GoF 6

[pauraque_bk]

Happy birthday wishes to sistermagpie!


Discussion on Chapter 5 included Ginny's Great Personality Shift (+ love potions) and wizarding Imperialism.

This chapter is totally short and chock full of exposition. A holiday for my weary fingers.


GoF 6: The Portkey

[Mr Weasley] was wearing what appeared to be a golfing jumper and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.

'What d'you think?' he asked anxiously. 'We're supposed to go incognito -- do I look like a Muggle, Harry?'

'Yeah,' said Harry, smiling, 'very good.' (62)

Since we've been ragging on Arthur's lack of Muggle skillz for the last few chapters, I thought it was only fair to point out his total success in dressing reasonably. Kudos, good sir!

And then a load of exposition about Apparition.

'We told you to destroy them!' said Mrs Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakeably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. 'We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!' (64-65)

And good for Molly. Speaking of Molly, she's the only one who doesn't go to the QWC.

And then a load of exposition about Portkeys.

Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. (67)

This reminded me of something I almost pointed out in the last chapter, but didn't:

One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. (51)

It seemed odd to contrast Ginny with Hermione by saying she was "small". There seems to be no reason to point out that Hermione had a harder time making it up the hill (the sentence just sits there in its own paragraph, unrelated to anything else). Is it possible to read that Hermione is overweight, or is there something else to contradict that?

Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff house Quidditch team at Hogwarts. (67)

Cedric is so extreeeeemely handsome! It's been pointed out that the external reason for Harry to remark on the attractiveness of the guys he meets is that the books are being written by a straight female who doesn't know that straight teenaged boys don't think like that. But internally, it just makes Harry read as queer. Which doesn't bother me in the least. :D

'Ced's talked about you, of course,' said Amos Diggory. 'Told us all about playing against you last year ... I said to him, I said -- Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will ... you beat Harry Potter!!'

[...] Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.

'Harry fell off his broom, Dad,' he muttered. 'I told you ... it was an accident...' (68)

Aw, Cedric's so sweet. And he talks about Harry. OTP! Er.

Since we're here, let's talk about why Cedric exists. I've been thinking about this, and I can't quite pin it down. What happens if Cedric isn't present in the story? Harry is the sole Hogwarts champion. Crouch-as-Moody has to find a different indirect way to tell Harry what to do with the egg. Cho goes out with someone else, who (presumably) doesn't die, so she isn't all distraught in OotP. Fleur can't die because she has to marry Bill, so let's say it's Krum who gets killed by Peter. (Hermione would be affected by that.)

We don't know what (if anything) Krum will be needed for in Book 7. Does he make a worse martyr than Cedric? Is Cedric's death more shocking because he's from Hogwarts -- and because he's so inescapably good?


Quick, someone make me a Cedric icon!

Previous GoF posts are saved in memories here.

Comments

[nakedcelt.livejournal.com]

What happens if Cedric isn't present in the story? Harry is the sole Hogwarts champion.

...and has to get his own name in the Goblet legitimately; there is no question about who put the name in; there is no on-going mystery underlying the Tournament plot thread; there is no hint of somebody sinister hiding at Hogwarts and doing dastardly deeds.

And, of course, there is no conflict between Harry and Ron.

[pauraque]

...and has to get his own name in the Goblet legitimately; there is no question about who put the name in; there is no on-going mystery underlying the Tournament plot thread; there is no hint of somebody sinister hiding at Hogwarts and doing dastardly deeds.

Why's that? Harry's still not supposed to be in the Tournament; he's underage.

[typicrobots.livejournal.com]

Quick, someone make me a Cedric icon!
Seriously? Becuase calixa made some awesome Cedric icons here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/lixabiz/941.html#cutid1). And also of the actors playing Cedric and Cho here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/calixa/206178.html#cutid1).

Sooo pretty.

[pauraque]

I like the casting on that, just as a visual. They look like such a cute couple! It's easy to believe Harry being envious. Of her, I mean. ;)

[des06.livejournal.com]

Imposter!Moody gets Harry's name in the Goblet by entering him as someone from another school. For Harry to be the sole Hogwarts Champion, Harry would have to be the most worthy, as determined by the Goblet, of all the Hogwarts entrants. That's why the fake fourth school set up by Imposter!Moody is necessary. Since there are now four schools (at least according to the Goblet), there needs to be a champion other than Harry from Hogwarts. So while Cedric could be any Hogwarts student, he does need to be a Hogwarts student, and one who could legitametely enter the contest at that.

