Hogwarts Herald

As this chapter opens we find Harry struggling to find his classes while everyone at the school is trying their best to get a gander at him. The poor little guy just trying to get to his classes on time and rather than being helpful everyone’s trying to take a peek at the famous kid. His first week is spent just figuring out the staircases and doorways. Hogwarts, it seems, is a difficult place to get around. Unless you’ve been there a while that is. Especially when you’ve got a poltergeist wandering the halls doing his best to misdirect or irritate you. And then there’s Filch, and his cat Mrs. Norris. For some strange reason Argus Filch seems to have it in for the students at Hogwarts and he has his cat trained to spy on and snitch out said students. Harry and Ron had the unfortunate experience of being “caught” by them trying to get into a locked door. They thought they were on their way to class, turns out, they were trying to get into the forbidden corridor on the third floor. Luckily ‘professor Quirrel happened by and stopped Filch from locking the lost first years in the dungeons.

“I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with it’s shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death…”

And the classes, the difficulty of learning “1000 Herbs and Fungi” with Professor Sprout, and the task of keeping awake in History of Magic with Professor Binns. The ghostly instructor died by the fire one night and got up the next morning to teach class, with or without his body. Then there’s Professor Flitwick, the Charms instructor, who stands on a pile of books behind his desk, and fell out of sight with an excited squeak when he came to Harrys name in the roll ledger.

Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House, teaches what looks to be the most difficult of all the classes. Transfiguration consists of magically transforming one thing to another. Professor McGonagall demonstrates with an impressive maneuver, transfiguring her desk to a pig and back. The students, however, start much smaller. Attempting to change a match into a needle. Nobody but Hermione made any realy progress though. It’s much more difficult than it seems. After Transfiguration they headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Quirrell’s class. While all the students were very excited about it, the class was uneventful, leaving them all talking more about the Professors affinity for garlic, and the odd smell coming out of his turban.

All in all, Harry is very happy that he wasn’t too far behind the other students. After all, a bunch of kids also came from muggle families, and even those from wizarding families are having a hard time keeping up with all that they have to learn. So by the end of the first week, on Friday, Harry is already having a hard time with all that they have to learn. Between classes and studying, and staring at the late into Wednesday nights, this has probably been one of the most taxing weeks of his short life. He is eating breakfast with Ron when the mail call comes in, and for the first time since coming to Hogwarts he gets mail. Of the dozens of owls swooping through the Great Hall, Hedwig comes through and finds Harry. She drops a note, from Hagrid, asking Harry to tea after his classes that afternoon. Harry replies that he will be there, and then they’re off to class. Potions, a class together with the Slytherin students. The teacher is Professor Snape, the same hook nosed greasy haired professor that was talking to Professor Quirrell when Harry got the sharp pain in his scar. He is the head of Slytherin House, and everyone says that he plays favorites with the Slytherin students.

Harry & Ron make their way down into the dungeons where Potions is held. Professor Snape, like Professor Flitwick, pauses when reading Harry’s name. Commenting that Harry is “our new celebrity” in what sounds more like an insult than a compliment. He then peppers Harry with questions about herbs and their uses reacting with disgust when Harry doesn’t know the answer, and docking Gryffindor points both for his lask of knowledge, and his attitude when he points out that Hermione clearly does know the answers to his questions. Then, in their very first class, they are set to prepare a potion. Which turns out to be a total disaster when Neville messes his up completely. Snape snaps at Harry for not stopping Neville, accusing him of letting him do it so he would look better. Poor Harry doesn’t have any idea what he’s talking about and wants to say something, but thinks better of it when advised that Snape can get very nasty.

Finally they make their way out of class and up to Hagrid’s Hut. What they find there is a small one room hut complete with hams and pheasants hanging from the ceilings and a large slobbery dog named fang. Hagrid sits them down for rock cakes and tea. He took the name rock cakes a bit too literally though, as they nearly broke Harry’s tooth. They have a nice chat about everything from how much Snape hates Harry to Ron’s brothers. Then Harry notices the newspaper clipping on Hagrid’s table. It’s a clipping from the Daily Prophet about the Gringotts break in. Noting that the vault that was broken into had been emptied the same day the break in happened, which incidentally was Harry’s birthday, and the day that Hagrid and Harry had gone to Gringotts and emptied the vault for Dumbledore. Vault Seven Hundred Thirteen. It was strange, but Harry didn’t really have time to think about it on the way back to the castle for dinner.

When looking in depth at Diagon Alley, the thing that hits me is the description of Gringotts. The things that Hagrid tells Harry in this chapter lay silently in the back of our minds, waiting to strike. Hagrid tells Harry you’d be mad to try and rob Gringotts. That the bank extends for hundreds of miles underneath London and how if you did manage to break in and find something that you’d end up starving to death trying to get out. It also goes into there being rumors of dragons guarding the high security vaults at Gringotts. These things you learn in the fifth chapter of the very first book, and then BAM book seven comes along, and right in the middle on the search for Horcruxes, the trio have to do exactly what Hagrid warns Harry about before he has ever taken a step into the magical world. And sure enough, seven years later, there is indeed a dragon there, and it’s only with the help of a Gringotts goblin himself, namely Griphook. Griphook, coincidentally, is the very same goblin who takes Harry down into his vault the very first time.

