Why did JKR feel it was necessary for us to know the Prime Minister of Britain?

[lord_brademort]

To show the seriousness of the situation

[lorna]

I agree the chapter has several purposes. It certainly acts like a bit of an intro for anyone who might need one. It does show how the troubles in the one world are affecting the other.
It also adds a bit more credibility to the plot. Frankly the idea that all this stuff happens and "no one" muggle notices just doesn't work. You got muggle/magical marriages that produce offspring for one thing. You got that interesting comment by Stan Shunpike about muggles who "don't notice" not "can't notice". And then in book 3 the whole Sirius Black warnings on the muggle "telly".
So I think the whole chapter fits into the plot as just one more event that demonstrates
wizards and muggles have been at some need-to-know level .cooperating for a long time.

[rigdoctorbri]

Originally Posted by lorna

I agree the chapter has several purposes. It certainly acts like a bit of an intro for anyone who might need one. It does show how the troubles in the one world are affecting the other.
It also adds a bit more credibility to the plot. Frankly the idea that all this stuff happens and "no one" muggle notices just doesn't work. You got muggle/magical marriages that produce offspring for one thing. You got that interesting comment by Stan Shunpike about muggles who "don't notice" not "can't notice". And then in book 3 the whole Sirius Black warnings on the muggle "telly".
So I think the whole chapter fits into the plot as just one more event that demonstrates
wizards and muggles have been at some need-to-know level .cooperating for a long time.

Well, cooperating is probably not the right word, because the information stream seems to be one-sided. The Wizarding World only tells the Muggle Prime Minister what he needs to know. They don't go into day to day stuff.

But, I really think that JKR is setting us up for a Wizard-Muggle spill over in the Muggle government!

[PotterFreak0515]

It just shows us how the Muggle world is noticing (or not noticing) all the stuff caused by the war. It's probably her way of blocking complaints that there's no way there could be a complete war without Muggles noticing. And as we see, they do notice, but they attirbute it to other things. Like hurricanes.

[taupimu]

I think we needed to know that the wizarding world was working with in the muggle government....now that Shacklebolt is working there. We also see that it may be Voldemort's intention to undermine the muggle government with the "illness" of the person Shacklebolt replaced.

There may be a plot to take over the muggle government.

Rig....what do you mean by a Wizard-Muggle split over the muggle government.

[rigdoctorbri]

wizard Muggle spill over into Muggle Government.

That means I believe Voldemort will not be content with just ruling the Wizard World, but will need to infiltrate the muggle governing bodies as well.

[taupimu]

Originally Posted by rigdoctorbri

wizard Muggle spill over into Muggle Government.

That means I believe Voldemort will not be content with just ruling the Wizard World, but will need to infiltrate the muggle governing bodies as well.

I agree completely. He has tried once and I doubt that will be the last time. He will have the MOM trying to keep two government functioning. This is going to be a major task and will divide their forces between the two. We have already seen one Auror lost to the muggle government.

[beth83]

Originally Posted by PotterFreak0515

It just shows us how the Muggle world is noticing (or not noticing) all the stuff caused by the war. It's probably her way of blocking complaints that there's no way there could be a complete war without Muggles noticing. And as we see, they do notice, but they attirbute it to other things. Like hurricanes.

i agree with this.

i think jo wanted us to see that innocent people (mainly muggles in the case stated in the chapter) are unfortuantly killed in war. as with the arest of stan shunpike.

the muggle prime minister was having the same problems as the minster of magic. it may also set up a future storyline.

[RaspberryJam]

The fact that we were introduced to the Muggle PM and learned more about muggle-wizard relations tells me that that relationship will be important in DH.

Also keep in mind, the first chapter of any book is important. And as it didn't seem that important to HBP, why not book 7?

[DumblysArmy]

The first chapter also showed that Voldemort obviously doesn't care about hiding magic from muggles. It will probably get harder in DH to keep muggles unaware of the magical world.

[morsmordre7]

I don't think she thought it was necessary.
I mean, it was a way to show how the Wizarding World affects the Muggle World.
Also, that someone had been in contact with the Muggle official.

[Flask_Sipper]

I agree with everyone who has said it was just a way to start the book off. The Prime Minister is removed from the wizarding world, unaware of what is really going on, just like Harry (and the readers). It was a way to get everyone caught up to speed with what was going on without using Ron or Hermione to tell the story.

I think the real question is whether it is really important that a character from the fifth book that got a decent amount of page time was assigned to be the PM's bodyguard.

[Murzim]

Originally Posted by Flask_Sipper

I think the real question is whether it is really important that a character from the fifth book that got a decent amount of page time was assigned to be the PM's bodyguard.

I've been wondering about that too. Did Scrimgour want Kingsley removed from the MOM, outwardly trying to reembrace Dumbledor('s lot), he might not want a spy to close.
I think that's one reason why JKR placed these revelations in aMuggle surrouding, wizards, talking among themselves would speculate about the background of these things. (like didn't the fact that Amilia Bones, as Head of the Department for Magical Law Inforcement best placed to become next Minister for Magic, was killed suit Scrimgour?)

[xhanax315]

I dont think he has much importance, it was just an introduction for what is happening with the Death Eaters and what they were doing. However, maybe he'll appear briefly, but not majorly.

[Charlatan]

I don't think he was introduced so that we could know him, but rather that we know that there are political ties between the magical world and the muggle world.

[Flask_Sipper]

Originally Posted by Murzim

I think that's one reason why JKR placed these revelations in aMuggle surrouding, wizards, talking among themselves would speculate about the background of these things.

I think this is the biggest fact in starting the book this way. There is no back and forth banter between Harry and his friends or whomever would have filled him in. There is no room for questions to be asked. It is a matter-of-fact introduction to show that the wizarding world is descending into chaos and lawlessness.

[rigdoctorbri]

Originally Posted by RaspberryJam

The fact that we were introduced to the Muggle PM and learned more about muggle-wizard relations tells me that that relationship will be important in DH.

Also keep in mind, the first chapter of any book is important. And as it didn't seem that important to HBP, why not book 7?

BINGO!!!

You hit the nail on the head...the opening chapter had absolutely nothing to do with the remainder of the HBP. Jo used an entire chapter, and a first chapter at that, to introduce us to Scrimgeour. This she could have done anytime in the Wizarding World. But she chose the very first chapter of the book to essentially give us no plotline relevance.

[YellowRose]

The first chapter had very little to do with the PM himself. It was mainly to show the state of things, as regarding the wizard world, up to that point. It was a good recap, if you will. It also showed how things happening in the magical world affected the real world. The PM is probably one of the only muggles in such a high powered position, that know about the wizarding world, so it was logical for JK to set the 'exposition chapter' with him.

[Sasblack]

i loved this chapter i liked it because one of the best things about the whole world of HP is that you can believe it is real and somewhere just out of sight, its delicious!

My neice was praying for a hogwarts letter on her 11th birthday!!

I think it serves to show how the normally well concealed wizard world is being broken down by LV and the MOM are loosing control as well as being a novel way to introduce the murders and terrorism that has been going on without having to have a mundane "oooh whats in the prophet today then.." type of conversation.

[Jetty]

It was made to show us the danger of this situation and that tragedy had gained national and even world-wide scales. It also shows us then events in wizard world can touch muggles and its life. And also it shows unity of two worlds and we can't say that both worlds don't affect each other.
I think JKR wanted to say us that we shouldn't divide people among wizards and muggles, we must divide world among good and bad people. In my opinion it was the main idea.