The Beginning

Calendar and Dates

The action of the chapter begins the morning after the third task - that is, the day after the action of the preceding chapter.

Interesting facts and notes

The chapter title should not be confused with that of OP38 "The Second War Begins".

"Knew he was goin' ter come back," said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. "Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. S'long as we've got him, I'm not too worried."

However, Albus Dumbledore will not be there later - everyone will have to learn to make decisions without him - and Harry will have to face Lord Voldemort on his own.

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

The tragic circumstances of Cedric's death will continue to give Harry nightmares for quite some time. Although most of the chapter is about him being able to spend quiet times with Hermione and Ron, it is going to still be a lot for a 15 year old to process.

"Oh, not electronic bugs," said Hermione. "No, you see … Rita Skeeter" – Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph – "is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn –"
Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out of her bag.
"into a beetle."

Hermione cleverly found Rita Skeeter the beetle listening to their conversations from a window in the hospital wing. Just imagine the article Rita could have written with the exclusives she has heard here: the Dementors kissing Barty Crouch Jr, the rebirth of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge's "parting of the ways" disagreement, Severus Snape's reveal of his Dark Mark and Dumbledore organising the return of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them."

Borrowing money to support a gambling habit is consistent with the profile of a compulsive gambler. It would be interesting to know, however, why the goblins lent him the money in the first place, since Ludo Bagman was deep in debt and turned out to be a very bad risk indeed.

Exceptional character moments

Harry, offering his Triwizard winnings to the Diggorys, saying that it should've been Cedric's.

The Diggorys' gratitude toward Harry for bringing back Cedric's body, and their refusal to take the Triwizard prize money. Not surprising, since for them it would be blood money.

Harry, who would rather have a few laughs than a thousand Galleons of blood money.

Ludo Bagman, portrait of a compulsive gambler.

Memorable lines

...as he had learnt the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead...

"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," he said. "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

"...we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."

"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."