chapter fifteen of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Ron and Harry make up with Hermione, and Hermione has a crazy day in which she slaps Malfoy in the face, sleeps through Charms, and quits Divination. Finally, amidst a highly charged atmosphere, Gryffindor defeats Slytherin to dramatically capture the Quidditch Cup.
 

Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep.

(by Helene Sirois)

 

“This is such a waste of time,” Hermione hissed. “I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms -”

(by Tealin Raintree)

 

Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever.

(by gerre)

 

“And here are the Gryffindors!” yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. “Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years.”

(by glockgal)

 

“And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint.”

(by glockgal)

 

“‘Course, Wood’s a superb Keeper!” Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch’s wistle. “Superb! Very difficult to pass – very difficult indeed – YES! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! HE’S SAVED IT!”

(by glockgal)

 

Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt’s tail, and was pulling it back.

(by Helene Sirois)

 

Madam Hooch was beside herself…. “Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I’ve never seen such tactics!”

(by Heather Campbell)

 

“Go! Go! Go!” Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy – Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him – he was at Malfoy’s ankles – he was level -

(by glockgal)

 

about the chapter

Something You May Not Have Noticed

When you think about it, it’s really some wonder Draco Malfoy is even allowed to play in this final match against Gryffindor. If Harry had flown into a Slytherin match dressed as a dementor and Snape had been administering punishment (as McGonagall administers Draco’s), Harry almost certainly would have been banned from the next game. So why wouldn’t McGonagall ban Draco? Maybe she’s simply kinder, or she simply didn’t think of it. But I think there’s a better reason: Draco is probably an inferior player to whoever his replacement would be (remember how he bought his way onto the team?). McGonagall, a huge Gryffindor fan, probably did her team a favor by letting him play.
 

The Wizarding World

It’s clear the Quidditch Cup is determined not just by the teams’ records, but by their points – and we also know that the standings for the professional Quidditch leagues are listed the same way. In this case, both Gryffindor and Slytherin end the season with a record of two wins and one loss, so it makes sense to use the points as a tiebreaker. But I wonder if another team had won only one game but outscored both Gryffindor and Slytherin, would the Quidditch Cup have belonged to them? Given that the British and Irish league standings don’t even include the number of wins, it seems like this might be the case – though in a three-game Hogwarts season, it certainly wouldn’t be likely to happen often.
 

Life at Hogwarts

Professor Trelawney tells Hermione that she doesn’t “remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane.” This could certainly be taken as high praise, given the source. I wonder what Trelawney thinks of McGonagall… or, for that matter, Luna Lovegood!
 

The Power of Magic

I wonder whether Cheering Charms have some kind of effect that makes you aware it’s been cast on you. Otherwise, wouldn’t students just be constantly casting them on their professors, so they’re in a good mood when grading (Snape could certainly use a couple)? And while we’re at it, as Heather Campbell once wondered, what would happen if a whole bunch of people cast them on Voldmort simultaneously?
 

(‘I Know How it Ends,’ by Heather Campbell)