10 Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – Albus Dumbledore

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This isn’t going to be a long review or a review, in fact. You guys already know the story. Suffice to say, I enjoyed reading this. It was wonderful reliving and reintroducing myself to the magic of the Harry Potter universe. Throughout my day, I just wanted to get back to reading this book and it was hard to put down at times. My only complaint would be that I didn’t really care much for Quidditch and there was quite a bit on it.

I did pick up some new things during this reread, so I’m sharing some of my thoughts:

  1. I’m not sure what to make of everyone’s favourite BFG: Hagrid. We all know that fat shaming is rampant throughout the series. However, I do understand that these books were written during a period when this was socially acceptable, although it didn’t make the task of forgiving Rowling easier, but I do believe that she wouldn’t make such comments now. Nonetheless, seeing Hagrid – a grown man – mocking Dudley – a child – on his weight was infuriating: “Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ any more, Dursley, don’ worry.” Why mock the child when Hagrid’s problem is with the child’s father? Following this Hagrid gives Dudley a pig’s tail after Vernon Dursley insults Dumbledore:

“I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!” yelled Uncle Vernon.

“NEVER – “ he thundered, “- INSULT – ALBUS – DUMBLEDORE – IN – FRONT – OF – ME!”

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley – there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig’s tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

“Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left ter do.”

Vernon Dursley insulted Dumbledore to Hagrid, that’s correct, not Dudley. Dudley hadn’t done anything and, yet, he was attacked. Don’t let the film fool you, it was easier to invent a scene that has Dudley eating Harry’s birthday cake, so that Hagrid has an *excuse.* How was it acceptable for Hagrid to bully and disfigure an innocent child and get away with it? Because his father – a moron, though naturally dubious about magic because he’s a muggle – insults Dumbledore, and because the child is considered fat? As the series progresses, we understand that Dudley’s spoilt attitude was a result of his parents spoiling him *pretends to be shocked.* By the end, he matures and becomes a much better person, providing care to Harry in his own little ways.

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Having said that, Hagrid is extremely generous to the people he considers worthy of his love and affection. He gifts Harry a photo album after having contacted everyone the Potters knew asking them for photos of Harry’s parents. Now, if he’ll just stop attacking children because he’s angry with their parent(s)…

  1. Why didn’t Petunia Dursley know anything about platform 9 and ¾? Didn’t Petunia go with her parents and sister to King’s Cross station? Or is she pretending not to know? I don’t fully remember the details regarding this, so anyone care to enlighten me? Perhaps there is something that I’ve missed?
  2. Ron and Harry = my favourite friendship. During the train ride to Hogwarts, Ron is awkward and ashamed about his lack of money and Harry chips in to explain that he never even realised he had any money to cheer Ron up. He then shares his food with Ron. Ron makes sure to not gawk at Harry so that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It’s the little things, you know?
  3. Oh, God, Hermione was such a pain at the start. This isn’t social awkwardness, this is just being rude and condescending (a flaw, not a virtue):

“You don’t use your eyes, any of you, do you?” she [Hermione] snapped.

I felt sorry for her for not having friends, but if she wanted to make friends – which it was clear that she did when she cried after she overheard Ron saying: “No wonder she doesn’t have any friends” – you can’t go around making people feel like they’re really stupid. But this isn’t that deep, I would have personally just avoided Hermione. Although, I’ll say this for her, Hermione creating a revision schedule for Harry and Ron was really sweet. Sure, the execution is a bit interfering, but her intentions were good.

