Listening and watching along with Harry

I wrote the other day about the new Harry Potter read-along on WizardingWorld.com. Today I listened and watch along for 28 minutes about The Boy Who Lived, read by Daniel Radcliffe.

Before I did the #HarryPotterAtHome thing as it's being tagged on social media, I looked back at the post I wrote about Chapter 1 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I got so caught up in the cat thing, because of my feline phobia, that I missed all sorts of important things in my introduction to Harry Potter. Things that I now realize are important as I have progressed through the opening chapters of "Deathly Hallows."

I started jotting things down as I listened to the perfect British voice of Harry:

• The Dursleys are perfectly cast characters to be Harry's kin. Yes, they are annoying and mean, but as we came to learn book after book they are exactly what Muggle relatives of Harry should be like.
• All of things Uncle Vernon noticed that day fueled his dislike for "that lot" as he often referred to magical folk.
• The owls were flying everywhere. I had forgotten all about that.
• The mention of Godric's Hollow. I had not remembered that name even when it came up in recent chapters I have read. Now, it appears, Harry will be returning to the scene of the crime that made him a hero.
• Completely forgot that McGonagall didn't want Harry left with the Dursleys. Can't say I blame her, but Dumbledore was ever the wise one. He remained safe on ye olde Privet Drive.
• I had no recollection that Hagrid made such an early appearance. And how appropriate it was for that noisy motorbike (borrowed from Sirius, a name we knew nothing about then) to be the vehicle for Harry's arrival at Privet Drive and for his final getaway. How many of you remembered that when you read the "Seven Potters" chapter? It's been 10 years, so I, of course, didn't remember anything about Harry's arrival.
• No wonder Hagrid has been so protective of Harry. Hadn't considered why until just now.
• Finally, this was our introduction to the scar, which didn't seem important at the time.

The Chapter 2 reading is live. "The Vanishing Glass" reading is by Noma Dumezweni. She portrayed Hermione in the original cast of "The Cursed Child" in London and on Broadway.

On the Wizarding World website you can sign up for alerts and such. I figured I would sign up so I will know when a new chapter reading is posted. During the signup process, the Sorting Hat appeared and there were a series of questions designed to put you in a house.

I paused.

Do I really want to do this?

Might as well.

I came out a Hufflepuff.

Nerdiest thing I've ever done.

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

Crack the books

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 6

Books. Of course, Dark Arts textbooks are the beginning of putting Harry, Ron and Hermione (she couldn't be happier than to have lots of books to lug around) on the trail of Horcruxes.

School, it seems, is back in session.

Sooner, rather than later, the three of them will leave the Burrow against Mrs. Weasley's wishes and begin their "Deathly Hallows" quest to rid the world of Voldemort and the hidden pieces of his soul for good. But first, there is a wedding to get ready for, books to sort through, rucksacks to pack and travel plans to make.

Planning has been difficult with Mrs. Weasley's obvious attempts at keeping them busy and apart from one another. But the plan is coming together.

Hermione will have to do some late-night reading to get caught up on Horcruxes. Harry will have to sort through his memories and figure out what spells will work best and leave behind his go-to tricks that the Death Eaters are wise to. As for Ron, I'm not sure what his job is besides running interference for his friends. Moral support, I suppose, is Ron's job. That and making sarcastic remarks.

Real school, of course, is over for these three. Hogwarts will apparently be open for business in the fall. Who will be the new Headmaster? No idea.

Ron and Hermione have their school absence cover stories ready. Ron is faking something called spattergroit by using a ghoul as a double. This is weird for even magical folk. A ghoul exists (not sure you can say lives) in his attic and Harry referred to it as their ghoul. The next time I think about sending my ghoul to Goodwill I'll remember that I might actually have a use for it some day. Weird.

Hermione's plan to send her Muggle parents on holiday sounds like something people would actually do. Not as inventive, but I think it will work.

Peeking ahead at chapter titles it appears we have two more chapters at the Burrow prepping and prepping and prepping for the wedding and the departure. I'll try to remain patient and be alert for clues.

Then the honeymoon will be over for everyone except, of course, Bill and Fluer.

 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Read the book first

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Movie Review

Dark and moody.

I watched the movie last night for the first time. And I am glad I read the book first. Movies that require more than 100 percent attention to connect all the dots are not my favorite. If I had not read the book, there would have been mystery, which is good, but would I understand it in the end?

For instance:

• Malfoy in the Room of Requirement and Harry staring at a blank wall would have confounded me if not for the book.
• The vanishing closets, I suppose, might have made sense in the end. But I'm not convinced.

