Harry Potter Rereading Harry Potter
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Chapter Twelve
Malfoy taunting Harry about his family. Nothign new here, and really only serves to cement him as a school rival, rather than a full rival. None of his plans have succeeded at all, and he seems to rely on petty insults to bring Harry down, rather than enacting any plans.
Malfoy insults Ron,a dn Ron attacks him. Snape shows favoritism towars Malfoy, even with another staff member vouching for Ron. Sure, it's Hagrid, but you should at least show some equality instead of being so blatant about it. Part of me is starting to think that Malfoy's environment is the reason he's such a jackass, and that in the long run, it will shoot him in the face. He's building up grudges against a lot of people, and outside of school, he probably won't have as much protection, especially since we know what happens down the line.
Kind of wish Malfoy was Ron's rival, instead of Harry's. Think it might be a bit more of a direct match.
Huh, Ron being alright with doing research? Sure, it's to figure out the mystery instead of schoolwork, but it's interesting to see.
It's a nice touch that all the books mentioned were about recent wizards. Kids are looking in the wrong area, but without knowing about the philosopher's stone, it only makes sense. Kind of wish the had a little blurb about Harry in here. Would have been interesting to have him read about himself.
The Restricted Section is Hogwart's Dark Arts section. interesting to see that they have something like that. Makes me wonder more about what makes teh Dark Arts "Dark."
Bit odd that they won't ask the librarian, especially since Snape is already in the loop about what is being hidden,a nd I think they know he knows, but whatever. That would have been way less dramatic.
Hm... side thought here, but calling it Wizard Chess implies that it was created after the original chess. The rules are exactly the same, no wizard or witch pieces, so I'm assuming that it is a derivative. I should start keeping track of all the knock offs of Muggle technology past, say 1000 AD or so. Probably could bump that up to the 17th century or so, since that's when the industrial revolution start to take off.
Ron got it from his grandpa? Wonder if that implies a close relationship between the two of them. Would have been nice to have something like that. Having someone not directly associated with his family seeing Ron for Ron would have been a good influence on him.
Harry's first Christmas presents.
Ron is fascinated with the shape of a fifty pence coin. Guess he has a bit of his dad in him, but I'm curious about WHY it's so fascinating. Looking at a picture of one it looks pretty similar to normal coins, just with somewhat odd edging. Does that mean wizard coins are abnormal, or is it just part of being his father's son?
Molly's being pretty sweet. Seems like it's part of her nature to look over kids, regardless of if they are hers or not. Probably used to being a mother hen, especially after all the trouble the Twins probably got up to.
Hermione sent chocolate, kind of wondering if Harry got anyone anything. Doesn't seem like it, probably because he didn't really think about it.
Invisibility cloak acquired. Time to raise some hell. Wonder if I should start keeping track of opportunities they could have used it for when they didn't. At least one springs to mind, so I might if I remember.
First Gred and Forge joke that I can recall. I'll see if it pops up again, but I think that was fanon seizing a hold of a one off joke and running it onto the ground. Percy wears glasses, never noticed that before either.
One hundred turkeys? I don't think there are enough people to justify that many when the school is full, let alone when it's just a few kids and the staff. Wonder what happens to the leftovers.
Hagrid being overly friendly with McGonagall,a d her giggling and blushing about it. Anyone know of McGonagall/Hagrid shipping fics? I'm kind of curious now.
Harry goes to bed, and realizes how bloody useful the invisibility cloak could be. Really wish he used it more, even if it was off screen. Then again, his experience in the Restricted Section might have put him off, though what he found next probably should have balanced it out.
Harry knows where the kitchens are. Interesting tidbit.
Filch and Snape teaming up again. Wish we saw Snape dealing with other houses so we could know if he was a bastard to everyone, or just Gryffindors.
Now we get to the mirror. It's interesting to see how much of an effect it has on Harry, but it's really no surprise. No one ever treated him with anything resembling love and affection, so of course his greatest desire would be to meet people who would have. Interesting to see how one encounter makes Harry s obsessive. Even Ron picks up on it.
Of course, picking up on it offers no defense once he gets a taste of the mirror. They're there five minutes and they start fighting over who gets to look in the mirror more, before they nearly get caught, and Ron has to pull Harry from the room. Probably not all that hard, but he did make the effort.
Ron shows some good instincts as he tries to talk Harry out of going to see the mirror, but Harry's not really listening to him. Don't know why he's being so secretive, since I don't think anythign is preventing him from being there during the day, but Filch seems to be a bastard, so he might try and interfere...
Mirror of Erised only experienced by hundreds of people. Makes sense for why Voldemort couldn't crack it. Probably didn't know what it was. "I don't need a cloak to become invisible." Dumbledore is a scary, scary guy if you think about it. He explains the mirror to him, and that's the end of that.
The last line about Peter sleeping on his pillow makes me really think that Peter wasn't really all that evil of a guy. He could have killed harry any time in the first three years and gotten away with it scot free. he could have either run off or just laid low until the investigation was over. I honestly think that he went to Voldemort because he didn't have any other options anymore, and it makes me wonder about the circumstances of his betrayal again.
I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see Hermione's innermost desires, but given her age, it probably wouldn't have been much of a revelation. Most likely being the best at something, perhaps being more accepted. Anyone have other thoughts on what an eleven year old Hermione would have seen?
I also would have liked to see how much things changed years down the road. Would Ron still have the same dream, or would he have grown past it? Would Harry still long for his parents, or would he see the beginnings of a new family? Something to think about anyways.
Malfoy taunting Harry about his family. Nothign new here, and really only serves to cement him as a school rival, rather than a full rival. None of his plans have succeeded at all, and he seems to rely on petty insults to bring Harry down, rather than enacting any plans.
Malfoy insults Ron,a dn Ron attacks him. Snape shows favoritism towars Malfoy, even with another staff member vouching for Ron. Sure, it's Hagrid, but you should at least show some equality instead of being so blatant about it. Part of me is starting to think that Malfoy's environment is the reason he's such a jackass, and that in the long run, it will shoot him in the face. He's building up grudges against a lot of people, and outside of school, he probably won't have as much protection, especially since we know what happens down the line.
