The enemy's gate is Rowling.
- note
- reference
A reference to "The enemy's gate is down", an insight from Ender's Game that in zero-gravity you can orient yourself whichever way you want. (Probably meant to be an example of lateral thinking.)
I'm not a psychopath, I'm just very creative.
- title-quote
This is quote from Harry later in this chapter, and relates to the theme of the chapter.
akin to a major univeristy classroom
- original
- foreshadowing
The Defence class in general is a large departure from the original series, but to portray the classroom as such shows that Quirrell is not as antiquated as the rest of the wizarding world, and is open to taking ideas from Muggles.
Euclidean
- reference
- link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_geometry
Now what does that remind me of...?
- subtle
This may be referring to Harry's opinions of most of his teachers before he began being home-schooled.
Harry didn't particularly feel like approaching Quirrell anyway.
- spoiler
sense of doom
oh my god you have minions
- original
This is a bit of a prod at the source material, in which Draco is first portrayed the stereotypical villain with minions in his own class. Here, it is explained how such a thing happens, which only serves to make it seem more ridiculous. The minions themselves, Crabbe and Goyle, hamfistedly employ every stereotypical minion action available to them, perhaps an explanation of how stupid the characters were in the original series.
poised in a suspiciously balanced-looking stance.
- spoiler
Goyle knows martial arts.
"You couldn't get any further away from the teacher if you tried."
- spoiler
sense of doom
Harry was taken by surprise, both by the sudden appearance of
Professor Quirrell's face and by the resemblance to Muggle television.
- subtle
This is one of the first hints that Quirrell knows a surprising amount about Muggle technology -- enough to have clever ideas related to it.
Most fearsome of all, the troll is unique among magical creatures in
continuously maintaining a form of Transfiguration on itself - it is
always transforming into its own body.
- foreshadowing
- spoiler
This comes into play later. Because of this property, mountain trolls
can be transfigured into something small, smuggled somewhere, and then
untransfigured (normally this would kill the creature). (108/I wore the mountain troll as a false tooth)
Likewise if you are facing the second most perfect killing machine, a
Dementor.
- spoiler
- subtle
This is the first hint about the nature of Dementors in HPMOR -- the killing curse doesn't work on them, so by Quirrell's logic they can't have brains, and yet they're capable of complicated actions.
No, there is exactly one monster which can threaten you once you are
fully grown
- spoiler
- subtle
Note that he does not say these monsters can't threaten you before
you are fully grown. And, in fact, a troll later kills Hermione.
(89/Hermione suddenly convulsed)
I was in Slytherin and I am offering to formulate a cunning plot on
your behalf
- spoiler
- subtle
- foreshadowing
Professor Quirrell was in Ravenclaw in both HPMOR and the original
timeline. This is Voldemort pretending to mess up and leak that he is
not professor Quirrell. Later it comes out that his plan was to
pretend to be David Munroe pretending to be professor Quirrell.
(84/But I shall tell a story).
That would be Harry.
- foreshadowing
- spoiler
Not incorrect, but maybe a bit misleading.
He wished the target would dodge like the little spheres that Ben
Kenobi had used for training Luke
- reference
This is a reference to Star Wars: Episode VI where Luke Skywalker trains to use a lightsaber by deflecting shots from a flying spherical drone, under the supervision of Ben Kenobi.
"No," said Hermione Granger.
- foreshadowing
- spoiler
This scene sets the stage for a major theme throughout the rest of the series. Quirrell is a corrupting force, constantly pushing Harry to bend and break rules for seemingly good reasons. Meanwhile, Hermione is a force for good, trying to save Harry from his dark side and reminding him that some things cannot be compromised.
Demonstrate his supposed immunity to the Killing Curse? Surely
Professor Quirrell was too smart for that...
- spoiler
- subtle
- foreshadoing
Professor Quirrell is, in fact, intensely aware of the fact that Harry is not immune to the killing curse.
"My wand can be pushed into an enemy's brain through their eye socket
- original
In the original series, Harry sticks a wand up a troll's nose during a fight.
"My wand can be pushed into an enemy's brain through their eye socket
- foreshadowing
In HPMOR, Harry kills the troll he fights by sticking his wand into
its brain through its eye socket and transfiguring a cross-section of
it into sulfuric acid (89/His wand jammed through the troll's left eye).
Harry Potter has it, which is how he could stare down five older
Slytherins.
- spoiler
mysterious dark side
WRONG
DON'T
BAD IDEA
- spoiler
sense of doom