First time reading

For reading this the first time, finishing the series shocked me and put everything together, making me truly enjoy the series with all its twists and turns. I got very upset thinking that Harry was about to lose his life but gained a lot of respect for him for being able to sacrifice himself as his mom once did for the good of another.

Ron shocked me when he left them but then it made sense when the truth came out that he was just jealous of Harry and Hermione’s relationship, which made him leaving almost justifiable to me.

Hermione remained the same throughout the series always impressing me with her knowledge and every book she became more of a rebel and an adventurer.

Dumbledore was a superior figure the entire series and his death in the 6^th book upset me but then in the last book finding out he planned it that way to ensure the wand was no able to give Voldemort the power of the Elder Wand, was very impressive and shocking.

The biggest shock was Snape, I never would of thought all he did was driven by love and devotion, and throughout the series he barely shows any signs of love or compassion. Snape’s love for Lily Potter was the reason he was always there when Harry got in trouble and the reason he would turn Harry in, truly trying to keep him from danger. Also, when you find out the silver doe that helped Harry and Ron was really Snape’s patronus.

All of these characters changed when faced with adversity and all risked their life to fulfill the ending goal of killing Voldemort.

This most problematic and stressful part for me was when Harry knew Voldemort was about to find out the necklace was gone and he was on the search for the other Horcruxes. Also, when Harry was trying to find out why Voldemort was on the search for Grindelwald. The whole Elder Wand scenario was problematic, who had the true power, it was very confusing but Dumbledore had it planned the entire time.

In J.K. Rowling’s series she uses her characters and plot line to describe scenarios today, such as the problems between muggles and pure bloods and how the Slytherin pure bloods feel superior to the muggles and make it known. Also, she shows the coming of age very well. Such as, in real life one gets there drivers license and gets accepted to college, and in the series these are depicted by getting the acceptance letter to Hogwarts, learning how to ride a broom stick and new spells.

Blog Post #3

Reading the last book of this series was awesome, because I honestly did not expect most of the deaths, twists of plot, and the secrets that were revealed. This was my first time reading the entire series, and putting it all together at the end makes everything so much better and more interesting (with a lot of anticipation!). My feelings about Dumbledore were just completely reassured: still pulling strings and helping out, when he is dead. It shows that he is with Harry every step of the way, whether he can physically be by his side or not. To be honest, I still am not a Snape fan, and Rowling made him so tricky to figure out and he seemed so sneaky. I was so convinced he was a Death Eater or on the dark side in ALL the books, and then he tries to claim he isn’t, but really is, and then isn’t again. His love for Lily showed true loyalty and gave us more of an idea of what the real Snape was like. It was kept very quiet and never hinted towards, and Snape always made comments about how much Harry was like his father, and never noted anything about his mother, or more specifically his eyes being similar to Lily’s. I never would have guessed any of that if you would have asked me after the fifth and sixth book, because we didn’t like him in the Order of the Phoenix or when he killed Dumbledore. I think Ron was really important in this book, because he displays his bravery and knowledge, and I particularly love when he saves Harry and destroys the Horcrux. He shows that Harry isn’t the only one that can contribute on their mission, and there is a reason he and Hermione promised to accompany Harry. Hermione, from day one, had the brains to disguise Harry, use the polyjuice potion routinely, put a false memory charm on her parents, and trick Bellatrix about the sword just to name a few examples. By now, that is what was expecting of her and she too contributed in a major way in Harry’s quest. After all of the horrible deaths and battles in the Deathly Hallows, the epilogue nineteen years later really cheered me up, and the two marriages of Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione were somewhat expected, but enjoyable to see. Seeing their children getting ready for Hogwarts for their first year had to be a funny feeling for them after everything they had been through together at the school.

Blog Prompt #3

How did you feel about the end of the series? What moments did you find particularly poignant, or problematic, and why? How did your feelings towards Dumbledore and Snape change? About Harry, Ron, and Hermione? Why did they change in this way?

In addition, now that you have finished the series, how would you place it in a larger social/cultural context?

Neville's Development

In the Harry Potter series, we are initially introduced to a group of young kids, only eleven years old. Throughout the seven novels we witness them come of age. They face many challenges and are forced to grow up and develop quicker than normal children. Neville Longbottom is a fantastic example of a Hogwarts student developing over the course of the series.

In the first four novels, Neville Longbottom is not seen as a main character. He doesn’t seem to serve much of a purpose in the novels. He becomes friends with Hermione, Ron, and Harry, but he never plays a major role until later in the series. He is a supporter of Harry and he is a good friend. It is not until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that we as the reader begin to see Neville in a different light. Neville works tirelessly to improve his skill along with the other students in Dumbledore's Army. Neville plays an important role in the battle at the Ministry and we learn that the prophecy could be about either Harry or Neville. Again, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Neville fights the Death Eaters alongside Harry.

In the series, Neville changes drastically. He starts out as somewhat of a dunce, constantly making mistakes and performing spells incorrectly. However, later in the series we start to see him as a talented wizard and a loyal friend. The development of Neville truly depicts the theme of coming of age in the series. I believe that Neville is one of the best examples of this theme. We see him start the series as a mediocre student. He attempts to stand up for himself in the Sorcerer’s Stone, but fails. Later on, we witness Neville as a key component of Dumbledore’s Army and we see him as a young adult who can hold his own in a traumatic environment.

