Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Chapter Notes

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 23: The Yule Ball

• We learn that Hermione shrank her teeth with magic, something she had been thinking about for a while, but that her parents were against. Within the magical world it is probably a lot easier to change your appearance, but I think this would also put a lot more pressure on young witches to always look perfect. There is probably a huge market for all kind of potions and creams, not to forget spells. And we see in part the result of that with Eloise Midgen, who tried to spell away her acne and then her nose was off centre. It is also likely that eating disorders are quite common, because there are probably some potions to stay thin as well. And Hermione’s refusal to use such products (except for the Yule Ball) and her anger towards Ron (who thinks looks are more important than personality) is probably largely a response to her very superficial environment.

• Pretty sure Harry got a new pair of socks every year from Dobby (is this mentioned in the books? I don’t remember, but you know it is true). And Harry kept them all, though he no longer wears them because it breaks his heart every time he sees them.

• Talked about this before but Dobby made Harry socks because socks represent freedom to him (they are his favourite clothes). And next to his new master (Dumbledore) Harry is probably the most important person for Harry, and his loyalty to him isn’t part of a magical contract, Dobby is loyal to Harry because he choose to, because Harry after all gave him the freedom of choice. And in the end it is Dobby’s loyalty to Harry that will cause his death.

• “Hermione chose to watch Harry and the Weasleys’ snowball fight rather than join in, and at five o’clock said she was going back upstairs to get ready for the ball. ‘What, you need three hours?’ said Ron […].” – Do you ever as a woman think about society pressuring you to look presentable and the hours you spent in doing so? It took me a long time (and I’m still in the process) to accept myself the way I am, and where I do things like putting make up on for myself rather than believing I’m not beautiful enough without it. And I’m not saying men don’t get judged for how they look, but in a really less significant way. So yeah, Ron wouldn’t know, but he is also not used to Hermione caring about her looks or spending a huge amount of time for it. (And she definitely needed that time for her hair)

• I’m not really sure how to feel about Hermione’s transformation for the Yule Ball. It is a well usedtrope but one that I don’t particular like, because it puts too much value on how someone looks, and establishes the idea that for a woman in order to be seen she has to dress up. And I don’t think Hermione is to blame here or that we in general should judge woman who are interested in fashion and make up, but rather a society who has created an environment where a lot of women (myself included) feel it is necessary to look a certain way in order to get recognized. Hermione gives in to this pressure for one special evening (and again at Bill and Fleur’s wedding) because I think for once she wants to feel special and to have her moment, but overall it is not where her priorities are. It is a social comment in a way to say that she can absolutely pull off to look beautiful (in what society considers to be beautiful), but that she usually doesn’t bother to do so, because she thinks they are more important things and she rather wants to be recognized for her personality and her intelligence. Storywise I think this moment was needed to direct her relationship with Ron in a different direction. Ron needed to see her with someone else romantically interested in her, needed to see her all dressed up in order to realize that his feelings for her have changed. (The same way it needed Harry to see Ginny with someone else to realize he had a crush on her.) And it is interesting that Krum was interested in her before, that he simply liked Hermione the way she is, and I think she needed that in some way as well, that someone was romantically interested in her and valued her the way she is.

• “‘Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamberpots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished. But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon – or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder.’” – This of course is the first time the Room of Requirements is mentioned, and Dumbledore even explains how it works – the room provides what you need. I think Dumbledore knew exactly what this room was and how it works and only mentioned it so Harry would know about it. Of course Harry being Harry he forget about it and needed Dobby to bring it to his attention again.

• I love that image of both Harry and Ron ignoring their respective partners because they are both too busy moping about the girls they actually wanted to go with. Boys *sigh*

• “‘Ron,’ said Harry quietly, ‘I haven’t got a problem with Hermione coming with Krum –’” – Harry reacts completely different than Ron regarding Hermione and Krum. And towards the series he continues to act different towards Hermione than Ron, especially when it comes to Hermione’s love life (and the other way around: see both Harry and Hermione’s reaction when Ron starts dating Lavender). I think that within the books it is hugely evident, starting with the previous chapter, that Ron and Hermione’s relationship is different than the one they each have with Harry. I know that there has been a huge shipping war between Ron/Hermione and Harry/Hermione shippers. But to me it was never about whether Hermione and Harry would have been the better match. Because nothing about the way Harry sees and reacts towards Hermione in the books was in any way romantic. Unlike Ron and his poorly hidden jealously. I never questioned if Hermione and Ron actually fit together, because the story clearly tells us that they are attracted to each other, and that is what is important. They fight a lot but they also deeply care about each other. And Ron has, especially in book 7, a beautiful story of personal growth, that is part of that love story. So at least for me, based on the books alone, I never saw any evidence for Harry/Hermione. But obviously if you ship them I’m the last to say anything against that.

• That being said, I think it is different in the movies. Maybe because we can’t see Harry’s thoughts, but they had a couple of Harry/Hermione moments that could be very well romantically interpreted. They also of course had a lot of Ron/Hermione moments. But I think the movies didn’t really do Ron justice (and neither Ginny), so I get why people would have rather seen Harry and Hermione together.

• It is revealed that Hagrid is a half-giant and implied that Madame Maxime is one as well. She of course denies that. What is interesting is both Harry and Ron’s reacting to it. Harry doesn’t care because he doesn’t really know anything about giants and their reputation. Ron on the other side is surprised and sees why Madame Maxime wouldn’t want anybody to know about her heritage. Ron thought that the reason why Hagrid was so big was because of spell going wrong or something like it. It is pretty much a “don’t ask, don’t tell”-situation. To someone like Harry or Hermione, who has been brought up outside the wizarding society, it is obvious that Hagrid is a half-giant. Ron however came up with a bunch of other explanations, ignoring the most obvious explanation. People see what they want to see.

• There is a sadistic sort of irony that Barty Crouch Jun.’s plan, that would ultimately lead to Cedric’s death, was built on kindness? On Harry’s kindness to tell Cedric about the dragons and that he would return the favour, helping Harry to figure out the egg.

• “Harry didn’t say anything. He liked being back on speaking terms with Ron too much to speak his mind right now – but he somehow thought that Hermione had got the point much better than Ron had.” – I was never in a situation where two of my friends became a couple, but it must be really hard, because it always feels like you have to pick a side, and I think at some point Harry was probably afraid to lose one of his friends in the progress of Hermione and Ron getting together, because what if they broke up? What if they made him choose a side? (Though honestly I think Harry would choose Ron over Hermione.)