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[CLOSED] - The Harry Potter Book Club! - Your Notes for Chapters 22 & 23 of The Goblet of Fire! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-06-02 18:24:20
Edited:
2024-06-29 14:29:01
Imported:
2026-08
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Content

THIS PART OF THE BOOK CLUB IS NOW COMPLETE! THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING PART AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME!! :)

Oof-Tee-Poof, everyone!! 👋

Here is a chance to get your comment read out in the next Book review video!

If you are reading along with the reviews, we are covering chapters "The Unexpected Task" & "The Yule Ball"! So if you have any thoughts, opinions, comparisons or questions regarding these, please leave a comment below!

I do have to ask, try to keep them fairly short, like 4 or 5 sentences.  That way I can cover more when making the video.  Also try to keep them on subject and not referencing anything that we are yet to cover. Ideally, keep it to 1 comment each if you can (if you have more to say after commenting, you can edit it and add to it! :) ).  These are just rough guidelines rather than rules, I want to be able to fit in as many of you as possible! :)

NEW FEATURE!! - As some of you may want to make a comment, but not have it replied to by others, you can now Message me your thoughts on the chapters by DM'ing me on here.  If you do, please follow all the above rules, especially avoiding mentioning things in future chapters or books!  Oh and please start your DM message with "Book Club -"!

To anyone that does reply to comments below, please make sure you are being friendly and respectful!  A lot of tone and meaning can be lost in text, after all!  If you disagree with someone on something, keep it polite and remember the golden rule in life - Sometimes you have to just agree to disagree! :)

Thanks, guys!! :)

Files

Comments

Benjamin Hütz

Its just a minor detail but i laugh every time when Ron and Harry are having a sword fight in McGonagalls class :D Also i love Hagrids Story. Him being a half giant is never explained in the movie.

Jake M

Wfftipwff! Veggie, fy (vee) Hoff Moron! Welsh slang of the month- a microwave is often known as a Poptyping- literally, an oven (popty) that goes ping XD Chapter 22 The mystery continues... It's not quite "Who is the heir of Slytherin?" levels of intrigue, but just who ARE Fred and George writing to, do you think? Anonymous love letters to Percy, perhaps? I can't help but blush myself whenever I read Harry asking out (and being rejected by) Cho... It's perhaps the most relatable thing in this entire universe. I've never encountered a basilisk or three headed dog myself, but I have encountered the monsters that are social anxiety and rejection! Chapter 23 So Hermione's "rather large front teeth" have gone - do you think there might be a similar fix for Ron's enormous feet? And finally, the triumphant return of Vernon's old socks! Hopefully Dobby will treat them with more love than Harry ever did- speaking of which, Ron is an ungrateful little sod, immediately giving away the gifts he doesn't like to a house elf he's only recently met! P.S. the Welsh meant my favourite carrot. Not my favourite idiot. 😂

Kunzite Blossom

Even though the film never explained it fully, the fact we get to learn more about Hagrid being half giant is so interesting. The film barely even mentions it. Also, having the book show girls asking Harry to the dance was really nice. In the film we just see most girls avoiding Harry (or slightly hinting they want him to ask). Very different. It does suck he rejects other girls because he wants to go with Cho, just to be rejected by her. Almost feels like karma, but not really.

Nessy-Bobs

Hi Veggie PUUSKUPUH Have you noticed the relevance of the crappy presents given to Harry by the Dursleys after starting at Hogwarts? Before he attends Hogwarts, they gave him a coat hanger and a pair of socks. After attending, he receives a tissue, a toothpick and a coin. 😉😉

Alias93

Hi Veggie! Hermione's teeth situation confirms that magic will not always automatically fix everything: she has always been self-conscious about their size, but her magic didn't shrink them like Harry's did when it grew his hair back. Percy (or should I say, the Supreme Ruler of the Universe) is here! And in a very important position, as he is representing Mr Crouch in person. It's surprising that he seems to have forgotten that Harry was there when Mr Crouch dismissed Winky, but then again so many things happened that night that it might just have slipped his mind. We get so much character development for Krum in this chapter. In the movie he is more of a confident athletic guy, but in the book he is much more introverted. It's interesting that he had to work up the courage to ask Hermione out to the ball, and that it was the reason why he kept coming to the library (but who knows, maybe he does like reading too?). Fun fact: the way Krum initially mispronounces Hermione's name is actually the way we pronounce it normally in french: Hermy-own (or Hermee-own, I'm not sure how the ''my'' was pronounced here).

Diego Zenhäusern

I always find it funny that Rowling chose such an uncommon name for one of her main characters that she had to write a guide on how to pronounce "Hermione" into the books to teach the readers😅. Funny note: The German translators actually anticipated this problem and promptly renamed her "Hermine" (which is actually one of the very few instances where they changed a name in the translation). So in the German version this clarification on how to pronounce her name is really not needed. Which in turn kinda makes Krum look dumber than he is, since he can't pronounce a name that's actually quite straightforward to pronounce😅

John Phillips

I find it Interesting how Ron offers Ginny to go to the Yule Ball with Harry and even though she has a big crush on Harry, she turns down the offer since she's already going with Neville. I think this is a good showing of Ginny's loyalty, especially since Neville probably wouldn't have a partner for the Yule Ball otherwise. I also like how Ginny stood up to Harry and Ron when they were both having a laugh about Neville getting rejected by Hermione. Ginny also refused to reveal Hermione's secret of who she's going to the Yule Ball with. That's another showing of her loyalty. I think these two chapters start to make it clear that Ron has some feelings for Hermione. There were subtle hints earlier, but these chapters make it obvious, especially with his jealousy of Krum in the Yule Ball chapter.

Diego Zenhäusern

Wow, I never even considered the option that Ginny could have just let Neville down and go with Harry instead🙈😮 And here I was thinking Ginny couldn't rise further in my esteem😅 Also: These chapters made it obvious to anyone but Ron xD

H

"Sorry if I sound too feminist. " You didn't sound "too feminist", and I don't think you need to apologise. Great comment. :-)

S1lm4r1l

Bow down mortals. Percy Weasley is the new Emperor of the Universe! Since Harry has arrived at Hogwarts, the Dursleys have sent him 3 Christmas gifts. A toothpick, a tissue and a 50p piece. Some people think these represent the Deathly Hallows. (They didn't get him anything in Prisoner.) Hormones be raging and sparks be flying in these chapters. Lots of insecurity too, not just the Golden Trio, but Ginny, Karkaroff, Krum, Percy and Madame Maxime too. Ginny's brutal assessment of Harry and Ron's situation always tickles me. "They've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the Ball." She got moxie! The dress is BLUE. Not Pink. BLUE. Would it have killed them to put her in a blue dress? It always annoys me. Would Percy make a good personal assistant? Has he risen too far, too fast? Any ideas on the beautiful room filled with chamber pots Dumbledore stumbled on? Why is Karkaroff suddenly worried and why does he think Snape can help?

