Chapter Twenty-Two: St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
In chapter twenty-two of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry is convinced he attacked Arthur, Sirius is both helpful and maddeningly unhelpful, and McG takes one for the team.
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
Professor McG arrives to take pukin’ Harry and Ron to Dumbles office, wherein our beloved Headmaster is cryptic and annoying and avoiding eye contact like usual this book.
It’s interesting to note that the portraits, who pretend to be asleep until Dumbledore asks them to visit their other portraits and do his bidding, are listening to everything. And presumably, they all have at least one other portrait they can go to. Which leads me to ask…what’s stopping the portraits from betraying Dumbledore? Is it simply honor? Or is there some type of magic in the paintings? Because otherwise, all Voldemort has to do is talk one portrait into turning cloak and he’s got a ready made spy in the midst.
Poor Harry’s freaking out because he’s convinced he was attacking Arthur from inside the snake and no one seems to give a shit or, y’know, explain anything to him.
McG gets the rest of the Weasley kids and then has to fend off Umbridge, and I weep gently that we missed an opportunity to watch Minerva, light of my life, flambe Umbridge over some roasting coals again.
Our terrified teens head off to Grimmauld Place where they catch Sirius in the midst of a bout of sad lonely alcoholism (c’mon that is what is going on here) and Sirius tells the muttering Kreacher to get out and YIKES this moment is so very painful on reread.
Even worse, the twins and Ginny argue with Sirius who for once is being responsible (hello Goblet of Fire Sirius, good to see you again) and telling them there’s no way they can head to St. Mungo’s when they have no explanation for knowing what happened to Arthur. What it descends to is human, and painful, and HELP.
“Your father knew what he was getting into and he won’t thank you for messing things up for the Order!” said Sirius, equally angry. “This is how it is – this is why you’re not in the Order – you don’t understand – there are things worth dying for!”
“Easy for you to say, stuck here!” bellowed Fred. “I don’t see you risking your neck!”
The little color remaining in Sirius’s face drained from it. He looked for a moment as though he would quite like to hit Fred, but when he spoke, it was in a voice of determined calm.
Sirius is of course entirely right, and Fred is being completely low and unfair, yet I find no fault in Fred either. Who wouldn’t want to say screw duty and go to your family member who might be dying?
So Sirius has talked reason into Ginny N’ Twins, but now Harry’s here to tell him that he thinks he tried to kill Arthur from inside a possessed snake, and dang guys, Sirius is probably still drunk this is a lot to expect from him. As wonderfully as Sirius handled the twins, he whiffs spectacularly with Harry and is basically like “whatevs Harry c’est la vie don’t worry be happy la di da go take a nap or something,” and faffs off, leaving Harry in petrified, mortal terror and what is this?! Does Sirius know what’s happening? Does he know anything about the prophecy? Does he know Voldemort and Harry have a connection, and if so, what? Or is he just blindly relying on Dumbledore?
Pause a moment for Molly Weasley, who is behaving in a way that I start making this face at her some more:
when she finds out that Arthur’s roommate has been bitten by a werewolf and is like “WHAT how GROSS what is he DOING HERE maybe he is CONTAGIOUS” and Molly? Hi. I love you, I really do. But this er…ignorant bigotry, shall we say? When you know a wonderful werewolf? It ain’t the look, my love.
Anyway, so Harry can’t sleep, and it’s made worse when everyone overhears on the extendable ears that Moody thinks Harry’s being possessed by Voldz.
Have fun ever sleeping again, Harry!
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What stops the portraits in the Headmaster’s office from betraying the Headmaster?
How much does Sirius know about Harry and Voldemort’s connection?
Why is Molly afraid of a man bitten by a werewolf inside a hospital?
Is it reasonable for Harry to be afraid that he’s attacking people in his sleep?
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