The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it "the Riddle House", even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied...

anyone else started yet? im on chapter 2 :)

I haven't started yet but I'm about to.

I'm on Chapter 8! Quidditch's world cup yeahhh! LOL

^Me too! I even lugged the book to work with me today so I could read it on my break.

I'm up to the Quidditch World Cup chapter, now! I think it's one of my favorite examples of the magic in the wizarding world, especially since the magnitude of it is so great and so varied. The happy little wizarding families are cute, too. =P And you know, I wouldn't mind camping if I got to use the tents they have!

"I bought this in a Muggle shop," said the old wizard stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."
"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not men, they wear these," said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.
"I'm not putting them on," said old Archie in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze round my privates, thanks."

Never fails to make me giggle. xD

Anyway... Another thing is that all the foreshadowing going on is great, like the mention of Bertha Jorkins and the introduction of port keys. Jo really does a great job with that, especially in the case of Bertha. Mentions of her are sprinkled consistently throughout the book well before we realize she's important. I'd never really caught on to her before. ^_^

This book is just so colorful on so many levels- from the new characters, to the situations, to the magic used. It really feels like Jo took the 'blinders' off for this one. We get a larger picture of the wizarding world than ever before. We get more details on how the Ministry of Magic works, about the existence of foreign schools, about Death Eaters, how house elves are treated, everything. It feels like we've truly left the training wheels behind on this book.

And on that note, I have to say that the scene where the Death Eaters torment the Roberts family is still one of the most disturbing scenes in the whole series. It's a perfect introduction for Voldemort's supporters as it exemplifies their sense of self-superiority, arrogance and 'racial' hatred.


Oh and I never noticed this before but Harry, Hermione and Ron walk right by the goblins that Ludo tricked with Leprechaun gold! lol

Yep..the foreshadowing is great in this book, Jo puts a lot of hints and names that are going to be vital for us in the next books and of course in the last chapters of GOF.And I agree about the colorful part...we've got to know the magic world even better and see all the different kinds of wizards and witches, how their world works and it's really funny.

LOL im on the part when Harry is selected as champion and Ron is all pissy with him. I've always loved GOF.

I agree that it is colorful and in depth; this is when Jo really starts getting in depth with the characters and when HH&R start to grow up and see the world more as an adult and less as a child. I just think thats so cool :)

@fanfly that scene is disturbing. in fact, they dont have it in the movie do they? i think the death eaters are just walking around causing mayhem. when you first read it it doesnt seem like that big of a deal but on closer look...its really really twisted.

So I just read the part where Harry's in Trelawney's class and she says that he must have been born in winter, under the influence of Saturn because of his dark hair and tragic childhood losses and for some reason it made me have a thought. I checked and Voldemort was born on Dec 31. Totally random? I know that Trelawney's usually full of hot air but perhaps she stumbled unwittingly onto another hint of the connection between Voldemort and Harry. Just a thought.

ARGH. Moody and his lesson. Such an intense scene really. Both Neville and Harry confronted with the curses that destroyed their parents. I remember really liking Moody for taking Neville aside and giving him that Herbology book in an attempt to boost his spirits but of course in retrospect it's downright creepy and makes me feel like bitchslapping Barty Jr for daring to use Neville like that and pretend to be supportive when he was the one who participated in the torture of Neville's parents. ARGH.

I'm a little behind..I'm when they're arriving to Hogwarts so...but I don't think that's random @fanfly..I seriously think JK wrote it on purpose.

Poor Neville, the only teacher who supported him was a crazy guy who tortured his parents.

LOL im almost finished GOF now. I'm on the 3rd task already. AND i just found out that there is preliminary reading that i should be doing for my semester that starts in 3 and 1/2 weeks. fml. im gonna have to go on speed mode now :p

@fanfly the whole barty crouch jr thing still confuses me. if he's crazy, how was he able to remain so calm as moody? why was he so kind and helpful in DADA when those hexes and curses can be used to fight him and voldemort? and why did he wait to make a move on harry or the others? its all still so vague...

^Just because someone's crazy doesn't mean they can't put up the appearance of normalcy. Look at all the serial killers out there that pass for 'normal' for years until they're caught. Plus, Barty Jr wasn't so much nuts as he was a total fanatic. Fanatics can pretend to be as normal as anyone else, all the while working towards their goal. Ever heard of sleeper cells? And that brings up what Barty Jr's goal was. He wasn't there just to 'get to Harry'. He was there to facilitate Harry winning the Triwizard Tournament so that Harry would be transported to Voldemort so that the spell to restore the Dark Lord could be performed.

