Hogwarts Herald

In the Vanishing Glass, there is no real introduction of any new characters. We do encounter Dudley’s best friend Piers Polkiss, but he never really becomes a major player in the series as a whole. There is, however, a portion of this chapter that becomes very important later on in the series. Let us look then, in depth, into Harry being a Parselmouth.

In this, the second chapter of the first book, we are introduced to a phenomenon that we are lead to believe is the same as any of the strange things that have happened to Harry. Just as his hair grows back overnight, and he lands on the roof of the school kitchens, we think that it’s just a fluke of his nature that he is able to speak to this snake. Come Chamber of Secrets we learn how big of a deal this really is. However it is not until Deathly Hallows that we find out why he is able to speak it. Harry has this ability due to the part of Voldemort’s soul that resides in him.

Jo took the term Parselmouth from “an old word for a person who has a problem with the mouth, like a hare lip” according to Wikipedia.

Strangely, Parselmouth is a language he never really learned, and uses without thinking. Without even knowing that he is doing it at all. In SS it seems as though he is merely speaking English, and it is the snake who is somehow able to understand him. In CoS, while in the middle of a duel, Harry blurts out in Parseltongue, and everyone is shocked. It turns out that it is very rare. Only Salazar Slytherin and his descendants and Voldemort himself are mentioned to have had this talent, and while I’m sure there are more, it is obvious that it is rare and commonly associated with Dark Magic. Dumbledore is able to understand it, although no mention is made of his speaking it.

It becomes a handy tool that Harry uses to get into the Chamber, and is mentioned in each of the books for one reason or another, but it is not until DH that we see something completely new. Ron, imitating what he sees Harry say to the Locket, is able to open the Chamber. As far as I know of, this is the first time a wizard that is not a born Parselmouth is able to speak Parseltongue. Good for you Ron!!!

This is the first of my In Depth Chapter Blogs. These will be done in a slightly different style than the New Readers blogs. I alread have done a full chapter review in the NR blogs, so these will really be a listing of the clues that Jo has left for us in these chapters, and how they relate to the other books. Also a look of each of the characters that we are meeting (or hearing about) for the first time. From time to time we will in In Depth Character Analysis of the major players in the Harry Potter Saga. Because the first chapter did not have these things listed, this blog will cover the first chapter of Sorcerers Stone. I will post another covering The Vanishing Glass, in depth.

Characters:
In order of introduction

Vernon Dursley: Harry’s Uncle Vernon. He is the brother-in-law of Lily Potter. Big, burly, and generally a very negative person. Uncle Vernon seems to take joy in being angry and mean. Throughout the entirety of the seven books, I hold the high hopes that Uncle Vernon will change. That somehow he will see that Harry is a good boy who is trying his hardest to please the only father figure he had for the first ten years of his life. Unfortunately, early on in the first book, Uncle Vernon seems to lose his mind completely, and I don’t believe he ever gets it back. As far as these first two chapters go, Vernon Dursley is a father who wants nothing more in the world than to be normal. This may seem, at first glance, to be a noble cause for a father. But he is questing for normalcy so much as to “not approve of imagination”.

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The second chapter of the book starts out an astounding 10 years after the end of the first. It seems our fears of leaving poor Harry with the Dursleys are confirmed. There are no pictures of him, nor any sign that he lives in this house. But he is there, living in the cupboard under the stairs. With the spiders. Harry wakes up on the morning in question to his Aunt screeching at him to get out of bed. After all it’s “Duddykins” birthday, and everything needs to be perfect. Treated more like a servant than a relative, it is Harrys responsibility to watch the bacon while everything else is prepared. Uncle Vernon comes down to the kitchen and bellows at Harry to “Get a haircut”. Poor Harry. Can you imagine 10 years of being treated like this?

“Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.”

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Having finally borrowed a copy of Sorcerers Stone, (SS) since I can’t find mine, I have re-read chapter one of Book 1. That’s right, way back at the beginning. Since my predecessor on this blog has already written a darn fine synopsis of this first chapter for those who have read all the way to the end of the series, this will be my first chapter directed toward people who have not yet read the books, and maybe not even seen the movies. I know there are still a fair few of you out there, and I have hopes that you will enjoy these books as much as I did!!! I hope to recover the exact same wonder and magic I had reading it the very first time by looking at it through new eyes with you. Ok, on with the show.

“Harry Potter rolled over in his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous…”

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Did you ever imagine yourself walking down the streets of Hogsmeade? Maybe having lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and a nice mug of Butterbeer? Or traversing the halls of Hogwarts itself? It seems that in December 2009 those fantasies can come to life. Universal Studios Orlando is opening a Harry Potter themed park called the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The park will be located within the Islands of Adventure Theme Park, and is scheduled to include the castle and grounds, Forbidden Forest, and Hogsmeade. One can only hope that sometime in the future Diagon Alley will be incorporated. Each of the areas is supposed to include “immersive rides and interactive attractions” as well as “experiential shops and restaurants” where you can sample the fare of the Wizarding World. I imagine along with any regular dishes, you will probably be able to find pumpkin pasties, butterbeer, and other foods seemingly unique to JK Rowling’s world. I would be so much fun to have lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and maybe dinner (and drinks?) at the Hogs Head in the evening. Maybe even step onto the Hogwarts Express, and take a look around.

