SS/PS Chapter 06 Summary

[Amber ?]

No: HPFGUIDX 27826


Apologies for the lateness of this week's summaries. Chapter 07 summary 
should hopefully be posted tomorrow and the Potions summary should be on 
Friday (Saturday if things don't go well).

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Harrys last month with the Dursleys isnt very good; they act as if he is 
invisible. He keeps to his room looking at his new schoolbooks and Hedwig.

On the last day of August, Harry asks Vernon if he would take him to Kings 
Cross in London the next day. Vernon agrees and asks him where Hogwarts is. 
Harry professes he doesnt know and takes out the ticket Hagrid gave him. He 
tells Vernon that he leaves from platform nine and three-quarters and Vernon 
says that there is no such platform. He also says that the Dursleys were 
going to London anyway, to get Dudleys tail removed.

The next morning, the Dursleys and Harry travel to Kings Cross. Mr. Dursley 
drops Harry off, snidely pointing out that there is no platform nine and 
three-quarters. The Dursleys drive away laughing, leaving Harry all alone.

Harry tries to find out where the train to Hogwarts is but has no luck. As 
he begins to wonder whether he should take out his wand and try tapping 
bricks, a group of people pass by him and he hears the word Muggle.

It is the Weasleys. Harry notices they have an owl and he follows the family 
of redheads. Harry watches as Percy and the twins goes through the solid 
barrier between platforms nine and ten. Confused, Harry tells Mrs. Weasley 
he doesnt know how to go through the barrier. She tells him to just walk 
straight through it and ushers him to go through before Ron does.

Harry makes it through the barrier. He gets his first look at the scarlet 
Hogwarts Express. Harry finds an empty compartment, after passing Neville, 
who has lost his toad, and begins to shove his trunk towards the train door.

After dropping his trunk on his foot, the twins appear. They help Harry with 
his trunk and find out who Harry is. Mrs. Weasley calls the twins away; 
Harry sits in the empty compartment and watches her say goodbye to the boys.

We get our first real glimpses at part of the Weasley family. We learn that 
Percy is a prefect, something he has talked about all summer, that the twins 
are pranksters, that Ron has something on his nose, and that Ginny 
desperately wants to meet Harry. The twins tell their mother that they met 
Harry Potter.

The train leaves and Ron Weasley enters Harrys compartment. Ron asks if 
anyone was sitting in there and Harry shakes his head. They dont speak and 
then the twins appear again. The twins introduce themselves and Ron to Harry 
and leave.

>From this point on, Harry and Ron talk quite a bit. Ron asks Harry about his 
scar and his Muggle family. Harry asks Ron about his family and this is the 
first time we see Rons desire to be distinguished from his brothers.

At noon, the lunch cart comes around and Harry buys some of everything. He 
shares his bounty with Ron, who only has corned beef sandwiches. At some 
point, Harry asks Ron about the Chocolate Frogs. He learns about the wizard 
cards and opens his first Frog to discover that he has gotten Dumbledore. He 
also learns that wizarding pictures dont stay put.

After Ron warns Harry about the Every Flavour Beans, Neville knocks on their 
door and asks if they have seen his toad. They havent, Neville leaves, and 
Ron explains about Scabbers to Harry about how he tried the other day to 
turn him yellow. As he raises his wand to show Harry the spell he tried, the 
compartment door opens again. A girl enters; it is Hermione Granger. The 
Trio now have met each other, a historic moment indeed. *grin*

She asks, in a bossy tone, if they have seen Nevilles toad. As Ron tells 
her they havent, she sees that he has his wand out and asks him to do 
magic. Ron casts his spell on Scabbers but nothing happens. Hermione 
expresses her doubt that it was a real spell, says how shes already read 
all the course books, and introduces herself all in one breath. Ron and 
Harry introduce themselves as well. Hermione tells Harry about how hes in 
some of the wizarding books she has and leaves.

Ron asks Harry about his Quidditch team and Harry professes he doesnt know 
any. Ron starts explaining the game to him when the door opens again; its 
Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Draco confirms that Harry is really Harry Potter and introduces himself, 
Crabbe and Goyle. Ron makes a noise at Dracos name and Draco promptly 
comments on how poor Rons family is. Draco then tells Harry that he has to 
be careful which families he associates with. Harry doesnt like this and 
refuses to shake Dracos hand. Draco, being slighted, warns him to be 
careful or hell end up the same was as his parents. Harry and Ron then 
stand up to fight Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. As they prepare to fight, 
Scabbers bites Goyle, the rats finest moment ever. The to-be Slytherins 
leave and Hermione comes back. Ron tells Harry how his father expects the 
Malfoys didnt need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side.

Hermione tells them to put on their robes as they are nearly at Hogwarts. 
She leaves and they get dressed. The train slows and stops. Ron and Harry 
disembark to see Hagrid rounding up the First Years. They follow Hagrid down 
a steep, narrow path to a black lake. Harry sees Hogwarts for the first 
time, a vast castle perched on a high mountain.

Everyone boards a boat and Neville and Hermione join Harry and Ron. The 
boats take off and they sail across the lake and into an opening in the 
cliff that Hogwarts is situated on. After going through a tunnel, they 
arrive at an underground harbor. After disembarking, Hagrid finds Nevilles 
toad and they all walk up a passageway, across the Hogwarts lawn, up to the 
oak front door. Hagrid knocks three times and the chapter ends.

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A warning: these questions are not the finest. They are a bit lame. Truly I 
racked my brains but couldn't come up with anything better. If anyone can 
think up more interesting ones, by all means pose them to the group!

Questions:

1) Why wasnt Harry told about the barrier to the platform nine and 
three-quarters and how to get through it? What do you think would have 
happened if Harry hadnt figured out the barrier?
2) Do you remember your first impressions of the Weasley family? Of Ron? 
What were they?
3) What was your first impression of Hermione? Did you guess that she would 
become a main character at this point?
4) Did you wonder at how Neville could so frequently lose his toad? Did 
anyone at this point think up the popular theory that Neville is under a 
memory charm?

~Amber

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