Book One Summary:
I enjoyed reading this again. Probably would have finished it a lot sooner if I wasn't doing this chapter by chapter, but still enjoyed it. It was self contained, any foreshadowing could have been just general foreshadowing without need for a sequel. Pacing was good, and JK did a good job of having soemthing important in each chapter. Either another clue, or moving the plot forward. While there were breather chapters focusing on daily activities, and those also had a few bits opf information that were important to the main story arc.
The Dursleys: As I said before, they were nowhere near as bad as fanon makes them out to be, at least in this book. Sure, they were bad, but it was more neglect than abuse, and even the neglect seemed more about keeping Harry down than making him suffer. From this book, it seems Dudley was the primary, if not only, source of injuries for Harry, and it seemed like Harry tried to give as good as he got.
Overall: Harry was the unfavorite, Dudley was the favorite, and Vernon and Petunia had no qualms about making it abundantly clear to either of them. We'll see how much adding magic into the equation affects their relationships in the next book.
Harry: It could be just because it's been a long time since I've read the books, but Harry seems a lot more proactive than I remember. He's really interested in the Stone right form the start, and keeps on looking for more information. He's already had everyone turn on him, and despite that, he does what he thinks is right regardless of what might happen.
Hermione: I honestly feel bad for her in the first portion of the book. She was probably a bookworm before Hogwarts, disliked by her peers for always being the teacher's pet and outdoing them when it came to schoolwork. Then, she gets an opportunity unlike any other, she's a witch. She throws herself into it, trying to show how amazing she is, but only gets the same response. No one likes her, no one spends time with her, she just lurks in the library and butts into people's business.
Finally, she breaks down. After hearing she has no friends, she runs off crying, and in that pit of despair, death comes knocking. She thinks she's going to die, because nobody knows where she is or cares about her, but then two boys come in to save her life, heedless of the fact that they might die in the attempt.
After that, she seems to cut back a lot. Having friends validates her in a way that good grades and praise never could. She has something to balance her out, and I think that Harry and Ron saved her from a very unpleasant life that night.
Ron: I like Ron in this book. he has his issues, sure, but for the most part he doesn't seem to let them dominate him, and even manages to poke fun at some of the issues that will be problematic later down the line.
I feel like Ron has a lot of potential at this point, and I hope that it gets utilized better than I remember. I'll say again, aside form the stick up his ass, I think Ron should have been more like Percy. He's not breaking any new ground, but he's doing the best that he can and being content with that.
Or maybe he should have branched out and forged a new path. There has to be more to Hogwarts than schoolwork, prefecture, Quidditch, and pranks.
he develops as the story continues.
Neville: Knowing that Neville could have been the Boy-Who-Lived makes me want to pay more attention to him. In short, he's a disaster. Didn't earn a single point over the course of the year until the end, spends most of his time being the punching bag of Malfoy or the school in general. Every time he tries to something good, it blows up in his face, until finally, his already terrible place is made even worse when he's one of the people who ruined their shot at the House Cup.
Then, like Harry, he has a choice. People are going to make things worse, and he can either step aside and let it happen, or do something about it. He's outnumbered three to one, and probably doesn't even have his wand, but he's willing to fight them over it, even though that would probably lose them points as well. Like Harry, he's willing to do what he thinks is right.
Unlike Harry, it blows up in his face, and he later learns that he was completely wrong. Still, people recognized that he was trying to do the right thing, especially those who he stood against. His year ends triumphantly as well, being accepted and celebrated by his House. I'll have to keep an eye on their parallels in the rest of the books, see how it develops, especially after the link between them is revealed.
Malfoy: Malfoy is a schoolyard bully, who is inclined to run and hide behind his father whenever things don't go his way. That's really all he was in this book, a schoolyard enemy for Harry to hate. Not really much else to comment on, but we'll see how it develops. Much like Neville is the Loser!Harry, Malfoy plays the role of Evil!Harry. Keep an eye on how that develops in later books as well, maybe do a full analysis between the three of them when I get the chance...
Dumbledore: I wholeheartedly approve of Dumbledore in this book. He doesn't get too involved in the day to day, possibly because he's wearing too many hats and can't spare the time. Even so, he manages to keep abreast of the happenings in the school, and
Yes, some people may say that is being manipulative, and they may be right, but nothing Dumbledore did forced harry to act the way he did. He gave Harry the tools he needed to follow through on that decision making it a bit easier to accomplish his goals.
If Harry had chosen to stay in the Common Room and not make trouble, I would bet Dumbledore would have faced off against Voldemort that night. He was already well on his way back to school, and got there a few minutes after Harry did. Voldemort would have still been trying to figure out his puzzle, and there would have been a major duel. The consequences would have been Slytherin wins the House Cup and Harry and friends are still ostracized for the moment, which might go away by the start of next year.
Definitely not in line with what a lot of people cast him as in fanfiction. He is aware of an accepts his own mortality, and trying to control the wizarding world is a terrible idea, especially if it all goes to hell once he disappears (which it does.) He seems to encourage people to make their own path and hopefully choose the right thing, because soon enough those kids will be in charge of the country.
McGonagall: Not a big fan of her. I had high hopes at the start of the book, with her calling Dumbledore out, but later encounters she is basically a strict teacher. I had hoped to see a bit more of her bucking authority to do what she thinks is right, but when she is the authority... well, she's pretty harsh, and when students come to her with a genuine problem, she dismisses it outright, despite the fact that they shouldn't even know about it.
I think the most positive thing she did was give Harry a broom, which he probably could have bought on his own. Again, kind of wish she had been developed in a different direction.
Snape: Dick, all the way through. He's clearly biased for Slytherin, though not as much as fanon would have you think. He's holding a schoolyard grudge against a kid he's never met
Hagrid: God damn he's dumb. He's at best, a lovable oaf, like a giant puppy dog who wrecks the entire house up and honestly can't help himself. Not the person you want to trust with telling someone about the world (Harry) anything important (The Stone) or anything that ought to remain secret (Stone again, and Norbert.) I could keep going, but I think I've made my point. Add on that he's got a Second/Third year education at best, and everything else is on the job training, and you wonder, a lot. Add on the fact that he can't even use magic legally, and the picture gets a whole lot worse.
I think the fact that he "saved" Harry from the Dursleys is the main reason Harry enjoys his company. Hagrid was his introduction to the magical world, and was the first person to show genuine care and affection in his life. Despite everythign else, that's what Harry is going to remember most, and is probably the reason why he helps Hagrid as much as he does.
The Houses: Gryffindor is Good, Slytherin is Bad, and the other two are there for flavor. Seriously, aside from the Sorting, I can't remember a single character being mentioned from Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. That might be wrong, and I don't care to comb through the book to find out, but they were completely superfluous. Kind of wish that there was a bit more branching out besides teh Golden Trio. Would have made Hogwarts a bit more three dimensional.
Might edit this some after I get some sleep. Any thoughts on this whole process would be appreciated. I'm curiosu what you all think about my analysis and if your opinions differ from mine.