Deep thoughts on Harry Potter {4}

photo from google image search, editing by me

These deep thoughts are brought to you by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book 4) by JK Rowling (audiobook...though I'm sure I'd have the same deep thoughts if I read the paper copy).

<><>

<>

<><>

So, books 3 and 4 were a changing point in the series, in my opinion.  Harry and company go from being children to being adults and facing very real, very adult problems.  Yes, they faced things in books 1 and 2, but the characters still retained a childlike quality.  In books 3 and 4 (especially), this is where we see them becoming the adults they will be.

Other random thoughts:

1.  When characters talk about cursing each other, or cursing items, this is what I think of:

 Oh Harry Potter Puppet Pals and your wizard swears!  You never fail to amuse!

2.  This I've been wondering for a while, but what is the difference between Peeves (a poltergeist) and Nearly Headless Nick (a ghost)?  Aren't they both dead people?  Is it because Peeves is a pain in the expecto patronads?

3.  Dumbledore tries to console Hagrid after Rita Skeeter's horrid article about him in The Daily Prophet by telling him about all the horrible things his brother, Aberforth did (being prosecuted for use of inappropriate magic on an animal) and also how stupid he was ("not even sure he could read it").  I wondered while listening why Dumbledore badmouthed Aberforth, and then Rowling had him (Aberforth) being kind of important in book 7 (being the eye in the mirror shard, letting them into the castle).  Did Dumbledore just say that to make Hagrid feel better or were we to forget that Dumbledore had said that? 

4.  I know that if I brought a hip flask with me to teach and drank from it all day long, I wouldn't last long as a teacher.  Like, I'd get called into HR before the day was out and be asked to resign.  Why was it ok for Moody to do that?  I guess they couldn't prove it was alcohol, but still!

5.  How in the world did a wimpy spell (in my opinion) like "expelliarmus" even come close to matching (and holding off) "avada kedavra"? 

6.  Wouldn't things have been different with wizard cell phones and wizard google?  Harry could have used wizard google to search for the spell (or plant) to help him with the second task!

7.  Some things that were pretty big things in the book, but were not in the movie (that I recall):
       ~The character of Winky
       ~speaking of houselves, I don't recall anything about SPEW in the movie.
       ~The character of Ludo Bagman.  He had a pretty good storyline going---judge at the Twi-Wizard Tournament, the thing with the Weasley Twins.  I think his role was subsumed by Barty Crouch in the movie (sad Amanda)
        If Ludo Bagman was in the movie, here is who I envision playing him:

Chef Gordon Ramsey (photo from google image search)

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"