Jake M

Oh wow...is that official, or fan theory? (Not sure what the coat hanger and socks are meant to symbolise though?)

Jacob sparks

We know Harry has a crush on Cho, so I have no issues he didn't think to ask anyone else. He knew who he wanted to ask and eventually he did. Unfortunately was a little late and by then his good female friends (Hermione and Ginny) already had dates. But I like to think he would have asked them if he didn't have eyes for Cho at the time. Ron on the other hand is a 90s teenage boy who can't admit his true feelings. He may not even understand what his feelings towards Hermione are at this stage. But his reaction to Hermione going with Krum is similar to his reaction when Harry name comes out of the goblet, A little bit of anger and jealously at why wasn't it me. Not a good look at his personality traits if that's what he resort's to when he doesn't get what he wants.

Nessy-Bobs

No idea, I read it in a comment section online, either Facebook or YouTube. Never bothered to google it.

Dara Jeeling

Good morning! Another week about to start Now to the book club: Now onto one of my things... What do you think about the way the teachers handle their classes before the ball? I think it's interestig that altough more then one teacher keeps them working it's only Snape they call evil for doing so. Also: NO dancing classes in the books? I do not mind that it's not included. Not a bi fan of the movie scene - since it seems as though only the Gryffindors (not sure since I always thought Eloise Midgen was Hufflepuff) were present, How do you think all other houeese learned to dance? So I prefer the book version. What do you make of Karakaroff? Not exactly a joyious fellow - is her? Very protective of his school it seems... And... Hagrid is a Half Giant.. Any thoughts on that one? (and Ron being Ron and just rude)

S1lm4r1l

I think the implication is that the other teachers keep them working because they care about their education. Snape keeps them working because he's mean. Not saying that's right, but I think that's what they think.

Mel

Hi Veggie ! - I love the Christmas morning scene with Dobby so much. Not only is it sweet and warm, it reminds me of Harry's first Christmas at Hogwarts and getting presents for the first time. It must be the case for Dobby too, his first Christmas getting presents from his friends. It's extremely touching that Dobby thinks of giving Harry a present. Despite being mistreated, he doesn't hold a grudge against humans, and that's worth pointing out. - In the French text, the weird' Sisters are a group of girls only - at least, that's what our translator makes us understand with some translations. In the English text, the gender is not specified because she just uses « they » to describe them. So, our translator has decided to make them feminine, probably influenced by the word “Sisters”. In the film, they are men (or is it a mixed group?) but the lead singer is a man.

Caroline

Hi Veggie! I hope youre doing well :) A lot happens in these chapters. I can't stop being amazed by the worldbuilding and the endless imagination. 1. WWN „Wizarding Wireless Network“ …amazing! Also, I think the idea of Dumbledore organizing bands and drinks for the ball is just too funny. 2. Ron mentions Eloise Midgen's nose is off-center: remember in chapter 13 it was mentioned that she tried to remove her acne but the spell went wrong and her nose got reattached by Madam Pomfrey. 3. Ron's helpless interaction with the girls is so hilarious. I think he doesn't know any better at this point... just pure teenage drama. Also, I think Hermione doesn't like Fleur and the Beubatons in general, not only because of Ron, but because they seem to represent a cliche-like and “perfect” image of women and that goes very much against Hermione's Ideology of „character is more important and everyone is ok the way they are”. (Which is also a big theme in this book and very much in line with the whole coming-of-age story) But another lesson is surely that Hermione's views about them are also false prejudices. And she fixes her teeth as well…there are always two points of view. 4. The fat lady, who gets drunk with her friend Violet is always a highlight. I'm so glad she also has a private life. Thank you for this whole HP journey and book club. You can't imagine how much it means to me. It is so much fun. And I can't believe you're already halfway through the fourth book! Lovely wishes to you and Woozle and see you next time!!! And sorry for the long comment!! I know…🙈

Florian

Hi Veggie! Lots of little things happening. Dobbys Christmas visit is very memorable. What do you think about the Snape/Karkaroff and the Hagrid/Maxim interaction.

Dara Jeeling

I kniw what you mean. I justcwabted to point it out. He is different, because he sets a test the very last day. But then to quote Snape "I see no difference" *cough*

Sandra

Hi Veggie :) Hermione seems to hate Fleur. Fleur does complain about Hogwarts, which is rude and must be annoying. Could it also just be because Ron is so openly attracted to her?

Maddie

Hi Veggie! It's nice that we get these chapters that show Harry and friends just being normal students worrying about normal student things. Harry thinking unkind thoughts about Cedric because he was being petty and jealous, and him turning down that girl because she's taller than him are quite hilarious and silly, but they are such realistic portrayals of a teenage boy that it adds more layers to his character. At least it shows that he's not just this noble perfect boring hero. Also, congratulations to Weatherby on his promotion.

Collin Anderson

Hey veggie It’s my first comment in a while. I have always found the krum and Hermione relationship kinda weird. Krum 18. This was said in the quidditch World Cup, and Hermione is 15. This age gap is a bit weird to me. This is comparable to a high school seniors (last year of school) going to a school dance with a sophomore (seconds year of high school. I won’t go into much detail here, but there is not a very good stigma to upperclassmen who date underclassmen. Also I relate to Harry and Ron here. Trying to ask a girl to a dance, it reminds me of when I was 14 and trying to ask girls to our school dances. I always get a good laugh when Ron tried to ask fluer to the dance because it’s just so real. Hope you are doing well and keep up the good work. Edit: I just found out Hermione birthday is September 19. Why hasn’t Harry or Ron celebrate her birthday?

John Phillips

Hermione is actually 15 at this point in the book. Her birthday was in September.