Kind of wish Malfoy was Ron's rival, instead of Harry's. Think it might be a bit more of a direct match.
Huh, Ron being alright with doing research? Sure, it's to figure out the mystery instead of schoolwork, but it's interesting to see.
It's a nice touch that all the books mentioned were about recent wizards. Kids are looking in the wrong area, but without knowing about the philosopher's stone, it only makes sense. Kind of wish the had a little blurb about Harry in here. Would have been interesting to have him read about himself.
The Restricted Section is Hogwart's Dark Arts section. interesting to see that they have something like that. Makes me wonder more about what makes teh Dark Arts "Dark."
Bit odd that they won't ask the librarian, especially since Snape is already in the loop about what is being hidden,a nd I think they know he knows, but whatever. That would have been way less dramatic.
Hm... side thought here, but calling it Wizard Chess implies that it was created after the original chess. The rules are exactly the same, no wizard or witch pieces, so I'm assuming that it is a derivative. I should start keeping track of all the knock offs of Muggle technology past, say 1000 AD or so. Probably could bump that up to the 17th century or so, since that's when the industrial revolution start to take off.
Ron got it from his grandpa? Wonder if that implies a close relationship between the two of them. Would have been nice to have something like that. Having someone not directly associated with his family seeing Ron for Ron would have been a good influence on him.
Harry's first Christmas presents.
Ron is fascinated with the shape of a fifty pence coin. Guess he has a bit of his dad in him, but I'm curious about WHY it's so fascinating. Looking at a picture of one it looks pretty similar to normal coins, just with somewhat odd edging. Does that mean wizard coins are abnormal, or is it just part of being his father's son?
Molly's being pretty sweet. Seems like it's part of her nature to look over kids, regardless of if they are hers or not. Probably used to being a mother hen, especially after all the trouble the Twins probably got up to.
Hermione sent chocolate, kind of wondering if Harry got anyone anything. Doesn't seem like it, probably because he didn't really think about it.
Invisibility cloak acquired. Time to raise some hell. Wonder if I should start keeping track of opportunities they could have used it for when they didn't. At least one springs to mind, so I might if I remember.
First Gred and Forge joke that I can recall. I'll see if it pops up again, but I think that was fanon seizing a hold of a one off joke and running it onto the ground. Percy wears glasses, never noticed that before either.
One hundred turkeys? I don't think there are enough people to justify that many when the school is full, let alone when it's just a few kids and the staff. Wonder what happens to the leftovers.
Hagrid being overly friendly with McGonagall,a d her giggling and blushing about it. Anyone know of McGonagall/Hagrid shipping fics? I'm kind of curious now.
Harry goes to bed, and realizes how bloody useful the invisibility cloak could be. Really wish he used it more, even if it was off screen. Then again, his experience in the Restricted Section might have put him off, though what he found next probably should have balanced it out.
Harry knows where the kitchens are. Interesting tidbit.
Filch and Snape teaming up again. Wish we saw Snape dealing with other houses so we could know if he was a bastard to everyone, or just Gryffindors.
Now we get to the mirror. It's interesting to see how much of an effect it has on Harry, but it's really no surprise. No one ever treated him with anything resembling love and affection, so of course his greatest desire would be to meet people who would have. Interesting to see how one encounter makes Harry s obsessive. Even Ron picks up on it.
Of course, picking up on it offers no defense once he gets a taste of the mirror. They're there five minutes and they start fighting over who gets to look in the mirror more, before they nearly get caught, and Ron has to pull Harry from the room. Probably not all that hard, but he did make the effort.
Ron shows some good instincts as he tries to talk Harry out of going to see the mirror, but Harry's not really listening to him. Don't know why he's being so secretive, since I don't think anythign is preventing him from being there during the day, but Filch seems to be a bastard, so he might try and interfere...
Mirror of Erised only experienced by hundreds of people. Makes sense for why Voldemort couldn't crack it. Probably didn't know what it was. "I don't need a cloak to become invisible." Dumbledore is a scary, scary guy if you think about it. He explains the mirror to him, and that's the end of that.
The last line about Peter sleeping on his pillow makes me really think that Peter wasn't really all that evil of a guy. He could have killed harry any time in the first three years and gotten away with it scot free. he could have either run off or just laid low until the investigation was over. I honestly think that he went to Voldemort because he didn't have any other options anymore, and it makes me wonder about the circumstances of his betrayal again.
I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see Hermione's innermost desires, but given her age, it probably wouldn't have been much of a revelation. Most likely being the best at something, perhaps being more accepted. Anyone have other thoughts on what an eleven year old Hermione would have seen?
I also would have liked to see how much things changed years down the road. Would Ron still have the same dream, or would he have grown past it? Would Harry still long for his parents, or would he see the beginnings of a new family? Something to think about anyways.
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter starts with Ron brushing off Harry's dreams about his parents death as Hermione completely ignores it in favor of harry breaking the rules, and still not making any progress in finding Nicholas Flamel.
School starts back up and finding otu goes to the back burner. Harry's gets back to Quidditch practice and finds out Snape will be the referee for the next match. Kind of curious how Snape managed to pull that off, as well as how he got the other Head's of houses, particularly McGonagall, to go along with it.
Kind of amused at Ron's recommendatio that Harry go and break his leg, but that's an easy fix, so it's probably the same as faking a fever to your mom.
Neville is the butt monkey around the tower, as well as the entire school. Not only does nearly everyone burst out laughing at his predicament (Leg Locker Jinx,) but apparently no one helped him at all on his journey back to his common room. Poor guy. Probably a good thing that wizards don't use guns since I could see Neville flipping out in the long run if this keeps up.
Ron's got a good comment here: Malfoy;s used to walking over people, so you have to stand up to him. Too bad he's got favoritism from his Head of House and his father's position as a school governor to keep that from being effective.
At least Harry's trying to help him a bit, which leads into the big reveal. Surprised to hear it takes Hermione weeks to read a book, but she probably only picks it up when she doesn't have school to worry about if its for light reading.
Honestly, I like FMA's version of the Philosopher's Stone better. It does more than just eternal life and lead to gold, and it's creation is both badass and horrifying. Still, Nick is 665, so maybe next year he goes all evil with the Devil. Could be why he's decided to die.