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  1. Ron received undeserved hate for that comment. First, he’s right. I’ve never met anyone who has said: “Look at the way that person is patronising me, oh my, I do wish we were friends!” He clearly didn’t say it to her face, it was a comment that was passed from one friend to another and was not meant for Hermione’s ears.
  2. Boy, did they change a lot in the films. In the books, Hermione is paralysed during the troll incident and it is Ron who recalls the Wingardium Leviosa spell. Again, when entrapped by the Devil’s Snare, Hermione panics and Ron bellows: “HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?” Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t make Hermione any less intelligent. All it does is show us that there are different types of intelligence and Hermione is skilled at logic and riddles, Harry is cool and collected in a crisis, and Ron is a realist and a strategist. These are all important and useful branches of intelligence. However, I do understand why they gave the Devil’s Snare moment in the film to Hermione as they had chosen not to include the potions riddle thus leaving Hermione with nothing. This is frustrating because those riddles were difficult and would have better exemplified her critical logical thinking skills. But they should have left the Wingardium Leviosa troll moment to Ron alone because it was a moment of growth for Ron.harry ron hermione
  3. Harry, Ron and Hermione represent the ‘head, heart and guts’ trio. Harry follows his gut instincts (steady in a crisis, figuring out Malfoy is a Death Eater and that the Deathly Hallows are real), Ron is heart (piping up to his friends defence whenever they are bullied, and in this book, Ron continuously stands up for Neville when he is bullied by Malfoy and his cronies) and Hermione is head (academic knowledge, riddles and logical thinking).
  4. Hermione didn’t need to cover for Ron and Harry for the troll incident because they hadn’t done anything wrong when they went to look for Hermione to warn her about the troll. Hermione had missed a few classes and the feast. So, really, she would have gotten in trouble for missing her classes, so I don’t comprehend the reasoning behind the invention of: “I went looking for the troll.” This is more down to JKR to explain though.
  5. Why wasn’t there more of Charlie Weasley?! Charlie, the athletic, Quidditch playing, dragon-tamer, sounds fine as hell. Speaking of Quidditch, Snape actually referees the Quidditch match after Quirrell attempts to hurt Harry in the first game. Now, Dumbledore – who ordinarily doesn’t attend Quidditch matches – attends the next one as Quirrell wouldn’t dare attempt anything in Dumbledore’s presence, so there was no need for Snape to volunteer as a referee. But he does, just in case. Really, was this not a sign that he cared for Harry more than he let on?neville
  6. I personally believe that Neville is the bravest character and it doesn’t make sense why his having any possession of Gryffindorian traits was ever questioned. He was brave from the start even before he stands up for his house against his friends! Does that sound cowardly? And he does it alone. I have seen so many people stand up to people they barely know, but standing up to your friends, family and people who will be a continuing presence in your life is far more difficult because there’s an added concern of the possibility of breaking bonds if you do. But not my Neville. Despite his fears, he stood up for his house. That’s true courage.

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What are your thoughts on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? Do you agree/disagree with my thoughts on the Philosopher’s stone? Let me know in the comments!

Sopshki out.

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61 Comments

    1. It would be interesting to see what you think of the series with an adult lens! I have noticed that people on Quora who are now doing this have ultimately very different opinions to those they originally held. Sometimes I do wish that this series never existed, magical though it may be, it condones and promotes some truly horrific actions and it does so to children who have now grown up and without having done a reread continue to support said actions. Read it for the magic, not the morals!

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  2. I’ve never been a huge fan of Ron but I definitely agree with you the movies went almost too far in changing certain things about his character and it was mostly to benefit Hermione. Which retroactively annoys me about Hermione’s movie characterization. Also agree about Neville’s bravery 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying the reread!

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    1. He can be insensitive at times, but this reread is making me love him even more because of the way he stands up for his friends through and through. They should have included that in the films because that’s such a wonderful trait! Hermione in the films isn’t Hermione, she’s Emma Watson. I might not like Hermione in the books, but I cannot deny that she a well-written and interesting character, way more interesting than film Hermione. We all love Neville, don’t we? 😀 And thank you!

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  3. I have to admit I really like Ron and Harry’s friendship but my favourite of all time is Luna and Ginny’s. You have one who’s extremely smart yet everyone considers her crazy (me sometimes haha) and the other who is quite brave in her own way and logical. Not the most predictable combo yet it works pretty well?!

    I’ve always wanted to know more about the Legend ‘Charlie Weasly’ though I never got a chance to learn about him as a character which makes me feel left out *pouts* 🤔🤔

    Great post by the way 🙂

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    1. Luna and Ginny are complete opposites which makes their friendship adorable. It’s interesting that both Ginny and Luna are very open-minded, and there is an equal amount of respect there. Ginny was mean to her at first, but I was so glad to see her change her opinions and stand up for her!

      He sounds like he was the hottest Weasley and we barely got anything about him. 😭

      Thank you! 🙂

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    1. Second eldest Weasley sibling and dragon aficionado – according to Pottermore. Also has a very athletic physique 💪🏻 and can knit as well. And a broad, good-natured face. And was such a good seeker that he could have played for England. Damn, what a spice. 🤤

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    1. Yes, she lived in a different space, it is disappointing that she was between 25-32 when she did this. But I’m sure she wouldn’t do that anymore, she would get a lot of flak if she did.

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  6. Great post!
    I think Hagrid gave Dudley that pig tail because he knew how much he bullied Harry. Having seen Harry as a baby and an orphan, he developed fatherly feelings towards him and always wanted to protect him.
    Petunia obviously pretended not to know because in the last book, when Harry sees Snape’s memories, we see that Petunia saw her sister when she went on Platform 9 3/4 and she did not tell Harry either because Vernon told her not to or she didn’t care what happened to him.
    Its true that whatever Ron said wasn’t meant for Hermione’s ears but he shouldn’t have said it in the first place as it is pretty rude and whoever heard it would not have a good opinion of Ron. Even so, I think he could have said it quietly and not as he said it in the books. It isn’t a very nice sentence to hear about yourself.
    They did change a lot in the movies. 😦
    Neville is brave from the start. His true colours though, show in the last book when he sort of leads the D.A. and I think his Gryffindor traits were questioned because he his not a person you would see and think is brave. He definitely showed everyone that they had underestimated him A LOT!!
    Great post! Loved it!