Martin Wilson

Hi Veggie, Were you expecting to get the McGonagall dancing with Ron scene in the book? I found it funny but not realistic. Just don't believe she would do that. Enjoy her starting to show some partisanship for Harry this book though - defending him after his name came out of the Goblet and then being very obviously worried for him before the first task. Wondering who to feel most sorry for during the Yule Ball. Padma and Parvati were both ignored by their partners the whole night but presumably ended up having a good time with other people. Poor Hermione had her night ruined by Ron, but at least enjoyed the start of it. So would plump for Hagrid.

Steven

Hey Veggie and Woozle! Chapter 22: -I really like that Harry is getting the attention from girls in this chapter, its very common for him to be embarrassed by something. I don’t understand why they made the girls give him death stares in the movie as if they still dislike him. -we get an insight into what kind of teacher Professor Flitwick is! He’s definitely the cool one that everyone gets along with -I’ve never realised before but i’ve always envisioned Richard Wilson (Victor Meldrew from One foot in the grave) as Professor Binns, sadly i highly doubt this would happen for the series since he’s nearly 90. Chapter 23: -We get yet another mention of Hogwarts having CRISPS XD -if Sirius is worried about owl mail being intercepted then… Why is he signing the letter with his name and not the ‘padfoot’ alias? Seems a bit backwards to me. -I really HATE the way Ron treats Hermione in this chapter, it just makes it worse that it’s at the ball. I love that we get Harry’s perspective on this and that he AGREES with Hermione, i really wish this had been in the movie too. Theres so much good stuff in these chapters, I could easily make my comment a lot longer. What did you think? What was your favourite moment?

Caroline

Interesting :) It's not specified in the German version either, but you would also assume they are women because of “sisters”. But now that I think about it, the name is even funnier because they are men 😆

Mel

I think it's funny too! 😂 In fact, when I saw the film, it seemed so normal that they were men. It was only when I reread the book that the detail jumped out at me.

Caroline

Interesting, I always saw it as them just hanging out together. Nothing has ever been confirmed in this direction. As far as I remember, Hermione herself is annoyed at the insinuation that she is going with Krum. I always thought the whole friendship in the book was there to show that Hermione was the only one who took the student exchange seriously and saw Krum in an unbiased way, showing in the end that his character can actually be thoughtful and serious and doesn't like all the fame around his person, unlike the dumb, muscular boy he's portrayed as. Of course, she would enjoy the attention of someone else who is not one of her closest friends, especially with Ron behaving like that, so of course she goes to the ball with him, but for me, there were never feelings involved other than mutual empathy. So the overarching message is that two very different characters can also be friends...?

Caroline

You could mention this in your comment. Maybe Veggie will find the idea funny too ☺️

Alias93

I like that in book 5, when Umbridge starts evaluating the teachers, Fred and George say that Flitwick will probably be fine as he usually gets most of his students through their exams. It shows that even though they don't really care for school work, they still respect (some of) the professors.

Steven

Yes! Its such a small detail but adds another level to their personality, OOTP has a lot of these nice little details that i appreciate

Gothic Llama

Hi Veggie! Chapter 22: - Since McGonagall said "partners" for the dance, do you think Harry, or any other champion or student, could've asked a same sex student? It would've been fun to see Fleur dancing with a girlfriend, or maybe Seamus and Dean going together. - It's such a teenager thing for Harry to suddenly think badly of Cedric, who is going to the ball with his crush - Poor Ginny was so sure Harry, or anyone, would not ask her out to the ball that she accepted Neville (it's also cute he first asked Hermione) and then Ron suggests she goes with Harry as if it's their last option, and she has to decline, since she's already promised Neville. On a side note, it's good to see that Ginny and Hermione are actual friends and talk about boys and stuff. Chapter 23: - One of the worst crimes of the movie, in my opinion, is the costume choice for the Patil twins (however Cho looks great). Why did they choose such ugly dresses for them??? They should've hired a designer with at least some ties to the Indian culture to create outfits for the girls. I mean, come on, have you seen how beautifully people dress for Indian weddings? I hope the HBO series will do it better. - On Hermione's dress: apparently the costume designer chose color palettes for the trio and Hermione got pink since it's more girly I guess? That is also why in later movies she is wearing more pink clothes. Harry got blue and Ron got burgundy/brown I think. Okay, now to the most important question: how do giant/human relationships work? I mean the giant's genitals are much bigger so I am wondering how the pregnancy even starts... You've seen Hagrid's giant brother in movie 5, who's still young, and we've also learned that Hagrid himself outgrew his father when he was around 6. I imagine the birth itself would be awful for the human mother! And how big the belly would be in the last month! I honestly don't think JK thought this through...

Gothic Llama

As someone with Bulgarian family, I believe he pronounced "my" just like it sounds in English, maybe the "y" would be more pronounced. I checked Hermione's wiki page in Bulgarian, and it's spelled Хърмаяни, so it would be hyrr-mai-nee. I honestly don't think Krum would have much problem with pronouncing it at all, since all of the sounds are present in his native language, maybe his "r" would be more hard sounding. Also fun fact: in Bulgarian they don't pronounce hard "l", so it sounds more like a "w" or "u". I had a dog named Balbina, and every time we introduced her to someone during yearly family trips, they would pronounce it as BAU-BEE-NUH haha

Gothic Llama

My question is: why is she in the same year as Harry and Ron if she was born in 1979 and the boys were born in 1980? Shoudn't students in the same year be also born in the same year? Or does it work differently in UK - like, do you have to be born between September and August to be admitted to the same class? It just confuses me so much, since here in Poland all of my classmates (unless there was a special situation) were born in the same year as me. Also, I imagine Hermione is even older, since she has pretty much whole school year of time traveling in year 3 to attend all her classes.

Collin Anderson

I don’t know how they do it in the uk either, because I’m American. At least where I’m from we have a cut off date. I think it was September 30, so we had some people born in 2 different years. I’m guessing they do that over there.

Collin Anderson

They kissed at the yule ball. Krum also wanted a relationship with her. He asked Harry if there was any feelings between her and him. Hermoine never really reciprocated any feelings after the Yule ball, so I think she wanted to just be friends.

Alias93

That's interesting! Hermione is not a particularly difficult name to pronounce in our language either, so the mispronounciation felt a bit forced too, if I remember correctly it was mostly overemphasizing the 'r' and missing the 'e' at the end.

