Question: In an interview sometime after the release of Goblet of Fire but before Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling mentioned Mr. Weasley's flying car as one of several familiar "characters" from Books 1-4 who were slated to make a reappearance in Books 5-7 (along with Lupin, Dobby, Aragog, Crookshanks, and others, I believe). Obviously, that did not come to pass, but does anyone know if she's ever clarified which scene in which book the car was originally intended to appear in? I've always assumed that it would have been used to fly to the Ministry in OotP in place of the Thestrals (since it was right there in the Forest after all), but it's also possible it was originally meant to play some role in the Seven Potters chase/battle in DH. Has anyone heard anything about this?
Question: How come Hermione never receives a Weasley jumper? She'd earn one to cancel a trip with her parents after never seeing them to stay with the Weasleys and make sure Arthur was OK, surely?
Question: In Snape's memory that Harry sees in the Pensieve, why does younger Snape take his exam outside with him instead of handing it in?
Answer: He hands in the answer paper and takes the questions out to read them again.
Question: Why does Dolores give Professor Snape a hard time during her inspection of his teaching? Shouldn't she, like Lucius Malfoy, be under the impression that he is loyal to Voldemort (not knowing that he is actually pretending)?
Answer: Umbridge isn't working for Voldemort. She is truly just that evil and therefore would inspect Snape the same as any other teacher.
Question: Why did Lily never accept Snape's apology for calling her a mudblood? He never meant it as it was said in the heat of the moment.
Answer: I think it was Hermione who said "it's the worst thing you can say. It means dirty blood" Lily is deeply hurt by Snape saying it. It's similar to a modern day argument. Some things just can't be taken aback.
Answer: Remember how enraged Ron got when someone called Hermione that? I get the impression 'mudblood' is the wizarding equivalent of the N word, and there are just some things you can't take back.
This is a good answer. It also should be noted Snape was already on thin ice with Lily as he was into dark arts, showed signs of intent to become a death eater, not to mention according to Lily he had been calling others of her birth the same name. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for her.
Answer: Rather than "heat of the moment", it was more like "the straw that broke the camel's back." Snape was friends with other pure-blood supremacists, who would later become Death Eaters. They bullied Muggle-borns. In the book, she asks him: "But you call everyone of my birth 'Mudblood', Severus. Why should I be any different?" Essentially, Snape had chosen his supremacist friends over her. He refused to stop joining in their behavior.
Question: If Kreacher could belong to Sirius even though Sirius was disowned by his family, then shouldn't he have gone to Andromeda, who was also disowned, before going to Andromeda's younger sister, Narcissa?
Answer: Even though Sirius' family had "disowned" him, he still inherited the family's entire estate after his brother's death (he was the sole heir). Siris, who was Harry's godfather, had drawn a will leaving all his property to Harry. That is why Kreacher became Harry's legal possession.
Question: During the Occlumency lessons, when Snape sees the memory of Aunt Marge's dog attacking Harry, why does he want to know whose dog it was?
Answer: There is no specific reason. It could simply be that he is curious.
Question: When Harry is brought to Dumbledore's office after dreaming about Mr. Weasley being attacked, what does Dumbledore mean with "but in essence divided"?
Answer: J.K. Rowling explained its meaning during an online chat at TheLeakyCauldron.com shortly after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published. Says Rowling, "Dumbledore suspected that the snake's essence was divided - that it contained part of Voldemort's soul, and that was why it was so very adept at doing his bidding. This also explained why Harry, the last and unintended Horcrux, could see so clearly through the snake's eyes, just as he regularly sees through Voldemort's. Dumbledore is thinking aloud here, edging towards the truth with the help of the Pensieve."
Question: What did Hermione mean when she asked them if they thought that Sirius was trying to live through her, Ron and Harry?
Question: I have 3 questions. 1) Did Sirius really care about Harry or was he just using Harry as a chance to have his best friend back? 2) When did Sirius ever treat Harry like Harry's dad if he ever did treat Harry like James? 3) Why did Sirius say Harry only might be able to live with him if Harry was expelled from Hogwarts and then not talk to Harry when he found out he could go back to Hogwarts?