Kreacher's Development

My favorite character in the series is Kreacher, and I love the way he develops over the series. The major theme that revolves around Kreacher is empathy. First off Kreacher is a house elf. He is forced to do anything that his “master” commands. He loved his original owners, the Blacks because they treated him properly. The Blacks despised of anyone that was not pure blood so Kreacher took up similar values. Later in the series we learn that Kreacher experiences a very traumatic experience. He was volunteered by Regulus to go with Voldemort to hide the Horcrux which was a necklace. This is the moment where Regulus decides that he no longer wants to be a death eater, because of the way Kreacher is treated by Voldemort forced to drink that harmful potion. Later Sirius is the master of Kreacher and Sirius despises Kreacher because Sirius associates Kreacher with his parents, thus Kreacher’s hatred toward anyone non-pureblood is further strengthened.

Sirius dies and later Harry becomes his master. Harry treats Kreacher improperly so Kreacher returns the hatred. My favorite moment in the story is when Kreacher sends a Christmas present to Harry “To Master from Kreacher” and it is a box maggots. Initially, Kreacher is a dreadful cook, and is constantly ranting about “Half-blood traitors and mudbloods”, but that all changes when Harry gives Kreacher a Black heirloom. This empathy shown by Harry completely changes Kreacher’s behavior. Kreacher becomes a fantastic chef. He doesn’t once say “mudblood” or “Blood-traitor” after this instance. He also goes as far as leading the house elves to war against Voldemort. This one simple show of empathy towards Kreacher wins him over.
Empathy is a major theme in this novel and Kreacher is a prime example. When treated properly Kreacher adopts their beliefs. His entire appearance and cooking is dreadful when under Sirius control because Sirius hated Kreacher, but when someone treated him kindly he became a great cook, more cleanly appearance, and positive attitude. I believe that Rowling created the House elves to show the significance of empathy, because Kreacher went from hatred of “mudbloods” to risking his life for them.

Blog Post #2: Trusting Snape

SPOILERS!!! Don’t read unless you have finished the 7^th book!!!

I remember when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released. My friends and I were waiting for midnight to arrive so we could get our books, and there were employees handing out stickers and such. When we were offered some, I took a long, purple sticker thinking I would use it as a bookmark for my speed read of the book that night. On it were the words “Trust Snape!” which I thought odd. Turning to my friends I asked if Snape’s loyalties were really something to question at this point. I, much like Harry, was completely convinced that Snape was guilty and was baffled that this sticker was encouraging me to think otherwise.

Knowing what I know from the 7^th book however, I see Snape in a completely different light. At the beginning of the tale, when we meet him in the Great Hall, we immediately dislike Snape. He’s described as resembling a large bat. He dresses only in black robes and has ridiculously greasy hair that he hides his face behind. He picks on Harry, and really the entire Gryffindor house. In the second book he continues along this road. In the third book he wants to turn in Sirius Black who, through the story he and Lupin both tell, we have grown to love. In Goblet of Fire we see him and Karkaroff speaking in hushed whispers all over the school and first truly suspect Snape of being a Death Eater. He’s by far our least favorite Order member, even if he does swoop in to help Harry with Dumbledore at the last minute. Then to secure his place as our least favorite person he KILLS Dumbledore. We learn early on in the 7^th book that Snape has been named the new headmaster of Hogwarts, which we, along with Harry, this is horrible! I know I would have much preferred to see McGonagall as Headmistress.

But then we reach Chapter 33, The Prince’s Tale. We learn of Snape’s undying love for Lilly. How they were friends and how that friendship fell apart. How he came to Dumbledore, agreeing to spy on Voldemort as long as he could protect Lilly. How Snape agreed to protect Harry since he was unable to protect Lilly. That he was fulfilling a promise to Dumbledore when Snape killed him on the Astronomy Tower. How he protected Lupin from a Death Eater, but at the expense of George’s ear. How it was his patronus that Harry followed to the sword. Through all this we see that Snape’s actions were not fueled by hate for James and Harry, as we thought, but by his love for Lilly. After this realization it is near impossible for the reader to hate Snape. We, like Harry, must forgive him and carry this with us to our real relationships. People may be acting based on things we cannot know about them, and we should always be ready to forgive even our most hated enemies.

