Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake
chapter two of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry puts up with a visit from Aunt Marge for a week, but things turn disastrous on her last night when Harry loses control and blows her up like a balloon. In a fit of rage, he then grabs his things and storms out the door.
Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys….
(by Helene Sirois)
“Right,” he snaped finally. “I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge’s visit. If, at the end of it, you’ve toed the line and kept to the story, I’ll sign your ruddy form.”
(by Tealin Raintree)
On the threshold stood Aunt Marge.
(by Laurence Peguy)
She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger – but the swelling didn’t stop.
(by Laurence Peguy)
about the chapter
Anyone want to take bets on whether Marge (clearly the bully in the family) is Vernon’s older or younger sister? None of the Dursleys seem to like it when she visits, so it’s hard to imagine why she comes. She must just enjoy pushing around her younger brother and being nasty to Harry from time to time; otherwise why bother? She and Vernon must have had a very interesting childhood growing up together….
The Power of Magic
It’s sort of funny that Harry didn’t get an official warning from the Ministry of Magic for making Aunt Marge’s wine glass explode. They don’t come after him later, when he blows up Marge, because they don’t have time before he leaves the house and disappears. But he’s in the house for several days after the glass explodes, so why wouldn’t he get a letter? It seems likely that the strength of the magic involved is important – even Muggles don’t consider a broken glass to be a big deal, and if Aunt Marge really does have a firm grip, it would only take a tiny bit of magical force to explode the glass. Other spells, like Lumos, also don’t seem to register strongly enough on the Ministry’s sensors to trigger a warning. I wonder how they determined how strong the sensors should be?
The last portrait of Aunt Marge has a Quentin Blake quality to it, which is wonderful. Thanks for posting twice this weekend–Prisoner of Azkaban is definitely my favorite book and I can’t wait to read what insights you may have!
Natalia said this on June 1, 2009 at 1:43 pm
maybe the exploding wine-glass was a combination of both Harry’s magic and Marge’s firm grip on them. Therefor, Harry only had to give a tiny, little push of magic before it broke… just an idea:P
kim said this on June 2, 2009 at 3:24 am
Yes – great idea Kim. That’s basically what I was thinking, but I didn’t put it nearly so eloquently as that. ;)
John Kearns said this on June 2, 2009 at 8:24 am
You know it’s interesting that you mentioned “minor” bits of magic because I’ve always wondered about Lumos. Harry uses it to light up the place where Sirius is watching him, and later on, in GoF Hermione uses it in the forest right before the Dark Mark is cast into the sky. Lumos seems to not register as a spell at all, I’ve always wondered why that was.
Also, I LOVE the last Aunt Marge!
Lola said this on June 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I’ve edited the commentary a bit to reflect what you all have brought up – very good points.
Lola, remember that when Hermione uses Lumos it’s in a forest surrounded by wizards, so nobody at the Ministry would have thought anything of it. On the other hand, it’s also true that when Harry uses Lumos in the alley, the Ministry is probably already actively looking for him, and his using magic doesn’t seem to help them find him (unless maybe it registered but he was gone before they got there?). Either way, it’s hard to say what registers and what doesn’t. I bet we could ask Fred and George though, I’d imagine they have a pretty good idea how much you can get away with. ;)
John Kearns said this on June 2, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I always wondered if Colonel Fubster, was a wizard and accidentally broke the glass while Aunt Marge was visiting him.
As to Fred & George, they live in a wizarding home where magic is routinely used. How would the ministry know if it was them or their parents?
I love both Aunt Marges. In the first, her expression and pearls exactly mirror her bulldog.
Loader Lady said this on June 2, 2009 at 4:47 pm
For Fred and George–it probably hast to do with the Trace, since the underage wizards would have it and their parents wouldn’t. Most wizarding families would be similar to theirs (entire families of wizards), so there’d have to be a way to distinguish between the kids & I’m not sure how that would be done in a wizarding household (since the Ministry mixed up Dobby and Harry in book 2, although that might’ve been part of Dobby’s magic).
I bet small, accidental magic like Harry’s wouldn’t register that well since there’d be no Muggles around to see it.