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    1. Hi Jess, thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed my post, I appreciate your enthusiasm. 🙂

      I would say let’s agree to disagree, however, we are dealing with facts here. I’ve provided textual proof from the direct source itself in the post which shows us that Hagrid physically attacked Dudley as a result of Vernon Dursley insulting Dumbledore to his face. Therefore, it is fact. As there is no textual evidence that Hagrid knew about Dudley’s bullying tendencies to support the argument that Hagrid attacked Dudley because of this, it can only be classed as an opinion, but given the fact that the text provides us proof that his violent attack on Dudley was a result of Vernon Dursley insulting Dumbledore, it is easily refuted. Thus, it can be heavily implied that Hagrid did not at all know anything about Dudley bullying Harry. Dudley hid behind his parents throughout the exchange and thus, there is no evidence of Dudley bullying Harry in Hagrid’s presence because, to put it simply, he wasn’t doing anything at all but hiding (which he would naturally do given the fact that he is a child and has just seen a giant which obviously isn’t a common appearance in his life). Moreover, throughout the text, Hagrid displays xenophobia towards non-magical folk and vocalises vehement disdain for muggles which can be implied as a driving factor in his physical abuse of Dudley, however, again, from the facts provided by the book itself, we know that it is Vernon Dursley insulting Dumbledore that is the factually proven factor in Hagrid attacking Dudley.

      We must also remember that Hagrid attacking Dudley, who is a child, is child abuse as physical abuse targeted at children is defined as child abuse which is, as you know, a crime in many countries and it is the law of my country (United Kingdom). Considering Hagrid’s intention was to turn Dudley into a pig, which we can class as a felony, a severe crime, it is a serious case of physical abuse and will not be mitigated by the fact that he managed to give him a pigs tail and not transform Dudley into a pig. Moreover, Hagrid had no intention of removing Dudley’s pigs tail and did not do so as we know because the Dursley’s had to have it surgically removed.

      I have to ask you a question though: if you were 11/12-years-old, and your mother/father had insulted a person to a strangers face, a person whom that stranger loved, and then that stranger physically attacked you to punish your mother/father – considering the fact that they don’t know you, that you haven’t done anything that could be proven suspect in their presence, that you are a child – how would you feel? I understand these characters are fictional, however, we, the readers, are human and citizens of countries which punish felonies such as severe child abuse. I cannot, in any way, shape or form, justify a character who commits child abuse and is violent towards children. Because the harsh reality is, whether we like it or not, a grown man such as Hagrid giving a pigs tail to a child (clearly a physical action), is child abuse and violence. I am sure you don’t support child abuse or violence towards children, but when we justify characters, even ones we love, who commit such actions – we are defending child abuse. And it will say a lot about who we are as people. After all, do our perspectives not define us?

      Given the fact that it is Vernon Dursley who has insulted Dumbledore to Hagrid’s face, the natural reaction should have been anger directed towards Vernon Dursley and not a child who had basically done nothing to Hagrid to cause offence.

      Now, Hermione: Hermione was repeatedly condescending and rude to Harry and Ron’s face, one of which was the wingardium leviosa moment. In that case, if one does not support a character being rude to another character’s face, then one can not justify Hermione being rude to Harry and Ron repeatedly and directly towards them, to their face. Ron complained about her to Harry, not to Hermione’s face. It is highly doubtful that anyone would appreciate being condescended to. Ron has every right to be angry, it is the natural and human reaction to being condescended to. And if Hermione doesn’t want people to complain about her, it is on Hermione to not cause offence. You look at the person who is being offensive, not the one who is offended, otherwise we descend to a victim-blaming space. The truth hurts sometimes, and if Hermione doesn’t like truths about herself, the onus is on her to change it. If someone was being condescending to me, too right I will complain to my friend. I, most likely, would have shot back at Hermione there and then, but clearly Ron is a much better person than me because he doesn’t say it to her face.