Alias93

@Gothic Llama I'm not sure how it works irl in the UK, but my understanding for Hogwarts is that students must be 11 when they start their first year, so the cut-off point would be september 1st, not january 1st. Since Harry was born in the summer, he is one of the youngest in his school year, having just turned 11 when his first year started, while Hermione is one of the oldest in their school year, since she turned 12 right after the start of their first year. Which could also explain a little bit why Hermione acts more mature, as she's almost a year older than Harry.

Alias93

I really liked that they made sure to not cause a massive disruption while students were preparing for their exams during the easter holidays, a fact the movie completely missed by having them do it during the OWL exams...

S1lm4r1l

We don't know that Hermione kissed Krum, although she probably did.

Music Here

Hi Veggie! 1. I like that multiple people asked Harry for the dance. It makes sense, he's a celebrity. 2. "Bezoar" is mentioned as a key ingredient that Harry forgot in Snape's potions test. It was also mentioned in the first book. Do you remember its significance from one of the movies? 3. It's always wonderful to hear about rumors going around the school, like the fact that Dumbledore had possibly bought "eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta" 😁. Details like these make Hogwarts feel alive. 4. Flitwick appreciates the summoning charm Harry performed in the task. It's great to hear about their interaction, they are quite rare even in the books. 5. Is Hermione "nagging" Harry about the egg, or is Ron right that Harry has earned a break? 6. Ron would rather go to the Yule Ball with a terrible but good-looking person, than someone who's not good-looking but a great person. This is unfortunate but very realistic especially for a teenage boy. 7. Hermione says in the movie that Viktor is "more of a physical being". I've always found this line really weird, and it's not in the book. 8. I did some math: Only 6.4 % of the audiobook was about the Yule Ball, while in the movie around 13 % of the runtime was dedicated to the Yule Ball. It's not a HUGE difference, but still clear. I think this wasn't a good decision by the moviemakers, there were more important things to focus on with limited time. Most of them haven't come up yet. Finally, I would like to highlight some funny lines: - "giggling should be made illegal" - "twitchy little ferrit, aren't you Malfoy?" - "“Harry — we’ve just got to grit our teeth and do it,” said Ron in a tone that suggested they were planning the storming of an impregnable fortress.”"

Will

My head hurts from reading chapter 22. Too much heteronormativity. Last time I read this book I hadn't gone to prom. Now I have (in 2018). At first I didn't even want to dance, partly because I'm not straight. And I wasn't going to ask a guy because I was embarrassed. I ended up going with a girl a head taller than me. (It's not that big of a deal, Harry) Harry and Ron are insufferable in this chapter. Is no one else rolling their eyes and groaning at everything in this chapter? I will say, I do like that Harry goes with Parvati because that is someone he has known for as long as he's known Ron and Hermione. I really hope poor Eloise found a partner. Rant for chapter 23 incoming. If you cast Emma Watson as Hermione, her big amazing transformation from a regular looking girl to the most beautiful girl the school has ever seen, doesn't work. And why was the dress pink??? Rant over.

Music Here

Well, I definitely wasn't rolling my eyes and groaning at everything in that chapter. In fact, I wasn't rolling my eyes at anything. I found all the interactions realistic, relatable or funny. Ron is a little too much but I don't see anything insufferable about Harry in this chapter? When it comes to heteronormativity, it's real for a reason: most people are heterosexual. It was even more real in the 90s. It's sad to see you weren't able to like the chapters because of your personal experience. Personally, I don't need to see myself represented in a story to enjoy it.

H

"Personally, I don't need to see myself represented in a story to enjoy it." IF you (like me) are heterosexual, maybe you don't feel like you need to see yourself represented because... almost every relationship related stories already represents us? Just meant as a thing to think about, by the way, I'm not out to start a row or anything :-)

Dara Jeeling

yeay it's exactly like that with the color patterns. The guidex at the tour mentioned it.

Dara Jeeling

It's not that bad... Hooe you do that calculation again for HBP - and memories versus "lovey dovey" stuff

Music Here

It's hard to calculate but yeah it's probably even worse there.

S1lm4r1l

Point 7 might be spoilery. In the film, Harry and Hermione have that conversation after the Yule Ball.

S1lm4r1l

The coat hanger and socks happen before Harry's introduction to the Magical community though.

S1lm4r1l

Harry should've been Green. Ron should've been Blue and Hermione something else. Red maybe

Ashley Evers

Ooftypoof, Veggie! I wonder if the reason we are never told how Harry feels about S.P.E.W. is because he is the point of view character, and the author wants us to be conflicted and see the nuances of the situation. If we heard what Harry thought, we might be more likely to see his opinion as correct. I do think that House Elves have a magical compulsion to obey their masters. We have seen both Dobby and Winky physically struggling against some invisible force when trying to be disobedient. Obviously, I also think that would affect them psychologically, which is what Dobby is dealing with, since the magic was broken when he was freed. It sure took Harry and Ron long enough to notice that Hermoine’s teeth had changed 🤣 You know, I’ve often thought that it was sketchy that Moody was allowed to work at a school with an eye that could see through clothing, but having one of the under age girls specifically talk about how it makes her uncomfortable takes it to another level for me. Parvati is 100% correct, that should not be allowed. And now we find out that Krum wasn’t only in the library for the books 😁 I guess she doesn’t say whether he started coming to the library just to see her, or if he saw her in the library and then came back so often to see her more. It’s still good characterization, seeing that it took him so long to work up the courage to talk to her, but I would like to hear more about why she caught his eye.

Music Here

But Cedric gives Harry the egg advice in that scene which happens at the end of chapter 23 in the book. So, I assume Veggie will watch that scene.

Andrew K

Hi Veggie! Hope you’re happy and well! A few small points from these chapters. - The interaction between Harry and McGonagall is gold; “I don’t dance”, “Oh, yes, you do”. - “Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling” in response to learning about Harry asking Cho. I like how we continue to get hints of Ginny liking Harry, even though she’s become less embarrassed around him. - “Twitchy little ferret aren’t you Malfoy?” It’s nice to see Hermione getting some digs back at Draco, she takes a lot of abuse from him so I’m happy to see her get confidence to bite back. - There is an element of sadness when learning that Hermione altered the size of her teeth, as it does show it was something she was self conscious about (I have not forgiven Snape for his comment, the prat) - Finally, “They has made a mistake in the shop Harry Potter, they is giving you two the same!” Never change Dobby! P.S. What didn’t think of Clash At The Castle? We need the wrestling tangent and this is also an excuse to plug your new wrestling channel! Stay well!

