Philosopher's Stone Chapter Six

[urbanman1984]

*Harry does some reading of text books for the first time.  It is also the last time he does so with any kind of eagerness.

*Dud’s tail has got to be removed my non-magical means since Hagrid couldn’t be bothered to get rid of it.  This is another way the Dursleys are treated differently to other muggles.  Not only are they spared mind

Comments

[madderbrad]

Harry does some reading of text books for the first time. It is also the last time he does so with any kind of eagerness.

Well, after Halloween he has Hermione to do his studying - and thinking - for him.

The conversation Molly is having with her kids is strange. Surely she can’t have forgotten that the Hogwart’s Express leaves from platform 9 ¾ seeing as she was there the previous summer...? Perhaps she is as innumerate as JKR.

I've seen anti-Ginny/Molly/Dumbledore fans quote that dialogue as proof that Molly was in on some sort of plan to deliberately snare Harry's attention and bind him to the Weasleys. I guess that *is* possible, it's an interesting notion to explore in fan fiction. But it's also quite routine for adults to ask redundant questions to keep young children engaged or amused, and that works in this case too IMO.

The Twins are uncharacteristically helpful in assisting Harry with the trunk.Their author knew in advance that Harry would be anointed as a fellow Gryffindor

[detritius]

*The Twins are uncharacteristically helpful in assisting Harry with the trunk. Perhaps they only become really horrible as the series develops.*

The only people who didn't become more horrible as the series developed were the actual antagonists.

Oh dear, money

[for_diddled]

"*It clearly must be a passive-aggressive gesture on Molly’s part to give Ron Charlie’s old wand."

Surely I can't be the only one to have noticed that the Weasleys are only ever as poor as the script wants them to be? Here, for example, and throughout Book 2, they are allegedly so poor that they cannot even afford a wand for Ron, but they never seem to have any trouble feeding and looking after Harry when he turns up to stay with them.

Re: Oh dear, money

[urbanman1984]

Their state of impoverishment will change as the plot demands :) There really is no logical reason for their being so hard up even here. Are Bill and Charlie really this tight fisted that they won't assist Molly and Arthur in any way?

Re: Oh dear, money

[condwiramurs]

That, or this is yet another shining example of Rowling's mathematical and analytical prowess.

Re: Oh dear, money

[mmmarcusz]

They are poor in the sense that rich, famous, legendary, Quidditch champion and serial hero Harry Potter is required to occasionally be the object of hatred - so that sympathy can be evoked in the reader.

[lissa2]

Not a word on how annoying Ginny is in this chapter? *spits* you bring great shame and dishonor upon the DTCL name.

Just kidding.

"*The conversation Molly is having with her kids is strange. Surely she can’t have forgotten that the Hogwart’s Express leaves from platform 9 ¾ seeing as she was there the previous summer...? Perhaps she is as innumerate as JKR."

You'd think Ginny was 3 years old here: where is the train, honey? platfortm 9 3/4/? clever girl! and how does the doggy do? clever girl! and how does the horsey do?

[sharaz_jek]

Maybe she's talking to the demon she'll implant into Ginny for OotP?

[sunnyskywalker]

If Bill's been out for two-ish years, she's been to King's Cross every year for 9 years! That's long enough that I would think even trying to keep the kids engaged with remembering the number would have gotten old years ago.

The first time I read the book, I thought Ginny must be 6 years old, plus or minus maybe a year. I was quite surprised to open CoS and discover she was only a year younger than Ron. Ginny Weasley, Empress of Inconsistent Characterization.

Ron and Draco

[for_diddled]

The more I think about this chapter, the less difference I start to see between Ron and Malfoy. Both seem to get their views from the parents (and, in Ron's case, elder siblings), but we're obviously meant to think that Draco's all evil and prejudiced whereas Ron's open-minded and tolerant, even though that's just because Draco happened to be born into a more/differently prejudiced family, rather than any moral difference between them.

Re: Ron and Draco

[seductivedark]

But, that's the way most kids are at eleven. I've been involved in discussions where people think that these kids make a conscious choice to be Slytherins. They point to Sirius rejecting his family's values as if this is perfectly normal for an eleven year old, particularly one who has been home-schooled and not exposed to various values

Re: Ron and Draco

[oryx_leucoryx]

To be more Watsonian, Sirius thought James was cool and was surprised when James diss'ed Sirius' family's House. Knowing that as a Black he'd be Sorted among the first ones (some families actually inform their sons correctly about Hogwarts procedures) he asked James for his preference and made sure to ask exactly for that. IOW Sirius didn't make a grand moral choice, he simply preferred his cool new friend over his family (knowing James would be at Hogwarts in his year while his family wouldn't, at least not for long).

Re: Ron and Draco

[seductivedark]

Oh, yeah, from Watson's perspective that's exactly what Sirius did. Cool James v. slightly strung-out Mrs Black (I can remember her husband's name but not hers off the top of my head - Andromeda?) and there's no contest - Cool James wins. I've seen, though, where people will say that it was something within Sirius himself that made him realize instinctively that Gryffindor was the better house. The readers' perspectives are the most interesting sometimes.