      But it’s nice to know we agree on Neville. But then again, who doesn’t like Neville? He isn’t condescending, he is respectful, he is humble and modest, and he will only attack people when he has a justifiable reason (like Death Eaters and Voldemort). 🙂

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      1. Well, everyone can interpret a book differently and can voice their opinions.
        Just one thing, HOW would you feel if you got a letter inviting you to a whole another world. And once you enter it, you have a thirst to know everything about it. And judgmental people judging you because you are a know-it-all. Imagine that you want to make friends and you can’t. You are crumbling inside from the thought that you’d be excluded. And you offer help to someone who is doing something wrong and you feel you’ve done right but then you hear that person saying horrid things about you a minute later. How would you feel. As Luna Lovegood said that he is very funny but he can be a bit unkind. He was being unkind to Hermione when she helped him because it made him look like a fool, he didn’t see that she was helping him and wanted to make friends. He was downright UNKIND!
        I don’t know why but people hate Hermione. She saved Harry and Ron’s neck like a 10000 times! Without her they coudn’t have figured out how to get out of The Devil’s Snare, Snape’s puzzle(from book 1), the Basilisk(from book 2), without her thirst of knowledge she would never have got the Time-Turner with which they saved Sirius and Buckbeak(from book 3), Harry mastered Accio and many spells (book 4), the DA was HER plan(book 5), and INNUMERABLE times in Deathly Hallows, they would have been toast at Bill and Fleur’s wedding!

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        1. This is utterly perplexing. The book tells us that Hagrid attacked Dudley to exact revenge on Vernon Dursley, there was nothing at all to do with bullying from Dudley’s part. As per my post and the book itself, the extract I drew from the book itself, confirms this. Therefore, it is fact, not a matter that is open to ‘interpretation.’ If you reread the book, you will see so for yourself. If you also recall, fake Mad-Eye Moody transformed Malfoy into a ferret and Professor McGonagall rebuked him for doing so. That is what a responsible adult does. A 60+ year-old man (Hagrid) should not attack a defenceless 11-year-old child and in the light of Hagrid not reversing the spell, that shows us exactly how irresponsible and callous Hagrid is. It does nothing to promote a culture of good faith between wizards and muggles and I’m not entirely surprised by Hagrid’s attack in hindsight because he possesses a blood prejudice against muggles (as does Voldemort). Unless, of course, you do not have an issue with adults attacking defenceless children? Because that is what you are implying. And if that is the case, though my friend has encouraged me to reply in good faith, I personally do not feel the need to extend any courtesies to an individual who justifies unjustifiable violence against children. I will not tolerate that on my blog, similar to how I would not tolerate the orange man across the sea who believes it is perfectly acceptable to cage children. By your logic, if you found out that one such child who was cage was a bully, would you also believe that Donald Trump is completely justified in caging the child? I make no distinctions between Donald Trump and Hagrid because if they cause unjustifiable harm to children, then they both belong in the same boat, in my opinion. You, also, have not answered the question that I set for you which leads me to believe that you are not confident in your answer as it would go against your original opinion and easily refute it.

          I, however, am perfectly confident in my opinion, so therefore I will answer your question regarding Hermione:
          I came back to the U.K. at the age of 8 having lived in Bangladesh for a long time and experienced major culture shock. On my first day at school in Year 4, with no previous knowledge of physics, I read the excerpt from the physics textbook and understood it completely. And when a question was asked, I answered, was the only one to get it right despite a complete lack of experience and immediately went into the top set for every subject as a result. Consequently, I was bullied for being a nerd and had a hard time making friends nor did I know how to socialise as my social experience mainly extended to my handmaiden in Bangladesh and I was, also, incredibly shy. I was polite though, unlike Hermione, despite the culture shock I experienced and I eventually made friends. Do you know how? By being nice, I was careful in ensuring that I wasn’t being condescending. At the same time, I also started reading the Harry Potter series and weirdly enough, despite experiencing the same problems as Hermione… I still didn’t like her or relate to her. Do you know why? Because I thought she was rude and condescending and even someone like me who struggled to make friends and was excluded from my peers couldn’t empathise with her. I was 8 going on 9, and Hermione was 11, Hermione was 3 older than me. I understood the fundamental importance of being polite and not lording my intelligence over my peers. I, however, liked Matilda, who was far more understandable and likeable. That should give you a clue that even people like me who were in a very similar situation to Hermione still didn’t relate to her nor like her.

