How It All Goes Down
Aboard the Hogwarts Express
- The night before Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley is called back into the Ministry.
- Someone named "Mad-Eye" has gotten into trouble with his Muggle neighbors for disturbing the peace.
- Mad-Eye claims there was an intruder near the house, but his booby-trapped trashcans exploded and scared the intruder off.
- Amos Diggory begs Mr. Weasley to go over there and smooth everything over, since "Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today" (11.20).
- The Weasley family starts talking about Mad-Eye Moody: George thinks he's a "nutter" (11.31) – in other words, crazy.
- But Mrs. Weasley reminds them all, "Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody" (11.32).
- Moody is a retired Auror. (An Auror is a Dark wizard catcher.)
- But after catching so many evil wizards, "he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore" (11.38).
- The next morning, the whole family (minus Mr. Weasley and Percy but plus Harry and Hermione) pile into taxis to go to the train station.
- Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George say good-bye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie before getting on the Hogwarts Express.
- Both Charlie and Bill hint that "You're going to have an interesting year" (11.53).
- But they refuse to explain their hints about what's coming to Hogwarts.
- On the train, Hermione overhears Draco boasting, "Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts" (11.69).
- Durmstrang is another European wizarding school. It has a reputation for emphasizing the Dark Arts.
- Hermione explains that both the other major wizarding schools in Europe – Beauxbatons and Durmstrang – are kept in hidden locations "so nobody can steal their secrets" (11.77).
- Ron starts telling all their Gryffindor school friends about the Quidditch World Cup.
- Draco Malfoy walks by and start jeering – he catches sight of Ron's dress robes in his trunk and exclaims, "Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean – they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety ..." (11.102).
- Malfoy is also delighted to find out that Ron doesn't know what's coming to Hogwarts.
- Malfoy knows because "[his] father told [him] about it ages ago ... heard it from Cornelius Fudge" (11.109).
- Ron is now totally enraged and embarrassed.
- At last, they arrive at Hogwarts.