OK, so only two things come to mind the day after. But it only takes a couple things to distract you into not knowing what is going on. I've never been one to work at figuring out what's going to happen. Just spoon feed me. Movie watching shouldn't be like homework.

That said, I did like some parts for sure.

The Quidditch was good, but why not the final match? Would much rather have seen Ginny and Harry come together in that moment than in the Room of Requirement.

I know the burning of The Burrow was not in the book, but I get it. It was a simple way to show the Death Eaters' terrorism.

The penseive scenes were good. And Slughorn finally giving in to Harry at Hagrid's was a good scene. The Slughorn character was well played.

Hermione's feelings for Ron were much more open in the movie than in the book. But they have to be in a visual medium unless her thoughts are narrated. 

I'm sure there are those who would have preferred Harry in the invisibility cloak during the Dumbledore death scene. But you wouldn't see Harry's face. So I get why the scene was constructed that way.

What did I miss?

• A little more struggle to reach the locket. Seemed too easy.
• As I mentioned above, the last Quidditch match.
• The fighting that happened before Dumbledore was killed.

I have read Chapter 1 of "The Deathly Hallows." That will be my next post.

An uncertain future

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Chapter 30

Funerals and tombs.

Not the most pleasant of topics. But Dumbledore did deserve to be honored. I suppose we needed closure as much as the fictional characters, especially Hagrid. Glad he doesn't just cry over deaths of spiders and assorted other odd creatures.

No word on R.A.B, but I suppose that will come. Perhaps R.A.B. is on the trail of other Horcruxes, and Harry could join him or her in the quest. Every book brings us new characters so why not a reveal of the mysterious R.A.B. in "The Deathly Hallows."

Harry took the big step lots of heroes have taken by breaking up with Ginny to protect her from evil forces. Didn't expect it, but I'm not surprised. Maybe there's a future for them when this ends if Harry lives through it.

Harry sure won't have anything to do with the Ministry of Magic. He sent old Schemegour away in another huff. Takes guts to rebuff the powerful. But Harry, I think, knows the tighter the circle of trust the better. Voldemort surely has spies everywhere as we've seen.

So what happens in "The Deathly Hallows?" Don't tell me. But we know Harry will work hard to find the Horcruxes, hope for an encounter with Snape and make plans for Voldemort. And, I'm quite convinced, there will be more death. I mean, it is called "The Deathly Hallows."

The urgent question, however, was left unanswered at the conclusion on pages 651 and 652. Ron and Hermione assume they will accompany Harry on his quest. He says no. Ron says they're coming anyway. Harry didn't argue.

But the last sentence reveals his thought of one last day of peace with his friends. Is that Bill and Fluer's wedding day and then he's off on his own? Does it mean something else? This is vague.

A Harry Potter book with little to no Ron and Hermione? That's difficult to imagine. But these are the most difficult of times, and difficult times call for sacrifice.

See you soon in Book 7. I'm dying to get started.

Finale sets box-office record

If I could get through these books while "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" is still in the theater, I will be able to count myself as part of the final tally. But I'm not betting on it.

If you haven't seen this movie, my daughters say it is the best of the lot. And they recommend taking a box of tissues. Here's a story on the record-breaking weekend that took down Batman.

Reading the book, not going to the movie

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapters 6, 7 and 8

I just dropped off my three daughters at the theater for the midnight showing of "The Deathly Hallows, Part 2." I was hoping to be all the way through the books so that I could watch with them, but I've been under a non-reading spell lately. I had to drop them off early because of the long line. I thought about just having them apparate there and back to save me the two trips, but I looked on my iPad and there wasn't an app for that.

It has been my practice to write about each chapter, but I am leaving that path at least for this post. These three chapters could have been one long one leading up to Harry's hearing.

We learned lots about the House of Black how lots of magic people are related. All very interesting, but not much action other than Fred and George apparating and the cleaning of doxies out of the curtains.

Then we get a tour of the Ministry of Magic in the next chapter. I kept wondering what floor the sporting goods were on.

The hearing was peculiar. Fudge, of course, trying to keep the Voldemort thing quiet tried his best to run a kangaroo court and convict Harry. But Dumbledore is about 10 times smarter than Fudge, and the other members of the Wizengamot were obviously not intimidated by Fudge.

So Harry is free to return to Hogwarts and see what kind of trouble he can get into. Not sure what kind of showdown is coming with Voldemort or his minions in this book, but I'll keep trying to push ahead this next couple weeks and finish it up.

Meanwhile, I need to rest up to go get the moviegoers who are undoubtedly witnessing the magic world's version of "The Gunfight at the OK Corral."