Blog Post #2: Discovery of Courage

One of the major themes that Rowling has in the Harry Potter series is the power of courage when faced with hardships. In the first couple novels in the series we see the main character Harry, Ron, and Hermione exemplify an extraordinary amount of courage when facing dangerous creatures, a Troll, Fluffy, Aarog, and a Basilisk, and dangerous wizards, Voldemort, death eaters. As the series progress, Harry, Ron and Hermione encounter more danger and they face it head on. However, they are not the only characters that’s showcase a great deal of courage. Neville Longbottom is depicted as a quiet timid boy in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As I read the first novel I couldn’t figure out why the sorting hat put Neville into Gryffindor, the house that is composed of students that possess the quality of courage, a quality which Neville certainly lacked. But as the series progress, Neville matured and slowly became more courageous. In the first novel, stands up to Harry, Ron and Hermione and tries to stop them from sneaking out of the Tower. Though it was a small act of courage to stand up to his friends, that was one of the first signs that showed embodying the Gryffindor virtue of courage. In later books, specifically Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Neville becomes more courageous fighting death eaters and continuing DA meetings at Hogwarts when Harry was no longer at school. To me the importance of Neville finding his courage as he matured was very different then that of Harry’s courage. Both boys are Gryffindors, both had parents in the Order of Phoenix, and both suffered major losses at a young age. The major difference being that Harry had courage thrust upon him from a very young age with losing his parents, undergoing the maltreatment from his aunt and uncle, and continually being targeted/attacked by dark wizards, and Neville had to search inside himself to find his courage and you see that as he grows from a timid first year student to a seventh year student who continued to lead a group of students in the fight against the death eaters during the school year. Neville’s transformation shows that courage is something that can be attained from standing up for your loved ones and what you believe in.

Somewhat of a Foil

I think that one of the most evident characters to come of age is Neville. In the beginning he is a nerdy kid who can’t seem to keep track of his toad. Even his grandmother treats him like he isn’t worth much. By the end of the first novel he is already showing signs of growth when he tries to stop the trio from going to find the Sorceror’s stone. He is still picked on brutally in the series by Snape, but even gets a little relief from him when he envisions him in his grandmother’s clothes. Finally, in the 5th book (as well as the 7th—but I won’t say much about that so that I don’t spoil anything) Neville gets the recognition he finally deserves. He is still seen as a little bit of a nerd, but he can finally stand on his own two feet.

It isn’t until later in the series when we find out that Neville has had a rough childhood just like Harry, and lost his parents (essentially—their minds are gone). I think we start to feel empathy towards Neville, just as we had empathy for Harry when the series first started. Neville is treated just as bad, if not worse, by Snape and Malfoy. We already know that Harry is picked on by the two, but he at least has a fighting chance as compared with Neville. I think that Neville is used to portray the theme of empathy. Neville is a helpless character and when others attack him, the reader cannot feel anything but empathy for him. He is just like the elves and innocent muggles who are tortured in the books. When people are helpless, it is easier to feel empathy for them.

Harry and Neville have somewhat similar backgrounds (no parents, very close in age, raised by relatives), but they end up as two completely different people. Neville isn’t exactly a foil to Harry, but he does emphasize Harry’s characteristics by being a parallel character. Rowling uses the two to show how two similar people can become to completely different people. The characters go through a total coming of age.

Blog Post #2, Seeing Beyond the Surface

All of the main characters have gone through coming of age experiences in the series. We can easily see each one growing and changing. Hermione isn’t just a shy, awkward, studious kid who only follows the rules anymore. She stands up for what is right and uses her knowledge to help her friends. It isn’t just about following the school rules and being a model student; it becomes about what is the right thing to do and acting on that knowledge. Ron finds the courage to be who he is instead of continuing to live in the shadows of others. He comes into his own not only by becoming a Prefect and then the Gryffindor Keeper, he also aids Harry in many of the tasks they go through. Ron even helps to destroy a horcrux. He comes into his own as a character as he develops and becomes more comfortable with who he is. Neville learns to have courage and stand up for himself. He stands up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the first book and then later he helps to fight against the Death Eaters when they’re in Hogwarts. He comes to be more than just the bumbling idiot that people thought of him as before. The DA and the real world threat of Voldemort helped Neville to form better relationships with those around him and to come out of his shell more, proving himself to be a truly brave person. All of these characters learn about the importance of friendship, love, loyalty, and more. Rowling packs so much into every storyline and every character. When I read this series originally I was about the age of the characters. I grew up with them and as I was learning to deal with life and my understanding was broadened, theirs were too. By putting so much into these characters they become more real and relate-able. We’re able to see bits of ourselves in them and then learn from their experiences even though it is just fiction.

Another character that changes rather surprisingly is Draco Malfoy. Not only does he change as a person but our perception of him changes as well. Rowling shows us that things aren’t just black and white. A villain isn’t just a villain. She even shows us some of this with Tom Riddle himself as we see his background and the circumstances that made him that way. It doesn’t excuse his terrible actions, but it does provide us with more of an understanding of why and how Voldemort became what he was. Draco is painted as an antagonist to Harry throughout the series and so naturally the reader often doesn’t like his character or have any sympathy for him. He bullies Harry, criticizes Ron's family, and calls Hermione a "mudblood". They're not exactly nice things. So of course we laugh when he’s turned into a ferret or when the other characters hex him. But slowly we learn about the circumstances Draco goes through and the truth behind the tough façade. Half Blood Prince initially paints another suspicious picture of him as Harry sees him sneaking around and is determined that Draco is doing terrible things. Even though Draco tries to put on a bold face and brag about the job he’s been assigned, he’s actually really worried about it. Some think Draco is being honored by being given such an assignment from Voldemort, but really there’s also punishment because of Lucius’ failure to get the prophecy and his capture from that. Voldemort assigns Draco the task because if he fails and dies then it doesn’t matter. He’s ok sacrificing Draco. There is the chance that Draco succeeds in the plan, and in some ways he does actually succeed in his mission though he fails to be the one who kills Dumbledore. His reluctance to actually kill as well as the stress this mission puts on him and the time that we see him crying in the bathroom show us that he is a character who struggles too. He isn’t just a terrible dark villain. He’s another person who also is trying to cope with life and the circumstances he’s been given as well as the expectations from his home life and then Voldemort on top of that. We finally see him as human and this changes our view of his character. Even in Deathly Hallows we hear about Draco being forced by Voldemort to use the Cruciatus curse. He’s an unwilling pawn in the game, and we feel sympathy for his character. Rowling’s ability to not only show the development of Draco but to also show that things aren’t just black and white really opens up our ideas of the world. We thought Draco was a terrible person that was worthy of our loathing, but it turns out he’s just another kid struggling and trying to cope. These characters, just like real people, have much more depth to them than it first appears.

