How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.
"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"
Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.
Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.
"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"
"Uh-oh," said Ron.
"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.
"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions..." (12.199-206)
Moaning Myrtle is so obvious. She's thrilled that Hermione is going to be teased because she gets some weird pleasure from other people's misfortunes. No wonder no one likes to use her bathroom. She's not a very pleasant ghost. That's a tangent, though. We really chose this passage because we love that Hermione accidentally turns herself into a cat-girl. This moment shows that Hermione is brilliant and amazing, but she's also human and messes up occasionally. Without this episode, Hermione might not be as believable as a character. She'd be too perfect. We also really love that neither Harry nor Ron laugh at Hermione or tease her for her mistake – they are truly loyal friends.
Quote #8
Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"
Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand, too, but Harry pulled him away. Ron didn't need to spend the whole of Charms belching slugs. (13.113-114)
The teenage years are suppose to be the Awkward Age, but Ginny's only eleven in Book 2 and she appears to be cramming all of her awkwardness in early. In the later books, Ginny seems relatively self-possessed and self-confident. In Book 2, though, she's got a crush she can't deal with and she's getting possessed by Tom Riddle's diary. She really can't get a break. Even so, she has loyal friends and family who express concern for her throughout the book. Even though she's going through a rough time, she's not as alone as she may imagine she is. Are there parallels we can draw between Ginny's experiences in Book 2 and Harry's emotional crises in Book 5? What might they be?
Quote #9
"I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest every since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…" (15.122)
Aragog loves Hagrid for his kindness. Clearly, that is the basis of Hagrid's friendship with all of the magical creatures he introduces into the castle, from Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon in Book 1 to Grawp the giant in Book 5. Still, Hagrid's kindness is often blind. He is absolutely without judgment about what is safe, so he willingly sends Harry and Ron into a hollow full of giant spiders ready to kill and eat them. Do you think the risk Hagrid takes with their lives is worth the reward? If something bad had happened to Harry and Ron, what responsibility would Hagrid bear?