I also find this chapter interesting because we learn a little bit more about the law and politics of the magic world (maybe it’s because I’m a lawyer myself). It’s just so strange that the minister can have such a position in the wizengamot. It seems like in the English magic politics the trias politica principle isn’t implemented.

It would be interesting to see with human rights wizards would have. I guess the right to have a wand be would be one. But would the muggle human rights also bbeen taken in consideration?

I also noticed that the minister is asked for the job, not chosen. Something we in our society would find strange. Wo decides to ask someone? The wizengamot?

So many questions, too much fun to think about this sort of stuff! ;) It’s interesting to see how the ministry of magic works.

Now I am interested in what other rights are set out in that Charter. How do they differ from ‘Human Rights’?

Of course, a little taste went to the boy’s head and he wanted more. He somehow convinced his Head of House to let him on the Quidditch team in his first year, even though first years aren’t even allowed to have brooms. Then he’s somehow connected to the Chamber of Secrets business. And, of course, he managed to get himself into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, didn’t he? Got to enjoy all the added fame, adulation and press associated with it.

Then, we find out that he’s complaining of his curse scar hurting him, having funny turns all over the school, and on top of that, he’s a Parselmouth, for Merlin’s sake! Well, the press turns on him when they find out the truth, of course, and what happens? He comes out of the maze, holding the Cup and the corpse of his closest competitor, spouting some story about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named coming back, killing the poor Diggory boy, and wanting to start a new war against the rest of us. Rather convenient of You-Know-Who to take out Potter’s challenger for him, if you ask me.

Now Dumbledore, who, lets face it, brilliant though he was in his day, is now over a century old, instantly believes his golden boy, and adds to the story that Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody helped the boy along through the whole tournament, but, then, it wasn’t really Moody. Turns out, Dumbledore, toddering old fool that he is, hired a Death Eater to teach these students Dark magic. Taught them the Unforgiveable Curses right there in class, he did.

You know what I think? You-Know-Who coming back is just a story Potter thought up to cover the fact that he killed Cedric Diggory because the poor young man was going to beat Potter to the Cup and steal Potter’s thunder, and Dumbledore is too trusting or too senile to see what’s really going on.

Of course, we really only have ourselves to blame. If we had only treated Potter normally from the start, no different from any young man, instead of heaping the attention on him, maybe he could have turned out normal. Alas, I think it’s too late now.

For the safety of the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore should be forced into retirement, and Potter should, at the very least, be expelled immediately. For the safety of the Wizarding world in general, Potter should probably be tossed in Azkaban, and maybe, subjected to the Dementor’s Kiss, just to be safe.
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Now, thinking like your average wizard-on-the-street (as I’ve obviously just tried to do above), which story is more likely? Which story would you be more willing to believe, that a possibly disturbed young man is fighting for attention, or that one of the most evil men in history has returned from the grave? (“There is no magic that can truly bring back the dead” remember?)

David, my thoughts were that the Patronus Charm is such a flashy spell to produce, that it would be a gross misconduct against the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. They never believed dementors would actually show up in Little Whinging, as Madam Bones showed with her reaction. Because, what are the odds? They’re supposed to be under Ministry control. But now they have a boy and a witness claiming there actually WERE dementors in Little Whinging, which is completely shocking, because why would they be there? Either the Ministry ordered them there, or something much more sinister is going on. Nobody wants to believe it’s either, so I’m guessing that they convinced themselves it’s impossible just for their own peace of mind. They probably convinced themselves that Harry had used the Patronus Charm to show off (for its flashiness), and believed so because of what everyone thinks of him at this point.

Fudge: “Ah. Dumbledore. Yes. You – er – got our – er – message that the time and – er – place of the hearing had been changed, then?”

Dumbledore: “I must have missed it… However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done.”