Chosen answer: Sirius truly loved his godson. Sirius didn't specifically treat Harry like he was James but he did see him as something of a substitute. This is better explained in the novels. Sirius was incarcerated in Azkaban as a very young man, resulting in his emotional maturity being stunted and his judgment impaired. He sometimes acted recklessly and treated Harry more like his friend and equal rather than his ward who he should be mentoring and setting good examples. He sometimes unwisely supported or encouraged Harry's acting inappropriately as he and James had done at that age. Sirius never would have shirked his responsibility as godfather and would have made sure Harry always had a home. Harry believed that Sirius, who was lonely and isolated from being in hiding, may have been hoping Harry was expelled so he could live with him and keep him company. Because Sirius was a hunted fugitive, he could not openly talk or visit with Harry once he returned to Hogwarts. That would risk Sirius being captured and also implicate Harry as abetting a convicted criminal (although Sirius was innocent).
Question: At the end Dumbledore says that Harry's power of love allowed him to escape from Voldemort 4 times but is it not 5 times? when he was a baby, in book 1, book 2, book 4 and this book.
Chosen answer: In book 2 it wasn't love that allowed him to escape.
Question: Angelina said that two people flew better than Ron at the tryouts so why let him be keeper just because he and Harry are best friends?
Chosen answer: Harry didn't choose Ron because he was his friend. Harry knew Ron had the talent and ability to be a good keeper but lacked confidence in himself to perform well. Harry realised that part of the reason for Ron's low self-esteem was because he came from a poor background and was overshadowed by his talented siblings and also by Harry's fame. Harry wanted to give Ron an opportunity to excel on his own. Also, picking team members isn't only about selecting the most athletically talented, but choosing people who work well together and follow orders. Cormac, who was also trying out as keeper was talented, but he was obnoxious and would have challenged Harry's authority at every turn.
Question: I know Kreacher hates Sirius, but as Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, like Harry said, isn't that a betrayal to Regulus' memory? Going to Voldemort with information he could use? Especially as Kreacher nearly died thanks to Voldemort.
Answer: Kreacher's thinking is linear and isolated. He didn't only serve Regulus, but the entire House of Black, who were Slytherins, pure-bloods, and loyal to Voldemort. Kreacher has not yet realigned his thinking, and it is Harry, his new master, whose continued kindness to him, that eventually changes his belief's and allegiance.
Question: Harry was reminded by Ron of another Gryffindor Quidditch player who sat under the tree they were revising under and rumpled his hair but who was that? Was it James?
Question: Vernon and Petunia take Dudley to the hospital after the Dementor incident. And in the first book, they took him to the hospital after Hagrid gave him a pig tail. Shouldn't people from the Ministry of Magic be dispatched? As they were after the incident with Marge, in the third book. Dudley would not need to have the memories erased, as Marge did, because he already knows about the wizard world. But what about the Muggle hospital staff?
Answer: There is a department in the ministry that dispatches a specialized team called the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. Likely this team was sent to correct the issues caused by those people. It may just not have ever been specifically cited to those events.
Answer: It was never explained about what happened at the hospital, so any answer is speculation. With the first incident, it may have been considered an unexplainable anomaly. Hagrid was barred from using magic at that time and he may have cast a temporary spell that had mostly worn off before the Dursleys reached the hospital. There's a lot of magical things that are witnessed by the Muggle world (like the flying car) that just seem to get overlooked or are left unexplained.
Question: Would Mrs Weasley's boggart have eventually shown Hermione's dead body as well? I know she's not family but neither is Harry, yet his was shown?
Answer: Mrs. Weasley certainly liked Hermione, but she did not consider her the same as she did Harry. Hermione had a family whereas Harry was an orphan, and Mrs. Weasley was a mother-like figure to him. It's unlikely the boggart would have shown Hermione's corpse, at least at this point. That would have changed after Hermione became her daughter-in-law, although Voldemort was dead by then.
Question: Since Fudge was trying to get rid of anybody in contact with Dumbledore why did he not fire Arthur?
Question: When Marietta denied that there had been any other meetings, was that just to let her friends off? I don't see why she rats them out one minute and then tries to protect them the next.
Answer: Because her memory was charmed by Kingsley Shacklebolt before she could.
Question: Ron said that Mrs Weasley invited Harry for Christmas weeks ago but why did she not invite Hermione at that point?
Answer: Molly wasn't ignoring Hermione. She knew Hermione's parents always gave her nice gifts for her birthday, Christmas, etc. Molly gave Harry a sweater because she knew his Aunt and Uncle never gave him any gifts. She simply didn't want Harry to be left out when everyone else got something. Also, Molly knitted the sweaters herself, taking some time to make them. She did not anticipate Hermione being there.
raywest ★