Dumbledore's Development (D.D.)

Dumbledore’s development throughout the series shifts with my favorite aspect of the series, the tone. As readers, we really come to understand (or partially understand) who Dumbledore is through the eyes of his students, especially Harry. In the first chapter of The Sorcerer’s Stone, we first encounter Dumbledore’s purple boots and wisdom. The students are flabbergasted by his choice of words but honor his godlike status in the wizarding world. After all, he appears on a Chocolate Frog card. The tone remains relatively innocent in the first two books, and Dumbledore’s development remains in this godlike manner—sending help to Harry when he’s in trouble. The Mirror of Erised, Fawkes, and the Time-Turner are examples of this help. As Harry’s relationship with Dumbledore grows, however, he becomes more like a father figure. Not only is he Harry’s protector, but also he teaches Harry valuable lessons. He stands by Harry in The Goblet of Fire when everyone accuses him of putting in his own name, and he believes Harry about the return of Voldemort. In The Order of the Phoenix, when Dumbledore’s reputation is put at risk, Harry’s allegiance remains strong. I think it’s interesting to note that Harry’s opinion of Dumbledore changes when he takes on Voldemort’s perception. He wants to attack Dumbledore during these perception shifts. Dumbledore’s godlike status to Harry fades in the sixth book when Dumbledore is most vulnerable and destroyed by someone he trusts. His godlike status continues to fade into the seventh book when Harry hears the various rumors about Albus’ life. It brings up the discussion of “knowing” someone. Harry thinks he knows Dumbledore, but he begins to question his friendship when he learns about his past.

Dumbledore’s development in the series changes as Harry matures. He begins to form a friendship with his professor, who gives him personal instruction on the Dark Arts and in life. Rowling said the theme of the series is “death.” This theme is emphasized with Dumbledore’s death at the end of the sixth book. The tone becomes emphatically serious with the death of the godlike character. With his death, there is little hope in Harry who loses his source of guidance.

Blog Post #2

The entire series I have thought that the take away message on Snape is that just because you think someone is bad, doesn't mean they are. Throughout the series, up until the Half Blood Prince, Snape always looks bad, but in the end it's always proven that he's not really bad. However Rowling has ruined that perspective, since Snape is in fact bad.

In the earlier books every time we think Snape is out to get Harry, it ends up being the opposite. In the Order of the Phoenix we find out that Snape is a member of the order, which proves again that Snape is a trusted person. We also find out that he is a reformed Death Eater and  Dumbledore trusts him enough to vouch for his character.

Of course this all changes when Snape kills Dumbledore.  When I first read it I really thought that it was all going to be a trick. I thought it was a set-up to make Snape look like he was in on it, but really he wasn't. Then the book ended without the big reveal. I didn't really know what to think.

I think that Rowling's is pointing out that just because someone is trusted, doesn't mean they can be trusted. In other words don't trust anyone.  She even plays with idea when Harry thinks Hagrid might have opened the Chamber of Secrets. She wants you to think that there might be a hidden agenda in everyone.

She plays the same game with Sirius Black. When we first hear about Black, he's  a criminal, who everyone fears. Then  later we find out he's not what we thought he was. She's able to make us first hate and fear Sirius and then by the end of the book we not only accept him as good, but we grow to like him.

Sirius also mirrors Harry's mother in the fact that he dies fighting for Harry. This is the ultimate change in character. Not only did he go from being hated, to loved, but then he loved Harry enough to give up his own life.

We learn with Black that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover just like we did with Snape. The only problem with Snape is that we eventually learned we should have judged him by his cover. Rowling also shows us in both these characters that wizards and humans are fluid. Just because we think we see something in them, doesn't really mean it's there. However, sometimes it is.

