Thursday 11th May - 71 days

Chapter 13, Nicolas Flamel

Harry is sure he has heard the name Nicholas Flamel before – or read it. . We learn Snape is going to be refereeing the upcoming Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Gryffindor has the opportunity to take the lead from Slytherin in the house cup. Surely Snape is not a fair referee for this game? Malfoy and his cronies bully Neville, and put the “Jelly Leg jinx” on him. Harry tells him that he is worth twelve of Draco. And gives Neville the last of his Christmas supply of Chocolate Frogs. Harry looks at the back of a chocolate frog card and discovers *gasp!* that he DOES know who Nicholas Flamel is! Nicholas Flamel, with Albus Dumbledore mad the Philosopher’s Stone. This stone has legendary powers. It will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. Nicolas is 665, and lives in Kent with his wife, Perenelle. At the Quidditch match, Neville stands up for himself for the first time against Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. Harry manages to catch the snitch in a spectacular dive, and ends the Quidditch match more quickly than anyone can remember. As Snape leaves the match, Harry follows him into the Forbidden Forest.... where he sees Snape bullying Quirrell. So whose side is this dude on, anyway?

“Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch. [...] Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.”

What potion will make the drinker immortal? The Elixir of Life

Chapter 14, Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback
The trio begins to make frequent detours by the third floor to make sure Fluffy is "still growling inside" and encouraging Quirrel in whatever ways are possible. Exams are around the corner. While the trio is studying in the library, Hagrid walks in, hiding something in his coat. Ron is able to give Hermione & Harry a bit more information about dragons and their legal status – dragon breeding is banned in England. It attracts to much attention from Muggles.. The trio find that Hagrid is hatching a dragon egg. Hagrid brought the egg in the Hog’s Head pub, in Hogsmeade from a Greek chappie. They go to Hagrid's hut to see the dragon hatch, but Malfoy peeps through the window. Hagrid names the Dragon Norbert. Ron arranges for Norbert to go to Romania & live with Charlie, but in the meantime is bitten by the dragon and has to go and spend time in the hospital wing, tended by Madam Pomfrey. Hagrid gets Norbert ready to go on the journey, even packing his teddy bear "in case he gets lonely." Malfoy is caught wandering around by McGonagall, and reprimanded for telling "lies." Norbert is transported safely away, and Hermione and Harry couldn't be much happier...until they were caught by Filch on the way down after forgetting the invisibility cloak...

“Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!”

Who caught Harry, Hermione and Ron as they walked down the tower? Filch the caretaker


Chapter 15, The Forbidden Forest
Harry believes that life couldn't get any worse..... until Professor McGonagall brings in Neville, who has been searching for Harry to warn him about Malfoy. The group loses 150 points for Gryffindor, which puts them in last place for the house cup. Harry overhears Quirrel being threatened, and while he doesn't see anything, he assumes that Snape has just left the room as well. Harry, Hermione, & Neville are instructed to meet Filch in the entrance to serve their detentions. Malfoy meets them there, and appears to be nearly as scared as Neville. Hagrid takes them into the forest without Filch, and takes them to unicorn blood that he has found in the forest. While with Hagrid & Hermione, Harry meets Ronan & Bane, centaurs, for the first time. Neville sends up red sparks because Malfoy as scared him, and the children are re-grouped. Harry continues with Draco & Fang. Harry's scar hurts for the first time as a robed figure, which had been standing over the murdered unicorn, lurches toward him. Firenze charges the figure, and allows Harry to ride on his back to safety. Bane is unhappy with Firenze's decision – he doesn’t like humans riding on centaurs – but Firenze takes him to Hagrid and the others. Harry and the others are safely taken back to the castle, where Harry tells the others of his realization that it is Voldemort who kills the unicorns. Finally, as the group heads to bed, Harry finds his invisibility cloak folded, with a note attached.

“I want Fang,” said Malfoy, quickly, looking at Fang’s long teeth.
“All right, but I warn yeh, he’s a coward,” said Hagrid.

