Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapter 17 - The Final Chapter

It was Quirell!

Did anyone else see that coming when they first read the series? Maybe I'm dumb, but I didn't see it at all. I guess I counted on the fact that it is a children's novel and I expected it to be predictable. If you look back at all the clues, however, it's easy to see how it was Quirrell and not Snape.

On a side note, I must apologize to Sam O. After doing some research, I found out that Professor Quirrell's first name really is Quirinus, but I was correct in stating that his first name is never mentioned in the series. (My source is imdb.com)


It was Love?!?

Dumbledore explains to Harry that the reason Quirrell couldn't touch Harry was because of his mother's love. When I read the series for the first time, I thought this was the lamest explanation. Is this freaking Care Bears or the best selling novel of ever? It gets explained a little better later in the series, so I feel better about it now.

Politeness

We know well by now that Harry hates Snape. When Harry speaks of Snape to Dumbledore, Dumbledore has to frequently remind Harry to refer to him as Professor Snape out of respect for the title. Notice that when Harry is speaking to Dumbledore in the hospital wing that Harry refers to Professor Quirell as Quirell, but Dumbledore doesn't ask that Harry refer to him as professor. I think this shows a level of trust and respect for Professor Snape that isn't really even explained until the later books.



The First Question

The first question that Harry asks Dumbledore when they are talking in the hospital wing is why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry. We find out that this is the precise question Dumbledore didn't want to answer yet. For those of you who have read the 5th book, in that book, this is the exact question Dumbledore says he should have answered that day.

Final Thoughts

This first book is the shortest in the entire series, yet sets up the series extremely well. For a seven-book series, this one accomplishes the task of setting up the master plot and laying a foundation for the characters, yet it is also a very good story in and of itself. It's not incredibly deep, but it is a well-written and compelling story.

One bit of trivia: Harry's first year at Hogwarts takes place in the 1991-1992 school year.

A little quiz:

Who was the first to thwart Quirell in his attempts to steal the Sorcerer's Stone?

A) Dumbledore

B.) Hagrid

C.) Harry

D.) Snape

E.) Fluffy


My Ranking: Of my favorite books in this series, I rank this book 6th out of 7.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapter 16

Petrificus Totalus

When Hermione uses this spell on Neville, his arms and legs snap together and he falls, stiff as a board. One thing I noticed is that in Book 6 when someone uses that same spell on Harry, his arms and legs don't snap together, he just freezes in the position he's in. I only noticed this inconsistency this time reading this book.



A Little Quiz

The Sorcerer's Stone is closely guarded by spells and enchantments set by several of the Hogwarts staff: Hagrid, Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirell, Snape, and Dumbledore. Here is a little quiz. Without referencing the Potter series, who can tell me all the first names of the Hogwarts staff I just listed?



The First Big Twist

So, when Harry enters the final room, someone is already there. Not Snape, and not even Voldemort...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapters 14 - 15

Sorry it's been so long, Gryffindorks, but between school ending and taking care of the baby, I've been a bit negligent in my blogging duties. So here goes the next installment!

Welsh Green

In Chapter 14, when the trio are talking about dragons in Hagrid's hut, Ron brings up that there is the Welsh Green breed of dragon in abundance in Great Britain. One little note of trivia is that a Welsh Green is one of the breeds of dragon that appears in the Triwizard Tournament in the 4th book.
A big deal to Harry... for now anyway

After seeing losses and gains of 5's and 10's of house points, Harry, Hermione, and Neville lose their house a total of 150 points. To an 11-year-old, this is earth-shattering. However, compared to the real challenges Harry faces later on in the books, this is nothing. It's interesting to observe what Harry considers a "big deal" now compared to each of the remaining books.

Poor Neville

If I were to take a poll of the public's favorite Harry Potter character, Neville would be right near the top of that list. As pathetic as he is, you can't help but love Neville and admire his determination to prove himself. Neville is obviously one of those kids who struggles academically. I'm sure we all knew these type of kids back in school. It's understandable that Harry feels awful that Neville got in trouble. He was just trying to do the right thing. Neville is one of those people where what you see is what you get. He's simple in his determination and unwavering in his loyalty.



Veering off course

As far as sticking to the books, the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie does quite a good job. The first big difference I saw between the books and the movies is that in the movie, Ron gets detention for being out at night instead of Neville. This isn't such a big deal, but as we'll see, the movies become less loyal to the books as the series progresses.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapters 12 - 13

Time Lapse

This book is the shortest in the series and we can see how in just these couple of chapters. Chapter 12 begins just before Christmas and chapter 13 ends in late Spring. The major lapse in time is understandable. The overall plot of the series hasn't quite developed yet. We don't want to throw too much at our little hero just yet.