          Now, judgemental is very similar to being condescending, the only difference is that condescending can be a manifestation of being judgemental. Hermione was the one who was being judgemental. She followed Harry and Ron around criticising and judging them for their lack of intelligence: “you don’t use your eyes, do you?” At that point in Charms class, Ron had absolutely no reason to believe she was offering help because why would he? Hermione had been nothing but condescending from the very moment she met him on the train telling him his spell isn’t very good and that all the spells she’s tried has worked out well for her. That’s being judgemental, insensitive and condescending. And if you do not believe that that is being insensitive, then it is more likely that it is you who is insensitive. So, again, it makes no sense why you should state that Ron is insensitive when a sensitive person should know the comments Hermione made were incredibly insensitive. Why demand Ron to be sensitive if you yourself do not demonstrate sensitivity nor recognise insensitivity? And, again, Ron is not insensitive for saying it behind Hermione’s back which is only natural that he would and, again, it wouldn’t be insensitive either if he said it to her face because it is Hermione who was being insensitive in the first place. It is tiring that I have to repeat myself, but seeing as you haven’t addressed this, I have had to. If at any time I was being insensitive and lording my intelligence over my peers at school and they retorted behind my back or to my face, it still remains my fault for being insensitive in the first place. And, in this case, it is Hermione who was insensitive in the first place. Just because somebody cries, doesn’t make them right. Just because Hermione cried, doesn’t make her right either. I sincerely do not appreciate a person who plays victim to the circumstances they created. Narcissist’s and guilty people can use tears as a weapon too. If anything, Hermione having any friends at all is wish-fulfilment on J.K. Rowling’s part because never have I met anyone who has wanted to be friends with a person who is condescending to them. An ordinary person would not put up with it, unless a person believes them self to be so inferior that they will put up with any poor treatment.

          I am not going to bother addressing Hermione’s intelligence because I have already commended her critical thinking skills in my review. If you were confident in your belief, you would not feel the need to deflect, deflection is a narcissist’s game and it’s a game a narcissist plays when they’re losing. As such, I naturally do not wish to encourage this kind of behaviour. However, I will add that you have again presented an alternative fact regarding Devil’s Snare. If you had taken the time to properly read my review, you will find that while Hermione possesses knowledge regarding Devil’s Snare, she panicked and didn’t know how to apply her knowledge because she thought she needed wood to make fire and the room didn’t contain any wood. It is Ron who reminded her that she’s a witch who can perform magic and it is Harry who stayed calm, not Hermione and Ron commends him for it. Therefore, it was a collective effort. If you want to talk about Hermione’s knowledge, then talk about it on your own blog, I have already commended Hermione’s book knowledge and academic logic in my review, so it is not a point of contention and I am absolutely baffled as to why you even feel the need to bring up an opinion we already share and then argue about it when we already agree.

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          1. All I can say from my experience from our “chat” is that you are a person who can only see the worst in things. You have been very rude to me in your latest comment. I think that Hagrid and Hermione are underrated. If you do not have the power of seeing the good in people then I can’t do anything. Hope I was not rude to you, because I hate being a rude person and as I am a “Narcissist” I am not wasting my time and energy on you anymore. You should have used the time you spent on making a “narcissist” understand into something more productive.

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            1. You say Hagrid is underrated and Dudley deserved being attacked by Hagrid, that a grown man of over 60-years-old was perfectly in the right to try and turn Dudley, a defenceless child, into a pig because he was angry with his father. The BOOK tells us that Hagrid attacked Dudley to get revenge on VERNON DURSLEY. Not because of anything Dudley has done, the book does NOT tell us Hagrid knew that Dudley was being a bitch to Harry. He also fat-shames Dudley. I repeat: FAT-SHAMES. No. Hagrid is overrated. And YOU are saying that a grown man attacking a child is okay. And suddenly I’M the rude one? You’re saying it is okay for a grown man to attack a child to get revenge on the child’s father? I have absolutely no need to be ‘polite’ to someone who says this is okay or tolerate support of unjustifiable violence on my blog otherwise I might as well just say “Hey, everyone, if you comment on my blog posts and tell me that child abuse is okay, that you can attack children and commit felony against children or SUPPORT it because the child’s a bit of a dick so he totally deserves it, I’m still going to be nice to you on my blog!” What on earth kind of nonsense is that? I’m supposed to be nice to someone and keep the peace when someone is saying that it’s okay for adults to severely attack children? What a load of bullshit. Fuck that. No, I’m not playing nice with people like that, NOBODY needs to play nice with people like that.

              If you go back and read what I wrote properly, you will see that I didn’t call you a narcissist, I clearly said this is what a narcissist would do which doesn’t necessarily make you a narcissist, although you are definitely behaving like one! 🙂 Narcissism has various components, you “flipping the script,” continuing to argue even though there are FACTS to prove MY point unlike yours (not accepting being in the wrong), a lack of empathy and empathy only to suit your point (I’ve clearly already showed empathy because I’ve actually been in Hermione’s position) would only be a few components of many components, therefore for you to actually be a narcissist based on our conversation would not make sense as there is not enough evidence. But you are certainly now demonstrating characteristics of a narcissist. Funnily enough, I have a cousin who is a narcissist, she’s done the same things you’ve done in this debate in arguments, everybody pretty much hates her (yep, even her own family), and you guys look so much like each other… funny that! Like, you literally could be twins. 🙂