Hayley said this on June 2, 2009 at 5:47 pm
When we have the trace explained to us, we’re told that the ministry counts on parents to enforce the underage wizardry restrictions in wizarding homes.
Kit Kendrick said this on June 7, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I think, Aunt Marge is the older sibling. As we see in DH, Ch.33), Petunia must be not considerably older than Lily, since she is using a whip-set and was startled at the appearance of Severus Snape, who was just a 10yo boy at that time. I would estimate Petunia not more than 3 years older than Lily. So she must be arround 24, as Lily died. Vernon was already Director of a company at that time, so he must be at least in his early 30, making the age-gap between Vernon and Petunia. Aunt Marge required already a walking stick, when Harry was still a little child, so she must be at least in her advanced 40s.
And now to the so-called “Trace”:
As Tom Riddle was underaged, he was even able to do the Avada Kedavra 3 times without being detected. So I guess, that the Trace was just put on underaged wizards, who have already a record of doing magic outside school and/or run afoul of the MoM.
Marco said this on August 9, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Marco, Vernon is a big lad but part of his authority is based on his size. I’m afraid he would keep himself somewhat fit in order to dominate his surroundings more readily. But Marge is just plain self-indulgent, in her overall behaviour and her eating habits. If she needed a walking stick as a fairly young woman, I bet it’s because she needs extra support for her obese body!
Deborah Hubbard said this on August 13, 2009 at 7:50 am
in GoF the trace just showed underage magic was happening, but there were to many wizards. It’s the same with the wizard family were they can’t see who did magic, just that it happened. The parents have to control it. Otherwise Harry didn’t use his wand to brake the glas. I don’t think the ministry can trace accidentally magic. I think they just noticed, that something was wrong, cause Harry left the house and the protective spells around him. And Cornelius must have been quite sure, it has something to do with Sirius.
Rika said this on August 24, 2009 at 6:26 am
I liked Marco’s point about Tom Riddle. I had never thought of that before.
Another scene in which Harry doesn’t get in trouble for using Lumos was in OotP when the dementors came.
I think the reason Harry didn’t get in trouble for the glass breaking was because it wasn’t like he said an incantation–it was accidental. Though I don’t know why he would get in trouble for inflating Marge then…
A question about the Trace: wouldn’t the MoM know that Harry didn’t cause the floating pudding, because house-elf magic is different then human magic?
Just some thoughts… thanks for the blog, it’s awesome!
Lara said this on August 26, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Actually, Marco, I just realized that your point about the Riddle murders doesn’t exactly apply, because we later find out that it was actually Morfin who killed them. Tom did perform the Imperious curse though, so why wouldn’t he have gotten in trouble for that?
Lara said this on August 26, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Lara: I’m thinking that the Trace not only picks up ‘underage magic’ but also whether or not it’s affecting Muggles and the likelihood of it being explained without mentioning magic. That, or the Trace picks up everything and then the Improper Use of Magic office determines the same thing. After all, what’s a little Lumos incantation compared to conjuring a patronus in front of a Dementor?
Natalia said this on August 27, 2009 at 11:38 am
In the picture of Marge and Ripper, they both seem to have the same facial expression, which is marvelous! They always say people become like their pets after a while..
Lizzie said this on September 2, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Hi, Lara – are you sure about Morfin killing the Riddles? I was sure it was Tom Riddle (Frank Bryce told the police when he was saying he was innocent that he had seen “a teenage boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale” near the house) – but Morfin was under the imperious curse to plead guilty to having done it. Tom also told Harry later on that he himself had killed his father.
Electa said this on September 7, 2009 at 12:50 am
Lara and Electa:
Tom Riddle stupified Morfin, took his wand and murdered with that wand his father and his paternal grandparents. Afterwards he he discarted the wand beside the still unconcious Morfin and falsificated his memory. But Tom Riddle never used the Imperius Curse on Morfin. But still a big amount of underage magic in Little Hangleton without the MoM noticing. And it took hours, before MoM officers were sent to the scene. But in Harrys cases of underage magic the MoM reacted very quickly.
Marco said this on September 14, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Marco, I think you’re on to something: it was certainly underage magic, but neither inadvertent pre-Hogwarts magic nor magic done with a schoolboy wand. Perhaps the fact that the wand belonged to a legitimate adult wizard meant that the Ministry wouldn’t pick up that it was being used?
