Birthday Muggles

Just after midnight, Hagrid arrives at the hut-on-the-rock

"Harry – yer a wizard."
-– Rubeus Hagrid

Commentary

Notes

While trying to get under Dudley's skin years later in OP1, Harry tells Dudley that he resembles a pig walking on two legs. Perhaps Harry knew a vague allusion to the humiliating pig tail incident would would be an effective way to irk his cousin. -BB

Hagrid's remark that it's "[Harry's] bad luck [he] grew up with a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on," (PS4) is perplexing. Although Hagrid has just defined Muggles as "nonmagic folk", he seems to be using it now to express a more specific idea - one of narrow-mindedness. While it's true that Muggles are supposedly ignorant of magic because they can't accept it, one cannot be more or less of a Muggle if we are using the literal meaning of the word. What Hagrid says is derisive, and it is difficult to determine whether he is only expressing animosity at the Dursley family or expressing a broader prejudice. -BB

Petunia says that Lily transfigured "teacups into rats" every year while home for the summer holidays. It is illegal for underage witches and wizards to perform magic outside of school. There seem to be four possible explanations: (1) Petunia is exaggerating or misremembering {this is probably the most likely}, (2) the law was different, more lenient, or less enforced when Lily was in school, (4) Lily Potter broke the law every summer, or (4) an oversight on the part of the author. -BB

 

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Tags: anger birthdays disbelief storms surprise

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