The Final Chapter of Harry Potter at Home: “The Man with Two Faces” Read by Fans and Their Families

by · July 16, 2020

Well, we made it! It’s been weeks of fun watching our favorite actors read aloud from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. But all good things must come to an end eventually. The final chapter, “The Man with Two Faces,” will be read by fans, specifically several children and their families. First up are the Patels from London, then the Gaffneys from Brooklyn, and finally the McKennas from Belfast. In the previous chapter, we heard from Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and Ruth Wilson (Luther, Saving Mr. Banks), and it was such a treat.

Swetha and Savan Patel read with their two kids, Sona and Devan.

Harry Potter is a world of ingenuity and adventure – to be able to share the stories as a family time and again (we have read the books so many times now and watched the movies innumerable times) is invaluable – the stories never get old, and it’s lovely to see the children feel like they can really relate to the stories and find inspiration within them to be bold and adventurous and to always expect the unexpected.

Kym and Brian Gaffney follow the Patels along with their children as well, John and James.

For Team Gaffney, Potter conveys that living a full life is truly accessible through choice and the power of imagination! We see within the characters the importance of acknowledging and embracing one another’s diverse gifts. Finally, we should always remember that through life’s ups & downs that you will always have the support and love of good friends & family.

Finally, Sinead and Stephen McKenna read with their three little ones, Olivia, Stephen Jr., and Pauric.

Harry Potter means quality family time together. With very busy lives, reading together was not a priority, but Harry Potter has changed that and brought us back together! Harry Potter means adventure, imagination, a world of magic, and a love of reading!

The final chapter finds Harry, Ron, and Hermione wrapping up their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with twists and turns of adventure, wild magic they never thought was possible, and the sadness of leaving one another. A surprise appearance from the author herself will conclude the last pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. We won’t spoil too much for you, of course. You’ll have to listen for yourself.

You can view the whole video of the Patel, Gaffney, and McKenna families reading on Wizarding World Digital. In case you missed a chapter, you can always find them online or on Spotify for an audio-only version.

What’s been your favorite chapter of Harry Potter at Home? Drop us a line!

Press Release

CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES READ THE FINAL CHAPTER OF
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE

The filmed-at-home reading of the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone will today go live at 12.20 pm BST on www.harrypotterathome.com, marking the end of 10 weeks of the chapter[-]by[-]chapter readings by stars and fans as part of the Harry Potter [a]t Home initiative during [the] lockdown. Ahead of today’s broadcast, BBCTV’s Newsround will reveal the special readers live on their programme at 12.15 pm BST.

This final chapter promises to be truly special. Families from New York, London and Belfast have each played a part reading sections of Chapter Seventeen together with each family member taking part, but that’s not all; the chapter is brought to a close with a special surprise cameo appearance from a familiar face …

This chapter is the last in the readings of the first Harry Potter book as part of Harry Potter [a]t Home, the collection of free initiatives designed to help bring the magic of Harry Potter to children, parents and carers in lockdown, through the dedicated Harry Potter [a]t Home hub on www.wizardingworld.com.

Celebrated by children all over the world, these video readings include some of the best-loved faces from global entertainment, music and sport, all of whom have lent their voices to the story they love by recording videos of themselves reading the timeless first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone. Most recently, we saw David Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Isaacs, Alia Bhatt, Helen McCrory, Hugh Bonneville and Ruth Wilson, amongst many others, all generously participating in this free initiative for children stuck at home during [the] lockdown.

Since they launched, the chapter readings have been enjoyed 30 million times across all platforms, and a total of eighteen million fans around the world are now signed up to the free Harry Potter Fan Club. And since launching the Harry Potter [a]t Home initative, there have been three times more Fan Club registrations by children month [to] month. Children, parents and their carers have sent in many illustrations for a chance to have them feature in each chapter and taken part in the weekly quizzes, competitions and craft videos - all aimed at first[-]time readers of the books but [that] also provided new ways for existing fans to rediscover the books during [the] lockdown.

Tom Greene, Chief Operating Officer, at Wizarding World Digital (WizardingWorld.com), said:

‘It’s been a joy to bring the unique experience of Harry Potter [a]t Home to millions of children and adults and hope they enjoy discovering even more magic via the digital home of Wizarding World.’

James McKnight, Chief Creative Officer, [t]he Blair Partnership, said:

‘We are thrilled that during this period in lockdown, stars reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone has provided all the things that it did when it was published over twenty years ago, namely escapism and comfort to children around the world.’

All seventeen chapters of the book have now been released, starting with Chapter One, which went live on May 5th. Videos have been posted weekly on www.harrypotterathome.com, with an audio-only version available for free on Spotify for children, parents and carers worldwide to have fun and enjoy listening to these very special, one-off recordings. Those who might have missed them the first time around, and anyone who wants to listen to all the chapter readings, can sign up for free to the Harry Potter Fan Club on WizardingWorld.com, the online home of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.

The Harry Potter [a]t Home project is an initiative developed [on] short notice by Wizarding World Digital and J.K. Rowling’s agents, [t]he Blair Partnership, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic with the help of Wizarding World partners including Warner Bros., Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Pottermore Publishing. The initiative already includes an open licence to teachers allowing them to post recordings of themselves reading the Harry Potter stories onto educational platforms and networks; a dedicated hub of information and activities at www.harrypotterathome.com; and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone available to stream for free via Audible Stories and borrowed more widely via online library services all over the world.

With over 500 million books sold, most households may well have access to a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer’s Stone already and can read along too. It is hoped that these readings bring further comfort, entertainment and magic to children, families and carers confined to home everywhere this summer and beyond.

 

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