Huh, you can treat werewolf bites. Wonder if it's preventative, or just to keep you form dying.
First hint that Snape can read minds. Yay Legilimency!
Nice to see Hermioen and Ron planning to hex Snape. Probably wouldn't be as effective as setting him on fire, but doing the same thing twice in row would probably be a bit suspicious.
The Wtins take a shot at Snape. Kind of surprised he limited himself to a penalty in the game. Then again, he gives them a penalty for no reason at all, so he's probably limited to game penalties only for this.
Malfoy continues to be a prick. Makes me want to see a story where the other three houses gang up on him to make him shut his cowardly mouth.
Wow, Hermione's really into the game. Not even noticing Malfoy and Ron brawling right next to her. 1Or Neville being beaten by Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry wants to be seen for his own accomplishments, no surprise there. Proceeds to follow Snape out to the forest, and witnesses the confrontation between Quirrel and Snape. Misses a bit of the conversation, wondering if it might have clued him into some of the context of whats happening.
A meeting for the Trio, and that's the end of the chapter.
Really not too much happening here in this chapter. They find out what they're looking for, and get a few more clues, but it's more of a setup to what is coming next. Yeah, you need to pace the story out and can't have it be all action all the time, but still bugs me. Probably because I'm commenting on the story instead of just reading the book. Probably wouldn't notice it as much if I just read straight through.
Interesting to see Hermione excited about Quidditch. Doesn't happen too often. Would have been entertaining to see her become a hardcore Quidditch fan/fangirl at some point. Probably wouldn't last but it would be amusing while it did.
Really wish Malfoy would be Ron's enemy rather than Harry's. I feel like that would be a more intense hatred than between Harry and Malfoy. Harry really needed someone who was actually a rival instead of a petty bully.
Well, on to the next chapter.
Chapter starts with Ron brushing off Harry's dreams about his parents death as Hermione completely ignores it in favor of harry breaking the rules, and still not making any progress in finding Nicholas Flamel.
School starts back up and finding otu goes to the back burner. Harry's gets back to Quidditch practice and finds out Snape will be the referee for the next match. Kind of curious how Snape managed to pull that off, as well as how he got the other Head's of houses, particularly McGonagall, to go along with it.
Kind of amused at Ron's recommendatio that Harry go and break his leg, but that's an easy fix, so it's probably the same as faking a fever to your mom.
Neville is the butt monkey around the tower, as well as the entire school. Not only does nearly everyone burst out laughing at his predicament (Leg Locker Jinx,) but apparently no one helped him at all on his journey back to his common room. Poor guy. Probably a good thing that wizards don't use guns since I could see Neville flipping out in the long run if this keeps up.
Ron's got a good comment here: Malfoy;s used to walking over people, so you have to stand up to him. Too bad he's got favoritism from his Head of House and his father's position as a school governor to keep that from being effective.
At least Harry's trying to help him a bit, which leads into the big reveal. Surprised to hear it takes Hermione weeks to read a book, but she probably only picks it up when she doesn't have school to worry about if its for light reading.
Honestly, I like FMA's version of the Philosopher's Stone better. It does more than just eternal life and lead to gold, and it's creation is both badass and horrifying. Still, Nick is 665, so maybe next year he goes all evil with the Devil. Could be why he's decided to die.
Huh, you can treat werewolf bites. Wonder if it's preventative, or just to keep you form dying.
First hint that Snape can read minds. Yay Legilimency!
Nice to see Hermioen and Ron planning to hex Snape. Probably wouldn't be as effective as setting him on fire, but doing the same thing twice in row would probably be a bit suspicious.
The Wtins take a shot at Snape. Kind of surprised he limited himself to a penalty in the game. Then again, he gives them a penalty for no reason at all, so he's probably limited to game penalties only for this.
Malfoy continues to be a prick. Makes me want to see a story where the other three houses gang up on him to make him shut his cowardly mouth.
Wow, Hermione's really into the game. Not even noticing Malfoy and Ron brawling right next to her. 1Or Neville being beaten by Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry wants to be seen for his own accomplishments, no surprise there. Proceeds to follow Snape out to the forest, and witnesses the confrontation between Quirrel and Snape. Misses a bit of the conversation, wondering if it might have clued him into some of the context of whats happening.
A meeting for the Trio, and that's the end of the chapter.
Really not too much happening here in this chapter. They find out what they're looking for, and get a few more clues, but it's more of a setup to what is coming next. Yeah, you need to pace the story out and can't have it be all action all the time, but still bugs me. Probably because I'm commenting on the story instead of just reading the book. Probably wouldn't notice it as much if I just read straight through.
Interesting to see Hermione excited about Quidditch. Doesn't happen too often. Would have been entertaining to see her become a hardcore Quidditch fan/fangirl at some point. Probably wouldn't last but it would be amusing while it did.
Really wish Malfoy would be Ron's enemy rather than Harry's. I feel like that would be a more intense hatred than between Harry and Malfoy. Harry really needed someone who was actually a rival instead of a petty bully.
Well, on to the next chapter.
Chapter Fourteen
Could have sworn the Norbert Arc was way earlier in the book, or at least that it occurred earlier in the school year. It's probably around February now? Ten weeks from the end of Term, which I'm guessing is the first week of June, so... mid March? Damn, time flies I guess.
Interesting to see Ron telling off people. Wish they showed him doing that more for people, like Neville. Would have been nice to see him watching out for other people on a regular basis, even if it wasn't particularly relevant.
Hermione stressing about exams, and Hagrid being not at all subtle. Dragon breeding was outlawed in 1709, so I'm curious what brought that about. Probably would need to know a lot of real world history to find a possible reason for that point in time, but was probably chosen because it sounded old and that was all. Kind of wonder what the point was, if there are still wild dragons around. It's still going to get out.
They go down to Hagrid's, and Hermione tries her first attempt at feminine wiles. It succeeds. Wonder if it's just an innate ability of ladies to pull that off. If a bookworm like Hermione can do it...
Wonder what the reasoning behind which teachers added protections. Heads of Houses are obvious, I suppose, and DADA make sense, but why Hagrid?
