Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Twenty:
Hagrid's Tale

"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine."

Synopsis by Maureen Knight
Notes and links by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 420 - 440
U.K. hardcover edition: pages aaa - bbb
U.K. paperback edition: pages 464 - 485
Timeframe: Saturday, 7 November, 1995 [Y15]

In which Hagrid returns and tells the story of his journey with Madame Maxime to the land of the giants, where they were unsuccessful in gaining an alliance.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

This chapter is our first source of real information about the giants.

We chanced a bit o' magic after that an' it wasn' a bad journey.

Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border an' I had a sligh' disagreement with a vampire in Minsk -

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• none

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Fang

• Granger, Hermione

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Potter, Harry

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Buckbeak

• de Mimsy-Porpington, Sir Nicholas (Nearly-Headless Nick)

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Dursley, Dudley (as Harry's cousin)

• Filch, Argus

• Flitwick, Filius

• Fudge, Cornelius (as "the Minister")

• Fridwulfa

• Golgomath

• Grubbly-Plank, Wilhelmina (referred to as covering Hagrid's classes)

• Karkus

• Macnair, Walden

• Maxime, Olympe

• Merlin

• Norris, Mrs.

• Pomfrey, Madam

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as You-Know-Who)

• Trelawney, Professor

• (unnamed) Death Eater travelling with Macnair

• (unnamed) Karkus's wife

• (unnamed) other giants

• (unnamed) someone from the Ministry who tailed Hagrid and Olympe as far as Dijon

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • Entrance Hall

  • Gryffindor Tower Common Room

  • Map of Hagrid's Hut

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• France

  • Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

  • Dijon

• Little Whinging

• Minsk, Belarus

• mountains where the giants live

• Poland

Exceptional character moments:

• Hagrid's observation that despite her usual elegance of dress, Olympe never complained once about the long, hard journey to the giants.

• Umbridge, who speaks to Hagrid as though he were mentally afflicted.

Spells:

• Conjunctivitis Curse

• Gubraithian fire

• Obliteration Charm

Links and Resources:

• Bestiary

  • Dementors

  • dragons

  • giants

  • goblins

  • house-elves

  • hippogriffs

  • knarls

  • kneazles

  • Porlocks

  • thestrals (not named)

  • trolls

  • vampire

• Death Eaters

• giant language

• items and devices, magical

  • battle helmet, goblin-made

  • Invisibility Cloak

  • Marauder's Map

  • Portkey

• music, rhymes, and dance

• N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s

• slang

Memorable lines:

• "So why don't Muggles -?"
  "They do," said Hagrid darkly. "On'y their deaths are always put down ter mountaineerin' accidents, aren' they?"

• "Er - I don' want ter be rude," said Hagrid, staring at her, "but who the ruddy hell are you?"

Strictly British:

• berk

• blimey

• cupboard

• cuppa

• dozy

• haversack

• holiday

• keen

• knobbly

• mince

• pub

• ruddy

• waistcoat

Timelines/Calendar:

The entire chapter takes place the evening of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match, 7 November, 1995 [Y15] (see previous chapter). The next chapter confirms that the meeting with Hagrid took place on a Saturday.