What creature is said to be very knowing of magical healing, astronomy, archery, and divination? Centaur

72 days until Deathly Hallows

Wednesday 9th May
Chapter Ten: Halloween
In this chapter... Harry and Ron wonder what the 3-headed dog could be guarding. Harry receives a Nimbus 2000 broomstick by owl post – which does not please Draco Malfoy. Harry is taught the rules of Quidditch and about the four balls – the Quaffle, two Bludgers and a Snitch – and the people in the game – Keeper (Wood himself), three Chasers (the Gryffindor ones are Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell), the Beaters (Fred and George Weasley), and finally the Seeker who has to find the golden snitch and win the game (which will be Harry himself).
At Hallowe’en, Professor Flitwick teaches the first years how to make objects fly with
Wingardium Leviosa spell and Hermione of course does it perfect which aggravates Ron, who then offends Hermione and sends her running to the girls toilets crying for the rest of the day. At the Halloween feast, a panic-stricken Quirrell announces that a Troll has made it's way into the castle. Harry and Ron see Snape lurking around the third floor corridor. Harry and Ron go to rescue Hermione from the full-grown Mountain Troll (that they accidentally locked in with her). And for the first time, Hermione lies to a teacher and takes the blame for breaking the rules. And from that moment on, the trio is formed!

“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.”

From what sort of wood is the handle of a Nimbus Two Thousand made? Mahogany

Chapter Eleven: Quidditch
In this chapter... Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Snape limping for some reason, and later Harry accidentally walks in on Filch bandaging a nasty wound on Snape's leg, which Harry is certain must have been caused by the giant, three-headed dog. Harry plays his first professional game of Quidditch – Gryffindor against Slytherin. During the match, Harry's broom begins to malfunction and tries to throw him off, taking him higher and higher into the sky. Hermione sees Snape, who is watching the game, muttering a spell and suspects that he is jinxing Harry's broom. She sneaks behind Snape, accidentally knocking over Professor Quirrell in her rush, and lights the Potions Master's robes on fire, causing him to stop casting his spell. Soon after, Harry catches the golden snitch (in his mouth), winning the game for Gryffindor. While celebrating in Hagrid's hut, Harry and his friends find out that the package from Gringotts has something to do with Nicolas Flamel, and that the three-headed dog guarding it is named "Fluffy" and belongs to Hagrid.

“Hermione was checking Harry’s and Ron’s Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy (“How would you learn?”), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.”

What was the name of the three-headed dog that hurt Professor Snape’s leg? Fluffy

Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised

In this chapter...The trio are intrigued by the name Nicholas Flamel, which Hagrid accidently let slip. They spend hours scouring the library for information about him. Lack of access to the Restricted Section frustrates their search. Harry stays at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays, while Hermione goes home to her parents, who are dentists. As the Christmas holidays start, Ron teaches Harry how to play Wizard’s Chess, a violent little game where the pieces actually battle with each other. On Christmas morning, Harry is surprised with a little pile of presents: A carved wooden flute from Hagrid, 50 pence from the Dursleys, a hand-knitted jumper from Mrs. Weasley and an amazing invisibility cloak which, according to the unsigned enclosure, belonged to his father. After tremendous Christmas feast and a day of snowball fights and fun, Harry decides to try out his new cloak and sneaks out of the dormitory at night. He makes his way to the library’s Restricted Section, only to be given away by a shrieking book. Evading Filch and Snape by ducking into an empty classroom, Harry discovers a huge mirror. In the mirror a roomful of people is reflected including what appears to be Harry’s mom and dad. The next night, Harry brings Ron, but he only sees himself as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. On the third night, Dumbledore is there. He explains that the magic of Mirror of Esired is that it shows people their deepest desires, but that it is also dangerously addictive. Dumbledore informs Harry that mirror will be moved and not to go looking for it.
I think this is my favourite chapter. Not only of book 1, but the whole series. The Mirror of Erised (which is Desire spelt backwards, or, if you will, through a mirror) is the most magical thing Rowling has ever come up with for me – even better than Invisibility Cloaks, Pensieves and ten times better than Time-Turners! There is a inscription written around the mirror too.
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi)
(again “Mirror writing”, which translating to I show not your face but your hearts desire). I have wondered if this room, Harry entered, was foreshadowing of book 5. Harry has finally been able to see his family for the first time in many years.

