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!