Harry Potter 7

There is a theory that the seven Harry Potter novels mirror the seven obstacles the kids faced in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Here is Chloe's writeup on this theory. I found it really interesting.

"Fluffy, he's easy, the beginning, and all you need is some information and some help, and then you can work the rest out yourself. COS is organic, alive, like devil's snare, but also a deadly trap, pulling you in and killing you. POA is difficult, but it's a chase, trying to find people, catch them. and GOF is, as you noticed, a game. can't really figure out how the troll goes with OOP [note from Ronnie: perhaps the troll represents the death Harry must face in OOP]. HBP involves logic, figuring things out, putting together the pieces so you will know what to do, and then deciding you have to go on alone. and then DH is the real thing. what you've really been working towards the whole time. your goal, your destination. where the thing you're trying to get is so close all you have to do is reach out and take it.

"i don't even know if i believe this theory of course, but this is how it could be true."

The obstacles:

• Fluffy, the vicious, gigantic, three-headed dog
• Devil's Snare, a plant that wraps you up and suffocates you
• Winged keys, very fast moving, and only one will get you through the door
• A giant chessboard with living pieces that bash you over the head if you get captured
• A troll, huge, smelly and violent
• Several potions, some poisonous, with a logic problem to help you know which one to drink
• The mirror of Erised, a clever and seductive mirror that shows you the thing you most desire

We were in the crowd at the Borders at Alderwood Friday night, picking up our copy of the book. MJ went as Professor Trelawney, Chloe, as the Gray Lady (Ravenclaw's ghost), and I, as Archie, the wizard who thinks any old Muggle clothes will allow him to pass as a muggle. The girls looked great (and were very well received by the crowd at the costume judging), while I looked merely ridiculous.

Photo coming soon!

Thanks to Frank's kindly stop at Borders earlier in the day, we had a coveted orange armband, placing us in the first group of people to get books. This meant we were about 200th in line (no exaggeration).

We're completing our HP tradition and reading the book aloud together. Work is really getting in the way of that! But we have less than a third of it left after a snuggled-in weekend.