Hagird's got a twelve year old's education and is as subtle as a brick wall. His hut is boiling and the egg is in plain view, and he seems surprised that they managed to put it together. Why is this guy being trusted with something so important? Loyalty? Could be, but most teachers seem to have some loyalty to Dumbledore. Maybe Dumbledore just knew about Hagrid's animals and asked for the biggest baddest one. Kind of wish he waited until next year, since we'd have a freaking dragon instead of Fluffy.
Booze right out of the egg. Great parenting advice there. Probably meant to keep it too drunk to make trouble I guess. That sound slike wizard logic to me. Wonder if any of them use it on their kids.
Ton longing for a normal life. Probably just idle thinking.
How did Hagrid get Hedwig? Did he summon her with his mjind? If he went to the Owlery, why not just stop by the Tower?
Malfoy is eavesdropping, kind of wonder how much of his day is centered around Harry, if he's doing this for no apparent reason.
Malfoy witnesses the dragon hatching, and Harry comes up with the idea to contact Charlie. Charlie seems remarkably cool with transporting an illegal dragon. Guess the Twins take after him a bit.
Malfoy continues to be petty, hangingthe threat over their heads. I really doubt he would have ever told anyone, he enjoys lording it over them too much. Kind of wonder why Ron was keeping the letter in a book he keeps with him, doesn't make much sense to me. Serving to heighten the tension I guess.
Probably would have been easier to have Harry meet them up in the tower and then take them to Hagrid's hut. Still, eleven year olds aren't renown for their intelligence or cunning. Probably why Ron had the letter on him.
Malfoy fails to catch them, and Hermioen enjoys him being foiled, to the point of dancing a jig, and possibly singing. She's a bit spiteful, isn't she?
Norbert goes away, and they get caught by Filch. The end.
Honestly, I remember this being a lot more involved, or at least spanning more than one chapter. Would have been nice to have that tension building in the background.
Again, not too much happening here, serving mainly to set up some things for the future, mainly seeing Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.
Malfoy's stock continues to drop. He's not being very impressive with his skills. I don't think he's won a single encounter at this point. Kind of pathetic if you think about it, especially with the resources he has.
Could have sworn the Norbert Arc was way earlier in the book, or at least that it occurred earlier in the school year. It's probably around February now? Ten weeks from the end of Term, which I'm guessing is the first week of June, so... mid March? Damn, time flies I guess.
Interesting to see Ron telling off people. Wish they showed him doing that more for people, like Neville. Would have been nice to see him watching out for other people on a regular basis, even if it wasn't particularly relevant.
Hermione stressing about exams, and Hagrid being not at all subtle. Dragon breeding was outlawed in 1709, so I'm curious what brought that about. Probably would need to know a lot of real world history to find a possible reason for that point in time, but was probably chosen because it sounded old and that was all. Kind of wonder what the point was, if there are still wild dragons around. It's still going to get out.
They go down to Hagrid's, and Hermione tries her first attempt at feminine wiles. It succeeds. Wonder if it's just an innate ability of ladies to pull that off. If a bookworm like Hermione can do it...
Wonder what the reasoning behind which teachers added protections. Heads of Houses are obvious, I suppose, and DADA make sense, but why Hagrid?
Hagird's got a twelve year old's education and is as subtle as a brick wall. His hut is boiling and the egg is in plain view, and he seems surprised that they managed to put it together. Why is this guy being trusted with something so important? Loyalty? Could be, but most teachers seem to have some loyalty to Dumbledore. Maybe Dumbledore just knew about Hagrid's animals and asked for the biggest baddest one. Kind of wish he waited until next year, since we'd have a freaking dragon instead of Fluffy.
Booze right out of the egg. Great parenting advice there. Probably meant to keep it too drunk to make trouble I guess. That sound slike wizard logic to me. Wonder if any of them use it on their kids.
Ton longing for a normal life. Probably just idle thinking.
How did Hagrid get Hedwig? Did he summon her with his mjind? If he went to the Owlery, why not just stop by the Tower?
Malfoy is eavesdropping, kind of wonder how much of his day is centered around Harry, if he's doing this for no apparent reason.
Malfoy witnesses the dragon hatching, and Harry comes up with the idea to contact Charlie. Charlie seems remarkably cool with transporting an illegal dragon. Guess the Twins take after him a bit.
Malfoy continues to be petty, hangingthe threat over their heads. I really doubt he would have ever told anyone, he enjoys lording it over them too much. Kind of wonder why Ron was keeping the letter in a book he keeps with him, doesn't make much sense to me. Serving to heighten the tension I guess.
Probably would have been easier to have Harry meet them up in the tower and then take them to Hagrid's hut. Still, eleven year olds aren't renown for their intelligence or cunning. Probably why Ron had the letter on him.
Malfoy fails to catch them, and Hermioen enjoys him being foiled, to the point of dancing a jig, and possibly singing. She's a bit spiteful, isn't she?
Norbert goes away, and they get caught by Filch. The end.
Honestly, I remember this being a lot more involved, or at least spanning more than one chapter. Would have been nice to have that tension building in the background.
Again, not too much happening here, serving mainly to set up some things for the future, mainly seeing Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.
Malfoy's stock continues to drop. He's not being very impressive with his skills. I don't think he's won a single encounter at this point. Kind of pathetic if you think about it, especially with the resources he has.
Snape probably got away with it by going to Dumbledore, telling him that Quirrel had done something during the last match, and asking to be in a position where he could keep him from doing anything more. Perhaps there was also a warning for him to not do anything stupid - we do know Dumbledore is able to be forceful with Snape even if he lets him get away with too much.
Plus, the game was over so fast it didn't matter, so maybe Snape was going to punish them more if the game went on for longer.
Plus, the game was over so fast it didn't matter, so maybe Snape was going to punish them more if the game went on for longer.
Chapter Fifteen
It's kind of funny how McGonagall jumps to the most reasonable, logical conclusion. Sure, in most cases, that would make sense, but she turns into a cat. At the very least, she should know that Hagrid wants a dragon, and that he doesn't make the best decisions.
And how does getting Draco into trouble provide justification for getting out of bed themselves? Hell, Draco showed more intelligence than that when he tried to pull that exact trick.
