I always feel enchanted when I read about the first few weeks of a new year at Hogwarts. I used to love September, and everything it brought with it. New school uniform, a new pencil case and stationery, a new lunchbox (and one year the graduation to buying my lunch every day!), and always a brand new planner to record my homework in. I believe there is something truly magical about an empty planner, notebook or diary. There is so much potential!
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| Hogwarts! (source) |
So it is for Hogwarts, the start of lessons and all it entails. The summer holidays are a ‘passing fancy’ in the books, until we get to the Goblet of Fire and the World Cup, and I felt the books didn’t truly begin until Harry and the gang were back at school. [I’m not sure how I felt when I first read Philosopher’s Stone, because it was all new and the book started when it started, but certainly every other time I found the introduction tedious and lengthy.]
Term starts with a bang – literally – for second year, with the arrival of the Howler. I’m trying to think if I ever did anything at boarding school that warranted a Howler, if we had had them. I did get caught one night in the girls toilets, watching all the other girls play ‘Clocks’ with a pack of cards, which resulted in a furious deputy headmistress and a lifetime of teasing from my brother, who still insists we were gambling and playing Poker*. I would probably have got a Howler for that, but I don’t think it’s quite in the same league as crashing the family car into a valuable tree…
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| Neville and Ron (source) |
If I just divert your attention to the fact that I’m reading this on iBooks for one moment (intro to that here), I have to say that the illustration of the Howler in this version of the book is great, and one of my favourite things ever. It shows a Howler much more like the one I imagined, rather than the film version, which has a mouth, teeth and a very irritating tongue!
Anyway, I’m rambling. The point in this chapter is to properly introduce us to Gilderoy Lockhart. He is seen giving Professor Sprout advice on binding up the broken limbs of the Whomping Willow, before insufferably going on at Harry about attention seeking behaviour. When they get to lunch, Ron realises Hermione has outlined all of his lessons in hearts (which is totally something I used to do when the boy I fancied was in that particular lesson…), and his first lesson turns out to be a complete farce, with a pop-quiz on Gilderoy Lockhart and his supposed achievements.
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| One of my favourite fan arts of Lockhart (source) |
One of my favourite scenes of the book is here, where Lockhart releases the cage full of Cornish pixies. This is my favourite line of the book (I’m sure I’ve said that before…I lose track):
Seamus Finnigan couldn’t control himself. He let out a snort of laughter which even Lockhart couldn’t mistake for a scream of terror.
This is a moment that the film adaptation got spot on. The actor who plays Seamus says in a perfect Irish brogue:
“Cornish pixies?” aha *snort* aha
I laugh every time I watch it. Every time!
Lockhart’s fantastic spell-casting is seen when he tries to control the pixies with the wonderful spell Peskipiksi Pesternomi! You can see how JKR has formed the spell (Pesky Pixie?) but that last bit baffles me. I always read that sentence, then start craving pasta. Why hasn’t anybody made Cornish Pixie Pasta yet?! Ron then hits the nail on the head with the observation that Lockhart only says he’s done all of these clever things. Good insight, Ron!
Now I know I’ve skipped around this chapter a bit, but I wanted to finish with Lockhart before going on to the other things that I always enjoy. The first is the Mandrakes. I love, love, love this Herbology class, from the pink fluffy earmuffs to the teething Venomous Tentacula – not to mention the fact that the Mandrakes really don’t like coming out, but they don’t want to go back in even more! One of those magical ‘coincidences’ happens where the Mandrakes just happen to be incredibly important later on in the story. I know, I know, it’s not a coincidence – and I am glad that we get properly introduced to them, despite my whining!
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| Concept art for Mandrakes from Stack Overflow (source) |
In Transfiguration, Ron’s wand is playing up because it has snapped and been bound together with Spellotape. I always wonder at how his wand is so useless after it’s been broken, whereas Hagrid, whose wand was snapped in two when he was expelled, can use his pink umbrella apparently with ease. I do enjoy the clouds of green smoke, which brings wonderful images to mind that have everything to do with a ‘traditional’ vision of witches crouching around a cauldron in the middle of a swamp, surrounded by evil vapours and chanting ‘double, double, toil and trouble’. Fantastic.
And there, the chapter ends.
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| Love this Gilderoy Lockhart with smitten Hermione in the background (source) |
The next series or book will start in roughly May 2016, and we want your help deciding what to read through next. It looks like we are currently leaning towards the one that I want to do – place your vote in the poll in the sidebar!
That’s all from me for now.
Much love,
Corrie xx
* In fact, the first time I played Poker I was 18, and I was and still am rubbish at it. It requires patience and cunning, neither of which I really possess, and I always get to a point where I say ‘all in’ and groan if I actually win and therefore have to continue. This little ‘Poker’ incident still smarts, because I remember being an observer only. Exactly what happened nearly two decades ago isn’t important…let it go, Corrie.
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