Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.”
So begins our introduction into the world of Harry Potter. Stephen King once said, “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” When I first read Harry Potter, and every time I read it again, I’m struck afresh by how much the first lines draw you in.
The entire first chapter is crammed full of fun little glimpses into a completely new and interesting world we’ve never heard of. Instead of a dry narration on what has happened, we get “…they couldn’t bear if anyone found out about the Potters,” “strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country,” cats reading maps, owls flying, strangely dressed people in cloaks, an odd word of “Muggle,” and whispers about a relation of the Dursleys.
This is a reread of the series and I will be discussing future book and movie events on occasion. If you’d like to remain spoiler free, stop reading and come back when you’re caught up.
One of the reasons I believe the series has been so popular is that J.K. Rowling does not talk down to her audience. Instead, she doubles down on all this weirdness and has the cat turn into a witch, a man appear out of thin air with the ability to turn off lamp posts, a giant flying a motorcycle, and a man with a name people fear to even speak. With just a few descriptive phrases and pieces of dialogue, our feelings are tentatively penciled in that the Dursleys are rather unlikable and dull, Dumbledore is brave enough to speak of a man people fear and wise enough to protect a child, McGonagall is intelligent and kind but maybe a bit of a stickler, and Hagrid is trustworthy but perhaps a little bit of a loose cannon.
We want to know more about this baby, and what he did, why he’s called The-Boy-Who-Lived, and who his parents are. We want to know more about this magic, and these Professors, and the man so scary they just call him “You-Know-Who,” and what on Earth is a Muggle? On a reread, we marvel at all the little hints of things to be revealed; Dumbledore’s previously broken nose, Sirius Black’s motorbike and how brilliantly it’s woven in the story so early. I’m also left with questions, like where is one Remus J. Lupin in all this, and how is Dumbledore legally allowed to decide who gets custody of an orphan baby no questions asked.
What drew me into Harry Potter initially was the whiffs of Roald Dahl esque irreverence: Dumbledore comparing his scar to a map of the London Underground, (seriously this is a map of the London Underground, it’s truly a magnificent scar if it’s real and not just Dumbledore being sassy)
Uncle Vernon gleefully yelling at people and enjoying it while owls swoop around behind his oblivious head, a man offering candy in the midst of a serious conversation. But what kept me reading was what I discovered in the story later on. Harry Potter still means so much to me now even as an adult, because it got me through a rough time in my life when I was young. I won’t say I suspect it to be true, because I know it to be true that I’m not the only one that was helped in a tough time by a boy with green eyes and a lightning bolt scar who never felt he belonged until he went to a magic school. I’ve met too many people of all ages from all over to whom the books meant so much, and this is partially the reason why Harry Potter remains so powerful to so many people.
But enough about me, what about you? Join in with your thoughts below, on twitter, or instagram with #ReadHarryPotterWithMe Follow me on my twitter @HSecretLibrary, pinterest, and my instagram @hermionessecretlibrary.
What drew you into the book in the first chapter?
How did you first hear of the book series?
What was your favorite quote/line in “The-Boy-Who-Lived?”
What questions did you most want answered from the mysteries raised in this chapter?
Does Dumbledore really have a scar shaped like the London Underground?
And seriously, can someone tell me why Lupin didn’t ever check on Harry!?
Picture taken in Bruges, Belgium. Send me/tag me in your pics of you reading Harry Potter!