Really? You've NEVER heard of four kids getting out of bed in one night? The Twins would account for two on any given night probably, and wouldn't be surprised if they started bringing friends along with them at some point, such as Lee Jordan.
Yeah, I know she's just trying to make them repent, but still...
Wow, Harry never really got a break, he dealt with a love/hate relationship right from first year. Even the other houses are ostracizing him. Not surprising he never really made friends outside of the trio. Good to see Ron trying to get him in better spirits. Not sure if he would have tried if he lost the points too, but that's neither here nor there...
Wow, great team spirit there. Apparently even Fred and George are giving him the cold shoulder. Kind of wish he did resign just so they actually realized they were being jerks. You'd think Wood at least would treat him with some respect.
Huh, Ron, Harry and Hermione are all studying. Not much else to do when people hate you, but still surprising.
Well, at leas impending doom provides a good distraction from school angst.
On to detention, could have sworn this took place earlier in the story as well.
Malfoy displays a stunning ignorance about werewolves, made especially bad when you consider that is common knowledge for most people, and he's grown up in a magical world.
Filch is a downright bastard, but no surprise there.
I like how Malfoy's dad would probably say that he needs to suck it up instead of cowering. Since McGonagall and Hagrid didn't get sacked or have any reprisals, I think Lucius told Draco to man the hell up over the summer. Gotta love blatant disregard of school rules for breaking the school rules. Contradiction is a great teaching method.
Seriously, this seems like a terrible idea. Even Hagrid, the guy who thinks human eating spiders are great pets, is on edge. What the hell Hogwarts?!
We meet Ronan, who seems friendly enough. Cryptic and foreboding, but friendly. Hagrid doesn't seem to have too much respect for them, anyways. Could just be him being cranky about them not helping at all.
Wow, he just leaves them there. Sure, the others migth be in danger, but ditching them like that? You could have just picked them up and carried them with Hagrid...
Harry and Draco go off for what fangirls would probably assume is a romantic interlude, which is enhanced by the unicorn corpse. Voldemort starts snacking on it right in front of them. Wonder if he was waiting for an audience, considering that they didn't hear him, which meant it happen awhile ago.
Malfoy screams and runs away. big shocker there. Harry effectively blacks out from pain, and wakes up with Firenze checking on him. Huh, even the centaurs recognize Harry. Little bit of a centaur conflict going on, giving more vague portents about what is yet to come.
Bit of background about unicorns, and just how is a unicorn defenseless? It has a giant horn for stabbing things with. Hell, horses don't have those, and they get by just fine without them. Just kick and trample things to death.
They head back to school, and talk with Ron a bit about the night. Not much
Again, not too much happening here, just more foreshadowing for... the series really. A few vague hints about the future, hinting at Voldemort's return, and laying the last few clues for what is going to happen in the last chapters.
Well, better get to it.
It's kind of funny how McGonagall jumps to the most reasonable, logical conclusion. Sure, in most cases, that would make sense, but she turns into a cat. At the very least, she should know that Hagrid wants a dragon, and that he doesn't make the best decisions.
And how does getting Draco into trouble provide justification for getting out of bed themselves? Hell, Draco showed more intelligence than that when he tried to pull that exact trick.
Really? You've NEVER heard of four kids getting out of bed in one night? The Twins would account for two on any given night probably, and wouldn't be surprised if they started bringing friends along with them at some point, such as Lee Jordan.
Yeah, I know she's just trying to make them repent, but still...
Wow, Harry never really got a break, he dealt with a love/hate relationship right from first year. Even the other houses are ostracizing him. Not surprising he never really made friends outside of the trio. Good to see Ron trying to get him in better spirits. Not sure if he would have tried if he lost the points too, but that's neither here nor there...
Wow, great team spirit there. Apparently even Fred and George are giving him the cold shoulder. Kind of wish he did resign just so they actually realized they were being jerks. You'd think Wood at least would treat him with some respect.
Huh, Ron, Harry and Hermione are all studying. Not much else to do when people hate you, but still surprising.
Well, at leas impending doom provides a good distraction from school angst.
On to detention, could have sworn this took place earlier in the story as well.
Malfoy displays a stunning ignorance about werewolves, made especially bad when you consider that is common knowledge for most people, and he's grown up in a magical world.
Filch is a downright bastard, but no surprise there.
I like how Malfoy's dad would probably say that he needs to suck it up instead of cowering. Since McGonagall and Hagrid didn't get sacked or have any reprisals, I think Lucius told Draco to man the hell up over the summer. Gotta love blatant disregard of school rules for breaking the school rules. Contradiction is a great teaching method.
Seriously, this seems like a terrible idea. Even Hagrid, the guy who thinks human eating spiders are great pets, is on edge. What the hell Hogwarts?!
We meet Ronan, who seems friendly enough. Cryptic and foreboding, but friendly. Hagrid doesn't seem to have too much respect for them, anyways. Could just be him being cranky about them not helping at all.
Wow, he just leaves them there. Sure, the others migth be in danger, but ditching them like that? You could have just picked them up and carried them with Hagrid...
Harry and Draco go off for what fangirls would probably assume is a romantic interlude, which is enhanced by the unicorn corpse. Voldemort starts snacking on it right in front of them. Wonder if he was waiting for an audience, considering that they didn't hear him, which meant it happen awhile ago.
Malfoy screams and runs away. big shocker there. Harry effectively blacks out from pain, and wakes up with Firenze checking on him. Huh, even the centaurs recognize Harry. Little bit of a centaur conflict going on, giving more vague portents about what is yet to come.
Bit of background about unicorns, and just how is a unicorn defenseless? It has a giant horn for stabbing things with. Hell, horses don't have those, and they get by just fine without them. Just kick and trample things to death.
They head back to school, and talk with Ron a bit about the night. Not much
Again, not too much happening here, just more foreshadowing for... the series really. A few vague hints about the future, hinting at Voldemort's return, and laying the last few clues for what is going to happen in the last chapters.
Well, better get to it.
Chapter Sixteen
Exams are over, and with them, any school issues, so let's move along to the climax.
...Nope, we're going into detail. Not too much, wonder if tap dancing pineapples or forgetfulness potions will feature in the final test.
