I finally know what Quidditch is after reading chapters 10-13 of The Sorcerer’s Stone. Armed with that knowledge I am even more confounded by the “real” Quidditch leagues that have sprung up around the world. I suppose if most nerds aren’t good at real sports, why not just play one from Harry Potter? That being said, I’m going to start my own Pyramid league and my team will be the Cylons.
Here are some thoughts from chapters 10-13 of The Sorcerer’s Stone.
Friendship
After Harry, Ron and Hermione share the experience with the troll their friendship is cemented. I loved this passage from the book.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
In the following chapters it’s easy to see the growing friendship among the three. J.K. Rowling also hits on a deep truth about life and relationships. Friendships are born and strengthened through difficult situations. Harry, Ron and Hermione faced a troll to strengthen their friendship while we might have to face cancer or unemployment to strengthen ours. Those strong friendships not only help us weather the difficult seasons but they also grow through them.
The Mirror of Erised
When I read about Harry looking into the Mirror of Erised I couldn’t help but think of the ghost from the Tower of Terror. It would be interesting to look into a mirror that shows us what we really want. It would also be a little scary. No matter how great our actions, it’s our intentions that really show who we are. Jesus accused the Pharisees of being whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but full of death. Had they looked into the Mirror of Erised, the Pharisees most likely would have seen their desire for power. Since we don’t have a magical mirror, we need to constantly check our motives and intentions. We need to be honest with ourselves and make sure that the good we do springs forth from good intentions.
Christmas
Even at Hogwarts the world slows down a little bit for Christmas. There are a few ways of looking at Hogwarts’ observance of Christmas. Either Christmas has lost all its meaning or the birth of Christ, even when not fully recognized, still has a tremendous amount of power and meaning in the world. Even in the midst of what some consider an evil wizarding world, there are still hints of Jesus and his work. Jesus coming to our world has made such an impact that we can see his influence everywhere. More often than not we just need to be willing to find it.
So far it’s been pretty easy to read The Sorcerer’s Stone and see the gospel’s influence. God’s story is so big that it can’t help but infiltrate almost everything. I don’t think it’s big enough, though, to have anything to do with “real” Quidditch.
What observations do you have from chapters 10-13 of The Sorcerer’s Stone?
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