Fight and Flight

Calendar and Dates

The entire chapter takes place on a Thursday, the final day of O.W.L.s. See OP31.

Interesting facts and notes

Hermione walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling towards the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now
Here we are told that the sun sets toward the Forbidden Forest. If that’s so, then the map Rowling created of the grounds is inverted from the typical orientation of north being at the top.

"I am Dolores Umbridge!' said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. 'Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts! ... so be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human -"
And here she goes, trying to wield her title like a shield and sword. Of course, with Centaurs this will get her nowhere. She continues on, making it worse and worse for herself.

'Be quiet!' shouted Hermione, but it was too late: Umbridge pointed her wand at Magorian and screamed, 'Incarcerous!'
Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes...

This is the first time we learn an incantation for this spell, since when we've previous encountered it the spell has been cast non-verbally. Perhaps Umbridge never learned to cast spells in this advance way.

'We are a race apart and proud to be so. … We are an ancient people who will not stand wizard invasions and insults! We do not recognise your laws, we do not acknowledge your superiority ...
The Ministry does make a perfunctory effort to include the Centaurs in Wizarding affairs, but the Centaurs ignore them. The historical information in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them includes this:

The centaurs objected to some of the creatures with whom they were asked to share "being" status, such as hags and vampires, and declared that they would manage their own affairs separately from wizards. A year later the merpeople made the same request. The Ministry of Magic accepted their demands reluctantly. Although a Centaur Liaison Office exists in the Beast Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, no centaur has ever used it. Indeed, "being sent to the Centaur Office" has become an in-joke at the Department and means that the person in question is shortly to be fired. (FB)

'Yeah, we were just wondering that,' said a familiar voice from behind her.
Thanks to months of Defense Against the Dark Arts training, a contingent of Dumbledore’s Army quickly defeats their Slytherin captors and comes to the rescue.

'I thought we'd settled that,' said Luna maddeningly. 'We're flying!'

Memorable lines

"No, I don't think so, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with [her wand]. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."