“You haven’t got a letter on yours,” George observed. “I suppose she thinks you don’t forget your name. But we’re not stupid – we know we’re called Gred and Forge.”

Where is the first place that Harry and his friends look for information on Nicolas Flamel? Library

Tuesday 8th May - 73 days to go

Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

In this chapter...The children enter Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall greets them. She takes them to the Great Hall for the start-of-year banquet, in which they must pass a test to sort them into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. The first years enter the banquet hall, which is lined with glittering goblets and golden table-settings and a ceiling that seems to stretch to the heavens.

The ceremony begins with the Sorting Hat, a large black, pointed, dirty hat that is laid in the front of the banquet hall on a chair. Students take a turn trying on the Sorting Hat, which places each of them in one of the four Hogwarts Houses. The hat opens with a little song and proceeds through the list of first years. Harry is terrified of not being selected at all, but is eventually placed in Gryffindor with Neville, Ron, and Hermione. Draco is placed in Slytherin. Harry gets his first look (that he can remember) at Albus Dumbledore in person, and also locks eyes momentarily with the mysterious Potions teacher, Professor Snape. Seemingly due to a stare of utter loathing from Snape, Harry's scar burns with pain.

“Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”

What happened first, when Neville was called out to the Sorting Hat? He fell over on the way to be Sorted

Chapter 8 - The Potions Master

In this chapter...Harry begins to be noticed (though he wishes he wasn't), it's already hard enough to get to classes by way of many tricky, moving staircases and doors that won't open or need to be tickled to work. Peeves the Poltergeist along with Filch (the caretaker) and his cat, Mrs. Norris help to exacerbate this problem. Classes begin and Harry discovers that magic is harder than he thought. His schedule includes, History of Magic with Professor Binns (a ghost), Charms with Professor Flitwick, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall (head of Gryffindor house), Herbology with Professor Sprout, Defence against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell (whose turban now smells of garlic) and double Potions with the head of Slytherin House, Professor Snape. After his first Potions class, Harry gets the distinct impression that Snape hates him! Later, during tea with Hagrid, Harry and Ron learn that Gringotts had been broken into on the same day Harry and Hagrid visited. He wonders if the vault in question is 713 (the same one that he'd been to with Hagrid only a week before)?! After the visit, Harry feels this knowledge has given him more to think about than anything he's learned during his first week of lessons.

“At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he’d been wrong. Snape didn’t dislike Harry – he hated him.”

Harry and Ron have often wondered certain things about Hogwarts. Hermione always have an answer due to a certain book that she read about the school. What is that book? “Hogwarts, a History”


Chapter Nine -- The Midnight Duel
In this chapter… As the chapter begins, Harry admits that Draco is the only person that he has met that he likes less than Dudley (which is quite an accomplishment in only a few days!) and is worried that his first flying lessons will be with the Slytherins. However, Harry seems to have a natural knack for brooms when his is the only one to jump to his hand on the first try. Neville, the poor guy, falls and hurts himself instantly. When Madame Hooch takes him to the hospital wing, she says that no one is permitted to use his or her brooms. Malfoy promptly takes Neville’s new Remembrall and makes fun of him. Harry, with his “saving people thing,” decides to go after Malfoy and break the rule set by Madam Hooch. Then *gasp* McGonagall finds him and takes him away… readers are concerned as Harry has already pointed out at least twice in the book that McGonagall does not look as if she is someone you should cross. However, she instead takes him to meet Oliver Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Malfoy is not happy when he sees that Harry is still in school, and challenges Harry to a wizard’s duel. When Harry & Ron leave for the evening, Miss Bossy meets them to argue, and a combination of Fate and the Fat Lady cause Neville to join the yet-to-be-formed trio. Malfoy has set up Harry, hoping that he will be caught out of bed by Filch. The group ends up down the Forbidden Corridor, and has its first encounter with Fluffy. Hermione notices a little more, however, and the chapter ends with Harry wondering “where that grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.”

