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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Chamber of Secrets Chapters 6-7

He must have porcelain veneers

Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, in my opinion, is one of the most exaggerated characters in the series. He has his place, but is not really of importance to the series as a whole. He is one of those characters with very little depth and only really serves a purpose in this book. I know I'm being a bit negative here, but when you're dealing with a writer of such talent, the characters come under closer scrutiny. I would certainly expect this caliber of character from Stephanie Meyer, but not from Rowling. Lockhart does have some great moments in this book, but mostly, I find him annoying. Hey, it can't be all sunshine and daisies.



What were they thinking?

So Harry and the gang learn about mandrakes. Professor Sprout tells them that the cry of a mandrake is fatal. If that's the case, then why are they letting 12-year-olds handle them? I wouldn't trust a 12-year-old with a hamster. Apparently, there really are plants called mandrakes.


Pre-teen swear words

I like that even in the wizarding world there are swear words. Just as our swear words here in America are different from those in England, wizard swear words differ from muggle swear words. Apparently Mudblood is a pretty bad word to wizards, but we'll see that later in the series, that word gets thrown around pretty librally. I also like that Rowling comes up with her own sayings that are unique to wizards. For example: the exclamation, "Merlin's Beard!" to connote surprise or incredulity, or "Hungry as a Hippogriff," using a magical creature in a hyperbole to compare a state of hunger.

There's really not much else of significance in these chapters. I suspect there will be more in the next couple of chapters as the plot thickens.


Quiz help:

In my previous post, I wrote a quiz question about a spell Lockhart uses on the cornish pixies. Here's a hint that should give the answer away:

pesky + pixie + pester + no + me

Got it?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A little Quiz to wet your appetite

Hey Harry Potter-ites! Sorry for the lengthy hiatus from this blog. If you've been through dental school, you know it eats up quite a bit of time. We just got done with an intense 6-week term. Anyway, enough about my boring life and on with the Potterness. To hold you over until my next couple of Chamber of Secrets chapters, here's a little quiz to see how well you know your Harry Potter spells. We'll start easy.

1.) What is the incantation that goes with the movements "Swish and Flick?"

A.) Petrificus Totalis

B.) Aquamenti

C.) Wingardium Leviosa

D.) Expelliarmus

E.) Avada Kedavra


2.) What is the spell Ron uses on Scabbers in Sorcerer's Stone?

A.) Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

B.) Rainbow, daisies, sunshine mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

C.) Sunflower, daisies, butter yellow, turn this stupid fat thing yellow!

D.) Sunbeams, daisies, butter yellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

E.) Avada Kedavra


3.) Which of these spells is used in the Harry Potter movies, but not in the books?

A.) Aquamenti

B.) Bombarda

C.) Point me

D.) Riddikulus

E.) Avada Kedavra



4.) What is the incantation Gilderoy Lockhart uses against the Cornish Pixies?

A.) Peksipiksi Pesternomi

B.) Peskipiksi Pesternomi

C.) Peskipiksi Pesternami

D.) Peksipiksi Pesternami

E.) Avada Kedavra