[pauraque]

Ahh, I getcha. I entirely forgot that part. (Of course, JKR's making the rules, so she could also have given Crouch-as-Moody the ability to fool the Goblet into thinking Harry was the most worthy. But she wanted it the Cedric way instead.)

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

This commentary is great! This is the first I've read and I'm going to keep reading them now, I think.

Ahaha! I totally want to see a fic featuring Harry & Arthur, with the thick leather belt! :)

Hermione vs. Ginny: I think it's just implying that Hermione spends more time in the library than out running about. Ginny grew up with badillions of brothers and was probably forced into more tomboy-ish games than only-child!Hermione was. Overweight? Potentially, although she apparently looks all pretty in her dress robes later on. (The "floaty, blue" ones, not the pink ones from the movie which she apparently stole from Pansy Parkinson!) Or possibly, it simply means that Ginny's a pixie. Small, you know? :D

Cedric's Super-Sekrit Crush! So cute. And his dad embarrassed him about it, what a jerk-off! :D

I think I want a Cedric icon now, too. This was fun; good stuff!

Oh, and just totally curious here: a long time ago, I remember Gina having a poll about how you pronounce various people's names and I was wondering how you do pronounce yours. I voted for the French pronunciation, "pah-RAHQ". I've been thinking about this for no good reason for awhile now. Correct me? :)

[hilarita.livejournal.com]

I think it's just implying that Hermione spends more time in the library than out running about.
I agree. I mean, at Hermione's age, I took regular exercise, was quite fit, but ask me to run 100 yards with a group of people and I'd arrive long after them, wheezing away.

Plus, of course, there seems to be no PE at Hogwarts.

[pauraque]

Welcome! Good to have you aboard.

Ahaha! I totally want to see a fic featuring Harry & Arthur, with the thick leather belt! :)

I almost said something about how Harry, having slept in the room with Ron, Fred, and George, wakes up not feeling very rested... Could be because it's so early, of course. Or because of the naughty naughty games they stayed up playing. Those Weasleys, you know how they are. ;D

My name is Spanish. It's paw-rah-kay.

[amythis.livejournal.com]

(The "floaty, blue" ones, not the pink ones from the movie which she apparently stole from Pansy Parkinson!) Or possibly, it simply means that Ginny's a pixie. Small, you know? :D

I pictured Ginny as a Molly-Charlie-Twins Weasley (short and "muscly"), rather than an Arthur-Bill-Percy-Ron Weasley (tall and thin).

I LOL at the robes comment.

[caesia390.livejournal.com]

It's been pointed out that the external reason for Harry to remark on the attractiveness of the guys he meets is that the books are being written by a straight female who doesn't know that straight teenaged boys don't think like that.

She knows! She writes Ron Weasley, doesn't she? Not from inside his head, I know, and she may be taking the easy way out... But She Knows!!!! She can't claim ignorance. I'd always said that somebody dumped some straight juice in the water for Book 6. Be it Ginny or JKR, she can't pretend like Harry was always straight or she 'accidentally' wrote him queer or whatever. She knew.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

I am surprised at some slashers who sort of take it for granted that Harry can't "really" be even the least bit queer in canon -- that it's all subtext, or slashers having fun. So hooray for this! Probably not the place to make an issue of it, but we should at least exchange sekrit handshakes or something. :)

[immora.livejournal.com]

But in Book 6, we have that Tom Riddle is handsome, handsome, even more handsome, handsome handsomehandsom-- I mean, those kind of references are even MORE pronounced in book 6 with the way he goes on about Tom.

[pauraque]

Well, there's been at least one published article on queer readings of the HP books, and we know she's aware of fandom, so admittedly I don't think it's plausible that she DIDN'T know people had been reading Harry as queer at the time she wrote HBP. I still think it may have been accidental.

[caesia390.livejournal.com]

Also, Cedric is a (genuinely!) nice, smart, handsome, clean, heterosexual (or at least bi) male. Duh. Of course he has to die. It's in the rules.

As to why he exists in the first place... This is one instance in which I am not going to argue with JKR's brain! :D

[pauraque]

Cedric could even be a virgin. Virgin sacrifice!

[nakedcelt.livejournal.com]

It's been pointed out that the external reason for Harry to remark on the attractiveness of the guys he meets is that the books are being written by a straight female who doesn't know that straight teenaged boys don't think like that. But internally, it just makes Harry read as queer.

And people wonder why he goes for tomboy!Ginny instead of feminine!Hermione.

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

Feminine? Hermione is sexless except when she's being bitchy.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

Dumbledore also has to be able to eulogize the extreme GOODNESS and unselfless sacrifices of someone good, so, Ceddie certainly fits the bill. Might also be that JKR knew that she wanted to eventually have Cho fall for Harry and therefore make ex-Ced the reason for Cho's weepy conflict. And Harry always needs some reason to feel like "OMG if I only didn't exist people wouldn't DIE." Because, well, Cedric would have lived had Crouch-as-Moody not wanted to get Harry. Interestingly enough, I've played in some RPGs where Amos Diggory goes after Harry in his grief, continuing to blame him for his son's death.

He's just resting!

[pauraque]

ex-Ced

This Cedric is no more! It has ceased to be!

[playscape.livejournal.com]

Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. (67)

This has always stood out to me for some reason, too. And there's another instance--maybe in the 5th book, I'm not positive--where Hermione clutches at a stitch in her chest. Hmm. Not sure why. The only reason why I don't think Hermione is supposed to be overweight is because JKR has no problem pointing out just how big or small her characters are: Harry is extremely thin, Ron is tall and lanky, Charlie is kind of stocky, Dudley is the size of a young killer whale. etc, etc. However, it never says one way or the other about Hermione probably because Harry only notices guys and it's one of the only main characters JKR doesn't describe physically regarding size. Hermione's hair and teeth overpower her, I guess.

[pauraque]

I have my doubts that Hermione is intended to be overweight, for the same reason you do -- Harry's voice is very critical of people's appearances, especially those of people he doesn't like, and he doesn't like Hermione at first. The only reason I bring it up is that it could be interesting subject matter for fic.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

It seemed odd to contrast Ginny with Hermione by saying she was "small". There seems to be no reason to point out that Hermione had a harder time making it up the hill (the sentence just sits there in its own paragraph, unrelated to anything else). Is it possible to read that Hermione is overweight, or is there something else to contradict that?

I suspect it is just to show Ginny as all lithe and athletic and energetic while Herimone's the one person in the group who doesn't play Quidditch and stays in the library. We'd probably hear if she was actually overweight. But since being good at sports seems a huge reason Harry loves Ginny this alone should be proof H/Hr will not happen.

Cedric is so extreeeeemely handsome! It's been pointed out that the external reason for Harry to remark on the attractiveness of the guys he meets is that the books are being written by a straight female who doesn't know that straight teenaged boys don't think like that. But internally, it just makes Harry read as queer. Which doesn't bother me in the least. :D

I joke about it, but honestly it's gotten to where it actually does read as canon to me. As was said above, JKR writes Ron, and Ron never strikes me this way at all. When he calls Cedric a pretty-boy (I think everybody does at some point) I automatically take it that Ron is accusing Cedric of caring about his looks or not looking manly. With Harry it's just genuine handsomeness. He even notices that Sirius used to be handsome. Seriously, he seems to crush on Sirius immediately in the Pensieve. And I love that because Sirius is acting so much like Draco there, only suddenly his bored affectation is attractive.;-)

Aw, Cedric's so sweet. And he talks about Harry. OTP! Er.

I love the way Amos is set up so clearly--reading it now I know how devestated this guy is going to be when he loses Cedric. I think he knows Cedric is a better man than he is even now, and Cedric seems sweet to Harry and to his father at the same time.

I had completely forgotten about Moody making Harry from another school, but it seems like JKR probably really did want a specific kind of martyr. He should be from Hogwarts, should be fair, should help Harry and all that. "Remember Viktor Krum" wouldn't mean the same thing--plus she can introduce him in an earlier book. Plus, he's British, which I think does bring something to this world that Viktor doesn't.

Oh, and thank you for the birthday wishes!

[fitchersvogel.livejournal.com]

But since being good at sports seems a huge reason Harry loves Ginny this alone should be proof H/Hr will not happen.

I just had to pick this out to say how much this annoys me (not because you said it, but because I guess it is true).
I always hated these kind of crushes in books/movies; does it really happen that boys pick a girl because she is sporty ? It seems a bit too bland for me: guy is interested in Quidditch --> falls in love with the athletic girl.
But maybe that's just me, the girl who hated PE with a passion, would be the last up the hill, and is a very lazy person :)... (And I'm not overweight, just really unathletic)

Oh, and isn't JKR very bad at sports as well? Hmmmm.

