Question: I heard that Chris Columbus isn't the director of PoA. Is he or the other director of PoA, going to direct HP 4?
Answer: Neither. Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile, Four Weddings and a Funeral) will direct Goblet of Fire.
Question: There is a trailer out that ends with a girl knocking on a door and saying "housekeeping," and the door flies open and there is a big shrieking noise. Then as the door slams shut the girl says, "I'll come back later." Has anyone any idea of what part in the books this is?
Answer: That scene is not in the book.
Question: Why are Hermione, Harry, and Ron wearing 'muggle' clothes during most of the teaser trailer?
Answer: We can't be 100% sure of any answer until the movie actually comes out. All people know is that the new director has made some changes to the style of the movie and characters. Including, but not limited to a redesign of their uniforms, some hairstyles and apparently more time in muggle clothes.
Question: How come there are jugs beside all the beds in the hospital wing?
Answer: Presumably, the jugs are for the patients. Many of them will come into the hospital wing with injuries or fevers and will have to stay for a period of time, so the jugs are put there so they can stay hydrated while recovering.
Answer: They are water pitchers that can be filled whenever a patient is in the bed. It's just a convenience to have drinking water handy when needed. It's fairly typical in most hospitals.
Question: How come Hermione and Harry are confused when Dumbledore lies about not knowing they were rescuing Sirius? Hermione at least should know.
Answer: I don't recall either Harry or Hermione acting confused and Dumbledore never lied to them about knowing they rescued Sirius. He would never directly acknowledge it to them, however, because he could more truthfully tell investigators that he knew nothing about Sirius' escape. It's called "plausible deniability." The less detail he knows about how they accomplished their goal, the less he can be questioned about it.
Question: Why do Hermione's blue shoes look different in each scene? Like when they are running up the hill just before Buckbeak is executed compared to when Buckbeak chases werewolf Lupin away.
Chosen answer: Either the lighting made the shoes' color appear different, or she was wearing different shoes at different times when the scene was being filmed. One scene is filmed over multiple days, and actors usually have more than one set of a particular costume in case the clothing is damaged, gets dirty, etc. so her wardrobe might have changed slightly throughout and she could have been wearing a different pair of shoes.
Question: When Harry and Sirius are talking out of the whomping Willow, why was Hermione untying Ron's shoelaces? Was it to ease the pain?
Answer: It didn't look like she was untying his shoe laces to me. It looked more like she was pulling down Ron's sock to get a better look at his wounds.
Chosen answer: She could be untying them because one of his legs is broken and sometimes a broken limb can become swollen.
What does that have to do with Hermione untying the shoelaces?
Answer: I think she took off his shoe to get a better look at his leg. It can be kind of hard for someone to examine a wound if someone is wearing a shoe on their foot.
But she didn't take off his shoe.
Question: Do the teachers have a way of checking that other teachers awarded or deducted points for appropriate reasons? For example, Snape called Hermione "an insufferable know-it-all" and took five points from Gryffindor. I remember him doing that in the book also.
Answer: Adding on to the response by RayWest: In the books, it's common for the teachers to deduct or award five to ten points (twenty or more if the student has done something especially good or bad). The Heads of House are probably not suspicious about most incidents of someone winning or losing these smaller amounts.
Answer: I remember that the four giant hourglasses (one for each House) that is located in the entrance hall magically added and deleted House points by using different-colored gemstones. Even though it was done automatically as soon as a teacher awarded or deducted points, they were also supposed to report it to the House heads and would give their reasons.
Question: Does anyone know what type of shoes the Golden Trio are all wearing in the last hour or so?
Question: What song is Professor Lupin playing while everyone is learning Riddikulus?
Answer: "Hot Liquorice" (that's the correct spelling) by Dick Walter, though it seems somewhat intermixed with the film's soundtrack composed by John Williams.
Question: It didn't look that late when Buckbeak was executed, even though Fudge said it was at sundown, so how come it's really dark when they get out of the shrieking shack?
Question: Why does Hermione seem to hate Scabbers throughout this movie? I'm talking about before they find out the truth?
Answer: Hermione doesn't hate Scabbers. A rift had been ongoing between her and Ron. Hermione resented him constantly blaming her cat, Crookshanks, for chasing Scabbers. Ron was angry that Hermione never took responsibility for her cat's behavior. Even though Ron was justified, Hermione was being unreasonably protective and resentful. She didn't realise that Crookshanks sensed something odd about Scabbers. Also Ron and Hermione had other issues with each other, and the pets were merely an excuse to express their disagreements. It's also supposed to show the growing romantic tension between them.
Question: When they go back in time, how come Hermione couldn't figure out Dumbledore also wanted them to save Buckbeak until Harry said it, since they were sent back to before he was executed?
Answer: Because Dumbledore is having the students do an illegal act (helping Sirius escape), he has to be careful of what and how he says it to protect himself and them. He deliberately "implies" what should be done so he can have "plausible deniability." If Harry and Hermione were later interrogated, they cannot say, "Dumbledore told us to do a specific thing." Dumbledore, in turn, can rightfully claim he never told them something and/or they misinterpreted what he did say.
Question: Why is Ron so shocked by Scabbers running away after Buckbeak's execution? He's run away before.
Answer: Don't disagree with the other answer, but would add that Ron was initially confused about why Scabbers had previously disappeared and was now struggling so hard to escape while he held him. He was shocked that Scabbers bit his hand to get loose and run off again. After so many years as a contented "family pet" it was uncharacteristic behavior. Of course, it's soon learned why Scabbers (Pettigrew) was so desperate to get away.
Question: In the divination class where Hermione walks out, what exactly is she up to when she says "The Grim, possibly"?
Answer: She was being sarcastic to the professor about her predictions, thinking that it's all just guesswork. She doesn't believe in divination and walks out because she feels it is wasting her time. And she was insulted, of course.
Answer: His parents, James and Lily Potter.
cullothiel