Harry Potter Read-Along Part 3
Little Lion's Take on HP and the Sorcerer's Stone, Part 3
Little Lion
When Hagrid gets his baby dragon, Norbert, Ron, Harry, and Hermione are a bit unfari to Norbert; they want to get rid of him when he's only a baby and hasn't been trained.
Finally in Quidditch, when Harry "catches" the snitch in his mouth, there should have been a re-match because Harry didn't mean to swallow it.
Harry's cupboard under the stairs at WB Studio tour in London. Featured photo at top shows Little Lion flying on her broom with Hogwarts in the background. Photo taken at the WB Studio tour in London.
Mini Me's Take on the end of HP and the Sorcerer's Stone
Mini Me: Since the rest of my family's reviews on this will likely center on Quidditch, I'm going to focus on the Mirror of Erised. Doesn't it sound inviting? It shows you exactly what you want the most, the deepest desire of your heart. Its name is literally 'desire' backwards.
But. . . it comes with a price. (Doesn't everything come with a price in the fantasy genre? And no discounts or gift cards, either.) Desire takes hold of your mind and can drive you insane. According to Dumbledore, many people waste their lives away staring at it, wishing and hoping for what could be or what might have been, instead of getting up off their butts and actually doing something that could get what they want. His version was far more eloquent than mine, of course, but that's the general gist.
Harry sees his dead parents whom he's never truly talked to, staring out at him from the mirror. What bothers me in the film adaption is that Lily and James looked to be in their mid-forties when appearing in the mirror. Canonically, in the book, they are both twenty-one at the time of their death. They're just kids, really. (Well, they're older than I am. So they're old. But still.) And they were fighting a war. They defied Voldemort. They sacrificed themselves for their son. And their son still has to save the world. Again, fantasy, am I right?
Ron sees himself as captain of the team, holding the Quidditch Cup, and Head Boy to boot. He's constantly in the shadow of his brothers, and now he's in the shadow of his famous best friend, Harry. Of course he wants to be recognized, to fit in somewhere, to be better than his brothers and sister for once. As an oldest sibling, I don't relate very much, but I can understand that yearning to step into the light and have somebody--anybody-- know your name. Don't we all?
*SLIGHT spoiler alert, if you haven't read Deathly Hallows then scroll down to the trivia contest part*
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Dumbledore, apparently, sees himself wearing socks. Believable enough, as a first-time reader, but when the secrets of the rest of the series are spilled, it's less believable. Why would he see socks when he could see proof of his innocence concerning his little sister's death? Or happiness with the man that he loved, without the genocidal mass-murdering thing? Or his family, Kendra and Percival and Aberforth and little Ariana, whole and happy and alive?
What's one lie to an eleven-year-old boy, if you can push all that pain aside?
Little Lion in front of the Knight Bus at WB Studios in London.
Tell Dr. Bookworm/Trivia Contest Part 3
1. What are the Hogwarts house colors?
2. How do you make Fluffy, the three-headed dog, fall asleep?
3. Name five different types of dragons in the series.
4. Where is the Potions classroom located?
5. What is Hermione's patronus?
6. Name a potion that Ron bungled in Potions class.
7. What is Harry's wand made out of?
Contest rules: if you're under 18, you need permission from your parents (with a valid email address that I will not sell or distribute). All entries will be entered into a raffle for the prizes which include HP-related bookmarks, stickers, pins, and book editions etc. The GRAND PRIZE will be an official Universal Studios House hoodie or sweatshirt (retail value $65). You need to tell me which house you're in, of course. Only open to U.S. residents. The contest is not sponsored or affiliated with Instagram, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, or J.K. Rowling. It's sponsored by me. :D Limit two entries per person per HP read-along post (six total). Contest questions/answers will be judged at the discretion of the Bookworm family. Contest closes on Sept 10, 2018 at midnight PST. Please note that I've extended the deadline since I was late in posting part 2 of our read-along.
Phew! To enter, comment on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone below. For a bonus entry, answer our contest questions. If you'd rather email me your answers or comments, please do so here. Part One discussion and questions are here, and Part Two is here.
ETA: Our grand prize winner was randomly drawn on Sept. 11, 2018 and is N.H. Since he is in Gryffindor, he won an official Universal Studios Gryffindor hoodie. Congrats, N!
P.S. Yes, my own notes aren't here yet. Sorry as I'm not done-with my minor surgery in August plus my distraction in having to read the complete To All the Boys trilogy, I just couldn't get done in time. They'll go up later.