Harry puts teh last piece of the puzzle together, realizing that the dragon was bait to get Fluffy's weakness out of Hagrid. Hagrid, once again, isn't the brightest bulb in the box, as he just tells Fluffy's weakness to them, and seems more concerned about that than some shady character knowing about it. Yeah, he thinks Shady is gone, but come on Hagrid...
They rush off to get Dumbledore, and run into McGonagall instead. Despite the fact that three eleven year olds somehow found out about the Stone, she is still convinced that it is well protected.
They try to figure out what to do, and Snape shows up all creepy like. Probably just there to be petty and threaten Harry with expulsion (which he does,) but it certainly doesn't do him any favors.
Maybe McGonagall actually was willing to believe them, if she turned up outside the corridor, but it could have just been random happenstance as well. Snape is on the loose and Harry mans up and decides to go after him.
I like his speech here. he basically says that they need to do what's right, regardless of the consequences. He won't go over to the Dark Side, and knows that hiding in the sand is only goign to mean he gets killed a little later.
Eleven year old Harry has more balls than Fudge does years down the road. That's both awesome (about Harry,) and sad (about Fudge.)
Hermione agrees, and Ron is the first one to overtly say they're going with him. Hermione brags about her 112%, and that there's no way they'd throw her out after that.
Neville catches them at the last minute, and mans up as well. Not as dramatic as Harry's was earlier, he thinks he's only keeping them from losing more points, despite the fact that they can't win at this point anyways, but considering how much of a wuss he normally is, it's still impressive.
Hermione, as a girl, completely takes his knees out from under him. Literally, as she paralyzes him. Poor guy. It would have taken maybe ten seconds to explain it to him. Just say Voldemort is on the loose, and he would probably be too shocked to stop them.
Ron finds time to be petty, even in these dire times. Then again, Mrs. norris is a pain in everyone's ass. It's liek dangling a chocolate cake in front of someone on a diet.
Harry does a good job terrifying Peeves.
Fluffy goes down for the count, despite the fact that Harry's never played the flute before. Down the rabbit hole they go, and a lovely death plant is waiting for them. Hermioen has a moment of panic and needs Ron to snap her out of it. Wonder why he didn't cast a spell himself, though I think they said the bluebell fire was something Hermione had picked up...
A little bit of a flying test. Ron;s the guy who determine the likely qualities of their target, and all three of them take a shot at getting it. No surprise that Harry is the one to get it.
Next up is the chess game, and I've already stated my opinion about it in numerous threads, so let's just blame JK's poor graps of chess, and skip to the end. Ron sacrifices himself so they can win. Good on him, willing to lay down his life (potentially) for his friends.
Next room. troll is already dead, so let's move along. Snape i sup next, and is the first one to show some real intelligence in his design. No blasting your way past this obstacle. Hermioen figures it out quickly, and we have a brief touching moment when she realizes she will probably never see her friend again.
Not going to dwell here for long, but let's get the trial totals.
Harry:2
Hermione:2
Ron: 1
Ron's trailing behind, but to be fair, he actually went and sacrificed himself to get his win, while in comparison, one of Harry's was "bring a flute," and Hermione needed both Harry and Ron to tell her how to save them from being strangles, so I think overall it evens out.
You know, thinking about it, Voldemort could have just murdered his way through the challenges. He could have AKed Fluffly, the plant, blown up the door probably, killed the troll, and blown up the chess set. Only issues were the potions test, since you can't blow up fire, and the Mirror, since he has no idea what consequences that could have had.
Exams are over, and with them, any school issues, so let's move along to the climax.
...Nope, we're going into detail. Not too much, wonder if tap dancing pineapples or forgetfulness potions will feature in the final test.
Harry puts teh last piece of the puzzle together, realizing that the dragon was bait to get Fluffy's weakness out of Hagrid. Hagrid, once again, isn't the brightest bulb in the box, as he just tells Fluffy's weakness to them, and seems more concerned about that than some shady character knowing about it. Yeah, he thinks Shady is gone, but come on Hagrid...
They rush off to get Dumbledore, and run into McGonagall instead. Despite the fact that three eleven year olds somehow found out about the Stone, she is still convinced that it is well protected.
They try to figure out what to do, and Snape shows up all creepy like. Probably just there to be petty and threaten Harry with expulsion (which he does,) but it certainly doesn't do him any favors.
Maybe McGonagall actually was willing to believe them, if she turned up outside the corridor, but it could have just been random happenstance as well. Snape is on the loose and Harry mans up and decides to go after him.
I like his speech here. he basically says that they need to do what's right, regardless of the consequences. He won't go over to the Dark Side, and knows that hiding in the sand is only goign to mean he gets killed a little later.
Eleven year old Harry has more balls than Fudge does years down the road. That's both awesome (about Harry,) and sad (about Fudge.)
Hermione agrees, and Ron is the first one to overtly say they're going with him. Hermione brags about her 112%, and that there's no way they'd throw her out after that.
Neville catches them at the last minute, and mans up as well. Not as dramatic as Harry's was earlier, he thinks he's only keeping them from losing more points, despite the fact that they can't win at this point anyways, but considering how much of a wuss he normally is, it's still impressive.
Hermione, as a girl, completely takes his knees out from under him. Literally, as she paralyzes him. Poor guy. It would have taken maybe ten seconds to explain it to him. Just say Voldemort is on the loose, and he would probably be too shocked to stop them.
Ron finds time to be petty, even in these dire times. Then again, Mrs. norris is a pain in everyone's ass. It's liek dangling a chocolate cake in front of someone on a diet.
Harry does a good job terrifying Peeves.
Fluffy goes down for the count, despite the fact that Harry's never played the flute before. Down the rabbit hole they go, and a lovely death plant is waiting for them. Hermioen has a moment of panic and needs Ron to snap her out of it. Wonder why he didn't cast a spell himself, though I think they said the bluebell fire was something Hermione had picked up...
A little bit of a flying test. Ron;s the guy who determine the likely qualities of their target, and all three of them take a shot at getting it. No surprise that Harry is the one to get it.
Next up is the chess game, and I've already stated my opinion about it in numerous threads, so let's just blame JK's poor graps of chess, and skip to the end. Ron sacrifices himself so they can win. Good on him, willing to lay down his life (potentially) for his friends.
Next room. troll is already dead, so let's move along. Snape i sup next, and is the first one to show some real intelligence in his design. No blasting your way past this obstacle. Hermioen figures it out quickly, and we have a brief touching moment when she realizes she will probably never see her friend again.
Not going to dwell here for long, but let's get the trial totals.
Harry:2
Hermione:2
Ron: 1
Ron's trailing behind, but to be fair, he actually went and sacrificed himself to get his win, while in comparison, one of Harry's was "bring a flute," and Hermione needed both Harry and Ron to tell her how to save them from being strangles, so I think overall it evens out.
You know, thinking about it, Voldemort could have just murdered his way through the challenges. He could have AKed Fluffly, the plant, blown up the door probably, killed the troll, and blown up the chess set. Only issues were the potions test, since you can't blow up fire, and the Mirror, since he has no idea what consequences that could have had.
Chapter Seventeen
Surprise Harry! It's Quirrel!
Going to skip over all his reveals, and get into the final trial. Harry actually does a decent job trying to distract Quirrel. He fails, but Quirrel's got Voldemort breathing down the back of his neck (literally,) so it's not much of a surprise. It does give Harry a chance to get his head around what's going on and how to solve the problem before him.
Kind of curiosu how Voldemort knew to use Harry. Could be some Legilimency, could just be him spinning his wheels, their connection, or something else entirely. Still creepy.
Even creepier when he shows himself. He's here for maybe half a page an already he seems to be in complete control of the situation. Suave and seductive, trying to bend Harry to his will instead of just killing him outright.
Too bad Harry's got Deus Ex Machina on his side. One that's been laid down from the start of the story, and one we don't have an explanation for, but it still is one. Voldemort starts to panic (you'd think he'd have been prepared for this. Maybe he though it was a one off trick) and Harry melts Quirrel's face off.
Harry's got the instincts of a true Seeker. Not even fully awake and already going for the Snitch. The rumor mill is apparently very effective, judging by the pile of candy Harry has. Serious social whiplash there.
Forgot Harry nearly died killing Quirrel. Dumbledore informs him that the Stone has been destroyed, and starts talking about death, human nature, and acting like an old man full of wisdom.
Dumbledore admits that he can't tell Harry why Voldemort wants to kill him. I think if Harry really pressed him, he would have revealed it, but Harry shows some sense in that regard and lets it go.
I really think Dumbledore should have gone a bit more into detail about James saving SNape, but I doubt Harry would be ready to deal with the other aspects, namely, the relationship between Snape and his mom, as well as his murderous Godfather.
We hear about Ron and Hermione's little adventure, nothing particularly interesting.
I like Harry's explanation for Dumbledore. He knows a lot about what is going on, but prefers to put other people in a position where they can do something about it, rather than doing it himself.
Pomfrey gives Harry some leniency in the time fram,e but then kicks his friends out so he can rest. Not sure of the reasoning she had, but I liek to think she's doing her best for them.
Least hagrid knows he fucked up badly. Sadly he doesn't learn a thing from it. At least he made up for it by giving Harry a photo album of his parents. Kind of wish that they had expanded on Lily and James' friends a bit. Can't think that all of them came from Lupin, and you'd think there migth be one or two kids who would have been encouraged to talk with Harry so they could check up on their friends' kid.
Dumbledore creates an upset over the Slytherin victory. Good to see that saving everyone ranks slightly higher than being caught out at night. Only by about twenty percent though.
Neville at least gets some validation for his points though. Think Dumbledore said him last so he would get most of the credit for pushing them over the edge. Kid deserves it.
Good marks for Harry and Ron, which I assume is an A to B range equivalent.
Ron seems to be taking Harry's fame in stride, joking about it with him as they leave the train. Ginny acts like a fangirl, but she's still ten, and hasn't had a chance to define herself at all, so no point in kicking up a fuss about it.
Harry makes a parting comment about keeping his restrictions a secret from the Dursleys, and that's the end fo book one. Going to cook up an overall summary/ character analysis soon, and then on to the next book!
Surprise Harry! It's Quirrel!
Going to skip over all his reveals, and get into the final trial. Harry actually does a decent job trying to distract Quirrel. He fails, but Quirrel's got Voldemort breathing down the back of his neck (literally,) so it's not much of a surprise. It does give Harry a chance to get his head around what's going on and how to solve the problem before him.
Kind of curiosu how Voldemort knew to use Harry. Could be some Legilimency, could just be him spinning his wheels, their connection, or something else entirely. Still creepy.
Even creepier when he shows himself. He's here for maybe half a page an already he seems to be in complete control of the situation. Suave and seductive, trying to bend Harry to his will instead of just killing him outright.
Too bad Harry's got Deus Ex Machina on his side. One that's been laid down from the start of the story, and one we don't have an explanation for, but it still is one. Voldemort starts to panic (you'd think he'd have been prepared for this. Maybe he though it was a one off trick) and Harry melts Quirrel's face off.
Harry's got the instincts of a true Seeker. Not even fully awake and already going for the Snitch. The rumor mill is apparently very effective, judging by the pile of candy Harry has. Serious social whiplash there.
Forgot Harry nearly died killing Quirrel. Dumbledore informs him that the Stone has been destroyed, and starts talking about death, human nature, and acting like an old man full of wisdom.
Dumbledore admits that he can't tell Harry why Voldemort wants to kill him. I think if Harry really pressed him, he would have revealed it, but Harry shows some sense in that regard and lets it go.
I really think Dumbledore should have gone a bit more into detail about James saving SNape, but I doubt Harry would be ready to deal with the other aspects, namely, the relationship between Snape and his mom, as well as his murderous Godfather.
We hear about Ron and Hermione's little adventure, nothing particularly interesting.
I like Harry's explanation for Dumbledore. He knows a lot about what is going on, but prefers to put other people in a position where they can do something about it, rather than doing it himself.
Pomfrey gives Harry some leniency in the time fram,e but then kicks his friends out so he can rest. Not sure of the reasoning she had, but I liek to think she's doing her best for them.