I've got to say... I got all giddy when I found out that Hermione's parents are BOTH dentists. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

The Invisibility Cloak

I love that the first thing Harry does with the cloak is he goes out and breaks school rules. It's interesting that the cloak was his fathers and that it was given to him by Dumbledore. Why did Dumbledore have it? Don't worry, that gets answered in about 3300 more pages.




Mirror of Erised

It's interesting that Dumbledore has seemingly led Harry to the mirror of Erised. What I like about this part in the book is that Dumbledore sits down on the floor next to Harry. I think this really shows Dumbledore's character; that he doesn't see himself as superior to anyone else. Even though he probably knows he's the greatest wizard out there, he humbles himself and shows this by having a rather adult conversation with an 11-year-old. Yet, another thing about Dumbledore's relationship with Harry comes out in this section. When Harry asks Dumbledore what he sees in the mirror, Dumbledore replies that he sees himself with a pair of socks. Even Harry feels that Dumbledore isn't being quite honest. Dumbledore is being a bit patronizing here, yet he must really feel strongly about not sharing this piece of personal information because he is otherwise quite open about other things.

The Sorcerer's Stone

Oh good, we finally find out what the blasted book title means. The original title of this book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which is the title that was used in the British version. "Philosopher", however, has a slightly different connotation here in America, so the editors decided to change the title for the American publication.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapters 10 - 11

Hermione, the Wretch

Hermione debuts as quite the piece of work. Sadly, she reminds me a lot of me when I was younger. Scratch that. I'm still a lot like her in a lot of ways. I find it interesting that from the get go, Hermione and Ron's relationship is a bit strained to say the least, but even after they become friends, that tension never leaves; even through the end of the series. The group dynamic among the trio (Harry, Ron and Hermione) is fascinating. The stereotypical role of the airhead is usually, (but not rightly) played by a blond female. In this case, Ron is really the one to take on that role. He is often oblivious to social graces and perception of people's feelings.



It's interesting, but I find myself identifying with a lot of personality traits from each one of the intrepid trio. Like Hermione, I'm fairly studious and can be a bit of a know-it-all. Like Ron, I often lack confidence and social grace, but consider myself a loyal friend, and like Harry, I feel I'm quick to jump to conclusions, but have a good moral compass.

Quidditch

Did you notice who gave Harry is broomstick? It was Professor McGonagall and it wasn't just any old broomstick. It was the best on the market. I think this gesture shows a lot of insight into Professor McGonagall. She isn't just all business. She has a heart and I believe she has a real soft spot for Harry even though she has an interesting way of showing it. She's very old fashioned, but I love the brief moments when we can catch a glimpse of what's hiding beyond her stoic fascade.

Did you know that there are 700 ways to commit a Quidditch foul? Harry learned this piece of trivia from a book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Here's a bit of trivia for you. Quidditch Through the Ages is an actual book written by J.K. Rowling, and yes, I have it and I've read it. It's quite interesting too.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Chapters 8 - 9

The Overgrown Bat

We finally come to one of my favorite characters throughout the Harry Potter series. No, it's not Argus Filch. I'm talking about Severus Snape. Rowling really does a great job with this character. He has so many levels and the depth of this character gets more intricate with each book. Rowling has a gift of making the reader hang on to his every line, and I've got to say, Alan Rickman does a fabulous job portraying Snape in the films. He's a loathsome character, but you can't help but be drawn to him and be intrigued by him. For those of you who haven't read the books yet, why do you think Snape hates Harry so much?



Super Sleuth

So at this point, Harry starts to put together that there is some connection between the emptied vault at Gringotts and the announced break-in. Was Harry right in thinking the grubby little package is what the crook was after? We'll see. From this point in the story, Harry is developing a bad habit of not being able to ignore mysteries. We'll see that sometimes it's for the best, but at others, it can lead to big trouble. I love that Harry has no fear, but at the same time, is like a typical 11-year-old in that he has absolutely no regard for consequences of his impulsive actions.

A little break for a little reason

Sorry for the brief hiatus in the posts folks, but we've been busy enjoying the newest addition to our family, Addelyn Nicole. She's wonderful and we're so happy to be parents. I'll be resuming my Harry Potter posts shortly. Keep reading!