S1lm4r1l

Fair enough.

itsanursething

It's my understanding (and I could be wrong, so don't quote me on this), that Hermione was approached by McGonagall when she was 10 to be given her Hogwarts letter and she could have started a little early. But, Hermione being Hermione, and being a perfectionist, wanted to wait a year until she was 11 like everyone else in her year, so she could use the extra time to study and catch up. She didn't want to be "behind" being muggle born. Again, don't know where I heard/read this or if it's accurate at all, but it's definitely my head canon!

itsanursething

Hi Veggie! Chunky chapters this time around! So much good stuff, but I need to get one thing off my chest that has been bothering me for a LONG time. HER DRESS WAS BLUE!!!! Ugh! I get that the movies have to change things from the book because of budget or time or whatever, but it would not have cost them any more or taken any longer in the movie to give Hermione the BLUE dress she wore in the book! Or to give her a slick, sleek hairdo. I mean really, that transformation was kind of a big deal for her! So why change it?? Sorry. It’s silly, but that has always bothered me about the movie. Anyway! I’ve got a lot more I’d love to say about these chapters, but I’ll try to keep it brief. - Harry insulting Cedric…not cool! I know! But it’s definitely out of jealousy that he’s going with Cho. - On that note, why are all the boys so RUDE in these chapters? My goodness… - Fleur is a poop. I’ll just leave it at that. - I love sneaky Hermione :) - And finally, one of my favorite lines in this book, “you’d think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls.” So much more good stuff, but I’m sure everyone else has probably covered it! Sorry if this got too long. Until next time! P.S. don’t worry so much about waffling on in the videos. I happen to like waffles ;) Also, Daniel Radcliffe won a Tony!!!

itsanursething

THANK YOU!!! The dress was blue dammit! I hate that they put her in a pink dress. SO dumb. And Ginny is a badass. This for me kind of marks the beginning of her badassery.

itsanursething

I don't think he turned her down because she was taller. The book said something about her looking like she would hurt him if he said no.

itsanursething

Considering Hagrid's mom was the giant, I don't think she would have had much of an issue with the pregnancy...Also, not sure how well Veggie will take that part of the comment. Not to criticize it or anything! It's an interesting point! How did Hagrid's dad fall in love with/stay with his mom for so long if giants are supposedly so vicious?

Andrew K

@Gothic Llama. In the UK you’re considered to be in the same school year if you’re born between September 1 and August 31. There are cases where someone is born literally on the last day of August, but would be put in an entire school year up from someone born the day after. It’s a strange concept when you think about it, but yes that’s how it works. My school year for instance featured people born in both 1998 and 1999, so it covers half of both years. Hope that makes sense!

S1lm4r1l

I just wanna know the rationale behind these decisions. I genuinely think there should be some sort of Canon supervisor on set. Whenever anyone suggests changing things from the book, they have to argue their case, especially for these sorts of decisions where its style rather than substance. Its a change for the sake of having a change. Did they think Blue wasn't girly enough? Maybe it's just me but I've always thought pink was a fairly unflattering colour for a lot of women. I genuinely can't figure out why they decided to change it.

S1lm4r1l

They did kinda do stuff with her hair. But the colour of the dress is just "Lets just change this for no reason." This is the sort of thing adaptations get wrong that really annoy the original fans, and we know that when the original fans like something, they tell others about it.

itsanursething

From what I understand, they had already chosen the color schemes for the characters’ wardrobes, and Emma’s was pinks 😒

S1lm4r1l

Surely that would make the transformation all the more impressive and jarring, if Hermione were suddenly to dress in Blue? That's what the dress is supposed to convey. Hmph.

Tawny Owl

Hi Veggie! Finally caught up and joined the patreon! This is the first time I got over my anxiety enough to join a community and comment something. :D Thanks to you and everyone here for creating this lovely space! Now that I reread it, the Yule Ball chapter has to be one of my favorites in the series. I remember it being much longer than it actually is; I think because I spend so much time there in my head when I read it as a teenager. I especially loved the magical garden and I still have a super vivid image of that in my head.

Jacqueline Chaiton

Hi Veggie, long time no comment! I’ve been going through various health things and while I’m not fully 100% I am very much getting there. I just find it ironic now that Hermione’s dress is blue in the books, which is very Cinderella, when Emma Watson went on to play Belle. Maybe the costume department had a time traveller on staff and that’s why they made the dress pink?

Grace S

Hi Veggie! Chapter 22 Notes: I'm glad Harry learned he had to dance quite a while before the ball. Also, are the weird sisters a play on twisted sister or something? In addition to being sassy, Harry is so dramatic. I mean, those thoughts about Cedric, and also Parvati and Lavender being considered 'drastic measures '! Chapter 23 Notes: Hermione really has it out for Fleur! Speaking of Hermione, Snape's and Malfoy's words about her teeth clearly had an effect on her. I mean, she basically got the magic equivalent of plastic surgery done to them. Dobby is back! The interactions he has with Ron will be great for Ron's self esteem I think. Sirius's knife (NOT an innuendo) sounds incredibly handy. I wish Padma and Parvati's dresses had been better done. They looked very cheap in the movies. PERCY IS BACK!!!!! (That's it, that's all, I love Percy). I wish we had seen Maxime get mad at Hagrid in the movie, it gives her so much more character. These were two long chapter, I hope you and Woozle have a great day!

Darcy

Did you notice the mention of a bezoar? A big thing we miss in the movies is the set up of concepts long before they are needed. I guess since not all the books were out when the movies were being made, the filmmakers wouldn’t know which little details will be important later and ended up cutting a lot of crucial information. Also, I forgot how book accurate the AVPM version of the Yule Ball scene is: RON: Yeah I‘ll probably go alone too, I mean the only girls who don't have dates already are Ginny (both thumbs down) and Hermione(both thumbs down farther) and I'm not going with my stupid sister. HARRY: And I think of Hermione as a sister so that’s out. RON: We are in such a puzzle.