Least hagrid knows he fucked up badly. Sadly he doesn't learn a thing from it. At least he made up for it by giving Harry a photo album of his parents. Kind of wish that they had expanded on Lily and James' friends a bit. Can't think that all of them came from Lupin, and you'd think there migth be one or two kids who would have been encouraged to talk with Harry so they could check up on their friends' kid.
Dumbledore creates an upset over the Slytherin victory. Good to see that saving everyone ranks slightly higher than being caught out at night. Only by about twenty percent though.
Neville at least gets some validation for his points though. Think Dumbledore said him last so he would get most of the credit for pushing them over the edge. Kid deserves it.
Good marks for Harry and Ron, which I assume is an A to B range equivalent.
Ron seems to be taking Harry's fame in stride, joking about it with him as they leave the train. Ginny acts like a fangirl, but she's still ten, and hasn't had a chance to define herself at all, so no point in kicking up a fuss about it.
Harry makes a parting comment about keeping his restrictions a secret from the Dursleys, and that's the end fo book one. Going to cook up an overall summary/ character analysis soon, and then on to the next book!
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.
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.
Book Two:
Back in the saddle for this now that school is over with. Can't afford any more classes, so I guess I'll stay on schedule.
First off, Happy Birthday Harry. Sure, it's the worst one yet, but still, birthday. It's a bit odd that the Dursleys are worried about Hedwig delivering messages when Harry, for all they know, can do all sorts of evil magic on them without a care in the world.
Huh, perhaps harry doesn't miss Snape... I can almost hear the fangirls squeal over that one, but I think it has more to do with not having to deal with Snape 24/7 like the Dursleys.
Interesting to see Vernon using his brain for something. he does have a bit of cunning about him if he isn't going crazy about something beyond his control. Makes sense, he got his position somehow.
Harry seems to be enjoying terrorizing Dudley. Good payback for ten years of BS.
Not too much going on in this chapter, but it is the first chapter, recapping everything important about the first book before moving on. Let's move with it, shall we?
Back in the saddle for this now that school is over with. Can't afford any more classes, so I guess I'll stay on schedule.
First off, Happy Birthday Harry. Sure, it's the worst one yet, but still, birthday. It's a bit odd that the Dursleys are worried about Hedwig delivering messages when Harry, for all they know, can do all sorts of evil magic on them without a care in the world.
Huh, perhaps harry doesn't miss Snape... I can almost hear the fangirls squeal over that one, but I think it has more to do with not having to deal with Snape 24/7 like the Dursleys.
Interesting to see Vernon using his brain for something. he does have a bit of cunning about him if he isn't going crazy about something beyond his control. Makes sense, he got his position somehow.
Harry seems to be enjoying terrorizing Dudley. Good payback for ten years of BS.
Not too much going on in this chapter, but it is the first chapter, recapping everything important about the first book before moving on. Let's move with it, shall we?
Heeere's Dobby! In the illustration, he actually looks kind of cute.
Takes all of five seconds before the hero Worship starts.
Damn, the Malfoy's are total bastards, going by all he things that happen to him and the things he does to himself. No wonder he's so screwy.
I wonder if that's related to how Voldemort treats his followers? Is this just how things are done, or is Lucius imitating his master in the way he treats his servants?
Huh, Lucius appears to be aware of Voldemort's return, judging by the fact that Dobby heard the rumor. Surprising that nearly three years passed and his second in command couldn't find a single trace of him, while it took a penniless fugitive less than three months to locate him... Wonder why Lucy was dragging his feet... Maybe his new life is better than the old one, or he likes being the top dog? Makes you wonder why he's raising Draco serve the dark lord when he's not all that keen on his return.
Dobby's surprisingly rebellious for someone who's had is place beaten into him over a lifetime. I can only imagine the penalty for interfering with a wizard's business will be, even if that wizard is a family enemy. I assume that Dobby has some method if enforcing Harry's word once given. Could have made for an interesting sidestory while Harry tries to find a workaround. Might have involved Hermione doing soem research and Ron asking some questions, btu could have made another chaopter or two to read.
Is opening other people's mail a crime in England? Granted, it probably wouldn't stop Vernon, but it popped into my mind.
Can't help but feel that the expulsion clause isn't used too often, and that there is a lot of flexibility in using magic. You're expecting kids and teens to do what they're told.
Vernon really didn't think this through. Someone is going to come looking for Harry at some point, and I doubt that they'll be particularly inclined to listen to Vernon's point of view once they see Harry's state. God help him if it's Hagrid. Ron probably saved vernon's life by going to check on Harry.
Takes all of five seconds before the hero Worship starts.
Damn, the Malfoy's are total bastards, going by all he things that happen to him and the things he does to himself. No wonder he's so screwy.
I wonder if that's related to how Voldemort treats his followers? Is this just how things are done, or is Lucius imitating his master in the way he treats his servants?
Huh, Lucius appears to be aware of Voldemort's return, judging by the fact that Dobby heard the rumor. Surprising that nearly three years passed and his second in command couldn't find a single trace of him, while it took a penniless fugitive less than three months to locate him... Wonder why Lucy was dragging his feet... Maybe his new life is better than the old one, or he likes being the top dog? Makes you wonder why he's raising Draco serve the dark lord when he's not all that keen on his return.
Dobby's surprisingly rebellious for someone who's had is place beaten into him over a lifetime. I can only imagine the penalty for interfering with a wizard's business will be, even if that wizard is a family enemy. I assume that Dobby has some method if enforcing Harry's word once given. Could have made for an interesting sidestory while Harry tries to find a workaround. Might have involved Hermione doing soem research and Ron asking some questions, btu could have made another chaopter or two to read.
Is opening other people's mail a crime in England? Granted, it probably wouldn't stop Vernon, but it popped into my mind.
Can't help but feel that the expulsion clause isn't used too often, and that there is a lot of flexibility in using magic. You're expecting kids and teens to do what they're told.
Vernon really didn't think this through. Someone is going to come looking for Harry at some point, and I doubt that they'll be particularly inclined to listen to Vernon's point of view once they see Harry's state. God help him if it's Hagrid. Ron probably saved vernon's life by going to check on Harry.