Picking a Passage

[Sky Alton]

(Not a hidden one behind a statue of a one eyed witch....)

The other day, I was at a formal event for one of the UK’s big literary societies (no, I don’t know how I ended up there either….). The entertainment was a celebration of literary anniversaries with a dramatic reading of a passage from the particular book in question. They included Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone…

While I was waiting for the HP section, I was trying to decide which passage they might choose as this really didn’t seem like a Harry Potter type audience to me (if such a thing exists). It turned out to be the conversation between Dumbledore and Harry about the Mirror of Erised (‘it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live’), culminating in Dumbledore expressing his desire for socks. I thought it was a good choice as it gave you a flavour of the magic and gentle humour but also the profound thoughts behind the series.

It got me thinking which I might have gone for. So, if you had to choose a passage to read out to convey the magic or the beauty of the series, which would it be?

[Shiloh Adlar]

This one is so difficult! I have two that immediately stand out to me though. They're both Dumbledore quotes of course. His words were always right on.

The first one: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

I love this one to convey the magic and beauty of the series because it does say so much about Harry and Voldemort, the fight for good and evil. As humans, we are given gifts and talents that we can do so much with. We also are given many choices to make in life, many hard decisions and those decisions are what shape us as a person and let people know who we truly are. I think this is something that Harry questions often in the series because he does have so many of the same abilities as Voldemort due to their connection. The difference is that Harry makes the right choices and that's what sets him apart from another similar to him in ability. In life, our choices can set us apart from someone else who may have the exact same skill set or talents that we do, and that is what makes us different and unique. And that is magical.

The second one is this: “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”

The Death Eaters were doing everything they could to tear the wizarding world apart. People were scattering and hiding. But in the end, when everyone came together to fight, they were able to win out. I think it is very important to have friends in life, people that you can count on to stand by your side. There were so many things that Harry could not have done had he not had Hermione and Ron's help. And when Ron had left, it wasn't the same because their friendship had been divided. I find this happening so often in RL just where I live. When people are divided, nothing gets done. We have to stand together, and by doing that we become strong and get things accomplished.

There were so many things I learned from Harry Potter that could describe the entire series, but the magic is that it speaks to me in RL too, not just in the books. I apply it and that's what makes it beautiful.

[Maxwell Shadow]

This is a great question. I'll give it some thought and get back to you!

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

I thought and wondered and came up with a bunch of ideas but really, it's the whole series of books which make it so great. To come up with just one passage, or quote, to convey the magic of the stories? I cannot do it.

However, music is communication ... I would play Hedwig's theme, as an attempt to convey the magic of the stories.

Then, of course, my favorite quote from the books (also mentioned by Shiloh) --
" ... It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ..."
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling