{"id":337,"date":"2011-05-18T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2011-05-18T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=337"},"modified":"2011-05-14T17:04:53","modified_gmt":"2011-05-15T00:04:53","slug":"mark-re-reads-harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-chapter-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/05\/mark-re-reads-harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-chapter-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Re-Reads ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’: Chapter 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the ninth chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Stone<\/em>, Harry learns how truly awful Draco Malfoy is, and he and his friends discover that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more to Hogwarts than they previously thought. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to re-read Harry Potter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CH. 9: THE MIDNIGHT DUEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say that chapter eight is intriguing and chapter nine is where I became hooked. This is where I needed<\/em> to know what was in that trapdoor and, on top of that, I was beginning to grow more attached to the friendship brewing between Ron, Harry, and Hermione. I guess I never really thought about it, but Hermione isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t developed much in this first book, is she? As she is right now, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more a caricature of a know-it-all than much else, which is fine for the purpose that she serves when Harry and Ron leave for the midnight duel with Draco. But, again, having the knowledge of the whole series in hindsight, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that<\/em> much of Hermione until the next book, as far as I remember it.<\/p>\n

Anyway, this chapter opens with broom flying and that incessant Draco Malfoy. How did Rowling find a name to fit someone so perfectly? It just drips malevolence and, as much as Draco is a caricature of the privileged white bully so far, he also<\/em> suits what needs to happen here: Harry finds something<\/em> he is good at, something that might help him fit in.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really what this is about for me: Harry is the complete and total outsider, even with his newfound friend Ron, who was born into a magical family. Ron has that history of the world that Harry does not, though Ron never holds that over Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head.<\/p>\n

Here, during the first flying lesson between the Gryffindor and Slytherin first-years, Harry worries that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to do yet another thing that will show his fellow classmates that he is the boy who survived Voldemort\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s curse, yet he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do a single thing magical in the world.<\/p>\n

Which…ok, since there are NO SPOILERS POSSIBLE for this series for me anymore, I can actually<\/em> ask questions that would have otherwise been rhetorical and EVERYONE CAN ANSWER THEM. But I was thinking about Harry getting chosen\/invited to attend Hogwarts, and it got my brain gears turning\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.so. How does that happen? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much in the books to support a conclusive answer, but perhaps Rowling has answered this before. People are born<\/em> magical, as I recall, and Squibs are those who have no magical powers, but are born to magical families. Now, I know the Ministry of Magic keeps track of magical births, but…how? Is there like some sort of\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.machine or something that lets the Ministry know that so-and-so in York or that-child-over-there in Portsmouth or some-newborn in Abergavenny is magical? How is that possible? Or do I have this all wrong and children become<\/em> magical at some point?<\/p>\n

I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sort of how my brain works for a lot of these things, especially when fully-imagined worlds like this are so terribly detailed. The ins-and-outs of such things really do fascinate me, and I would have loved to see more of the Ministry of Magic and how different departments operated and what sort of things the magical world did to conceal themselves from Muggles.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the only reason I bring this up at all is that as far as I know, Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only kid in his classes that comes from a family that is not at all supportive of him going to Hogwarts, and I sort of hate Draco for using that against him. I discussed that yesterday during chapter eight, but none of these people are aware of just how bad things are for Harry or just how new<\/em> this all is for him now. Draco teases Harry about it, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure Draco could have used anything to pick on Harry. How was this any new?<\/p>\n

In particular, Draco chooses to go after Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very-little-but-growing ego, especially since he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apparently a world-class flier. I still cannot get over how hilarious the imagery is of Draco \u00e2\u20ac\u0153narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Obviously his friends are going to be prone to either believing him or fearing the act of calling him out on such bullshittery, but I was surprised at just how unbelievable that story was. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing with some people who act like Draco do: There really isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> much at the core of who they are, so they inflate their own reality in order to be better than anyone else. Well, at least in their heads, I mean.<\/p>\n

I still have to wonder exactly how much bullying the staff at Hogwarts were aware of. We see here at breakfast on the first day of flying class how Draco picks on Neville, stealing his Remembrall, but getting caught by Professor McGonagall. Now, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no one who is less<\/em> of a fool than her, so, upon witnessing Draco doing such a thing to Neville, I still wonder why she and other teachers did not take a more proactive step towards protecting the more vulnerable students. Of course, I have Neville in mind, but we all know as the series goes on that Draco, Snape, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson get worse. And worse. AND WORSE. I mean…Hagrid knows the most out of everyone about how bad the bullying is. (Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.Dumbledore has always proven to know way more than anyone else, so actually, maybe he did know more than Hagrid.) Why didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anyone step in? I mean, I suppose we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get to elaborate more on that later when we approach Snape\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greater involvement in the story, but just another thought that popped into my head.<\/p>\n

