Cancelled meeting this AM gave the opp to finish... Chapter 17 - Riddle you fucker. - Hold up, Harry's mom was a muggle? I thought both were powerful Wizards. (Pls dont answer if it spoils something in the future) - Fawkes is dope. - Lol at Lockhart's memory curse backfiring Chapter 18 - Well shit. Dobby was the Malfoy's all along. Good on you Dobby. - Lucious trying to frame the Weaselys. I hope they get revenge down the line. - Oh shit! Harry pulled one over and freed Dobby! - LOL at Hermione being sad exams cancelled. Soooo Hermione. - Fist pump at Lucious being booted from the Gov's board. Liked it just as much as the first book (8.5/10). They're just fun easy reads. Interested to see where things go w Maloys now that his/they're sinister plans are more overt. I would think what he did would be enough to send him to Azkaban Will prob start the next book on Tomorrow or Thursday
Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book of the series (somewhat popular opinion). It's when the shift occurs and everything starts getting more serious. It's also the best movie (more popular opinion).
Im looking forward to see other parts of the HP world than Hogwarts. Although I hope we go back to the Weasley's home at some point. Love that family.
Well - it's one of the main reason I had such an aversion to reading HP for so long. All the dorks in college that would try to play it in the quads. Having said that - I like the quidditch parts. Provide a fun setting for shenanigans. Although all the parts really do.
Dog... don't drop the "M" word on Lily Potter in my presence ever again. Truman ... Lily was muggle-born, but was a witch. Just like Hermione.
His mom was a muggle-born, not a half-blood or muggle. muggle means no magic, muggle born means both parents had no magic. She's basically like Hermione
Either way I thought it was that she was a muggle which didn't make sense. Just got the verbiage mixed up. No biggie.
PoA is definitely my favorite of the first 4. 5-6-7 took things up another level with the raised stakes.
You can thank Bruce Pearl for that. Might have some time this afternoon to start Prisoner of Azkaban.
Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 1 - Big news from the Weasleys. Mr Weasley won the big award and Percy is named Head Boy. Woot woot! - Looking forward to seeing what this Monster Book is all about. - I assumed the Prisoner of Azkaban was a reference to Hagrid, but maybe not since he's sending Harry mail. - Happy for Harry he finally had a good birthday. Chapter 2 - Aunt Margie is even worse than the rest of the Durselys - Oh this bitch drowns dogs? Fuck her up Harry. - LMAO he fucked her up. Turned that bitch into a blimp Chapter 3 - Well now we know who this prisoner is. - TIL a gun is a type of black metal muggle wand they use to kill each other - Is this really Fudge, or an imposter??? Chapter 4 - The trio is back together - Uggggggggh. Hermione is a cat person. This is devastating - Frank and George trying to lock Percy in a pyramid is amazing - Welp Fudge is not an imposter - was acting weird because it looks like Black wants to murk Harry - Curious to see why people hate/scared of Azkaban Guards. Chapter 5 - Oh man that train scene w the cloaked figure was pretty creepy. A dementor ?? - Sounds like we finally have a competent Dark Arts prof. - and we're back at Hogwarts. Oh shit whaddup Hagrid. And he gets a promotion!!
Im not convinced that Black is necessarily after Harry. It was over heard he was muttering "He's at Hogwarts". I dont really have much to go on, but I'll say he's really after Doubledore. Possibly Hagrid if they crossed paths in Azkaban.
A couple chapters before soccer Chapter 6 - ha @ Hermione getting snippy w Prof Trealowny because books wont help her in this fortune telling class - Eat shit Malfoy. Dont be a prick to hippogriffs Chapter 7 - What's Hermione up to w all these extra books/classes? - Big fan of Professor Lupin so far. Good Dark Arts lesson.
Chapter 8 - Oh shit fat lady - Is this an insider job? Lupin? Chapter 9 - Snape shares my suspicion. Not sure I like being of the same mind as that Slytherin jerk - Damn Doubledore hates the dementors. Dying to know that back story. - Snape blows but lol at putting Hermione in her place for being a know-it-all - Hell yeah for Ron chirping back at Snape - This dog and dementor shit is creepy. - Fuuuuuck his broomstick is shattered. This is definitely getting darker and more serious as you guys have said. However I do miss the whimsical goofy stuff.
There's still a decent amount of whimsy peppered throughout the series. Definitely not as much as the first two books though.
Chapter 10 - Fred and George's magic map - Black and Harry's dad were besties w testes AND Black is Harry's god father?!?!?! - wow great chapter. Lots of back story. Wonder what made Black turn on the Potters ect. Chapter 11 - Harry is getting salty at the people trying to protect him because they've kept secrets from him. Hopefully he's not going to do anything irrational out of spite. - Oh shit new broom whaddup. - Dang Hermione tattling on the boys about the broom. Understand why, but what a buzz kill Random comment - kind of weird the wizarding world celebrates xmas considering the crimes muggles had tried to commit against them in the name of religion.
They stay @ Hogwarts and celebrate Xmas. It was either early in this book or the last one, where Harry was reading on the history of Wizards and there was a line about how in the 1400s muggles burned witches at the stake, but the witches would just cast an anti burn spell on themselves so it felt like a slight tickle.
There's probably a more concise, well-reasoned answer (heck, Rowling herself might have answered this before) but my thought was that they don't really celebrate Christmas because of its Christian themes (though I can't actually remember if they mention Christianity in the series or not). I assumed they celebrated Christmas as more of the modern-day extension of the celebration of the winter solstice, Yuletide festivals, which brings families together, etc. more than anything else. Wizarding families are generally more set in "old ways" of doing things, but they still reflect British society to a certain degree. Spoiler Hence the Yule Ball in the Goblet of Fire
Looking back on it I think book 3 is really where you go from thinking Rowling is extremely talented to saying holy fuck she is a genius