[alya1989262.livejournal.com]

Cedric is not only sweet, athletic and a good student, but he's probaby the most good-looking guy of their age. And probably the next Head Boy. And he died in 'sacrifice' to Harry. Reminds you of someone?
Okay, so James Potter wasn't as sweet, but there's a pattern: James, Sirius, Remus, Cedric... Rowling definitely has something against good-looking guys!!
More seriously, I think Cedric is a very sympathetic figure, much, much more than Fleur and Krum. I think most people knew at some point of their lives someone who was genuinely sweet and honest, and was clever and good-looking, be it a guy or a girl. Frankly, Cedric reads like the male Lily to me. Maybe not as blatantly brave, but he does resemble her.

Ginny is one of the few Good 'small' or 'short' characters, actually! I would have risen against the discrimination, if LV wasn't tall... But, let's face it, DD, Hagrid, Ron are all expressely tall characters. And Umbridge is repeatedly described as 'short'. (You can tell I'm short myself... :P)
~Alya~

[pauraque]

And probably the next Head Boy.

Earlier I was trying to figure out what year Cedric's supposed to be in, and it wasn't clear to me. We know he's seventeen at the time of the Tournament, but I couldn't work out whether he was in sixth year or seventh.

[impinc.livejournal.com]

Because Cedric is hot.

[impinc.livejournal.com]

Also, just in case we didn't pick up on the fact that Harry likes boys.

[misentropic.livejournal.com]

Have been lurking on these for awhile. Hello. :)

Now that you point it out, Harry's perception of Cedric here is interesting. I never noticed it before myself, but retrospectively he does have a pattern of noticing attractiveness in boys more than he seems to notice it in girls. (Later on when Hermione gets all dolled up for the ball, Harry doesn't even recognize her at first. That could definitely be read to imply that it's never even occurred to him to label her as pretty before, and he doesn't do so until it smacks him in the face.) He's definitely not the Mr. Heterosexuality that some people perceive him to be.

I also think it's very sweet that Cedric stands up for him here, and not necessarily even in a slashy sense. I'll have to go back and reread the chapter because I can't remember how Harry reacts to this, or if it's even specified at all.

[pauraque]

Hi!

I don't think Harry had a very specific reaction. We do learn later that Harry was starting to like Cedric -- until he began dating Cho.

[amythis.livejournal.com]

Cedric is so extreeeeemely handsome! It's been pointed out that the external reason for Harry to remark on the attractiveness of the guys he meets is that the books are being written by a straight female who doesn't know that straight teenaged boys don't think like that. But internally, it just makes Harry read as queer. Which doesn't bother me in the least. :D

I've always read Harry as bi, even in canon. (But then I'm bi, so I'm, um, biased.) But I also think he's tremendously clueless about his own attractions. Even if no love potions are being swigged in his 6th year, he's definitely caught off guard by romance. (Except for Ron/Hermione of course.)

Since we're here, let's talk about why Cedric exists. I've been thinking about this, and I can't quite pin it down.

I don't think anyone has brought this up yet, but Cedric was teh HUFFLEPUFF, the living embodiment of all that is good about the most belittled house. The Hufflepuffs we meet before Book 4 are not too impressive, e.g. Ernie Macmillan. So maybe the Hufflepuff qualities are going to matter in the end.

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

(And go with what's easy, because good, kind, brave people are toast.)

[pauraque]

I don't think anyone has brought this up yet, but Cedric was teh HUFFLEPUFF, the living embodiment of all that is good about the most belittled house. The Hufflepuffs we meet before Book 4 are not too impressive, e.g. Ernie Macmillan. So maybe the Hufflepuff qualities are going to matter in the end.

Poor Hufflepuff. They get their one hero -- and then he's overshadowed by a Gryffindor hero horning in on the glory! I do wonder what'll happen with Hufflepuff in book 7, especially given the odd comment in HBP about Harry liking Ernie Macmillan.

[scarah2.livejournal.com]

Even if Harry stays with Ginny and never kisses anyone else for the rest of his short-ass life, that still doesn't mean he is a Kinsey 0. I'm not sure what it would take for me to think that he is.

Cedric

[csi-tokyo3.livejournal.com]

Recent theory around here while fanficcing is that there was a three-way trade between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw & Hufflepuff the year before Harry came to Hogwarts. Gryffindor sent Cedric to Hufflepuff in exchange for getting Hermione from Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff gave Ravenclaw a second-round draft pick with which they chose Cho Chang ... and have probably regretted it ever since.