The Midnight Duel
In which Harry is challenged to a duel. Wizard style. And runs into Cerberus during a nighttime stroll. And also happens to be the youngest wizard to make the Quidditch team in a century, even though he should have been expelled before he could say "Quidditch."
Harry fits the mold of an epic hero in that he rises to fame by having all sorts of talents that no one else has. Some of these include surviving the killing curse four times, being able to talk to snakes, being able to produce a corporeal patronus when he's thirteen, and being the only first year to be allowed on a house Quidditch team in an entire century—even though he only just picked up a broom during flying classes one afternoon.
But as epic heroness goes, Harry had to save Neville's remembrall, so he caught it after a fifty foot dive on a rickety school broomstick. And McGonagall saw him and put him on Gryffindor's Quidditch team as a seeker—whatever that is. And we first meet Oliver Wood, whom I may or may not have had a teensy weensy really big crush on when I was in second grade.
I know Lucius Malfoy would want Draco to learn how to fly, seeing as it's a wizardly thing, but I can't imagine him teaching his son flying skills much less getting on a broomstick and playing Quidditch with Draco. No wonder Draco's been "doing it wrong for years" (146). Draco does become jealous of Harry's prowess on the sweeper and challenges Harry to a midnight duel in the trophy room.
Flanked by Ron, and later Hermione and Neville, Harry risks getting in trouble and braves the castle at night. And of course Malfoy doesn't show up to the trophy room at all. Rather tips off Filch that someone will be down there. It's a pretty shallow move, but I guess Slytherins aren't known for playing fair. Luckily Harry and friends make it out alive, not too terribly damaged; although, they did run into an angry three-headed dog. No worries.
Though Hermione is a smart smart girl, when she's younger she does say some pretty stupid things, like, "we could all have been killed—or worse, expelled." (162) She does get less uppity though later on.
Something that is so fun about the first book is that everything Harry needs to solve the mystery kind of falls into his lap. It's not like he was really looking for any of it. Hagrid also lets crucial details slip here and there, which coincidentally answer all the questions Harry has.
This was a nice chapter, not a lot going on. The only thing of utmost importance is that the tiny parcel Hagrid and Harry took out of vault 713 is hidden behind the trap door the three-headed dog is guarding. What could it be? Dun. Dun. Dun. . . .
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