The Mysterious Firebolt!

Hermione’s Diary:

Dear Diary,
It’s the Christmas holidays again and I wish I could say that everything is going well. I of course cannot due to a mysterious broom Harry has received. Personally, I believe that Sirius Black has sent Harry this hexed broom in a hope to kill him. I of course hope that I am wrong, but what if I am not? I therefore truly believe that I must tell one of the Professors. I feel that this is my duty because Ron of course is unable to comprehend anything other than what is presented before him. I know Harry and Ron might hate me for doing so, but I cannot see myself waiting to find out if Harry’s broom is cursed. This is an extremely tough decision for me because whether I like to admit it or not, I do not have many friends. I just hope that Harry and Ron can somehow forgive me. I am planning on deciding tonight on which professor to inform. As of now I am leaning towards telling Professor McGonagall due to our understanding of each other. I also believe that she will be the most understanding given the circumstances. Well, wish me luck…and if everything goes the way I think it will plan on hearing from me a lot more because I will be without friends.
Hermione Granger

Analytical:

The above thoughts by Hermione Granger are definitely plausible. Most of us have probably been at a point in our lives when we have no choice but to do something which will be painful in some way or another. Of course, it would seem that Hermione’s first thought would be that Sirius has sent Harry a cursed broom because who else in their right mind would send such an expensive broom without a note. Hermione is a very special character in that she analyzes and possibly overanalyzes everything. In this case, she believes that the broom must have been sent as a means to hurt Harry. This, in my opinion, is a perfect reaction for Hermione because everyone knows how much Harry loves quidditch and how willing he must be to want to get back on a broom (since his Nimbus 2000 was recently destroyed). I also believe that it is pretty obvious that Hermione does not have a whole lot of friends. We see in the first book in many different occasions (on the train, in the classroom, and in the halls) that Hermione is treated badly by everyone, especially Ron, and is always alone. This might be why it is such a difficult task for Hermione to be contemplating on whether or not she should tell on her friends. She knows in her heart that she must tell a professor because of the danger the Firebolt might possess. Hermione goes on to tell us that she if she is planning on telling a professor then it will most likely be Professor McGonagall. There could be two reasons for this. One reason might be because Hermione feels closer to McGonagall than any of the other professors since they have been meeting to talk about her class schedule quite a bit. Another reason might be that McGonagall is the house leader of Gryffindor and is therefore obviously worried about whether or not her Seeker will have a broom for their match. Hermione’s predicament is a tricky one because she must choose between telling on one of her best friends or to keep quiet and hope that the new Firebolt is a perfectly good broom.

Inside the Mind of Malfoy!

As Draco Malfoy lay awake on the eve of the closing of Hogwarts he thought the following:

That Harry Potter is such scum! Why couldn’t I be a parseltongue! I am in Slytherin, yet Potter just might be the heir to Slytherin. It just doesn’t make any sense. If he were the heir to Slytherin then why would he be hanging out with those muggle borns like Hermione Granger? I try offering him my assistance from the start, but he’d rather be friends with the useless Ron Weasley. Could it be possible that Potter really is the heir to Slytherin and has actually opened the Chamber of Secrets? I know the Ministry of Magic has declared Hagrid, that big oaf, the one to open the Chamber, but I just don’t think he has the brains for the type of operation. But again, could Potter be the one to open the Chamber? Everyone seemed to think so until his precious little muggle friend, Granger, was found petrified. I don’t know about everyone else, but what if Potter is trying to pull fast one. What if he realized that he needed to petrify Granger in order to get everyone off his back? Potter obviously isn’t smart enough to have thought of this on his own so he must be getting help from someone, but who? That Lockhart fellow has always been attached to Potter and he does claim to know where the entrance is. Could it be true? Could Potter actually be the heir of Slytherin and is ready to attack at will? If so I can’t wait to see the day let alone the look on Ron Weasley’s face!

Analytical:

The above may seem like a long shot, but one thing to remember is that we are in the mind of Malfoy. One thing to note is that Malfoy wanted to Harry Potter’s friend from the start. This might suggest that Malfoy truly believes that Harry Potter should have been a Slytherin from the start and he may very well have been if he hadn’t met Ron Weasley. It seems plausible that Malfoy might think that Harry is the heir to Slyherin due to the Chamber of Secrets being opened around the same time that Harry is revealed to being a parseltongue. Of course, it is a little farfetched for Malfoy to start thinking that Harry has petrified Hermione in hopes of keeping the teachers and others off his trail. Although, if Harry really is the heir to Slytherin and people are starting to accuse him of opening the Chamber then he might be forced to petrify Hermione, whom I guess he would be using, to trick the minds of the people around him. Malfoy is obviously jealous of Harry and is continuously making Harry out to be dumber than he really is. This is why he might be thinking that Harry must be getting help from someone, namely Lockhart (someone who seems to notice Harry as an extraordinary boy). This is all somewhat speculation, but it does make sense if you remember that this is all coming from Malfoy’s mind. He does not like Harry Potter of course and it would make sense that he does not like Lockhart, a teacher who seems to appreciate Harry as a celebrity.