Neville Longbottom's Development

Neville Longbottom is seen by many of the students of Hogwarts as a clumsy, disorganized and mediocre student. Neville struggles through many of his classes, except for Herbology. His past is just as sad as Harry’s, minus the fame. His parents were not killed, literally, but became insane after dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange. Neville is portrayed as a timid person in the beginning of the series but has vast strides in terms of showing bravery and courage in the face of danger. Throughout the series, Neville’s transformation from a chubby, timid student into a brave leader of the DA at Hogwarts, while Harry, Ron and Hermione are out on a mission to destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes. There are a couple scenes from the book that illustrate this evolution very well.
One scene that shows the evolution of Neville is in The Sorcerer’s Stone. Neville stood up to his friends (Harry, Ron and Hermione) by trying to stop them from leaving the Gryffindor common room, when they knew they weren’t allowed to. This scene shows bravery to the highest degree. Standing up against your friends is a true sign of bravery. He and Gryffindor are later rewarded for this act by winning the House Cup because of the points he was rewarded by Dumbledore.
His bravery was then developed to an even higher degree when the DA meetings started. Here, Neville displayed vast improvement in his skills, but more importantly his confidence. With his gains in self-confidence, Neville is propelled into many more situations that involve extreme bravery. One of these situations happens in The Order of Phoenix, when he fights off Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries. Neville showed extreme bravery, specifically, when he faced Bellatrix Lestrange, the person who tortured his parents. To stand up to the person that took your parents away from you has to take a lot of courage and bravery, skills that Neville didn’t display in the beginning of the series. Neville also displays bravery and courage in The Deathly Hallows when he takes the leadership of the DA and helps tremendously in the final showdown with Voldemort at Hogwarts.

Draco: The Guy we Love to Hate

Through J.K. Rowling’s seven part epic, we watch a group of young children evolve into adults, heroes, and villains. Teens in the wizarding world tackle the same stresses that Muggle teens go through (like hitting puberty and managing hormones), but Rowling created teens who can manage all of that and more. We see Harry Potter preparing to take on the most evil wizard there ever was, but we also see Draco Malfoy helping Voldemort in his father’s place. Draco’s evolution through the series is the most interesting to me because it is much more intense than everyone else’s. In Sorcerer’s Stone, we are introduced to Draco the Bully. His first impression on Harry, and ourselves as readers, is insulting Hagird, a character we are predisposed to love. Immediately after, Draco insults Harry’s blood status and what are soon to be his best friends. We as readers who support Harry spend five years building up a vengeance toward Draco and the Malfoy family. It isn’t until Half Blood Prince when Draco’s character and our opinions of him start to change.

Lucius Malfoy failed to retrieve the prophecy for Lord Voldemort, and as punishment, Voldemort commands young Draco to murder Dumbledore, fully expecting him to die in the process. Half Blood Prince begins with Draco as arrogant as ever, but as the year progresses, he is paler, off the map, and less of a bully to Harry and the others. Although he attempts to maintain his usual stand-offish attitude, in the chapter ‘Sectumsempra,’ we see him break down and ‘become human.’ Harry walks in on Draco crying in the bathroom because of the stress he is under to not only save his family, but literally stay alive. This scene, beautifully portrayed in the movie, shows a lot of depth to Draco’s character that we as readers and viewers never cared to see because of his initial impression. As we read from Harry’s perspective, it is hard to see Draco as a (somewhat) good guy. But when we walk into that bathroom and see him crying into the sink, even Harry realizes that he is human.

We watch Draco change from the bad guy to the troubled guy, and we hate ourselves for pitying him. He is doing these horrible things that we hate him for, but Rowling builds such a strong sense of apathy that our heart goes out to him. We want to pat him on the back, tell him it will be okay, his family is proud of him- but we’ll never admit these out loud because we’ve spent five years conditioning ourselves to hate him.

Coming of age is a theme that all of the younger characters embody in one way or another. For Harry, it’s realizing the journey before him and accepting it with his head held high. For Draco, it becomes doing what is necessary to protect and save his family. What we need to step up to and how we face it speaks volumes for who we are. It is hard to hate Draco for going to extreme lengths to save his family, as I’m sure anyone would do. His actions are not good, but his overall intentions are admirable. In the final book, we see Draco in yet another light- many other lights at that. I won’t go into details, but he goes from scared victim with no way out, to sympathizer, to victim, to ally. Seeing the changes Draco goes through makes it difficult to hate him… completely.

Hermione's Development

From the beginning, we see that Hermione stands out as a student. Her efforts towards doing well in school are second to none, when compared to her peers. She is the person in class that everyone despises because she always has her hand up to answer the professors question, naturally, she always answers the question with quotes straight from the book. Hermione’s fear of failure propels her to do great academic work. I think she feels as though she has to prove herself more than other young wizards because she is muggle-born and we all know the stigma that follows them. Even though she is very grade oriented, she can be seen developing into more than just a know-it-all. Through many of Harry’s adventures, Hermione can be found unflinchingly standing right next to him and helping out by using her skills, quick wit and vast knowledge. An example of this could be seen when the three of them are down in the chamber of secrets, Hermione uses her knowledge to help Harry find the correct key to get to the next level. Hermione is forced to mature faster than many people her age because of the challenges she faces from being best friends with the Chosen One. This relationship brings about many adventures and dangers that she would not have experienced, normally. Hermione’s innocence lessens throughout the entire series both physically and mentally. There are two instances that I believe best show her evolution
The innocence of Hermione Granger changes dramatically throughout the series in many different forms. One form of innocence that clearly changes is her sexuality. In the Goblet of Fire, Hermione is asked to the Yule Ball by the international quidditch star, Viktor Krum. This event shows the maturity of Hermione from a bushy haired girl with buck-teeth into a very attractive woman. Harry and Ron finally realize how attractive Hermione is when she is barely recognizable by either one of them when she arrives at the ball. Later in the series, Hermione’s and Ron’s relationship changes from platonic into the two becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.
Another form of innocence that changes for Hermione through the series involves breaking school rules. The event that shows this change very clearly is in The Order of the Phoenix. Even though Professor Umbridge puts up a mandate that disallows student organizations of any type, Hermione is still the one that persuades Harry into teaching a secret defense against the dark art class. Hermione’s feelings change because she is looking at the bigger picture, not just a made up school rule. She realizes that Voldemort is out there and that they must be able to protect themselves against him, even if this means breaking rules and risking punishment.

