Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chapter Eight:
The Wedding

'Ill-informed sniping.'

Notes by Michele L. Worley
Page editor Belinda Hobbs

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 137 - 159
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 115 - 133
Timeframe: 1 August, 1997 [Y17]

In which Harry, disguised by Polyjuice Potion, attends Bill's wedding to Fleur, where he meets Xenophilius Lovegood and Ron's Great Aunt Muriel and reencounters Viktor Krum and Elphias Doge. Thanks to Krum, Harry remembers who Gregorovitch is and learns that Xenophilius is wearing a symbol associated with Grindelwald, and thanks to Muriel's gossip he hears more about the Dumbledores. The party is broken up by the arrival of Shacklebolt's Patronus, warning the guests that the Ministry has fallen and Scrimgeour is dead, so the Death Eaters are coming.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

'When I get married,' said Fred, tugging at the collar of his own robes, 'I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense.'

My reaction on my first readthrough was, 'That's what you think.'

My reaction now is to remember Amos Diggory's words to Cedric before the Quidditch World Cup, that beating Harry Potter at Quidditch was something he would be able to tell his grandchildren (GF4).

dropped her small beaded bag, which made a loud thump quite disproportionate to its size

As we learn later in the day, Hermione has placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on the bag, which is very, very useful later on (DH9).

Grindelvald carved it into a wall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there.

So Grindelwald, before his expulsion from Durmstrang at the age of sixteen, was already interested in the Hallows (DH18).

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Doge, Elphias

• Lovegood, Xenophilius

• (surname unknown - Prewitt?) Auntie Muriel

• (unnamed) gaggle of middle-aged witches

• (unnamed) a golden-jacketed band

• (unnamed) a host of white-robed waiters

• (unnamed) pair of pretty French girls - possibly, or possibly not, the same as the pair of Fleur's cousins the twins later disappeared with

• (unnamed) party of warlocks

• (unnamed) rather deaf old couple

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Delacour, Apolline

• Delacour, Fleur Isabelle

• Delacour, Gabrielle

• Delacour, Monsieur

• Granger, Hermione

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Krum, Viktor

• Jordan, Lee

• Lovegood, Luna

• Lupin, Remus

• Perkins

• Potter, Harry (as "Cousin Barny", also called "Barry")

• Tonks, Nymphadora

• Weasley, Arthur

• Weasley, Charlie

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Ginevra ("Ginny")

• Weasley, Molly

• Weasley, Ronald ("Ron")

• Weasley, William Arthur ("Bill")

• (unnamed) Weasley cousin, male, evicted from his chair by Muriel

• (unnamed - Weasley or Prewitt?) drunken uncle of Ron's, possibly has a son

• (unnamed) squat wizard in a purple porkpie hat

• (unnamed) tufty-haired wizard who presided at Albus Dumbledore's funeral

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Bagshot, Bathilda

• Dumbledore, Aberforth

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Dumbledore, Ariana

• Dumbledore, Kendra

• Dumbledore, Percival

• Gregorovitch

• Grindelwald, Gellert

• Greyback, Fenrir

• Odo the Hero

• Ollivander

• Scrimgeour, Rufus (Minister for Magic)

• Shacklebolt, Kingsley

• Skeeter, Rita

• (Weasley?), Bilius
  Never married, for some reason.

• Weasley, Percy

• (surname unknown - Prewitt?) Muriel's mother

• (surname unknown), Lancelot

• (unnamed - Krum?) Viktor's grandfather, killed by Grindelwald

• (unnamed) red-haired Muggle boy whose appearance Harry is using in his "Cousin Barny" role

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Burrow, the

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Durmstrang Institute (Viktor's old school)

• Flourish and Blotts

• Godric's Hollow

  • Dumbledore home

  • Potters' home

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• Ottery St. Catchpole

• St. Mungo's

Exceptional character moments:

• One moment that didn't happen - Percy didn't attend the wedding.

Spells:

• Accio (as Summoning Charm)

• Body-Bind Curse, full

• Expecto Patronum (Patronus)

• levitating champagne bottles, floating golden lanterns

• wand effects (shower of silver stars)

Links and Resources:

• Bestiary

  • Gernumbli magic (should perhaps restrict this to the Lovegood section of the Bestiary)

  • gnomes

  • goblins

  • Snorkack, Crumple-Horned

  • veela

  • werewolves

  • Wrackspurt

• blood status (Muggle-born, purebloods, Squibs)

• books

  • History of Magic, A

  • Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, The

• clothing

• Daily Prophet, The

• food (butterbeer, firewhisky)

• items and devices

  • action figures - model phoenixes

  • balloons (burst on cue to produce birds of paradise and tiny golden bells)

  • Dungbomb

  • lanterns, floating golden

  • pictures with moving subjects

  • tiara, goblin-made - been in the family for centuries - enchantment not mentioned

  • wands

• Ministry of Magic

• music, rhymes, and dance (the band, "Odo the Hero")

• plants

  • Gurdyroots

  • radishes

  • sunflowers

• Polyjuice Potion

• Quidditch

• slang

• Triwizard Tournament

Memorable lines:

• "Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?"

Strictly British:

• blimey

• candyfloss

• cop hold (U.K. edition)

• dandelion clock

• gaga

• gormless

• lifebelt

• Lugless

• marquee

• mum

• tosh

• Wotcher

Timelines/Calendar:

The day after Harry's 17th birthday, so it is 1 August.