Chapter two-the vanishing glass

[jammi567]

Chapter 2 starts off by saying how everything’s stayed the same, but only pictures of Dudley show how times have changed. We are then formally introduced to Harry, and how everybody treats him. We’re told that it’s ‘Big D’s’ birthday, and what type of presents he’s got but never uses. We are then given a description of Harry.

Jo said in an interview that his eyes were going to be important to the story, yet we haven’t been given a reason. So what do you think the importance is?

Dudley comes into the room, is given a description, and then complains that there’s one less present then last year. Petunia answers a call, and comes back saying that Mrs Figg has broken her leg.

Has she or hasn’t she?

Harry then remembers that he hates going to her place, and that he was forced to look at her cats. Vernon and Petunia talk about what they should do with him, and conclude that they have to take him with them to the zoo. Vernon takes Harry and tells him that if anything should go wrong, then he takes all the blame. We are then told of Harry’s past experiences with the hair coming back after she cut it and that he was laughed at school for wearing sell taped glasses, and baggy old clothes. Also, the other experience of finding himself on the roof of the school after running from Dudley’s gang.

Where did he get his glasses from? Was the last experience Apparition or Levitation?

Whist in the car to the zoo, Harry tells everyone that he dreamed about a flying motorbike. This, of course, is from when Hagrid took him to the Dursley’s ten years ago. This gets Vernon mad, of course. When they arrive, they go around and see the animals. In the afternoon, they go to the reptile house, where they see a massive python. Dudley says that it’s boring and walks away. The snake looks at Harry and winks. Harry stares and for good reason. Snakes can’t wink because they don’t have eyelids, nor can they hear sounds unless they’re vibrations on the floor!

Do you think there is any reason for Jo to do this, except to introduce unknowingly us to Parseltounge?

Dudley pushes him out the way, and Harry unknowingly does a non-verbal Vanishing spell on the glass. This let’s the snake out and escape.

A possibility here, but could this snake be Nagini that we first see at the beginning of the forth book?

Once they get home, Vernon sends him to the cupboard for a week with no meals. We are then told that if Harry thinks long and hard, he can see a blinding flash of green light and his scare hurts a lot. The text then goes into what some of the former Order members do when they see him. Finally, it ends on a note that he had no friends because no-one wanted to get on the wrong side of Dudley’s gang.

(I hope this is ok, because this was done on very short notice, and I didn’t have a lot of time to do it in because I wanted it to put up as quickly as possible).

[durinsbane2244]

as to mrs. figg, that's a very very good point! i see no reason why she should lie about it, as she knew that harry was, however unhappy, better off with her than the dursleys. but it seems odd that, though she herself couldn't do anyting, she wouldn't have any wizarding friends that could fix it...unless of course the accident happened in front of muggles, to whom she couldn't explain a sudden mending...hm...*walks of pondering*

[jammi567]

Maybe she faked it because dd had the idea already that Harry is a possible Horcrux (maybe even as soon as dd first seeing him after his parents died ie. 1st November), and he wanted to test if it was true. Therefore, Figg 'broke' her leg because I would think she knew the Dusley's would be going to the zoo. So after it happened, she might've found out about it somehow, and reported it to dd. Therefore, dd knew Harry was a parselmouth all through the ps/ss and part of the way through cs, before anyone else found out about it.

[durinsbane2244]

why would that test if he was a horcrux? honestly, i doubt JK had even thought of those at this point. the first was a children's book. also, he believed that Voldy had giving Harry some powers anyway, so knowing he was a parselmouth doesn't mean he knows he's a horcrux.

[jammi567]

How do you know when that chapter was writen. it might've been writen any time between 1990-97. and just because it's a childrens book (although you can't really call it that, what with Quirrel drinking blood, and having someone sticking out the back of his head), doesn't mean that she can't not mention something this early in the series that doesn'y fully appear for another six books.

[sun-star]

Originally Posted by jammi567

Dudley comes into the room, is given a description, and then complains that there’s one less present then last year. Petunia answers a call, and comes back saying that Mrs Figg has broken her leg.

Has she or hasn’t she?

She might have done, and there were no wizards around to fix it; or it might just be an excuse because she's going somewhere in the wizarding world and she doesn't want to tell the Dursleys about it.

Where did he get his glasses from?

The NHS...

Whist in the car to the zoo, Harry tells everyone that he dreamed about a flying motorbike. This, of course, is from when Hagrid took him to the Dursley’s ten years ago. This gets Vernon mad, of course. When they arrive, they go around and see the animals. In the afternoon, they go to the reptile house, where they see a massive python. Dudley says that it’s boring and walks away. The snake looks at Harry and winks. Harry stares and for good reason. Snakes can’t wink because they don’t have eyelids, nor can they hear sounds unless they’re vibrations on the floor!

Do you think there is any reason for Jo to do this, except to introduce unknowingly us to Parseltounge?

I think it's just another way of showing us unusual events which we later find out are magic, like the haircut, jumping onto the roof etc. Also, Harry's conversation with the snake shows the reader that he's a sympathetic boy who can take an interest in other people (or snakes), unlike Dudley and Piers.

Dudley pushes him out the way, and Harry unknowingly does a non-verbal Vanishing spell on the glass. This let’s the snake out and escape.

A possibility here, but could this snake be Nagini that we first see at the beginning of the forth book?

I got the impression Nagini had been with Voldemort most of the time he was in exile, not just three years, but I might be wrong about that.

[durinsbane2244]

i doubt that nagini was in the zoo, it just seems to be to far of a shot...

[jammi567]

Was the last experience Apparition or Levitation? i recon that it was appiration because he just appeared suddenly. ans anyway, no human can levitate except on a broomstick.

[durinsbane2244]

well...in the forth book he did use the levitation spell to get out of the water...i think...unless that was just the film...

[jammi567]

checked relevent chapter, and nothing of that sort happens, so it's just a film thing. anyways, that reference to humans not levitating in 'Quidditch through the ages'.

[durinsbane2244]

what about in the POA when DD "magicked" harry onto a stretcher? i'm sure he just lifted him and set him down wiiiiiiiiiiith....[drumroll, please] levitation!

[jammi567]

"no spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form"
Chapter 1 - QA.