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

Now, in this chapter we are also introduced to a couple of new characters that will be major players. One is simply a major player in this book, the other is prevalent in the entire series.

First of all, I am taking a look at Professor Quirrell. The most seemingly benign character in the entire book is, in the end, the enemy. Poor Professor Quirrell is shaky and stuttery in the Leaky Cauldron, just at the notion of meeting Harry. Hagrid explains that he was fine, until he took a year off. Apparently there was some trouble in the Black Forest, as well as “a nasty bit of business with a Hagâ€? What we don’t know, is that while he was off studying, he ran into the Dark Lord, and became enticed over to the dark side. He began harboring what was left of Lord Voldemort within his very body. Throughout the rest of the book, this is hinted to, but only really revealed to those who have read it more than once. When Harry is being cursed off his broom, for example, Quirrell is right there behind Snape. But because Snape is such a malevolent character the children, and therefore the readers, focus on him. I’d like to say that I suspected Quirrell from the beginning, but I didn’t. This book, being the very first, took me completely by surprise. I didn’t spend my spare time coming up with theories on it as I did for books six and seven. And hooray for that. I am pleased that at the end of Sorcerers Stone, when Harry finally makes it into that last chamber, I was genuinely shocked to see Professor Quirrell standing there.

The second major character we meet in this chapter is Draco Malfoy. Draco appears, in this chapter, to be merely a spoiled snotty child, but as the books unfold his character becomes very multi dimensional. While he is indeed a snob, and a spoiled brat, he is also the product of evil parents. He is raised in a household where abuse is prevalent. Not only is their servant, the loyal Dobby, continuously abused, but Draco is encouraged to be abusive to anyone considered beneath the family. By Half-Blood Prince Draco has become a rather sympathetic character, suffering the consequences for his parents sins. And while Draco will never be one of my favorite people in the world, he is one of my favorite characters. Just like all of Jo’s villians, he is flawed and broken. That is what makes him bad, and this is what makes me love him.

Yes the read along is back on. To my faithful reader, whomever you might be, I am sorry for the delay. My persistent absences are inexcusable. And now, on with the story.

Chapter 5 begins with poor Harry thinking that all of last night was a dream. At insitant tapping, though, he awakes to find himself in the hut still. Never has a sight done his heart more good. He lets a small owl into the room who drops off a newspaper of some kind and begins rummaging through Hagrid’s coat. He tries to dissuade the owl, but gets a nip in the finger instead. Finally Hagrid wakens enough to let him know the owl wants to be paid for the newspaper. In this world there are no paperboys, the owls bring you the daily news. And the WILL be paid, or your eyeballs will be plucked out it seems.

After rummaging through Hagrids coat for a time, Harry finds some strange looking coins. It seems that the wizards don’t use “muggle money” and instead they have their own form of currency. There are Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons. Knuts are bronze, and have the least value. Sickles are silver and are worth more than Knuts, but it takes 17 of them to make one Gold Galleon. After paying the owl with several of the little bronze coins, Harry speaks to Hagrid about something that was disturbing him. Harry has no money. He has no Muggle Money at all to trade in, and he definately doesn’t have any of this strange wizard money. Or so he thinks.

Hagrid is shocked that Harry would think that his parents didn’t leave him anything. Why he’s shocked still I’m not sure. It’s pretty obvious by this point that the Dursley’s didn’t think to tell Harry anything that was really valid or true about his life before he came to live with them or about his parents at all. Hagrid informs Harry that he has more than enough money, and that will be their first stop for the day. They will be going to the Wizards Bank Gringotts. It’s run by Goblins. It is the safest place anyone could think to put anything, and there are even rumors of the highest security vaults being guarded by dragons. Of which Hagrid would love to have one. A dragon that is, not a high security vault.

Harry and Hagrid traversed the streets of London, heading out to get his school supplies, and his money. Once they have finally negotiated their way off the underground, and walked a bit, they find themselves at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry realizes, while standing outside of it, that nobody else seems to notice it at all. As a matter of fact, Hagrid had to point it out to Harry, otherwise he too would have just passed it by. Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, Harry is recognized. This is his first real introduction to how famous he really is. People come up to him, shaking his hand, greeting him with enthusiasm and honor. Dedalus Diggle is thrilled when Harry points out that he remembers him. Here Harry also meets Professor Quirrel. A strange and nervous fellow who is going to be Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. He is nice enough, although he is very shaky and stuttery and wears a strange turban on his head.