              NOW. Seeing as you’re not addressing the points I’ve made in my argument and resorted to “I’m going to pretend you’re mean so you don’t notice that I’m no longer addressing the actual points you’ve made in your argument because I don’t actually have any credible comeback and otherwise I would have to accept defeat and stop supporting an abuser and a condescending girl,” (funnily enough, that’s also a narcissist’s move – ooh boy, aren’t you on a roll?) I can assume you’re out of points and you don’t want to accept that. Clearly, the debate is over, I’ve won, so now you want to point out I’m mean for being disgusted that someone is supporting attacks against children. How dare I be against attacking children, amirite? Shame on me, right? LOL. 👋

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              1. You’re downright insulting me and saying cuss words to a teenager. You should be ashamed. You’re doing child abuse right now! You are disturbing my mental happiness by your argument. I didn’t once mention that I SUPPORT child abuse. Exactly what will you get by disturbing me and winning from a teenager I do not know! Well, I must say I am not going to be happy now and its going to affect my studies and well, to think your comment will be flashing in front of me!

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                1. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL. This is not child abuse, I have a degree in law which includes family law, this is not child abuse. Debating is not child abuse. Cussing is not child abuse either.

                  You still haven’t addressed why you’re supporting a grown man attacking an eleven-year-old child. Wait till you’re an adult, you won’t feel the same way about Hermione or Hagrid through an adults lens.

                  Child, you came to MY BLOG and started the debate with me. YOU DID THAT. If you didn’t want to debate or argue against my point, you shouldn’t have bothered commenting and said to yourself “well, we disagree, let’s leave it at that.” But you didn’t do that. You left a long comment and debated, therefore, I debated back. So, what did you expect? Don’t play victim to circumstances you created. And CHILD, I’m on my day off, during the BUSY Christmas and New Year period, and I wake up to this? I think my sanity’s being more affected than yours.

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                  1. Yes…your question. My parent would not be such a fool as to insult someone or insult someone infront of their child.
                    I will always feel the same way about Hagrid and Hermione because the child inside me, the believe in me, the imagination, the creativeness will NEVER go as I am sorry to say you have lost.
                    I didn’t start a debate. I merely voiced my opinion about something. You did. You left a long comment. Oh yes, I can see how much your sanity has been spoiled, arguing with a teen hundreds of miles away and having the satisfaction of winning.

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                    1. But if your parents did do that, the other person would be perfectly within their right to physically attack you in retaliation, got it, that’s what you’re saying. And you still haven’t answered the question, IF they DID insult another person, would it be okay if they retaliated by physically attacking you? If you’re confident that you’re right, your answer would be yes, it’s okay for them to physically attack you to get revenge on your parents. That’s what you’re saying. You’re only one year younger than my sister and she’s telling me that you’re immature.

                      I don’t care if I’ve ‘lost’, your good opinion is not worth having if you think it’s okay for a grown man to physically attack a child. 🙂 That’s like being upset if Donald Trump told me I’ve lost, literally couldn’t give a crap if Donald Trump didn’t like me or believe in my argument. Also, you like Hagrid, but Hagrid wouldn’t even like you in the first place though LOL because you’re a Muggle, and Hagrid makes it clear that he doesn’t like non-magical folk, so congratulations, you played yourself. And by the way, I believe in people, I believe in goodness, and Hagrid attacking a child is not goodness and does not make me believe in him.

                      Girl, go and look back at your comment. If you express an opinion, and I, naturally, will obviously reply because it’s MY blog, that’s a debate. YOU left the long comment, YOU started this nonsense. CHILD, I didn’t know that you were 14 until you just mentioned it, so don’t tell me that I knowingly debated with a child. You look like an adult by the way, not a teen. I asked my sister and she said you look like an adult, you look above the age of 18, you look like the same age as me, so don’t try it. If you’re under the age of 18 and you don’t LOOK IT, it’s up to your parents to regulate YOU or for YOU to not leave a long comment that is an opinion on someone else’s blog knowing they will reply. Take responsibility for your actions.

                      Also, what on earth does your creativity have to do with it? Or your imagination? Are you okay?

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                    2. You seriously have nothing better but to fight with me? Its useless to talk with someone who does not have a broad mind. It was one of the biggest mistakes in my life when I commented on your blog. And congrats you have managed to affect my sanity.
                      Good bye👋👋

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                    3. OMG how dare I not have a broad mind and be okay with a grown man physically attacking an 11-year-old child????!!!!! THANK GOD, BYE. And you were never sane in the first place, abuse enabler. BYE.

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          2. Just 1 point of clarification: Hermione was in fact 12 at the time of the Halloween incident. She turned 12 in September about 2 weeks after the term starts.