Nevilles Growth

The Harry Potter series develops as the characters develop. When the characters grow and become more complex, that is when the story becomes what it is because the challenges, risks, and consequences become so much higher. AS these characters grow, it changes the momentum of the story and also the way that you look at the story.

Neville is a really good example of a character that developed as the series progresses. His development creates a new perspective on courage and trauma, and after learning his story you make look at him and Harry both differently.

You learn that Harry is not the only character in the series that has experienced a life-changing trauma, even though his story is the one that you are more exposed to. But Neville also lost his parents to St. Mungos at a very young age from the doing of a death eater. He gets to visit them of course for they are not dead, but they do not remember him or know who he is by any means.

Also, the prophecy stated that it could have just as easily been Neville instead of Harry that Voldemort chose to kill. With that it makes the reader think that Harry is not this great character, but just someone who was born at the wrong time. It reminds the reader that it could have been anyone, even just an ordinary clumsy wizard like Neville.

Neville’s story makes me as a reader remember that great things can happen to anyone. They may be terrible like in this story, but anyone can have the destiny to do something life changing. It may not change the whole world, but it could change you, and for Neville, Harry Potter does that. Knowing Harry gives Neville the strength that he has always had, but has been overcome by fear and the feeling of incompetence.

Ron-Coming of Age

The theme of coming of age is one that I find interesting in the Harry Potter series. Each character develops in their own unique way, some being more predictable than others. Ron Weasley is one character that particularly sticks out when reflecting back on the series and “coming of age”. Ron, like Hermione, begins as Harry’s sidekick and is often only known as “Harry’s friend”. However, Hermione is extremely smart and studious, thus from the beginning you expect much out of her. Ron was portrayed as poor and unintelligent, but he was also very loyal and a pure-blood. Ron felt pressure to live up to his brothers’ standards and yearned to achieve numerous accomplishments. This was shown when Ron looked in the Mirror of Erised and saw himself as head boy and Quidditch captain. Yet, Ron’s character seemed to develop slower and I had not expected him to be where he is in the beginning of the seventh book. He occasionally became discouraged by the taunts from Malfoy and his gang, but he continually worked hard. After receiving his O.W.L scores and becoming prefect his confidence was boosted. One particular instance that sticks out of Ron maturing was during the D.A. lessons. He was able to accomplish many spells and jinxes, realizing that he truly can achieve what he put his mind to. During the Order of the Phoenix Ron joins the battle with the Death Eaters and shows how he has grown.

When I first read the series I did not expect much of Ron until the fourth and fifth books. He was always portrayed as the sidekick who was loyal but not necessarily talented. Yet, as he developed the theme of “coming of age” encompassed him. He becomes supportive and helpful making himself known by name instead of as “Harry’s friend”. He is a member of the D.A., a prefect, on the Quidditch team, and even received good marks on his O.W.L.S. All together, Ron grows into an interesting character from what I would have predicted in the beginning.

Blog Post #2: Ron's Progress

Being part of the main trio with protagonist Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Ron Weasely's role in the overall story seemed to be simply comic relief. However, as the story progresses and Ron becomes more vital to the survival of the "trio" you start to see significant changes in his maturity.

Ron's troubles, although pale in comparison to Harry's, begin before he even enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Coming from a "pureblood" family, Ron was raised as a normal boy would in the Wizarding World, however Ron has been faced with the pressure put on by the success of his 5 brothers before him. All very succesful, their roles include being prefects, head-boys, captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team, succesful entreprenuers, and all hold succesful jobs positions. Ron's desire to live up to his family's standard is foreshadowed when he see's himself in the Mirror of Erised as Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, holding up the Quidditch Cup.

Ron also has the trouble of being overshadowed by his newest best friend Harry Potter, whom is quite possibly the most popular person at Hogwarts, if not the entire wizarding world (both for good and bad reasons). Despite this, Ron has always been there for Harry and stayed strong in times of despair even when Harry and Ron are at odds like in The Goblet of Fire when Ron is jealous that Harry has been mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament.

All of this pressure aside Ron progresses though his years at Hogwarts, he finally achieves his goal of becoming Prefect and eventually gains the position as Keeper on Hogwarts' Quidditch team. He also grows emotionally in the later part of the series when Ron finally has his first kiss and has to eventually break up with Lavender, this seems to almost deem him emotionally worthy of Hermione, and their awkward relationship turns unresonvingly romantic.

