The Real Weird Sisters (Alice and Martha) recap chapter twelve of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Be aware that the show may contain spoilers for events which take place later in the series.
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I’m surprised this chapter got such high ratings. Yes it has some powerful moments, Harry seeing his family is very touching and sad, but so little of this chapter carries forward the narrative of the story. If you did not know the end of the book, this chapter would seem so out of place.
So some random thoughts:
1- How did Harry’s Christmas gift from the Dursley’s get to him? I seriously doubt the Dursley’s knew how to summon an owl for delivery nor would have even if they knew how.
2- I love how easily the Weasley’s just include Harry into their lives, even sending him Christmas gifts. Yes, Harry has become good friends with Ron, but the Weasley parents have only had a few moments of conversation with Harry up to this point. Such a great contrast to how the Dursley’s treat Harry who have spent 10 years with Harry.
3- I agree that it is good to see Ron so good at Chess. He needs something to excel at. I too never noticed the idea of a chess set only having one set of men. I also love the idea of Chess Men arguing with their owners.
4- The whole concept of the mirror is fascinating, and I can totally see people being so enamoured with what they see that the waste away their life. It is a valuable lesson. We can become so enamoured with what might be or what might have been that we can miss the joys of today.
5- I totally agree about the thoughts on Madam Pince. She seems overly harsh and not very helpful. And I too get annoyed with the research moments in the series, often thinking to myself, “They really could use Google.”
One thought I have had in my rereadings over the years is that it really is interesting that Ron so very immediately is put off by the mirror. Later of course, Ron shows that he can be pretty susceptible to magical influence with the Horcrux, so the fact that he immediately wants nothing more to do with the mirror really shows some mental fortitude.
I’ve also thought so many times through out the series, for how often wizards scoff at Muggles for not having magic, the internet and phones seem like a way more effective than combing through ever library book in the Library to get information and waiting for Owl Post.
The line about the Wesley twins throwing snowballs at the back of the turban is amazing. I’ve always been fond of Christmas at Hogwarts even if the events are usually low-key. I love the running theme of Flamel not being a modern wizard even though the kids couldn’t see it. I hardly remember the Deathly Hallows movie but that scene where Hermione erases her parents’ memories stuck with me too. Harry’s experience with the mirror is so bitter-sweet. I bet it was a portrait who tattled on Harry and Ron, haha. I think The Mirror or Erised could have been a candidate for Real Wierdo.