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        2. Why is it you take any criticisms of Hermione as people hating her? A well rounded character could have good and bad traits. Ron was 11 years old people much older would complain to their friends about their co-workers or other people they don’t meet in private for instance.

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          1. Yes, there is nothing wrong with Hermione having flaws, and criticism of some of her actions is not a complete take down of Hermione. Great point about Ron. It’s sad and unfortunate Hermione had to hear it, but it wasn’t intentional on Ron’s part.

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              1. If you went to see my blog and saw that I hadn’t posted in almost a year, you would have noticed that I wasn’t active on WordPress. No need for the sarcastic tone.

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        3. “he didn’t see that she was helping him and wanted to make friends.” And you know it? Even if it’s Hermione intention here, how would Ron react to somebody whom he hasn’t spoken to in over a month and didn’t have a nice exchange of words with ever? Did you expect Ron to be a mind-reader?

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  7. May I know your opinion on one thing? I have been contemplating whether to read Harry Potter series or not since I have already watched (a gazillion times) all the movies. Do you think it will dampen the thrill of reading the books since I already know a good part of the story?

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    1. Not at all! The books have so much more that is not included in the films, you’ll be surprised by how much a lot has been left out. Hermione, Ron and Ginny are very different to their film counterparts! Plus, we get a lot more Dobby and Luna in the books, and they’re just amazing, aren’t they? 🙂

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      1. A lot means..a lot!? Really? Kind of like how Game of Thrones TV show has left out A LOOOT of details and events that are mentioned in the books? Oh I like Dobby and Luna is adorable. I’d definitely like to know more about them. Luna is shown as a minor and supporting character in the movies. Maybe there’s more to her in the books, as you mentioned,

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        1. In fairness, if the show tried to include even a tenth of the stuff, each episode would have to be 2/3 hours long. 😂 But, hey, us book readers have known that certain things will happen before show watchers e.g. Littlefinger’s death. We actually get to see how Dobby enjoys his freedom in the fourth book, and he was really living life! I’ll say one thing, she is one of the characters who were represented very faithfully in the films. 🙂

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  8. Sophia this is so ironic!!! I am literally watching this right now as I type this and read your post. Sooo fun to read your thoughts- you give such interesting and insights I hadn’t even thought about! I’m excited to finish the movie with these points in mind. Thanks for sharing 🙂

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  9. I think Hermione says she was looking for the troll because she’s ashamed that she was in the bathroom crying all day. And she doesn’t want to admit she was crying there because of Ron either. It doesn’t make her look better, but it’s easier to explain to the teachers, and this way the boys do kind of seem less inconsiderate and more… like friends. Based on their kids’ logic if they told the truth, they would come off as the reason for Hermione being there. With saying that she wanted to fight the troll herself, alone, and they came after her, they seem noble and brave. I know the teachers don’t exactly see it that way, but I think this is plausible as the way 11 year-olds think. 🤔 🙂

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    1. I can understand that. That would make sense, not wanting to profess that she had been crying, and I agree it is easier to explain. Although, I’m surprised that Hermione going to look for the troll was a believable enough excuse… however, because it’s Hogwarts, I’m sure stranger things have happened. I think she might have wanted to just show them in a good light to redeem herself, after all she is the one who needed redeeming for being condescending to Ron and Harry first, a whole lot as well. I don’t think Ron was being inconsiderate in the first place, he didn’t say it to her face, Hermione was rude to their faces. However, I don’t think it’s that important. If she were an adult, then I’d be worried because I would think what gives her the right to cry when she was being condescending to others and then getting at upset for them being upset. Flipping the script is a narcissist’s game. *shudders*

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      1. I don’t really think he was inconsiderate, but the teachers/many of the other people don’t know that Hermione wasn’t supposed to hear what he said. So, telling the story, it might seem like he’s worse than he actually is. But, well, yeah, kids are like this. An eleven year-old has yet to learn self-criticism 😁

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      2. She says that she was out looking for the troll to throw Harry and Ron in a more heroic light. “well they came to save me because i made a bad decision.” I think you’re reading WAY too far into the situation.

        Hermione wasn’t trying to be rude, she was trying to help someone who wasn’t getting a concept. If it comes off as rude, well that’s all in perception. You fail to take into account how much Hermione was bullied simply for being muggleborn. You’re making her out to be a bully when in fact she is the victim. Yes, maybe she grasped the concept better than anyone in the class, who wouldn’t be proud of that? “Flipping the script is a narcissist’s game”.

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        1. Oh, great, another person who doesn’t deal with facts and has subjective logic, yay (!)