There are more "coming of age" scenarios played out by Ron weasely but I feel that these are some of the main ones. Additionally with Ron growing as a wizards and helping his two best friends defeat Voldermort and Death Eaters time after time, Ron grows into a solid character.

Rons maturity progresses throughout his 7 years at Hogwarts, and with the growing friendship between him Harry and Hermione, they are all able to quickly grow and realize the trouble ahead and that it is up to them (as it has been in every book of the series) to save the day.

Blog Post 2--The Evolution of Draco Malfoy

From the beginning of the series, Harry has had some serious bullying from literally every area of his life. The Dursley's are emotional bullies, as well as physical ones. He's grown up in a house--not a home--where he is not tolerated and isn't considered part of the family. When he enters the wizarding world, although he is vastly more accepted (due in part to his renound fame), he still has to deal with bullying, like any eleven-year-old boy with crazy hair and clothes too big for his body would. Significantly, the most outstanding bully is Draco Malfoy. Within his first meeting with Draco, he doesn't seem to recognize Harry the way the other members of the wizarding world do. Harry sees him for who he truly is: he's cruel and vile. He uses slanderous language to insult anybody who isn't him or his family, he criticizes Hagrid, and he insinuates that, had Harry's parents been muggles, their death would have been just. When he next sees Harry it is on the Hogwarts Express, and here he tries to befriend him. Harry, on the other hand, has already made friends with one of Draco's targets, Ron Weasley. Harry, showing his true colors (and certain elements that would make him a Gryffindor) stands up to Draco and says he doesn't need his friendship. From this moment on, up until the fourth book, we see Draco shamelessly bully Harry and his friends, teasing Ron for being more lower class, calling Hermione a Mudblood...you know, the works. There is a shift in consequence, however, when it is revealed that Draco's father is a Death Eater in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Harry hated Draco already, but now he had reason to believe the family was truly pure evil. Up until this point, the bullying seemed mean, yet harmless. Just words. "Boys will be boys." In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Lucius is seen again, working for Lord Voldemort, and more of the crazy Malfoy family is exposed (bat-shit crazy Bellatrix (whom I secretly, not-so-secretly love)). However, throughout all this, all that Harry can conclude about Draco himself is that he is, simply, a bully. Yet he has his suspicions, and they are in full focus in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Harry is certain--absolutely certain--that Draco is a death eater. However, like the boy who cried wolf, nobody is willing to believe him. A sixteen-year-old being chosen by the Dark Lord himself? Sure, he's a foul git, but not a death eater. Right? In the beginning of the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry spies on Draco on the Hogwarts Express, Draco seems overtly confident, showing who he has been from the first book. However, as the book progresses, we see Draco very shaken by his new situation, that has yet to be proven true. Harry still has his suspicions, and all signs would point to correct, but we don't know until the scene with Dumbledore at the Astronomy tower. And even then, Draco cannot complete the task that Voldemort set out for him to do. One could assume that Draco is, indeed, all talk, and no walk, but I think it is deeper than that. I think Draco grew up in a home that had certain ideals, and in a time when it was between life or death, these ideals "made sense" to them. Yet as the world changes, and as Harry progesses with what needs to be done, I think people are realizing (Draco specifically, and in some ways, his mother Narcissa--although more blatantly so in The Deathly Hallows) that there are other means to protecting the ones you love, and that at this point, it is really fair game. The prophecy states that one cannot live while the other survives. At this point int he series, it still could be either one of them.

--Michael Woodson

Blog Post #2- Hermionie's Evolution

From book number one to book number six, Hermione has definitely grown and evolved as a character.  We first are introduced to her as the bushy haired, buck toothed, know-it-all who came from muggle parents.  She continues to keep up her know it all attitude, but as the series progresses this isn't viewed as an annoyance by Ron and Harry anymore.  For example, she takes Ron and Harry by surprise when instead of tattling on them for sneaking out in the night to find the Chamber of Secrets, she joins them and her extensive knowledge of magic comes in quite handy compared to Ron and Harry's amateur magic skills. You can watch Hermione go from being nothing but a loyal student and evolving into a more mischievous, yet clever witch.  Her attitude in classes, such as divination, is less studious and more careless because her book smarts aren't needed in this field of magic.  Another instance where she takes Ron and Harry by surprise, is in the Chamber of Secrets where she lies to Professor Mcgonagall about the Troll, saying that she lured it into the girl's bathroom and Ron and Harry came to save her, instead of the truth, in which would have been Ron and Harry's fault since the accidentally locked the Troll in the girl's bathroom.  In book 5, we also see Hermione take on another unfamiliar aspect of her personality, which is sexuality.  Hermione's character is never one in which you would expect to be the sexual interest/desire but we see this happen when the Triwizard Competition is happening and she catches Victor Krum's attention.  Another twist in which readers would not foresee would be Ron's jealousy toward Victor and Hermione, showing a softer side to Ron as well when it was always implicated that Ron despised the very being of Hermione because of her sassy attitude.  All in all we see Hermione change from "you're going to get us killed, or even worse, expelled" to doing anything to help Harry and Ron survive, almost throwing Hogwart's out the window because greater things have started to happen.  She starts to forget about the importance of school and realizes the importance of friendship, and in fact, love. 

