do you think Stan Shunpike would ever become minister of magic? And would he do better than Fudge?

Q7 - What do you think Bagman was doing deep in the woods? Do you trust him?

• For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone.

Q8 - What do you think of the Dark Mark?

Q9 - Do you think Crouch is good at his job or is he mad?

• "Here, look. " Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."

Q10 - Are wizards right to restrict wand usage to just humans?

Q11 - What are your thoughts on Amos Diggory’s interrogation style?

Q12 - What do you think of the Prior Incantato spell?

Q13 - What do you think of Mr Crouch and Winky’s relationship?

• "Of course it's not Him," said Mr. Weasley impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.”
• "I don't get it," said Ron, frowning. "I mean. . . it's still only a shape in the sky. . . " "Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," said Mr. Weasley. "The terror it inspired. . . you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside. . . . " Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear. . . the very worst. . . " There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now. " "Death Eaters?" said Harry. "What are Death Eaters?" "It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves," said Bill. "I think we saw what's left of them tonight - the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway. "

Q14 - Who do you think actually conjured the Dark Mark?

Q15 - What do you think of the Death Eaters?

Q1 - Is it a little crazy that they slept at the campsite rather than just going back home?

• “I shouted at you before you left!” Mrs Weasley said, starting to sob. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn’t get enough O.W.Ls? Oh, Fred … George …”

Q2 - Do you remember the last thing you ever said to someone?

• “Ron,” said Hermione, in an I-don't-think-you're-being-very-sensitive sort of voice, “Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch right now... He's worried, and he's tired... We all need to go to bed...” “Yeah, I want to play Quidditch,” said Harry suddenly. “Hang on, I'll get my Firebolt.” Hermione left the room, muttering something that sounded very much like “Boys.”

Q3 - What do you think about Rita Skeeter?

• “I'm never wearing them,” Ron was saying stubbornly. “Never.” “Fine,” snapped Mrs. Weasley. “Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do with a laugh.”

Q4 - What do you think is each character’s main desire?

INTRO - Character impressions in your mind.

• Harry felt as though he had barely lain down to sleep in Ron’s room when he was being shaken awake by Mrs Weasley.

Q1 - Is this the worst feeling ever? Non-snow days? What is the worst feeling as a kid?

Q2 - You need a license to Apparate? Do you think anything else should require a license in the magical world?

Q3 - What’s the earliest you’ve ever woken up?

• [Portkeys are] objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time.

Q4 - Would you rather travel by broom, apparition, or portkey?

Q5 - Amos Diggory works for the department of the regulation and control of magical creatures…did he vote yes to killing buckbeak?

• “I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don’t need to be a genius to tell which one’s the better flier.”

Q6 - How do you like Amos and Cedric?

Q7 - Thoughts on the wizarding world spreading trash around the planet in the form of portkeys?

Q1 - If you had to hide a quidditch world cup game, how would you do it?

• “Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman’s not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security.”

Q2 - How should they deal with Mr Roberts…should some Muggles just be able to know about Wizards?

• “Always the same.” said Mr Weasley, smiling, “we can’t resist showing off when we get together.”

Q3 - How do you like the magic of expanding something like the tent into being massive inside?

• It was only just dawning on Harry how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; he had never really thought much about those in other countries.

Q4 - How large do you figure the wizarding world is? 

Q5 - There’s a description of all sorts of other witches and wizards here, if you could travel to see magic from any other country in the world, where would you go visit?

• “I’m not putting them on [referring to the trousers],” said Old Archie in indignation. “I like a healthy breeze around my privates, thanks.”
• Harry laughed but didn’t voice the amazement he felt at hearing about other Wizarding schools. He supposed, now that he saw representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite, that he had been stupid never to realize that Hogwarts couldn’t be the only one.
• “That’s Bode and Croaker…they’re unspeakables.” “They’re what?” “From the department of mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to.”

Q6 - What do you think they do in the Department of Mysteries?

Q7 - How do you like Bagman and Crouch? Which do you like more?

• “Ali Bashir’s on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets.” Mr Weasley heaved a deep sigh. “I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I’ve told him once I’ve told him a hundred times: carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?”

Q8 - Broom or Carpet?

• A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretense disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.

Q9 - Harry gets Ron omnioculars…is he cheap for saying he won’t get anything for him for Christmas?

• And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and, at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the pitch.

