Group Read 📖

[Cyndi Kingsley]

I don't think it was Dumbledore either. I know Harry remembers Dedalus Diggle bowing to him prior to meeting him in the Leaky Cauldron.

And yes @November Albertson! Wasn't he concerned in the slightest that Quirrell was basically a different person when he came back from his trip? Hagrid noticed!

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

You'd think it would've been important to mention exactly how to get on platform 9 3/4s, no? Thankfully, Harry eventually gets some help or this would've been a sad end to the story.

I'd forgotten that Ron used a hand me down wand for a bit. That's interesting because it probably won't work as well for him, not that I think his 'spell' would've worked with a new one since that spell is nothing like the spells we see once they're in school.

And the trolley lady, looking perfectly human and not robot-like.

Another cool invention - moving pictures and photos! I think it's so neat that photos are alive in a sense in the wizarding world and can move and interact with the environment and their other frames. It's such a neat idea.

Druidess Cliodna - I was curious why Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from this one so I looked her up! Has anyone tried chocolate frogs? I have, but I don't remember what cards I got.


Am I the only one who didn't like Hermione from the beginning? She had to grow on me, for sure.

And the chapter ends with the boat ride. When I think of the first movie, it's one of the scenes that sticks in my head, probably because it's our first time seeing Hogwarts.

I might get another chapter in today!

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

I don't think it was Dumbledore either. I know Harry remembers Dedalus Diggle bowing to him prior to meeting him in the Leaky Cauldron.

And yes @November Albertson! Wasn't he concerned in the slightest that Quirrell was basically a different person when he came back from his trip? Hagrid noticed!

I had that in mind. I think the person shaking his hand was maybe just a random person?

 

[Stefan Archer]

Hagrid isn't the most observant person.....

You'd think it would've been important to mention exactly how to get on platform 9 3/4s, no? Thankfully, Harry eventually gets some help or this would've been a sad end to the story.

Right like hagrid spends 90% of this book saying things he shouldn't and misses one of the things he definitely should've said.

Hagrid cracks me up.


I always forget about Harry meeting Draco early, but I'm kinda pleased the films didn't include that. It works in the book context because they go much more into the draco/harry rivalry but because the films don't, having it happen later - i.e. just before sorting works.

The line early on
"Your a wizard harry"
I had to stop reading for a bit because all I had in my head were all the videos and vines which include this line. I just couldn't. It's like the "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard"

 

[Ilija Olaf]

Huh.. I thought it was Dumbledore because of the description being similar, and of course Harry wouldn't know who he was so he would just weird-man-in-robe-#3..

But that would make sense

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

In the "sorting hat," we learn a lot about Hogwarts! I think I would've been one of the students who was very nervous to have the whole school watching them get sorted, and I would've had a fairly long wait too. My surname starts with an M so right in the middle of the alphabet.

Dumbledore's speech to the school before they ate was quite interesting. Do you think we'll get a speech like that from Alicastell one day?

I think it's a typo that Neville's family thought he was all-Muggle right? Shouldn't they have just thought he was a squib? That would make more sense to me.

We only ever get to learn about the main house ghosts, Professor Binns, Moaning Myrtle and Peeves, but they mention that there are about 20. I wonder who the other ones are, so I looked it up and realized I'd never seen this bit from JKR. Some of these sound interesting!

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

We learn a lot more about the look of the school as the next chapter begins, and the professors -the beginning of the Harry/Snape dislike- and Filch. I like reading about the staircases and how much they move. I occasionally mention trick steps in roleplays but the staircases are something I definitely want to play around with more in the future.

It's true that Hagrid isn't the most observant. He left that article just out in the open for Harry to find. It wouldn't be too hard to put two and two together that the same day they happened to be there and emptied out a vault that an empty vault gets broken into! C'mon Hagrid!

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

I've got two chapters read because I forgot to post yesterday.

Malfoy is such a bully. Ugh ugh ugh.

Interesting wording about the wizards duel. Malfoy specifies there's to be no contact in the one he challenges Potter to. Are there duels where it's allowed?

I'd forgotten that Hermione and Neville were with Ron and Harry when they first saw the three - headed dog! And then they didn't let him join their adventure in the end.

And the next chapter is about Halloween (don't forget our feast opens this week )!

And now we get our first detailed discussion of Quidditch. I like how Wood explains it all to Harry. And the record for games is three months...some of our games feel that long amirite?