Maddie

He also made a comment on how it wouldn't look good if they dance together because she was taller so he did take her height into consideration :)

Nessy-Bobs

Hi One or two commenters have written about the pronunciation of Animagus v Animaji. One is singular, the other plural. Morgan from MovieFlame channel made a video about it, claiming it should be Animaji, and using a soundbite of Stephen Fry pronouncing it like that. I pointed out to him in a comment that in the Shrieking Shack bit of the audiobook, BOTH versions were used. He changed tack and said that JK Rowling said it was pronounced wrong in the films. It's not like we can ring JK up and ask for her take on it, asking if he's right or just talking out his arse. lol

Kevin Morris

"The only thing that's got bigger bones than her is a dinosaur"....LOL! Never change, Harry...Never Change! Now we get to the second instance I was talking about of interspecies breeding. We had Fleur being part-Veela; and now we have Hagrid and Madame Maxine being half-giants. Again, I always enjoyed this part of the book because it just raises so many questions about the relationships between wizardkind and other "human-like" magical creatures. I would really love to read something set in this universe that explores that more. Another one that doesn't get talked about in the books or movies but is in background material is that a lot of the students suspect (but it's never confirmed) that Professor Flitwick is half-Goblin because he's so short; and there's Credence's "nanny" Irma Dugard in Crimes of Grindelwald that is confirmed to be half-elf. Also, it has been confirmed that the reason they have Krum learning how to pronounce Hermione's name is because JK Rowling got frustrated with the amount of people who didn't know how it was correctly pronounced. Lastly, did you catch Dumbledore's comment about looking for a bathroom and finding a room that he had never seen before with chamber pots?

Andrew K

Always loved the Room of Requirement tease in this book!

Garfnob

Greetings, Chapter – 22 - at least there was no last moment notification about Harry needing to start the dance. - drinking must be ok for minors in the wizard world, or the rumor about the mead would not be believable. Or is it a British thing, do they serve alcohol at school functions? - Ron’s waffled dress robs are old fashion, but top hat and tails are normal? At least in Harry’s mind. Chapter – 23 - so, Hermione was not traumatized by the long teeth. It was an opportunity. Malfoy did her a favor. - is the new food presses more work? I am sure there are fewer options then at a feast, and as people did not know what to do right away the orders would come in a little as a time. -apparently Moody makes a habit of looking through clothing.

Janie

Hi Veggie! It's nice to finally see Ginny being able to talk to Harry. I feel bad for her missing the opportunity to go to the ball with him though. And Neville doesn't seem to be such a good dancer as in the movie either. Percy, the supreme ruler of the universe, is back! And he was promoted too. Good for him. I love the bit of information we get from him about what's happening at the Ministry. It's always interesting to know more about the wizarding world outside of the school.

Dara Jeeling

hope youbarf getting better!

Jacqueline Chaiton

I'm getting there! Starting on a new medication soon which I'm hoping will really help.

Katik

I actually just noticed re-reading this chapter - they have given her Pansy Parkinson's dress from the book in the movie! It said pink and frilly for Pansy in the book and that's what Hermione was wearing. Weird choice!

Katik

Hi Veggie! So much good stuff in these chapters! It's so sad to see most of our protagonists being so shallow and all about the looks of their partners - sadder when I compare it to my teenage experience and admit how realistic it is! Do you think Hermione seems to dislike Fleur so much just because of Ron's crush on her? Or is it also to do with the fact that Fleur comes across as vain and shallow in the scenes Hermione reacts to her - and Hermione values the exact opposite of that (as we can see from her defence of Eloise). I love that Dursleys, instead of not sending Harry anything for Christmas, make an effort to send him a present that is as rubbish as possible. I kind of respect them for that :D Harry's procrastination habits (the Egg, homework, asking Cho out) really make me anxious here. And not because it's the opposite of how I would have behaved, but because I am also afflicted by chronic procrastination and seeing it mirrored in others is quite triggering. Others already talked about this in the comments - but having Moody's eye being able to see through clothes in a school full of underage kids is CREEPY! How did anyone not think that might be a problem! And I mean both the characters in-world but also the author herself. JKR obviously had considered it, since we get that comment from Parvati - but it doesn't seem to be followed up on in any way, so are we supposed to treat it as a joke?

Maria

Hi Veggie! I really like these chapters! There's a lot to talk about, and we get so much more detail than we do in the movie. I'm sure you also enjoyed that Percy turned up again! I am happy that he was promoted, but it seems a little irresponsible to push all these big responsibilities onto someone who has been in the job for less than a year. Surely, there were more experienced people in the department. Harry is lucky that Parvati agreed to go with him! She definitely saved him from embarrassing himself, especially since he apparently doesn't know how to dance. I like Krum far more in the book than in the movie as well. We get a lot more character development and personality, and his interactions with Hermione are very cute. Ron, on the other hand, really got on my nerves in these chapters! His behavior was really unflattering. We also continue to have mysteries in these chapters! What do you think the twins were talking to Ludo about? What do you think of Igor and Snape's conversation? Also, I really liked seeing Dobby again! I find it adorable that he is knitting socks in his spare time. I imagine those two different patterns for Harry's socks must have taken him a while.

S1lm4r1l

The Dursley's pettiness is something to aspire to, if you are going to be petty that is.

Carmen

Hey Veggie, these are such great chapters with so many different plot points. I'll write in point form to keep it short. -You would think Hogwarts would have other school dances or large social gatherings. -My head cannon about Harry not being impressed or curious about Krum, is that he (harry) is famous as well and knows Krum is just a regular guy. -We add another mystery to the story. What are Karkaroff and Snape discussing? - Dobby and Percy are back!! I love how kind Ron is to Dobby and am so happy we get a little recap of Dobby's life for the past year. - We are getting much more Ginny dialogue and it's clear she's still interested in Harry. -The example of Ron fixing his dress robes is a wonderful example of using magic in a practical everyday way. I wish there was more of this. - A room full of chamber pots.... how curious? - I find it so strange in the movie when Hermione sends Harry and Ron to bed like a angry mother. Totally not in character. - And finally good guy Cedric, even if Harry can't see it through the hormones

Snowspeeders and Space Shuttles

Hi Veggie! Been a while since I commented, I apologise. These two chapters always make me laugh especially seeing how desperate Ron and Harry think things are getting when they are looking for dates. No suspicious ladle in the punch that is totally not a portkey unfortunately. An interesting thing I noticed is that Hermione's words to Ron kind of come true in a sense, she says "so you'll have the best looking girl even if they are horrible?" and we see that Hermione ends up being described as very pretty and she is horrible to Ron (not without reason of course). Absolutely love that Dobby brings Harry a christmas present and that both he and Ron give him presents in return, surely this must be the first time Dobby has ever gotten a present? Unless Dumbledore gives them maybe? The convo between Hagrid and Madam Maxime is great too, though I think Ron's reaction is a bit over the top. Anyway, that's all from me, hope you enjoyed these chapters and I am looking forward to the next book club!

