harry potter and the chamber of secrets, by j.k. rowling

Remember when I said that the best part about this series was the worldbuilding? Clearly I have not met the Weasleys in depth. They are so charming and hilarious and adorable, with their flame-hued hair and sharp, witty sense of humor! Ron! Ginny! Fred! George! Mr. Weasley! Even Percy, who is adorable by acting weird when he's finally dating a girl he really likes (god, boys are so fucking weird ♥).

I think it first started here, where I was CHARMED OFF MY FEET and didn't know what to do because I was beaming my face off:

"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"

He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.

"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about--"

"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I-- I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that-- that was very wrong, boys -- very wrong indeed..."

"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog.

And I love the fact that Ron is always blushing, cheeks or ears going pink--

"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning..."

But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

Ron's ears went pink.

♥_♥ CAN I PINCH HIS CHEEKS? UGH, HIS LITTLE FACE. And Mr. Weasley's love for all Muggle-related things -- "But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand. -- and Mrs. Weasley's exasperation at her entire family, how she's so annoyed, yet so fond. I love them! If I don't get more Weasley family interaction, I will be massively disappointed, to be honest. Don't let me down, Rowling!

Besides that, Hermione is still a nerdy, adorable thing--

Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Harry -- I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"

And she sprinted away, up the stairs.

"What does she understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around to tell where the voice had come from.

"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head.

"But why's she got to go to the library?"

"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."

As for Harry, hmm, I don't really have an opinion of him either way. I thought it would change in the second book, but it hasn't. I don't hate him, but I don't particularly love him, either. Sometimes he can be annoying and makes me roll my eyes, and other times I'm kind of fascinated about what the kid is even thinking because he's really smart. He's kind of average to me, a wash. I'm much more interested in Ron and Hermione's relationship with each other and how much they will support and defend Harry till the end than Harry himself. I don't know if this will change, but I'm interested to see how Rowling develops his character as the books roll along.

Oh! Ahahaha, okay. I could tell Gilderoy Lockhart was a fake during the first press thing they had in the bookstore in Diagon Alley. What a doofus! Oh, but did he bring the lolz. The pixies!

harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, by j.k. rowling

Okay, let's get this out of the way: I've never read the Harry Potter books in my life. I know, I know. I'm trying to correct this great grievance! It's never too late!

The best part of books, for me, isn't the characters -- which is actually a major, major plus because I can't read an entire novel about an irredeemable asshole --, but instead the worldbuilding and setup for the universe. And this one was awesome. She made up a sport for it! That is so neat.

Ron Weasley might be my favorite. He's terribly adorable and endearing and so cute. I just wanted to hug him! And he made me laugh sometimes! I kind of saw myself lol projecting on Harry some at the beginning when he was at the Dursley's (so predictable, self!) because it was kind of horrible how they were treating him, and I found Harry's general obliviousness kind of charming. Hermione is so sassy; she's such a nerd, but she saves them, and they make such a kickass little team.

I loved this part--

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwich, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

Ron was UPSET and then he MADE HER CRY and then--

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

THEY SAVE HER FROM A TROLL. THAT IS SO ADORABLE, OH MY GOD. *_____* (Am I supposed to be shipping Ron/Hermione? Because I totally ship it.) I'm so excited to read the rest, yessss.