In the Castle itself, well my mind is just racing the the possibilities. Sit in on a Charms Class. Ride the circular escalator into Dumbledore’s office and see the moving portraits. Walk through the greenhouses and see the mandrakes. Get to the Chamber of Secrets through Moaning Myrtles Bathroom. So many possibilities!!! Also, rumor has it that the main attraction is going to be a ride in the Flying Ford Anglia! I think that would be awesome. I have been on Universal Studios rides of E.T. and Back to the Future, and both of them were absolutely amazing. The Back to the Future was like any other motion ride, but you were actually in the DeLorean with only 2 or 4 people. I can’t remember, but I think it was 2. I was a bit more fond of the E.T ride where you were sitting on a replica of a bicycle, actually flying through the “air”. I think that this partucular ride is going to have better technology than either of those two, and I, for one can’t wait to ride it.

Here are some artist depictions of the different sections of the park, from the Universal Studios website.

This is what they call the “Owls Eye View” Depicting what the entire park should look like from above.

Above is what the Hogwarts Castle is going to look like, complete with guests wandering through it.

And here, the quaint village of Hogsmeade, complete with snow on the rooftops. Take notice of the Hogwarts Express steaming away in the corner!!!

OOOOH, I’m so darn excited, I just can’t wait!!!!

Hello everybody. I wanted to tell you a little about me, and where I’m going to take this blog. I have been reading here, since I discovered the page, and have commented pretty regularly. I love comments. I love to make them, and I love to read and respond to them. If you leave a comment, or send me a message, I will do my best to respond within 24 hours.

I first discovered the Harry Potter books around the release of Book 4. I remember I was watching the Today show one morning and they had a little girl on the air. She couldn’t have been more than 8 years old. She was holding a copy of Goblet of Fire, which had been given to her illegally since it wasn’t due to be released for another 48 hours. That is how she made it onto Today, interviewing with Katie and Matt. I thought to myself, what kind of childrens book gets this much attention for an early copy sneaking out? I think I had been living under a rock until then as this was the first I had ever heard about these books. That very day, when I went to work, I found that no fewer than 5 of my co-workers were reading one of the first three books. Seeing this many grown adults, bill collectors no less, reading this supposed chidrens book… Well it piqued my interest. So that evening, I went to Wally-World, and bought the first book. I had finished it within 48 hours, and immediately bought the second. that too was finished in two or three days. By now, of course, GoF had already been released and I couldn’t find a copy of PoA or GoF anywhere. I finally begged my friend to loan me her copies, and she did, with the stipulation that I couldn’t take them home. I spent the next 6 work days on the phone, saying the same thing I said hundreds of times per day, reading. Since I didn’t have to think to do my job, it was relatively easy.

Suffice it to say, I was addicted from the first chapter. It helps, that I am a practicing Wiccan. Not that the books really relate to Wicca at all, it’s just nice to see books that are magically based, where the witches are not necessarily the bad guys. Plus I’m a big ol’ geek. We dress up for the movie premieres, and for the last book release party. There is not one of the movies that I have seen any later than 12:02am on the release date with my Hubby, and generally I go see them the next afternoon with my mom.

That being said, I am planning on continuing the read along that the previous writer started. I am doing something different though. For each chapter I will post two blogs, one of them will be an analysis of the chapter as it pertains to the series as a whole. It will contain spoilers, and it will remind us how things connect to one another. For those of us who have read the books more than once it will be a joy to delve deeper into the mind of J.K. Rowling, and the little nuggets of info that she planted to flower one, two, or even six books later.

The second blog will be for those that are reading for the first time. It will be the chapter through new(ish) eyes. I will blog it with no spoilers, no clues as to how the chapter pertains to the future of the series. I know that there are not a lot of you left, but there are some people out there who haven’t read the series. Three just where I currently work. I want those people to be able to read a blog about the series without having all those surprises ruined. I want you to have the same joy in figuring things out as I did, and the same discussions of “What do you think is going to happen?” that all of the rest of us did.

After each book, I will do a review of the movie in the same way, for those that have read the books, and for those that have only read up to that point in the books. Those will not only be reviews of the movies themselves, but things that were impotrtant to the book itself as well as the series as a whole, that were missed or messed up.

From time to time I also plan on doing updates for upcoming movies and events, and every now and then I might do a book review of something that is not a Harry Potter book, but something that I think HP fans will enjoy and what about the book, in comparison to the HP series will make you want to read it.

One last thing. If you have fanfic (family friendly please) that you would like to be read and reviewed, I am thinking about doing a regular segment on that as well. As you can see I have big plans for this blog. I hope that you are as excited as I am!!!

p.s. I also write another blog about the food network, come check it out!!!