The Harry Potter Re-Read: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Chapter 6: Journey to Hogwarts

Spoilers Ahead: Read with Caution

Hi everybody I'm back again, this time we Journey from London to Hogwarts with Harry, join me!

Summary:

OK, so this one starts off with Harry back at the Dursley's after shopping in Diagon Alley. No one actually knows how the Dursley's got off the rock, it never says. The rest of the summer passes fairly without incident and on August 31st Harry goes to the Dursley's to ask about driving him to London, of course, Vernon, being the monsters that he is only agrees because he's going to London anyway with Dudkey. Of course you'll remember that in Chapter 4 when Hagrid was introduced he gave Dudley a pig's tail so they need to have it removed before he goes to Smelting's. Well, they go to London and it goes about as well as you'd expect. When he can't find the platform (Hagrid, conveniently forgot to mention it) the Dursley's leave him there without a second thought (They're terrible people, I think we covered this). Well, he wanders around trying to find the entrance to the platform and eventually DA DA DA DA! the Weasley cavalry arrives! Ginny is predictably adorable for a 10 year old and the twins are surprisingly serious and helpful and Ron is, well, Ron. The Weasley's are wonderful and should be protected from the machinations of evil at all costs. Molly helps Harry get through the barrier and the twins help him get his trunk on the train. He kind of watches the Weasleys and wishes he had family like them. Well the train journey gets underway and Ron comes to sit with Harry and the twins introduce them to each other, they become fast friends and Harry gets his first chocolate frog card (Dumbledore) and they meet Hermione and Neville (he's lost his toad again). Finally they reach Hogsmede station and the real journey begins.

Review:

I adore this chapter, we meet the Weasley's who are wonderful and caring and Molly sends Harry a sweater for Christmas even though he;s not a Weasley. It really shows that from the time he became Ron's Friend, nay, from the time he met the Weasley's on the platform he became an honorary Weasley. You also meet Hermione, then a bushy-haired, buck-toothed know-it-all who spews facts like a dictionary. She just wants to prove she's the best at everything and it shows. However, at the time she's trying to help Neville find his toad and finds Ron about to cast a fake spell given to him by his twin brothers Fred and George (who are at the time, down the other end of the train with Lee Jordan who has a Giant Tarantula. Hermione comes in, spouts facts at them, tells them to get changed and leaves with Neville. We also meet Draco Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle and Scabbers does the only useful thing he's ever done and bites Goyle's finger. They leave and our protagonists finally get dressed in their school robes and arrive at Hogsmede station.

So, this is the review on Chapter 6, I know I didn't get more than one chapter review done last week, life got nuts and I never got around to doing this review. I should have another review done in a couple of days but it is the Victoria Day long weekend so you never know, either way it should be done soon.

See you for the Sorting!!

The Harry Potter Re-read: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Chapter 5: Magical Shopping Trip

Spoilers Ahead: Read with Caution

Hi Everyone I'm back with another chapter in my chapter reviews! I know it's been just over a week since my last review but life happened and I never got around to writing this one. I will try to update once or twice a week (maybe more if I can wing it) but in the meantime Allons-y! Come with me to Diagon Alley, it'll be a blast! on another note with a resounding 2 votes at the conclusion of the poll Moaning Myrtle is our favourite Hogwarts Ghost! (I'll put up a new poll soon, also, if anyone's got any poll ideas feel free to drop a comment or a tweet). Without further ado, grab your wands and your Galleons, we're going shopping!

Summary:

This one is basically just the Diagon alley Trip, Harry and Hagrid venture into Muggle London and from there arrive at the Leaky Cauldron. In the Leaky Cauldron there's a bit of a kerfuffle because naturally everyone recognizes Harry and wants to met him. We also meet Professor Quirrel (Stupid moron with a dark Lord attached to the back of his head, stupid turban). From the Leaky they venture out into the alley itself which is accessed through a portal in the wall (third brick from the left) and head to Gringotts. At Gringotts we meet Griphook, a Golbin, who takes Harry and Hagrid down to the vaults, first vault 687, Harry's trust vault, where he gets some money for shopping and then too vault 713 which contains a grubby, nondescript package which Hagrid retrieves (Dumbledore's orders) from thee the fun begins. He goes to Flourish and Blotts where he comes across "Curses and Countercurses by Vindictus Viridian" and he wants to learn to curse Dudley, he gets his Snowy Owl Hedwig as a birthday present from Hagrid and meets a strange, pointy faced boy in Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions (we later learn that this is Draco Malfoy and he's about as pleasant as you'd remember him being). Last we venture into Ollivander's, Makers of Fine wands since 382 BC (I think) and he acquires a very unusual wand, the brother wand to that of the Dark Lord, Holly and Phoenix feather (a difficult pairing) 11 inches. Soon after they go for hamburgers in Muggle London, Hagrid gives Harry his train ticket for the first of September and tells him about how his parents died and he's off back to Little Whinging.

Review: 

I liked this chapter, it was a lot of exposition and mostly scene setting but it was fun. Also it introduced a couple of new characters who will become important in the coming books, it also gave us (and Harry) something to think about, what was in the grubby little package from vault 713?

We got introduced to the Hogwarts house system (briefly, by way of Draco Malfoy) and way wizards think about Muggles (well, some wizards at any rate) and we met Hedwig! Everybody loves Hedwig. We also met Mr. Ollivander with his slightly bulbous silver eyes and strange demeanour and Harry gets his wand.

All in all I really liked this chapter it was a lot of description but fun all the same, especially the description of the Gringotts cart ride, I always think of either a roller coaster or that cart ride from Temple of Doom (or the cart ride from the movie)

Well that's it for today, I'll be back soon with more Chapter reviews (tried to keep each chapter review as I read a new chapter in Struggle to Salvation but it was just too hard).

I might not update again this weekend (Mother's day and all) but I will try to have the next chapter(s) up soon.

See you all on Platform 9 3/4!