Eventually Hagrid is able to get Harry out of the Leaky Cauldron and they go into an alley behind it, where Hagrid taps the wall with his umbrella and the entire thing opens up. Beyond it is a world apart. An entire avenue of shops and people, all selling and buying strange magical things with the strange wizard money. There are places selling everything that is on his list and then some. Cauldrons, and wands and owls, oh my!!! Harry and Hagrid make their way to a large white building that is Gringotts. In it there are all sorts of wonders. After finding Harry’s key they jump into a trolley on some very precarious tracks with a goblin named Griphook. After what seems like miles of twisty turns at breakneck speeds they arrive at a vault. Griphook opens it up and inside are piles and piles of gold, silver and bronze. Harry is rich. Wealthier than he ever thought he would be. His parents did leave him something after all. They climb back in the trolley and make one more stop before heading out. That stop is at a very high security vault that requires the finger of the goblin to open the door. Inside is one small grubby package. Hagrid was sent to pick it up by Dumbledore himself. It’s top secret and very important.

Once they have left Gringotts, they do all of Harry’s school shopping. With two major stops to get a wand and a robe. At Madame Malkins, Harry runs into a blonde haired boy who seems extremely ill tempered and snobby. Much to Harry’s relief he leaves quickly. Afterwords, Hagrid decides to get Harry a birthday present. They go to Eeylops Owl Emporium and come out with a beautiful snowy owl, whom Harry decides to name Hedwig. And then they go to Olivanders. At Olivanders Harry tries out dozens of wands, not knowing what he’s really trying for. Then suddenly, he finds out. A spray of colored sparks shoot out of the end of his wand. The most curious thing about his wand being that the phoenix whose tail feather is in the wand is also the core of the wand that gave him his scar. The wand that killed his parents. The wand of Voldemort.

Probably the bit of fore-shadowing that screams right out at me here in chapter 4 is about Voldemort himself. Hagrid is describing how Voldemort disappeared, but that he doesn’t think that he’s dead. About how he doesn’t think there was enough human left in him to die. How very right Hagrid was. Starting with this first book we learn that Voldemort has been hiding out for 11 years waiting to get just enough strength to take up in one of his followers bodies. He spends time while there drinking the blood of unicorns just to keep him alive long enough to find the Sorcerer’s Stone. This act of horror clearly shows his lack of humanity, but does not reveal the deepest secret truth. Hagrid is completely right, Voldemort does not have enough human in him to die, and it’s not until book six that we find out exactly what that means. When we do discover the startling, terrifying truth about how Voldemort has been systematically removing parts of his soul in order to attain immortality, we forget this simple statement made by Hagrid waaaay back in book one.

In this chapter we also see more foreshadowing of Chamber of Secrets. Hagrids wand is, for some strange reason, a pink umbrella. In this chapter we don’t understand how important a wand is, or how unbearable it would be for a wizard for his to be broken and removed from him. In this we see some of Dumbledore’s beneficence. This giant was expelled, done something so wrong that his wand was snapped in two and he’s not allowed to do magic, but Hagrid is not in Azkaban… He is working at Hogwarts, with the very children he is accused of attempting to murder. Did Dumbledore really have that much power with the former Minister of Magic? I think he did. One thing I wonder about this entire situation is why the Death Eaters, upon capture and conviction, didn’t have their wands broken, or better yet burned? They all break out of prison, and there are their wands, safe and whole as the day they got them… To get back to the first part of this section, though, here is another little nugget. Hagrid is not allowed to do magic. There is not a big deal made out of it. It’s not a big shocking revalation. It is simply a fact, but then we move on to Chamber of Secrets and find out why. And that IS a big shocking revalation. Just another way of telling us that J.K. Rowling planned out these books from beginning to end, literally, before the first one was ever published.

That someone, who is knocking at the door, of the shack, on a rock, in the middle of the sea, is Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He has come to wish Harry a happy birthday, and hand deliver his letter. Upon entering the shack, he is greeted by Vernon Dursley’s rifle. He is a giant of a man, and strong enough to knock the door completely off of this shack, but Uncle Vernon thinks his rifle will have some sort of effect on him. Hagrid laughs and promptly ties the gun into a knot. He sets up a roaring fire in the small grate and cooks up some sausages that he is keeping in his moleskin coat, along with several live animals, a teapot, tea, booze, and any number of other random things.

His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

(more…)

I’m not sure how old this interview is, but it’s well worth a look.

In this interview J.K. Rowling, Emma Thompson and Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltrane, discuss Hagrid and give you a little insight into the character and a little insight into the man who plays him. They really did a fantastic job in casting Robbie Coltrane to play Hagrid…there’s no way to imagine anyone else in the world playing that role and its complex contrast of lovability and intimidation.

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December 6th is Hagrid’s birthday (it’s listed in the upper-right-hand-corner of J.K. Rowling’s official site) … Happy Birthday, Big Guy.

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