Pottermore Moments Revisited: Gryffindor Wins!
Chapter 17: “The Man with Two Faces”
Chapter thoughts: As this first adventure draws to a close, we learn just how good JKR is at laying a false trail (weren’t we all just as shocked as Harry to have Quirrell standing there?). We also have our first face to face interaction with the thing that is Voldemort, and quite the conversation with Dumbledore. Gryffindor ends up on top (though the fairness of this is hotly debated) and we are forced to say goodbye to Hogwarts and head back to the Muggle world.
Moment 1: The Philosopher’s Stone
Good old backstory. We get a bit of it here for Quirrell, which really enhances the reading experience. His character always seemed a little flat to me. Knowing the situation that caused him to become the antagonist of Harry’s first year opens up a whole new dimension. We also get a little bit of information about the Philosopher’s Stone.
Moment 2: The Hospital Wing
I love the art in this moment. Something about the depiction of the hospital wing just makes it seem like such a relaxing place. The whole scene is filled with soft natural light, which strongly contrasts the last moment, which was full of shadow. I also love the bright sweet boxes and the hidden toilet seat in the back – a lovely shout-out to our favorite twins! They’ve also included Harry in the scene, which is a great choice (finally, the characters are present!).
Moment 3: The End of Year Feast
This is a quick moment; there’s just a few things to collect, the colors change, and we see a quick video of Rowling inviting us to help our house win the House Cup and keep coming back. It’s a celebratory ending that, well, is really just the beginning.
And with that, we finish the first book. This really seems to have been the experiment for Pottermore. The feedback from this first book was the basis for the three that have followed. This idea was new, and it took a lot of experimentation to make it something that millions have explored.
We’ve only just begun. Next time, we join Harry in his miserable summer experience after such an exciting year at Hogwarts; though it’s about to get exciting!