Chapter 9 - The Dark Mark
- “Get up! Ron — Harry — come on now, get up, this is urgent!” Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas. “S’matter?” he said. Dimly. He could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running.
Q1 - Have you ever been in a riot or a situation this scary?
Q2 - What do you think of these masked people’s actions?
- The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain.
Q3 - Do you think Lucious might be out there among the masked people?
Q4 - How many magical schools do you think there are?
- A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back.
Q5 - Do you think Harry is right, that Winky is just disobeying, or do you think she was cursed?
Q6 - Do you think Stan Shunpike would ever become minister of magic? And would he do better than Fudge?
Q7 - What do you think Bagman was doing deep in the woods? Do you trust him?
- For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone.
Q8 - What do you think of the Dark Mark?
Q9 - Do you think Crouch is good at his job or is he mad?
- "Here, look. " Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."
Q10 - Are wizards right to restrict wand usage to just humans?
Q11 - What are your thoughts on Amos Diggory’s interrogation style?
Q12 - What do you think of the Prior Incantato spell?
Q13 - What do you think of Mr Crouch and Winky’s relationship?
- "Of course it's not Him," said Mr. Weasley impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.”
- "I don't get it," said Ron, frowning. "I mean. . . it's still only a shape in the sky. . . " "Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," said Mr. Weasley. "The terror it inspired. . . you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside. . . . " Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear. . . the very worst. . . " There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now. " "Death Eaters?" said Harry. "What are Death Eaters?" "It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves," said Bill. "I think we saw what's left of them tonight - the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway. "
Q14 - Who do you think actually conjured the Dark Mark?
Q15 - What do you think of the Death Eaters?
Chapter 10 - Mayhem at the Ministry
Q1 - Is it a little crazy that they slept at the campsite rather than just going back home?
- “I shouted at you before you left!” Mrs Weasley said, starting to sob. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn’t get enough O.W.Ls? Oh, Fred … George …”
Q2 - Do you remember the last thing you ever said to someone?
- “Ron,” said Hermione, in an I-don't-think-you're-being-very-sensitive sort of voice, “Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch right now... He's worried, and he's tired... We all need to go to bed...” “Yeah, I want to play Quidditch,” said Harry suddenly. “Hang on, I'll get my Firebolt.” Hermione left the room, muttering something that sounded very much like “Boys.”
Q3 - What do you think about Rita Skeeter?
- “I'm never wearing them,” Ron was saying stubbornly. “Never.” “Fine,” snapped Mrs. Weasley. “Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do with a laugh.”
Q4 - What do you think is each character’s main desire?