Chapter 6 - The Ghoul in Pajamas

Summary:
There is still no trace of Mad-Eye Moody's body. The Ministry is
preventing information from getting to the public. The shock of the
death of Mad Eye still hangs over the Weasley home where Harry, Ron
and Hermione are helping with the preparations for Fleur and Bill's
wedding. The Burrow has become headquarters of the Order. Harry
still has the trace on him for 4 more days and he is eager to begin
looking for the Horcruxes as soon as he can, but he must stay one
extra day to attend the wedding.

Molly is aware that the Trio is up to something and that their plans
do not include returning to school. She tries to find out what Harry
is planning and encourages him to stay in school. Molly keeps each
of Trio busy and away from each other in hopes of preventing their
plan from unfolding.

Harry, Ron and Hermione manage to get together to discuss the plans
to search for Horcruxes. Fully aware of the danger involved,
Hermione and Ron tell Harry about their plans to protect their
families. Hermione has put a memory modifying charm on her parents,
changed their names and moved them to Australia. They no longer know
that they have a daughter. Ron, with the help of his father and
twin brothers, has transfigured the ghoul who lives in their attic
into something that looks like Ron with spattergroit. Then the
school will be told that Ron is home sick and anyone that comes to
check will see the transfigured ghoul wearing Ron's pajamas and
sleeping in Ron's bed.

Hermione tells Harry and Ron that just after DD's funeral she
managed to get the library books that have information about
Horcruxes out of DD's study. One of the books "The Darkest of the
Dark Arts" give directions on how to make and destroy Horcruxes. We
are told that unlike a soul inside a human body, a soul bit in a
Horcrux will not survive the destruction of the vessel in which it
is stored. We learn that there are only a few substances that can
destroy a Horcrux. One is basilisk venom. Anything that could
destroy a Horcrux would be very dangerous to carry around, but we
are not told specifically what those objects might be. We are also
told that the soul bit can move from the object to a person if the
person gets emotionally close to it. This is why Ginny could be
possessed by the soul bit in the diary. Immediately after this
information is given to the reader, Harry begins to muse about DD
and the ring. I wonder how DD destroyed the ring?

Later that day the Delacours arrive and Molly makes plans for a
small birthday celebration for Harry, which will be the day before
the wedding.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think would have happened to Harry if Ron and
Hermione had not been such loyal friends ready to give their lives
for him?

2. Hermione is the brains of the Trio. Could Harry and Ron have
managed without her?

3. Given that the soul is meant to stay whole and intact, what does
this say about the soul after bodily death?

4. A soul that is split, when placed in a Horcrux will die when the
Horcrux is destroyed. Only remorse can put a split soul back
together. Does this mean that a soul that is split will die totally
when the remaining soul bit in the physical body is destroyed? Does
this mean that LV no long has a soul in the afterlife?

5. If you answer to #4 is yes, discuss the fact that LV wanted to
live forever and the very steps that he took to do so actually led
to his total annihilation.

6. How does the fact that the human soul must be kept whole
correspond to the fact our trio of HRH function best when intact.
Is the concept of "wholeness" important in other ways both in the WW
and MW?

7. What does this chapter tell us about what must have happened to
DD when he put the ring on? We later find out that he was tempted
and from this chapter we know that an emotional attachment to the
Horcrux object can make the soul bit go into the person. Did this
happen to DD? What really did happen to his hand/arm?