H

Ron's not on his best behaviour here, but he's quite realistic as a teenage boy character, unfortunately. I love that Hermione gets back at his Krum comments by reminding him about him wanting his autograph, and having a model of him in his dorm. I also really like her annoyance at Fleur. When I read this as a child, I didn't connect that it might be about Ron's crush. I didn't really at that point understand Harry's sudden annoyance at Cedric either, I just felt it was a bit unfair – which it is, but it's also probably how I would feel about someone going to the ball with someone I had a crush on! Malfoy's nastiness about Hermione's looks isn't exactly surprising. Snape's comment about her teeth was probably Malfoy's highlight of the school year. I love Dobby being just a few inches from his face when he wakes up. Not sure it would work to combine the socks like Ron's suggesting since Ron's socks are bound to be enormous, due to his massive feet. I like that Harry chooses to wear Dobby's socks to the Yule Ball, by the way.

Q

Hi Veggie! There is definitely a conversation to be had about masculinity and heteronormativity in these chapters. It's so unfortunate that Harry and Ron's behavior here is in fact very realistic for their age. Ron in particular is really grasping for those signifiers of masculine success. He's been insecure about his place in his family, his family's socioeconomic status, and how he compares to his best friends. I think he is trying really hard to be secure about something, and now he is presented with this very gendered event and it's all going wrong. His robes are unstylish and feminine, he publicly fails to get a date, fails to ask Hermione properly, isn't asked by anyone (unlike Harry), and also gets to watch Fred and George be way more successful at everything again. So to compensate, he acts like a total jerk to Padma, Hermione, Krum, even Harry a bit. Padma is a status symbol to him. He wanted to get a date (look at me, I'm succeeding at masculinity), not actually have a date (dance and be emotionally available and talk to people outside his circle). And now you have some of Hagrid's actual story from this book as opposed to the movie's awkward comic relief random scenes! I can't say everything about it yet, but I do appreciate Hagrid so much. I wonder who George did go to the Yule Ball with? Presumably not Pigwidgeon, but I bet they'd have been a hoot.

Dara Jeeling

honestly? Draco was a nasty arse towards Hermione years before Snape made the teeth insult. Draco is just a pampered, little idiot. I do not think he needed Snape to do it, since he literally has his parents who do it ALL the time and made sure he sort of was fed their ideas with his mothers milk. I have no idea why people make up escuses for Draco - he is just a nasty bully.

Dara Jeeling

I aalways thought one of the other girls from the Quidditch team tbh. Both twins seem tp be popular amonst otehr students and the team. Alicia, maybe?

H

Oh, it's definitely not meant as an excuse for Draco! I have probably been one of the harshest commenters about Draco in the book club, I really really dislike him. A product of his upbringing of course, but still. I might rewrite the comment at some point since I probably didn't get across what I meant very well (and since I might misremember some earlier stuff). I meant it more that it was interesting how went straight for her looks at this point, instead of something else, and thought that maybe was him thinking "this is really effective" after seeing Snape doing it, but you probably have a point since his earlier insults have probably been about her looks as well. But again: definitely not meant as a defence of Draco!

Raider Max

I love Dumbledore's line here about needing to use the restroom only to have one appear and when they find the room of requirement in the 5th movie it's the first thing Ron says. Also amazing how we are about halfway through book 4 meaning halfway through the series and Harry is still clueless to certain Wizarding World common knowledges such as being a giant (even half) is severely looked down on by society.

LouShirley

Hi, Veggie! 🧹💃🏻🪄 "I don't dance!" "I'm not dancing!" I think Harry would have got his point across better if he'd just said that he doesn't know how to dance 😂 Hermione, bless her. Her way is just to get things done, but Harry likes to rest and avoid 😅 These boys... being a teenager is hard. Harder still, apparently, when you're a teen boy writing off girls because, "her nose is off centre", and you're calling girls "trolls". These boys are lucky they got a date at all! Also, no, Harry. You absolutely do not ambush girls who are on their way to the bathroom alone! I'm so proud of Ginny for shutting down the boys laughter! Ron really aggravated me these two chapters! He's so mean here! I also really hate the 'boy is mean to girl, so that means he fancies her' idea. It's so toxic, and teaches girls to accept that behaviour. Hermione seems to have really been relaxing and enjoying herself before Bulldoser Ron crashed his way through her merriment! Not only did he spoil her night, but Padma's as well! Percy!! He reminds me of myself, when I lose control of myself after being alone for some time 😂 Don't the decorations sound beautiful? I'd love to decorate with everlasting icicles! Hope you and Woozle are enjoying the weather! (I really hope this wasn't too long! I'll start leaving comments from my laptop so I can judge it better.)

Elizabeth D

Hey Veggie heyyy! ✌🏻 When I finished Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time, I was absolutely DEVASTATED that my 11th birthday had passed without a Hogwarts letter. I don’t know if I was more upset that Hogwarts wasn’t real, or that if it was somehow real, I was *gasp* a muggle! I was inconsolable for weeks LOL. These chapters are a great example of how a story about magic still feels so firmly rooted in reality; so much so that my 12-year-old self was convinced that Hogwarts might actually exist behind platform 9 3/4, if only I could get through the barrier! Every detail is spot on… like the idea that a dragon might be easier to face than asking someone out as a teenager. Perfection! Ch 22 Harry “the procrastinator” Potter Ron “the instigator” Weasley Hermione “the MOMager” Granger Just love the little quirks of their friendship in this chapter; such fun dialogue! Ch 23 Fun fact: One line in this chapter practically sparked the entire Dramione fan base! “Pansy Parkinson gaped at her as she walked by with Malfoy, and even he didn’t seem to be able to find an insult to throw at her.” And of course we get the “helpful” scene with Krum, meant to teach book readers how to pronounce Hermione (yet somehow I still thought it was Her-mee-own🥴). Thank Oofteepoof for the movies! Don’t know what it’s been like across the pond, but I hope you and Woozle are staying cool! It’s been 90F here lately and I need a cooling charm 🪄

