Merry Christmas, guys. Time to try and ignore that hangover and get reading.

About Durmstrang. Interesting, though maybe biased?

Enchant, not ward.

This just isn't Ron's book, isn't it? Poor guy.

I bet she's wanted to do that for a while.

I suppose this is a good a time as any to ask: when you read the Sorting Hat's song, what melody do you put it to?

Aaand now begins Hermione's Elf Rights crusade. Uurgh.

I love how she's the recurring butt for those kinds of jokes, moreso because it's never actually stated what she looks like or what she's done this time.

I'm sure he was keeping his eyes there, yes.

Little, not leetle. I feel like the second used a lot more, for some reason.
I do wonder why this wasn't in French though.

Jinxes can collide and deflect one another. Fascinating.

I assume that she's at least a couple of years older than forty-three then.

So Ollivander gathers his own crafting materials.

Another pre-relevance mention.

Harmonians and everyone who likes H/Hr still officially delusional; news at eleven.

Oh my.

Sirius predicting basically the entire twist right here. With this and Bill in the previous chapters the entire final bit of the book was laid out right in front of us. Amazing, isn't it?

Just what? What simple spell takes down a dragon?
EDIT:

In Sirius' letter. Thanks, MattSilver.

 

Stay classy, Malfoy.

Yea, good one. Happens twice in the book, arguably.

Well, he does drown in this book.

Heh. Perhaps that stupid trope is true and Parseltongue can really work on dragons.

Looking at Ron and Hermione's interactions in this book, it's really amazing that anyone has ever thought Rowling wasn't shipping them. They are constantly intimidated by the other's attraction to third parties, and Ron always comments on everything she does, including her diet. Hermione gets utterly catty at the girls from Beauxbatons.

 

Chapter 11: Aboard the Hogwarts Express

If she tried this now, she'd either be turned away, or treated with that special retail brand of contemptuous politeness.

And a good thing she does!

Chapter 12: The Triwizard Tournament

This implies that ghosts can change their clothes, at least, which is a little unusual.

Bear with me here, because I'm either reading far too much into a coincidence brought about by the need for rhyme, or this is the greatest joke in the entire series. Fens are marshlands covering a decent chunk of the UK, and in particular are found around Norfolk. Norfolk is - allegedly - an area notorious for the amounts of incest and inbreeding going on, which of course would be the perfect point of origin for the father of Pureblood ideology!

I'd forgotten that bit - I'd assumed the lack of Tournament in the next three books was due to Cedric's death, but maybe not (although probably).

I know that Harry gets a fair bit of assistance, one way or the other, but still - never let it be said that he isn't badass.

Chapter 13: Mad-Eye Moody

Do we think there's a particular curse you would use for this, and Eloise just got it wrong? Or did she use a more general curse, with predictably bad results? (Perhaps a Vanishing Charm?)

He would use this line again with greater success in sixth year.

Give it a couple of chapters... /Ron bashing

It's actually Harry who nearly drowns twice, once at the end of the second task, when the Gillyweed wears off, and once in DH, when the locket tries to choke him when he's retrieving the sword.

If any of them is going to have a good idea about how to keep an eye on their funds, it's a Weasley /more Ron bashing

Chapter 15: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

Leaving aside the fact that there must be some school owls for official business, this seems an exaggeration given the number of students we actually see, and especially given that not all those students have their own owl. Or, you know, Rowling math/exaggeration for effect.

So the Imperius doesn't just make you obey the caster to the best of your ability, it actually enables you to do things you normally can't?

Next time someone says that all there is to magic is point and flick, plus practice, remind them of this. Three books, for one spell.

I always pictured Karkaroff as being younger than this suggests, presumably due to the film.

This suggests a certain familiarity with the school - perhaps he's an old boy?

 

I imagined that part as the curse forcing Neville to ignore pain that would otherwise stop him. After all, I could do a split if it weren't for the excruciating pain in my crotch.

 

Chapter 16: The Goblet of Fire

Clearly, the Quidditch team are a tight knit bunch.

I know there's a lot of disagreement about the status of house-elves, but this is probably the biggest argument in favour of the status quo, to my mind. If Hagrid doesn't think they need or want better treatment, then I'm happy to take that as almost gospel that they don't.

Chapter 17: The Four Champions

So, obviously Karkaroff already knows Moody from his Death Eater days, fine. The six plots line sounds more like a sarcastic remark than anything else, fine. The disguised basilisk egg though has more of the ring of truth about it though - so, is Moody that famous internationally, or has Karkaroff been doing his research?

Yes. Moody!Crouch. He lays more or less the entire scheme in this scene, and nobody picks up on it.

In retrospect, this all seems a little forced. The hints that Ron has some not so well hidden insecurities and jealousy issues are few and far between, and they really explode here. I guess puberty is a thing, and the Tournament is a bigger and more positive thing than Harry's been involved in so far, but Rowling really does lay it on thick to be honest.

Chapter 18: The Weighing of the Wands

Remind me again why Snape/Hermione is a thing? And people say Harmionians are delusional.

Colin Creevey, casually telling Snape what's what.

I really need an AU where Lockhart is at Hogwarts during the Tournament.

She's basically Katie Hopkins, right?

Chapter 19: The Hungarian Horntail

You'd think that might actually attract her...

Apart from those sausages during the start of term feast. Maybe Crouch was still pinning down the character. Incidentally, which do we think was more important to Voldemort and Crouch? Getting Moody off the table, or having someone who was known for using his own flask?

I really want to know what's in the other compartments (beyond the spellbooks and whatnot that we see at the end).

Bit harsh. How does Neville feel about this?

 

Comments up to chapter 17.

The last paragraph of chapter 12 is significant:

It's just simply not true that Harry didn't want to enter the tournament, and it's also completely false that glory doesn't appeal to him. Of course when confronted with the reality of the thing he gets cold feet -- much like Ron likely would have, had he actually succeeded in entering -- but he did want it.

I've often used a bell in my fanfic; good to know it's canon.

I've always enjoyed the way this is a complete "fuck you" to the fanon "Ron is a messy eater and Hermione tells him off" trope.

Nice evidence of personal hygiene charms. Also lol that Hermione won't just cast it herself to remove said guts for him.

Interesting. Given how formidable a wizard Snape is, it might be that I have been underestimating Mad-Eye.

Unless his name is Voldemort, in which case he won't shut up about it.

This is very interesting. The spider knew what was coming. Harry felt foreboding. People sometimes ask why the Killing Curse isn't used exclusively by dark wizards in duels. Maybe the reason is that people can feel it coming in advance.

One to add to the "wizarding idioms" bank.

Some small evidence that the magical world has some connection to the monarchy still.

Imperius commands have a kind of aftereffect/echo.

Hermione is "snarky" indy!Harry.

Maxime is "snarky" indy!Harry.

 

I think it is more of to be known other than the Boy Who Lived and what it associated for him.
The TriWizard winner fame might distance him from the awful moniker

I need to search if post this dream, how much Harry wish to be normal.

Regarding the rest, those are excellent finds.