Deborah Hubbard said this on September 18, 2009 at 6:47 am
good point about the wands the trace could be linked to them i think the ministry is sloppy they give harry a warning when dobby uses magic and then try to discredit him with it three yrs later they should have know it wasn’t him not the only example either
Tammy said this on October 20, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I think this was all answered in HBP. Dumbledore says that the trace can detect magic no matter what kind, but if an adult wizard lives in the house or around the place the magic was performed they don’t attend to it because it could be the adult casting a spell. I remember this so clearly because I thought about how the Weasley twins must get away with a bunch of stuff.
Joyce said this on November 4, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Could it be possible that when Harry uses lumos in the alley, because sirius, an adult wizard, is nearby, maybe the ministry treated it the same way they would with a wizard family?
This website’s brilliant by the way! I never really thought of the books in this way, but it certainly gives you a lot to think about! Thanks and keep updating :)
Charlotte said this on February 3, 2010 at 12:52 pm
But then wouldn’t they realize that the only wizard that lives near Harry Potter’s house is a Squib and, therefore, there’s a wizard performing magic in a Muggle residential area and that should probably be checked out?
Natalia said this on February 4, 2010 at 6:04 pm
We learn from the case of Ariana Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows that it is unhealthy for a witch or wizard to bottle up their magical ability. Suppressed magic tends to burst forth dangerously when emotions are heightened. We also see this with young wizarding children who often exhibit magic when they are frightened or angry. It surprises me then that the Ministry of Magic doesn’t recognize the seeming health concern posed by prohibiting underage wizards from using magic outside of school. Obviously, young witches and wizards at Hogwarts are being taught how to control their magic, so maybe the Ministry thinks that the two-month summer break is a “reasonable” amount of time for students to refrain from its use (the law is called the ‘Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery’ after all). However, after breaking the glass in this chapter, Harry reflects: “It had been a long time since he’d lost control and made something explode.” And surely the reason why he ends up blowing up Aunt Marge in a moment of rage is because he hasn’t had any outlet for his magic for all summer. By contrast, we never see Harry cause accidental magic at school, despite the fact that he must feel similar levels of anger at times in his encounters with Malfoy or Snape. This also makes me wonder about the young wizards who are home-schooled rather than taught at Hogwarts. Are underage wizards allowed to perform magic if being taught by their parents at home? If not, wouldn’t this be just as bad a situation as that suffered by Ariana Dumbledore?
One of the things I love about this chapter is our first glimpse of Sirius Black on Muggle TV. Harry usually feels starved for news from the wizarding world while on summer break, and here the two worlds actually come together and he doesn’t know it yet. I also love how Uncle Vernon says the “Lunatic could be coming up the street right now.” Little does he know that Sirius is very interested in this neighbourhood of Little Whinging!
Andrea said this on February 20, 2010 at 9:44 am
Andrea, I don’t think I agree with your idea that “bottling up” magic could be dangerous. Ariana Dumbledore had no problem at all with her magic until she was viciously attacked by Muggle boys, destroying her ability to control herself – only then did her magic become dangerous. As for Harry blowing up Aunt Marge, don’t you think that the cause of that was at least 90% due to his overwhelmingly strong emotions in the moment? These seem to me to be isolated cases, and have pretty clear alternate explanations other than magic being “bottled up.”
As far as Harry’s emotions with Malfoy or Snape go, I don’t think they’re nearly as strong as with Aunt Marge. Remember that Marge has been needling him all week, and doing so in a place where he has been spending months with no friends, nothing to make him happy, and no ability to fight back in any way. I think his emotions in that scenario would be substantially stronger than with Malfoy or Snape.
John Kearns said this on February 20, 2010 at 1:23 pm
On a much different note… these times when Harry’s on Privet Drive have started to make me think about how the Dursley’s have prepared Harry for fighting against Dark wizards. The only specific thing I can think of in this chapter is his bargain with Vernon about the permission slip. His whole life with the Dursley’s is constantly about narrow escapes (from physical harm) and talking his way in or out of things. Seems to be good practice.
Laura said this on July 8, 2010 at 4:27 pm