Rhea H Pelotto

I love these 2 chapters so,so much!! I want to talk about everything but, I'll narrow it down to these few…. After the successful bribery from my brother I'm about 99% positive that the very FIRST question I ever asked was “How do you pronounce Hermiones name??” I'm sure you already know where this is going but, he excitedly ran to his room and back with the G.O.F. book, ONLY showed me the pronunciation in this chapter and quickly shut the book. Let the magnitude of that sink in for a bit… there was a time when I had never heard Hermiones name spoken OUT LOUD. It's mind-blowing to me now. I mean, even non Potter fans have heard that name at some point. Really hoping to hear a few stories similar to my own in the book club. As it happened, the first time I read these pages, I was 14 the same age as the gang. 2 months prior I had attended my very first dance at the end of 7th grade. It was also the first time I “danced with a guy”, who was my crush nonetheless. Both of our faces probably resembled sunburnt radishes LMAO. Obviously, this would have been a core memory regardless but, reading the gangs experiences so close to my own amplified it that much more. Old me today thinks that innocence and awkwardness as “cute” and “awww” worthy while the little bit of young me thats left lingering screams “NOOOOOO, puberty was hell!!!!!” Luckily, Potter was there to help me through it and is still there helping me remember it to this day!! If there isn't a montage of sweet Dobby buying yarn, smiling as he proudly knits Harrys socks and presents them to him in the HBO series I-SHALL-RIOT Also really looking forward to your reaction to Harrys sarcasm about Cedric being a "useless pretty boy" and especially our newly elected “Supreme Ruler of the Universe” 😂😂

Elizabeth D

Absolutely agree on how Ron fixing his dress robes is what we need more of! Love those moments of using magic in a practical way, like you said 🤩

Hairy Pothead

Hi Veggie! I can relate to Harry's panic "I don't dance" when being told that he's supposed to open the dance, that would be terrifying! Book Ginny is so cool. She really shut Harry and Ron up. Sometimes I forget how few scenes she's actually in because of her strong presence in the scenes she's in.

Methanoutput

Hi Veggie, i am really late to the Party. Dobby is adorable. I cant wait to hear all your thoughts on Sunday (i guess :D )!

Hawwah

Sorry for being that person but you don't get your Hogwarts letter at your birthday. You get one in July of the year you're 11, no matter when your birthday is.

Hawwah

I was worried I was going to miss out on this book club but it looks like I'll manage to sneak my comment in at the last moment! :) I promise this is my very last comment on how much I hate the movies. But I need to get this one off my chest. (Don't worry, it is related to these 2 chapters.) Veggie, you know how much I love book Severus Snape. Unfortunately, I don't recognize him in Mr Rickman's performance at all. Take the scene of Mr Rickman smacking the boys with a book and aggressively shoving their heads. This scene isn't anywhere in the books, it was completely made up by the filmmakers. It's also completely out of book Snape's character! Book Snape is verbally harsh but he's always physically gentle. He scolds students and deducts points but he never uses physical punishment. Never. There's not a single scene of him hitting a student anywhere in the books. That's why I hate the movie scene so much. Talk about character assassination. I already wrote it before - Severus has many great characteristics but the thing I love about him the most is how non-violent he is. When you take this trait from him, he stops being Severus Snape to me. To me, Mr Rickman is not Severus Snape. He doesn't look like book Snape. He doesn't behave like book Snape. He doesn't even speak like book Snape! (Severus never speaks unnaturally slowly like Rickman does in the movies.) They don't even have the same backstory. (Don't worry, no spoilers there.) For example, book Severus was almost murdered by a classmate (using a werewolf as a murder weapon) when he was 16. This near-death experience naturally traumatised young Severus and shaped his personality. But this never happened in the movie timeline! And that's just one example. Real Severus Snape is in the books.

Hawwah

"I think it's interestig that altough more then one teacher keeps them working it's only Snape they call evil for doing so. " Bingo. That's what I 've been saying the whole time. There's always a different standard for Severus than for everybody else.

Methanoutput

Hey Hawwah :) Since this is clearly your favorite character i can understand, why you are frustrated with Alan Rickmanns portrayal, but in my opinion, he is still one of the better actors in the movie. I would also give him the benefit of the doubt, that some directors made him do some of the things, that are out of character for Book Snape. I don't want to upset anyone, but when i think about Bonnie Wrights perfomance... I think it is one of the most emotionless lifeless perfomances i have ever seen. Actually the only scene from her i really liked, was the scene in the bookstore, where she confronts Malfoy. But when you could have choosen the actor for Snape, at the time the movie was made, who would you have picked?

Simon audsley

"compliance" erm... the moral implications of moody having an eye that can see theough clothes is a bit problematic. nice bit if back story on hagrid in this chapter and a mention of giants which I think the film skips, though the mind boggles at how that inter species relationship works anatomically.

Elizabeth D

Yep! My birthday had come and gone and I was 12 so I was past the “going to Hogwarts” age

Dara Jeeling

I sort of feel the same. I loved Alan Rickman in almost all his roles, but for me he was just to old to be Snape IF he had been 20 years younger - he would have been a geat choice I do not mind his voice, he is not doing this specially for Snape, it was just his way of talking. I could live with the voice Also if you read his diaries (wich I did - since he was my favorite actor from 1996 on) you'd realized he was sort of pissed at some choices they directors made him do and he stated this in his diaries. He even thought of quitting the role after film 5 - so right before Half Blood Prince and it took some while until he decided to go through with the role. I love his performance, since his performance is the reason movie watchers tned to love Snape more then book readers do. I prefer book Snape mostly - I have said it before I ave some things I have a hard time coming to terms with BUT i am very sypathetic towards especially child Severus. I do not excuse everything and I know Severus Snape is a very flawed character but he is the best written one. @Jonas I usually prefer the book versions of the characters as well. Ginny and on are goo examples. the screen writers did a decend job, but some things are clearly lacking for me. What I nervre gt is - why the heck invent scenes and not use ones from the book, instead? The attack on the burrow - the undeground cafe thingy Not necessary. I also give the benefit of the doubt to the actors - since I think a lot of choices were not theirs to make and especially with child actors - not sure how hard this can get XD