It's nice to see Ron coming up the hero in their first adventure as a trio. Sometimes I feel like he got the raw end of the stick. He wasn't Harry and wasn't the 'smart' one of the group, and mostly gets recognized for his loyalty, to me. But he's the one who cast the spell that knocked the troll out.

 

[Hezekiah Mowry]

I think it's a typo that Neville's family thought he was all-Muggle right? Shouldn't they have just thought he was a squib? That would make more sense to me.

With this I think it's a way to put Neville in a class lower than a Squib? A Squib can at least pass on their magical traits, if they marry a muggle, but those traits many not surface until generations later leading to a muggleborn. (why do i think so much? )

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

I think of it more from JKR's perspective, either she hadn't thought of the word for squib yet OR (perhaps more likely) didn't want to disrupt the sorting chapter and take the reader out of the story by introducing a new term. In the second book quite a lot of time is dedicated to explaining the concept, and it wouldn't fit in that part of the first book.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Reeve has been a lucky fellow as a ref, especially considering some refs have been known to disappear for months!

Poor Harry though seems full of regret at joining the team, especially when he finds out Seekers are game target. Makes sense though considering how they impact the game. And what a game it is for Harry with his losing control of his broom! I remember we once had a member who did quidditch commentary very similar to Lee! Would be fun to have that again *hint hint poke me *

Interesting tidbit about brooms that Hagrid mentions - that it would take very dark magic to cause a loss of control.

Did you think it was fair for Harry to win by catching the snitch with his mouth? Did he really catch it?

And the chapter ends with Hagrid being the world's best secret keeper! Fun times.

 

[Ilija Olaf]

Did you think it was fair for Harry to win by catching the snitch with his mouth? Did he really catch it?

If he didn't, then I have doubts about the time Leda won by the snitch flying down her sleeve

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

I've always found it super sweet how the Weasley parents take to Harry and bring him into their fold with the Christmas sweater.

The restricted section seems so interesting - books with no titles and books with blood stains and books that scream! Thoughts on what those books might be about?

What do you all think Dumbledore might have seen in the Mirror of Erised? He says woolen socks. Do you believe him?

 

[Stefan Archer]

I don't believe Dumbledore at all, and it's an interesting fact that Harry doesn't either. It's difficult to know what he does see - if it's his family, or the deathly hallows, or something more mundane.


I always really appreciated the weasleys' because from the get go, they're kind to people, welcoming, they're just a very wholesome family. And tbh molly and arthur do a pretty bang up job raising some seven kids all of whom are incredibly bright - like Fred and George don't achieve academically but there's little denying that they aren't/weren't great wizards.

 

[Olivia Drage]

One thing that is sticking out to me during this reread is JKR's treatment of obese characters. I never noticed it before, and it's not just in the first book. Fat = bad, lazy, or weird. It's disappointing. But I understand I'm reading a late 90s book with a 2020 lens.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

It's so funny to me that Hermione is so aghast that Harry had been out of bed and the thought of Filch catching him when he was decidedly caught by the Headmaster and that was...more ok?

So if you had to use the Sorcerer's Stone for one of its properties, which would it be? I don't know about you all but being able to turn any metal into pure gold might get my vote. I've got to think on this some more.

That quidditch game is a fun one because it's built up so much and ends so quickly. We spend most of the chapter super worried about the impact Snape might have on it and in the end, it didn't matter much. I enjoy the games on the site that end just as fast too. It's one of my favorite bits of the new system, that that is possible.

And if you haven't seen, there are quite a few more chapter reads up on Pottermore: Chapters 4-6 are now up!

 

[Selene Le Fey]

Okay so i just finished diagon alley. yes i am making slow progress. i am listening at 0.8 speed. and pausing evey now and then to reread sections.
things i have noticed. Hagrid really is dumbledores man. he wont say anyihtng bad against him and often brings up how great he is when conversation didnt really call for it. so bringing back to what @Stefan Archer said it makes me think would we trust the headmaster as much or as easily if hagrid wasnt around?

secondly. i had to smile at the book list. it seems like mant of the authors has a name relating to the book they wrote. certinly something I haven't picked up before.