Oh and I don't think [just like Voldemort and the other Death Eaters] that he considered a bunch of kids to be a serious threat. The curses he was teaching them about required quite a bit of force behind them, not just the words. Plus, Barty Jr was on a suicide mission, he didn't care what happened to him as long as the Dark Lord was restored to his full strength. And he worshiped Voldemort so the idea of a bunch of kids being able to defeat him would be unthinkable.

O.o

Back on topic..yeah, Barty Jr certainly did his part very well. I never suspected Moody wasn't himself, really. I already know my heart's gonna ache for Harry when the cemetery chapter is gonna come..

Hey guys ive been looking all over for you! when i was on sorcerers stone i was just glancing at it and i saw something about this guy talking about revealing and dating you fanfly! OMG! Romance!!!!! you should really check out that last page! :D

@fanfly ok i think i see what you mean. even reading the chapter "veritaserum" where it all gets explained is still a little confusing for me....i think jk rowling just did such a great job with it. crouchs plan was fool proof you know? where as quirrell you might suspect, with moody there are very few clues.

BTW, just finished up GOF. I will be starting OOTP before i head to bed. I hope I can get all the books finished and start in on my course reading in three and half weeks...*fingers crossed*

I'm on the 1st trial chapter. I'm so mad at Ron right now, he's so annoying when he doesn't believe Harry. I love how Hermione stays by Harry's side all the time and they build this wonderful friendship. I also feel incredibly bad for Harry, he founds himself in this mess without wanting to, he always has to worry and can never relax, his best friend doesn't believe him and the whole school gives him a hard time.

I could never suspect anyone in the books. I've never suspected Quirrell and Moody..I think I was too much in the story to notice who might have been bad..or I was just utterly dumb LOL

@bangel i see what you mean about ron but then i think about what hermione says about jealousy and its true. if my best friend was famous, good at quidditch, got lots of attention, and then the possbillity of more fame and winning money when he already has a lot of money....i cant say with certainty that i wouldnt be peeved either.

of course, if i was in harrys position i wouldve been mad at ron as well for being ridiculous. it all depends on your point of view and how you look at the situation. i think thats why jo is such a great writer, she makes me feel for both characters at the same time.

^Yes, exactly. Both of their reactions are believable and sympathetic.

Oh, that's definitely a hard thing to stand but Ron should've thought of the reason why Harry is famous and then I wouldn't see the point of being jealous. I mean, what Hermione said about Ron was right but I still don't understand how Ron could not believe Harry when he said he didn't put his name into the goblet..after all they've been through.

You're both right, you can see both point of views but there's still something in Ron's reaction that I just can't accept..but that's probably coming from my disapproval of Ron in endless situations.

@bangel well harry had made some comments about it the previous night...so its plausible for him to jump to conclusions. not saying it was rational or made sense but its why. besides, harry makes up for it by being a total jacka** on numerous occasions to ron during the ootp :p

what about ron bothers you?

Well, never assuming is a good thing, especially about your best friend. And Harry had LOTS on his mind in OOTP and his rage outbursts are cause of his adolescence years which aren't so intense in other people because they don't experience what he's going through. I'm not saying his behavior was fine because it wasn't but I understand his more than Ron's.

About Ron..it's difficult for me to explain properly but I'll try :). It's the fact that he complains a lot, that he always makes superficial comments (not saying he is but he does) and he's way too insecure it makes him annoying. Lots of people are insecure but they don't reverse all that on their behavior always commenting about second-hand things or never having money. You come to a point when you accept that or at least don't always comment about it but maybe that's just me.

The thing is..it's not a single reason or a specific behavior but I said "endless situations" because I generally can't find a reason to love this character. It's not my least favorite, AT ALL, I like a lot of things that he does but overall, I can't bring myself to love him.

I'm at the point where Harry just passed the second challenge..I just love this one out of the three..underwater with hostages to save. And Harry, my brave Harry, also saving Gabrielle...these are the moments that makes me love him even more. And did I mention how much I hate Rita??? Grrrr...Hermione will put her in her place, she's fantastic in this book.