The flying scene is one of the first truly fantastic moments in the whole series and one that can sort of represent what a lot of this story is about. Harry risks his personal safety and his position at Hogwarts to help out someone who needs it. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S BASICALLY ALL SEVEN BOOKS RIGHT THERE amirite amirite<\/em>. Okay, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grossly simplified, of course, but despite being a true outcast and not knowing any of these people well at all, Harry recognizes even the smallest of injustices at this age and does what he can to fight them. Of course, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not perfect, as the series would later show (LOL ORDER OF THE PHOENIX<\/em>), but even this early on, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a great sense of what is moral to him. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also nice that what feels moral also brings Harry joy:<\/p>\n

He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him–and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d found something he could do without being taught–this was easy, this was wonderful<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Harry was necessarily sad<\/em> while at Hogwarts, as the very fact that he was there and not at home with the Dursleys was immensely joyous to him, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible to ignore how left out and dejected he feels by being the new kid who has had a life of disadvantage thrown at him. Here, up on that broom, chasing Draco and successfully catching the Remembrall before he and it crashed to the ground, Harry is in a euphoric state of happiness. It is nice to see it happen.<\/p>\n
Of course, it only becomes better (and sows the seeds for Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ~Special Snowflake~ complex that arrives later) once Harry thinks he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being punished by McGonagall, but finds out instead that she is trying to recruit him for Quidditch. Aside from this first match in this book, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a big Quidditch fan myself. The concept is neat and I absolutely would not deny the chance to play it if this all were real, but the scenes of Quidditch largely bore me. (Wait\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.I do like the scene where the dementors arrive in Prisoner of Azkaban<\/em>.) Still, it is a good thing to have, especially in this book, to help show us that Harry is at least good at something<\/em> that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t getting lost or stumbling on danger accidentally.<\/p>\n
I love that Malfoy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set-up to get Ron and Harry up to the trophy room backfires, but not really on him. It certainly fails, as no one gets caught, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fascinating that had Malfoy not done this, the group would not have found the three-headed dog guarding the trap door. If anything, beyond being a pivotal plot piece to the entire narrative of The Sorcerer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Stone<\/em>, I do love how much the nighttime scene not only establishes the pattern of people sneaking around Hogwarts at night, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fun to see how willing Harry and Ron were willing to break the rules. I mean, it must be said that Dumbledore and McGonagall were pretty easy on them for all that they did, always sneaking about, always getting into trouble, always convinced there was some sort of conspiracy involved.<\/p>\n
Even beyond that, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice chance for Rowling to expand the setting that this novel takes place. While I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even begin to draw a map of what Hogwarts looks like, it does help me get a better picture of the place in my head. (Is<\/em> there a map of Hogwarts? Surely, some dedicated fan read all of the passages describing the place and attempted to map out what it looked like, right?)<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impressive how that setting also plays into the chance for Rowling to use the dark, twisted hallways to firmly establish the four characters who roam the corridors. By this point, halfway through the novel, we have a fairly good idea who these people are. Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reluctance, matched with Ron\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s carefree certainty, clashes with Hermione insistent interference and Neville\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complete fear. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all just the most obvious part of their respective personalities, but I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sign of good characterization if one can<\/em> tell the difference between a group of characters. While there are some smaller characters along the way who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really get developed beyond a few mentions, aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t most of the rest extremely iconic? I think the fact that the HP fandom can<\/em> have the ability to latch on to people who aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t around all that much just goes to show how well Rowling can develop people who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t grace her pages all that often.<\/p>\n
For the record, there are not enough fan pages for Peeves. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just saying.<\/p>\n
Really, though, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the end of this chapter, piled on top of some great character steps and the redemptive broom flying scene, that made me want to spend the next hour or so binging when I was first reading this. The mere existence of a three headed-dog was certainly enough for me to wonder WHAT THE HELL IS THAT DOING IN A SCHOOL. <\/em>Right? But Hermione\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s matter-of-fact statement about the trapdoor that it was standing on was way more than enough to pique that voice inside my head that starting telling me that reading this book one chapter at a time was a terrible idea. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.what on earth could you be hiding inside Hogwarts that needed a three-headed dog for protection?<\/p>\n
Hermione, on the other hand, was more concerned with heaping scorn on Ron and Harry. Oh, Hermione, you are so young<\/em> right now. You will change this mentality and when you do, it will be glorious. But for now, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stomp off to bed in a huff and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll choose to identify more with Harry, who heads to sleep with a million questions running through his mind. It makes it very easy for one to slip themselves directly into his position, too.<\/p>\n
WHAT IS IN THAT TRAPDOOR.<\/p>\n
Oh, Harry Potter. I really have missed you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the ninth chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Stone, Harry learns how truly awful Draco Malfoy is, and he and his friends discover that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more to Hogwarts than they previously thought. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,8,23,7],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harry-potter","tag-harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone","tag-jk-rowling","tag-mark-reads","tag-mark-reads-harry-potter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}