          RIGHT. Re – troll incident, I’ve said everything I could say on the matter to Dora. Harry and Ron went to look for Hermione when the troll was in the building by themselves, I already get that Harry and Ron are heroic. 🙂

          “Hermione wasn’t trying to be rude” that’s SUBJECTIVE LOGIC. Objectively: Hermione doesn’t tell Harry and Ron she was trying to help, the book doesn’t say she was trying to help Harry and Ron, so, therefore it is subjective logic, so Hermione trying to help is YOUR perception and interpretation and certainly not objective logic or fact. Up until the troll incident, Hermione was not being bullied for being a muggleborn, so I’m baffled as to what point you’re trying to make when there’s no evidence for Hermione being bullied before she became friends with Ron and Harry. The bullying for being a muggleborn doesn’t happen until the Chamber of Secrets and that’s by Draco Malfoy, so I would suggest you reread the books as you’re getting your ‘facts’ all muddled up.

          “You’re making Hermione out to be a bully” if it comes across as that, well that’s all in perception. 🙂 And, ACTUALLY, I didn’t call Hermione a bully, I didn’t even use that word for Hermione not even once. But I don’t think she’s a victim either. I was in exactly Hermione’s position AND younger than her, but I wasn’t rude or impolite, and I was called names to my face for being a nerd, THAT’S BULLYING. Hermione was condescending (“you don’t use your eyes, do you?” – if you don’t think this is rude, then you don’t know how to talk to people, period.) and even then Harry and Ron weren’t rude to her actual face. And that’s good for her to be proud that she grasped the concept, that’s only natural, however, we weren’t discussing that were we?

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            1. Yeah, I know, I only edited yours because you’re still doing nonsense on my page and backing things that aren’t even facts. You said you’re going to leave my blog, but what did you do? Commenting on other stuff still on MY blog. If that doesn’t get you to move your abuse enabler arse, I’m out of ideas.

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  10. Oh yeah you make an excellent point about Dudley- that kid definitely gets the rough end of the stick in the HP series. And yeah Petunia seems weirdly forgetful about her past (especially once you take the later flashbacks into consideration). I do really like how Harry buys Ron the most unhealthy lunch ever on the way to Hogwarts! hehe so true about Hermione! Yeah it is so so frustrating what the films do to Ron’s character!! And yeah there really should’ve been more of Charlie. And I love Neville- definitely the bravest character by far!
    Excellent post! Definitely made me think about a few things!

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    1. I know, it’s really sad, I’m just so glad that he got his redemption, it was really touching. Yeah, I mean, in fairness, JK has said that sometimes she’ll forget dates, so I’m guessing it was just a minor error. LOOOOOOOL well, the poor kid was hardly going to buy him some salmon tartare. 😂 and yep, Neville ❤️

      Yay, glad it did and thank you! 🙂

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  11. I didn’t like Hagrid so it never make sense to me why Harry, Ron and Hermione just kept visiting him. He doesn’t have much logical sense. It’s so easy to spill a secret out of Hagrid, but I guess he’s the one you can count on when you need a loyal friend. But definitely not a secret keeper though, Dumbledore shouldn’t trust him with this one

    Everything Hagrid did for Harry, the cake, the photo album of his parents, is certainly nice. But I wouldn’t want to be a close friend with Hagrid though, he is too much trouble with the dragon, the spider (second book) and some kind of animal (third book). Now there’s a pattern, Harry spent most of his time helping Hagrid with animals. 😂 Hagrid just do whatever he feels like doing, never consider the consequences.

    I agree with you that Hagrid is being unreasonable when he attacked Dudley. His behavior is unacceptable. I’d say that Hagrid can’t control his emotions, he never was able too. Look at all those illegal animals! And you thought he would have learned his lesson after the first one but no, he kept bringing more home. 😑

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    1. I think you had better common sense and logic then if you whiffed out how irresponsible he was despite his generosity to Harry & co.! 😂

      Yep, Hagrid is that oversharing auntie who will let slip all of your secrets! That is true… he doesn’t think about the consequences. I wonder what your thoughts would be regarding Dobby? I know Dobby can be irresponsible, but I love that elf, at least he, unlike Hagrid, will only attack with good reason.

      I don’t know how anyone with a heart and conscience can support Hagrid physically attacking a child to get back at the child’s father… that’s shocking. There is no justifying that, and I’m glad to see that you don’t support this either. I’m disappointed that Dumbledore didn’t keep a closer check on Hagrid’s instincts… I feel like Dumbledore could have been able to curb Hagrid’s harmful impulsiveness given how much Hagrid reveres Dumbledore. Those animals could have seriously harmed the students, especially the spiders in the second book! He wouldn’t have learned his lesson unless someone was able to tell him! But I wonder if he is just out of control no matter what… 🤔

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  14. Pingback: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 2018 – Sophia Ismaa

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