“I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could have been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.”

What does "Alohomora" do? It opens locked doors

Monday 7th May - 74 days to go!

Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys
In this chapter...We are introduced to Rubes Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. Harry realises all the odd things that has happened when he was angry or in danger of being beaten by Dudley – his hair growing back, finding himself on the school roof and setting a boa constrictor on Dudley – was because he was a wizard without knowing it. Harry learns he will be attending Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry. Petunia’s outburst, about her hatred of her sister is definite foreshadowing and the humour is there, when Hagrid gives Dudley a pig’s tail!

“CAR CRASH” roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner, “How could a car crash kill Lily and James Potter? It’s an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!”

What might Hagrid keep in his coat that would cause it to wiggle? Dormice

Chapter Five: Diagon Alley

In this chapter... We learn all about Diagon Alley, where we can buy almost anything a witch or wizard could need. We are introduced to Draco Malfoy in Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, and also to Professor Quirrell, who will be teaching Harry DADA (Defence against the Dark Arts). Harry is taken to Gringotts to get gold - and Hagrid collects something mysterious from Vault 713 on Albus Dumbledores (headmaster at Hogwarts) orders.We learn what wand Harry's parents had, we see Harry get his own wand, and learn that it is connected with Lord Voldemort's wand!

“What’s the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?”
“Stalagmite’s got an ‘m’ in it,” said Hagrid.

How many speeds does the cart have that takes Harry and Hagrid down to the vaults at Gringotts? 1 Speed only


Chapter Six: The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters (Part one)

In this chapter...Harry goes to King's Cross Station on the 1st of September. He is to collect the train from Platform Nine and Three Quarters - however, it is nowhere to be seen. A Wizarding family - the Weasley's - help Harry find the platform. The Hogwarts Express takes the students to Hogwarts. We are introduced to the Weasley family - Mrs Weasley, Percy (the Prefect), Fred and George (Twins), Ron (his first term at Hogwarts too) and Ginny (who's too young to attend). Ron tells Harry about his other two brothers too - Bill (works for Gringotts) and Charlie (in Romania working with Dragons). We are introduced to Hermione Granger - a very bossy first year who has already read the set books, and a half Muggle (not from a pure wizard family) and Neville, a round faced first year who is always losing his toad, Trevor. Draco Malfoy reappears on the Train, with his "Bodyguards" Crabbe and Goyle. He says he can help Harry make the right friends. Harry says he can tell the right people for himself. Scabbers, Ron's rat (which belonged to Percy) bites Goyle's finger. The students are taken to Hogwarts Castle by Hagrid, by boats.

“Fred, you next,” the plump woman said. “I’m not Fred, I’m George,” said the boy. “Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can’t you tell I’m George?”
“Sorry, George, dear.”
“Only joking, I am Fred…”

Who was the dark wizard that Professor Albus Dumbledore defeated and what year did he do it? Grindelwald in 1945

Countdowns

Book 6 has the Potions book, the Pensieve, a Gravestone - with A.P.W.B.D on it :( - and Hogwarts Castle with the Dark Mark

The Shields. No more explanations!

Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them, and the Hogwarts Motto

A Miss Marple one

and

A Poirot one!)

Embroideries

Well my currant Embroideries have been taking some time (as there are 11 of them!) and 8 of them are HP related


Book 1 has Hedwig, the title Platform Nine and a Half, Hogwarts Express, The Privet Drive sign post and also McGonagall as a cat!

Book 2 has the basilisk, the sword, spiders! (shudder!) a Cauldron and Ford Anglia, with Polyjuice Potion embroidered on it

Book 3 has Padfoot, Prongs, Chocolate, Wormtail and Moony

Book 4 has a merman, goblet of fire, broomstick, Moody's trunk and a Dragon

Book 5 has a Phoenix, a Prefects Badge a wand, the D.A. coin, and Grimmauld Place