How It All Goes Down
Mudbloods and Murmurs
- Now that Colin Creevey has introduced himself, he seems to be everywhere: he's constantly snapping photos of famous Harry Potter.
- Ron's wand shoots out of his hand in Charms, "hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck" (7.2).
- Oliver Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, wakes Harry at the crack of dawn for Quidditch practice.
- Harry is the Gryffindor Seeker – the youngest house Quidditch player in a century.
- Colin Creevey rushes out with Harry so that he can watch Harry practice.
- Harry sees the rest of the team: Fred and George (Beaters); Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson (Chasers); and Oliver Wood (Keeper).
- Oliver is clearly obsessed with winning the Quidditch Cup this year, and he has lots of new moves to teach his team.
- He starts to wonder why Colin is taking so many pictures of their practice: is Colin a Slytherin spy?
- Still, George points out, the Slytherins don't need to spy; they're on the field in person.
- The captain of the Slytherin team, Marcus Flint, has a signed note from Professor Snape booking the Quidditch pitch so that the Slytherins can train their new Seeker.
- Who is their new Seeker?
- Draco Malfoy.
- Of course.
- It turns out that Lucius Malfoy bought everyone on the team top of the line Nimbus 2001 broomsticks – no doubt this gift encouraged Marcus Flint to accept Draco on the team.
- Ron and Hermione come out to the Quidditch pitch to see what's going on.
- Hermione mocks Draco: "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in [...] They got in on pure talent" (7.79).
- Draco replies: "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood" (7.81).
- All the kids from wizarding families react incredibly strongly to this word; it's obviously really offensive.
- Ron pulls out his taped-up wand and tries to curse Draco.
- It backfires, though, and Ron finds himself spitting up slugs.
- Harry and Hermione take Ron to the nearest adult: Hagrid, in his hut near the Forbidden Forest.
- They find Professor Lockhart there, giving Hagrid advice about kelpies (water spirits) in wells.
- Hagrid doesn't seem pleased.
- Professor Lockhart leaves and Harry and Hermione drag Ron inside.
- Hagrid's treatment suggestion is to just let Ron keep puking the slugs up: "Better out than in" (7.99).
- Harry complements Hagrid on the giant pumpkins he has grown.
- Hagrid admits that he's been using magic to help them along.
- Harry knows that Hagrid "wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Harry never found out why" (7.131).
- Still, Harry is pretty sure that Hagrid keeps the fragments of his snapped wand hidden in an old umbrella. So, sometimes, Hagrid does a bit of magic on the sly.
- Hagrid teases Harry about Ginny's crush on him; apparently, Hagrid saw Ginny near his cottage, and he thinks she was trying to get a glimpse of Harry.
- That Saturday, Ron and Harry have to go to the castle to serve their detentions for the flying car thing.
- Ron has to clean things for Argus Filch, Hogwarts caretaker and noted hater of students.
- Harry has to help Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail.
- Harry feels like he's going to die of boredom.
- Suddenly, he hears a strange voice: "Come...come to me...Let me rip you...Let me tear you...Let me kill you..." (7.156).
- Harry asks if Professor Lockhart heard the voice.
- Professor Lockhart thinks Harry drowsed off and had a dream.
- Back at their dorm, Harry tells Ron what he heard.