• “Ah, sir,” said Winky, shaking her head, “ah, sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free.”

Q1 - What do you think of House Elves? Should they be set free?

Q2 - Do you think it’s cruel to have a house elf sit at the booth who is afraid of heights just to save a seat?

• She would have been nice looking if she hadn’t been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose.

Q3 - What are your thoughts on the Veela and the Leprechauns? 

Q4 - What would the American mascot be?

Q5 - What do you think of Victor Krum?

Q6 - Would you want to go to this game?

Q7 - Was Krum an idiot for ending the game when they were down too much?

• No, the thing that was bothering Harry was that the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by… but Voldemort couldn’t be here, now…the idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible…

Q1 - Why do you think Harry’s scar hurts whenever things like that happen?

Q2 - Do you think Voldemort knows where Harry lives, and would he ever attack the house?

• As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort’s.

Q3 - Do you think there is anyone else alive or even dead who has survived a curse like Voldemorts?

Q4 - If you had to choose a bird to deliver mail to you, which bird are you picking?

• The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes – so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors – simply refused to see: that, far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.

Q1 - What are your thoughts on Dudley? 

Q2 - So far in this series, if there is a character who is irredeemable, who would it be?

Q3 - Is it animal abuse to keep sending Errol to deliver your mail?

Q4 - What do you normally eat for breakfast?

• “Look at this,” he growled. He held up the envelope in which Mrs Weasley’s letter had come, and Harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of the letter was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys’ address in minute writing.

Q5 - Who do you think is going to win the Quidditch World Cup?

• A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years. On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys' for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs. Weasley's letter again.
• “If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we’ll come get you at five o’clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we’ll come get you at five o’clock on Sunday anyway.”

Q6 - Harry eats his birthday cake…how long can he hide birthday cake under his floorboards before it starts to get moldy and inedible?

• He was going to the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just not, to feel worried about anything — even Lord Voldemort.

Q7 - Should Harry be more worried about Lord Voldemort and his scar?

Q1 - Thoughts on the Dursley’s nerve and annoyance in the beginning of this chapter?

Q2 - Are the Weasleys wrong for being so late?

Q3 - Is the Floo Network a normal practice…to show up in someone's living room just unannounced?

• The electric fireplace shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outwards, expelling Mr Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of loose chippings.

Q4 - What are your feelings on all of this happening?

• Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.

Q5 - What do you think of the idea of having sympathy on people who are different from you? What should you do?

Q6 - What is the rudest anyone has ever acted toward you?

Q7 - Petunia in particular seems very terrified of magic, why do you think that she is?

Q1 - Would you rather work with dragons or work at gringotts?

• “It isn’t funny!” Mr Weasley shouted. “That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons —”

Q2 - What is the Wizard perception of Muggles?

Q3 - What do you think the of Fred and George’s inventions? 

Q4 - What else do you think they’d make, or that you would make, if you were making a joke shop for wizards?

• “A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation,” said Percy smugly. “We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin — leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year —”

Q5 - What do you think of Percy and his new job?

• “Just don’t get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr Crouch…as I was saying to Mr Crouch…Mr Crouch is of the opinion…Mr Crouch was telling me…They’ll be announcing their engagement any day now.”

NOTE: Harry did not send any thank you letters or mail to his friends.

Q6 - What are your thoughts on Mr and Mrs Weasley?

PREDICTION: Scotland slaughtered by Luxembourg.

Q7 - Is there a specific time you remember having a really good meal with people you loved?

• “I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days.” “Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?” said Fred. “That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!” said Percy, going very red in the face. “It was nothing personal.” “It was,” Fred Whispered to Harry, as they got up from the table. “We sent it.”

• The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it “the Riddle House,” even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there.
• Fifty years before, at daybreak on a fine summer’s morning, when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, and a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead.

Q1 - What do you think happened to the three Riddles?

• “Frank!” cried several people. “Never!” … By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles.

Q2 - Are you guys into true crime podcasts?

Q3 - Have you ever been to a spooky or haunted place?

Q4 - What are Wormtail and Voldemort talking about?

• “I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hand to perform.”

Q5 - What do you think this task is?

• “But I am not a man, Muggle,” said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. “I am much, much more than a man.”

Q6 - What does Voldemort mean that he is much more than a man?

Q7 - Who is Voldemort's most faithful servant?

Q8 - What happened in this chapter and how did you like this opening chapter compared with the other books?