• The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshaw
• A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
• Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
  • waffling meaning to talk on and on about something seemingly unimportant. which theory lessons often feel like
• A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
  • switch being to change from one thing to another
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
  • a sport being how fungi reproduce
• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
  • Jigger bing a small measure of liquid (usually alcohol) or a small cup used to measure them.
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
  • Newt being a kind of animal.
• The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
  • my first thought was that it sounded like tremble which is something you would do when you are scared. but after a quick google, Trimble was an Irish politician who recieved the noble peace prize in 1998 for (according to Wikipedia, pat correct me if i am wrong) helping to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in northern Ireland. which in my mind ties into self protection against dark magic sort of as a way to fix things without fighting fire with fire. maybe they are related or JK putting a subtle political hint in there.
• also mentioned Curses and countercurses by Vindictus viridan
  • Vindictus sounds like it comes from the same word as vindictive and the book's description "Bewitch your friends and befuddle your enemies with the latest revenges: Hair loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more." sounds very much like vindictive behaviour.

 

[Nicolas King]

secondly. i had to smile at the book list. it seems like mant of the authors has a name relating to the book they wrote. certinly something I haven't picked up before.

Nominative determinism at its finest.

Nominative determinism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I wonder if they took the time to translate those names to keep the meanings in other languages for the books? (Like all the length they went to to make sure Voldy's full name spelled out "I am Lord Voldemort" in each language edition... therefore making French Voldemort's middle name "Elvis" )

 

[Selene Le Fey]

In the danish

Nominative determinism at its finest.

Nominative determinism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I wonder if they took the time to translate those names to keep the meanings in other languages for the books? (Like all the length they went to to make sure Voldy's full name spelled out "I am Lord Voldemort" in each language edition... therefore making French Voldemort's middle name "Elvis" )

in the danish version I am reading the names of the authors are the same. But the book titles are translated.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

That's a really good point @Selene Le Fey ! I don't think we would've trusted Dumbledore as much without Hagrid's buy-in.

Speaking of, our favorite half giant is now the proud owner of a baby dragon! I'd forgotten all the mentions of just how hard the ministry works to keep muggles from knowing what's going on but we've got another two here with the Warlock convention of 1709 and the mention of the ministry making people forget they've spotted dragons.

I'd never heard of a stoat so just looked it up here. I laughed out loud at the first sentence.

I love how Charlie just rolled with the punches at Ron and Harry's request for help getting rid of a dragon. He didn't ask questions and just jumped in to help. The Weasleys are the best.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Punishment in the Forbidden Forest - I remember finding this chapter pretty eerie as a kid. Finding an injured unicorn? Spending a whole night traveling through a forest no one is supposed to be in?

According to HP Lexicon, Mars wasn't in fact bright IRL though in the book it was. There's also some interesting commentary on the significance of Mars being bright for those who are curious.

It's an interesting discussion between the centaurs after Harry discovers the dead unicorn. They seem to have differing thoughts on how to go about it all - play a part or stay out of the way and let fate play out. Anyone have any other thoughts? Firenze seems to be much more of a straight shooter than the other centaurs based on Hagrid's opinion of them anyway.

We're almost done!

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Hagrid Hagrid Hagrid...giving away super important information again in telling everyone how to get by Fluffy.

It's pretty cute that such a fearsome looking creature is such a melophile.

I love when Hermione tells Harry he wouldn't get to the stone without her and Ron. It's true. Harry's brave and bold but if it wasn't for Hermione and Ron and a bunch of other people, he'd not have gotten as much done as he was able to.

I like all of the different barriers to the stone. They show such a wide array about magic. Which one is your favorite? I really like how the chess played out in the movies - the visuals there were very cool- but in the books the riddle was my favorite. I remember trying to puzzle it out myself the first time I read it. I'm also fairly certain I'd have been wrong and died from poison

So what do you think was the deal with Quirrell? Was he under an Imperius curse? Indoctrinated by Voldemort?

He mentions Voldemort showing him the error of his thinking so I lean towards the latter.

And always fun to see Gryffindor win the house cup! :

I like that Neville was acknowledged and given points for standing up to his friends. It's certainly not an easy thing to do.

We did it!

Any final thoughts?

 

[November Albertson]

You did it* I have to admit my reread has been slowed down by work picking back up so I've just made it to Harry's and Ron's visit to Hagrid's Hut. When I do find the time I have been enjoying the book and the story very much. Even as an adult now it reads in a way that is still enjoyable. It's not just a story for kids which I think is great.

 

[Willow Cullen]

I haven't made much progress all week. I haven't even got on the Hogwarts express yet. mainly because i have been busy with work and assignments, and I am trying to read it in a second language. but i will hopefully get the last assignment handed in at the end of the week.
I do have a question. when the holiday threads close are we going to keep this open for those who may not have have the chance to make enough progress on the book to be finished now but who still want to comment?

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

As with every birthday, all of the topics will be eventually moved to new homes but not closed unless they were a competition in which case they'd be moved to archives.