I have found myself nose deep into the Harry Potter books for the last few days. It has been a fantastic ride down the memory lane and no, I am not going to do a book review. I mean, does any of the installments of the series even need a review! They speak for themselves. So there's that elephant out of the way.
I have read the books multiple times, and my wife asked me why I read them so many times when I already know the story inside out. I didn't have a proper answer for that. But thinking deeper on the subject, I don't think I know the story inside out, even after so many reads. There's always something more you discover every time you read, maybe a new angle of looking at how things are playing out now that I know the story and the endgame. As it turns out, and this is very odd, the second and third and the fourth reads are actually much more enjoyable and insightful than the first read because we already know the story.
What I am about to say next is going to be very very contradictory. Because we know the full story, we can look at the happenings in the earlier books from many different angles. But the reason we can explore different angles of the story is in fact because with the potterverse, we never really know the full story. There is always a new theory to think about. That's how well the universe and the storyline has been constructed.
Spoilers ahead!
When I first read the Philosopher's stone, the tasks in the final part of the book and they way the trio solved them gave goosebumps to the 11/12 year old me. Looking back at those tasks now raises a lot of questions. If the tasks could be solved by mere first year students, two of whom lived with muggles their entire lives up until a year ago....were the tasks really set up to protect the philosopher's stone?
It also seems the tasks were tailor made for specifically the three to solve. The broomstick and keys, that's a seekers task. Harry being the youngest seeker in a century...2+2 = 4 maybe?
The chess task was classic Ron and the logical potion riddle had Hermione written all over it.
To add cherry to the top of this theory, the final task had been set up by Dumbledore himself. And the way that final pice of the puzzle was set up, it rendered all the previous measures of protection unnecessary at best.
By the time we know enough of the potterverse and spend some time thinking, it starts to seem like these tasks were in fact placed to test and prepare Harry...to see if Harry was on the right track in terms of his development as a young wizard.
This finally brings us to the Mirror of Erised, which was the final task Dumbledore had himself set in place. The mirror was allowed to lay wandering in an empty classroom, the same mirror that was hiding the philosopher's stone was left unguarded for Harry to just one night "stumble" upon! Umm, I don’t think so. I think it was left on purpose for harry to find and to understand how the mirror worked because it would be essential in the final part for harry to understand the mirror.
When Dumbledore finally confronted Harry and told him to stop spending time with the mirror, these was what he said, "Back again Harry?"
Again? That's the important bit here. How did Dumbledore know it was again?
I'll stop here, maybe I'll have more angles next time (yes, there will be a next time) I'm reading it after I have completed all seven this time.
Ah, Harry Potter!
It's an oldie, but I think it'll keep as a goodie. I can imagine young people still reading this in large numbers in fifty years time. Indeed, I can see myself watching the films all the way through every couple of years. But, I have a confession, I just couldn't get into the books. I found the writing a bit too simple perhaps; I dunno, great story and great characters - but for me, I hate to say it, I'll take the screen over the penned words.
I agree, the writing is too simple. But that's what I actually find fascinating, that even such simple prose of writing can be so vivid, so well crafted. I love the movies, no denying that. But I just couldn’t place the movies as high as they should be only because I know how much of the story, mind you some very important parts of the story at that, has been left out or changed in the movies. The curse of reading the books first I guess eh?!
Haha, classic overthinking isn't it ???! 😂😂
But seriously, I can relate to that feeling. You know, the when where you read a book once, read again and then learn something you never seen there before.
I've still not gotten around to start reading the Harry potter saga. 🥲
And oh, I'm looking forward to the next time 😂
What are we even doing if we are not overthinking eh!? 😂
I feel that comes as a curse or a blessing to us! Makes leisure times much more enjoyable 😉
Right 😅
I love solving the mysteries of the Harry Potter universe, I never thought about that in Philosopher's Stone, I think it's time to read the series a few times as you said.
Now that's what I like to hear! :D
The more you think about the story in the coming books, the more interesting the earlier books start to become!
I must confess that I have not read the books, so I do not know how accurate were the film versions and I also know that a movie, no matter how hard it tries, will never reach the degree of description present in a book.
Now, when we see the end of the Deathly Hallows saga, we know that at some point Dumbledore discovered that Harry was a horcrux, we do not know if for that or for something else, he was preparing him since his arrival at school, so certainly these challenges were more for children than for a wizard like Lord Voldemort, who was undoubtedly a great wizard, evil, but good wizard, so in some way the author, directs Dumbledore to prepare this trio because they will be needed in each phase of this saga, because each one is great in his own way in a certain area, example of this, the one that will leave him from the beginning the invisibility cloak, one of the relics.
Dumbledore does find out Harry was a horcrux, but not until book 6. He did know some part of voldemort lived inside harry, he just hadn’t figured out what and how.
But the main reason he was preparing Harry was because of a prophecy made by Professor Trelawny which stated it had to be harry to eventually end Voldemort. It also stated that either harry will end voldemort or voldemort will end Harry, "for neither can live while the other survives."
It is quite fascinating how the story unfolds over the seven books. I would strongly recommend reading the books at least once if time permits. They are quite easy reads, written in very simple words.
I must start by buying the books... 😁😁😁
I would really like to have them
Awww Harry Potter! This is my favorite way back in High School. J.K. Rowling is the best. Have a fantastic day my friend and happy reading.