Blog Post #2, Neville's Confidence

While reading the Harry Potter series I have found that Rowling often uses the minor characters for many themes in the book. I found that one of the major themes of the books was the acceptance of self. This theme develops in many of the characters through the course of the book but with Neville Longbottom the theme is most important to his character development. When Neville starts off in book 1 he is presented as a forgetful near squib. He is often used as comic relief or his clumsy antics are used to propel the story forward. Neville is not the most talented of wizards so almost immediately he is used as the brunt of jokes from slytherins and is nearly tortured by Snape during potions classes. Whenever Neville is being chided about his abilities he performs very poorly. Harry, Ron and Hermione all like Neville for who he is, and it is around them that Neville always performs best and acts the bravest. In book one he stands up to Harry, Ron and Hermione to prevent them from causing more trouble. In book five when Dumbledore’s Army is formed Neville begins to perform nearly as well as anyone else because he is around friends who know and accept him. At the end of the book Neville has enough confidence in himself to willingly go toe to toe against death eaters with his friends. In the sixth book you learn that Neville is exceptional at Herbology and while it isn’t directly referenced in the book, Neville has to confront his grandmother about who he is and what he is good at after he discusses classes with mcgonogal. Nevilles confidence and friendship makes him a valuable ally to Harry in the sixth and seventh book. At the end of the sixth book Neville once again stands with his friends against the death eaters once again, and even though the slytherins and snape constantly tell him otherwise, Neville is obviously a good enough wizard to stand against fully trained death eaters. Nevilles story really comes together and exemplifies just how good of a wizard he is when he is confident, in the seventh book. But no spoilers.

Blog Post #2 Harry's Coming of Age

Considering throughout the series that the reader is able to understand Harry’s thoughts and feelings, Rowling can very easily portray many of the main themes of the book through his character. The story revolves around Harry and understanding his character and his relationships with other characters really helps the reader understand his development and in a sense, understand the themes that Rowling is trying to get across through the series. Harry’s life basically started with trauma, and throughout the books he is continuously bombarded with traumatic experiences that help shape his character. His response to many of these issues is learning to grow up and do what is right. The traumatic experiences that Rowling sets up also allow for the main character to grow and eventually result in the theme of “coming of age.”

The conclusion of every book in the series had Harry witnessing or surviving some kind of traumatic experience that would leave a lesser person with a mental breakdown. He witnessed friends die, fought off people/magical creatures that are determined to kill him and through all this he learned the value of trusting in his friends and became a stronger (albeit angry) person. In his defense, if the entire world thought I was lying I would be pretty easy to anger too. Despite this, the coming of age theme comes to light as Harry learns how to better express his feelings and learns to understand how he should treat others. As the reader watches Harry mature, the reader gains a better understanding of what issues he is dealing with and how he manages to cope with them. In general, Harry’s character continues to develop throughout the series; there is not just one moment in particular where it all happens. This allows the reader to understand the traumatic experiences Harry goes through, and in turn, allows the understanding of the coming of age theme.

Blog Post #2: Ron's Coming of Age

The character I like to relate to the theme of “coming of age” is Ronald Weasley. Throughout the entire series, he and Hermione are the famous Harry Potter’s sidekicks and partners in crime. They are relied on by each other, which is expected out of any friendship. Ron is not smartest or richest student, but comes from a pureblood family, and contributes his experience to the adventures. He is a loyal friend, but seems to be pushed to the side and not noticed for his contributions. Ron doesn’t seem to mind, but he definitely matures during his years at Hogwarts.

In the Sorcerer’s Stone, Ron realizes the accomplishments the members of his family had earned, and at that point feels a large amount of pressure to live up to what his brothers had done. The Mirror of Erised describes exactly what I mean: he sees himself as Head boy and Quidditch captain, holding up the house and Quidditch cup. When Ron and Hermione receive their prefect badge in the Order of the Phoenix, Harry becomes jealous, because he think he deserves one just as much, if not more, than they do. I think that is when Ron realizes what he had become, and the responsibility that was put upon him. Between this, his O.W.L. scores, and his new membership to the Gryffindor Quidditch team, his confidence was building. The D.A. also played a part in this, because in the books 1-4, it seemed like Harry was the only one that had the power to defeat the dilemma that lie ahead. After teaching that special group of students, they were also called upon to help battle Death Eaters and face the reality of the dark arts. The last example of Ron’s coming of age experiences is the apparation classes and testing. He wanted more than anything to pass on his first attempt, like his brothers Fred and George, because he believed that is what would make him officially an adult wizard. Ron is very disappointed after the testing, but doesn’t give up and expects to take the test with Harry in the summer.

I think Ron, and all the characters coming of age, helps develop the series by showing how they mature and progress throughout their seven years at Hogwarts, and no matter how many powers or “different” talents they have, they are still normal teenagers, with extremely difficult challenges most teenagers don’t have to face.