7 day HP giveaway - Year 4

Fluffy Flowers is celebrating the arrival of the final book in the Harry Potter series with a week of giveaways. Yesterday's winner, as selected by the random number generator, is Jennifer of Infinity More Monkeys! Leave a comment on today's blog entry to be entered for the next prize drawing. Included is a hand-knitted mini Weasley sweater modeled by Fleur Delacour (aka Barbie). You get the girl as well as the sweater and other assorted HP goodies in this prize pack. Leave a Harry Potter comment and I’ll draw the winner’s name tomorrow around 5a.m. Next week we will return to our regularly scheduled blog.

Book 4 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Favorite Quote

“ ‘They run off eckeltricity, do they?’ he said knowledgeably. ‘Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs,’ he added to Uncle Vernon. ‘And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I’m mad, but there you are.’ ” Arthur Weasley, p. 46

Lovely knitting

"Dobby now handed Harry a small package, which turned out to be - socks.

'Dobby is making them himself, sir!' the elf said happily. 'He is buying the wool out of his wages, sir!'

The left sock was bright red and had a pattern of broomsticks upon it; the right sock was green with a pattern of Snitches.

'They're ... they're really ... well, thanks, Dobby,' said Harry, and he pulled them on, causing Dobby's eyes to leak with happiness again." p. 409- 410

Who else thinks socks will play an important role in book seven?

Fluffy Flowers

Poppy Pomfrey, the Hogwarts school nurse, is always willing and waiting to mop Harry up after tragedy befalls him. Love her! Although initially snobbish towards Harry, Fleur Delacour comes around to his side after he saves her sister from the lake during the second Triwizard Tournament task. Now she's proud to wear one of the Weasley sweaters!

A Page At Random

"The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him. He could feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes. he blinked and stared up at the ceiling.

'It wasn't your fault, Harry,' Mrs. Weasley whispered.

' I told him to take the cup with me,' said Harry.

Now the burning feeling was in his throat too. He wished Ron would look away.

Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother. The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. Weasley held him to her." p. 714

And this is the first moment in the series when I was brought to tears. We, all of us grownups, can feel how much we want to comfort Harry and make all of his pain go away.

Goblet of Fire really shocked me when one of the kids died. From that moment on they ceased being children's books for me. It was the best book so far and was indeed the longest. There were many fabulous moments at the Quiddich World Cup and during the Tournament. Weren't you shocked by who was behind it all? I know I was. Never suspected.

Comments

[Marci]

First?

I loved GoF - and the ending took me by surprise. Poor Cedric.

I loved meeting wizards and witches from other schools. My husband is in love with Fleur. Men! :) Me, I've got a strange attraction to Lucius Malfoy. Then again, I always did like the 'bad boys' when I was growing up.

[Brandy]

I go for the social justice aspects--Herminone's House-Elf Liberation Front, and Harry giving gold to the Weasley twins to start their practical joke business.

Increasingly scary, these books are.

[Jennifer]

[not eligible for drawing]

I was genuinely horrified by the Muggle abuse at the beginning of the book (at the hands of Death Eaters, at the Quidditch World Cup) and for me that was the moment that these were no longer children's books. I think that on top of everything else, the "leaking over" of angry, evil magic into the Muggle world (which certainly gets worse going forward) is what makes the books after this point too scary for children (one thing to have a magical world out of control, but once you know it spills over into your own world --!). Not to say that I don't love the books going forward from this point, just that there's no question that the audience changed.

[Catrin]

The best in this book is Quiddich World Cup - I'm a sports nerd and I could feel the audience cheering! I would love to see a match of quiddich for real, it would be awesome.

And boy, did I cry when Cedric died? You bet! I was in shock! And I cried my Mrs Weasley held Harry close.

[aBookworm]

Oh ya, Moody who was not Moody - that came as a complete shocker. I kinda suspected a visiting headmaster. Voldemort's return was the most terrifying/horrifying aspect of this story for me and it is the beginning of the darkness. Shudder! What I liked was the challenges the contestants were put thru, although I still don't get what was the purpose behind the final one.

[Terri]

Urgh-troll bogies!!!!

[Billie Jeffcoat]

She is sporting a green Hogwarts sweater...Barbie did always strike me as the type to be chosen for Slytherin. I cried at the end, poor Cedric! But the real surprise was the double Moody..now that was completely unexpected.

[Jennifer]

I actually began to see the change to more than a children's book in the last one, but this one sealed the deal. I didn't expect a student to die either! I think the books just get darker and darker after this one.

[Georgia]

Socks are SO going to play a role in the ending...they have to! How many times has Dumbledore mentioned wool socks? My favorite is that when he looks into the mirror of Erised he is holding wool socks. Funny!

[Samantha]

I found both the beginning and the end of GoF upsetting but it did set the theme of what was to come as Voldmort regained his powers.

I thought the Weasley twins brought some humour to an other wise fairly dark story line and I loved the beginning hints of future romance between Ron and Hermione.

I'm really enjoying this look back at each book!

[nosierosie]

Haha! I totally forgot about Fleur! oh man, she is so annoying. I think hermione is way cooler.
After watching the movie, I realized I need to reread all of the books. I am not sure if I forgot some stuff or the newest movie is just far fetched from the book.

[Jenn : )]

I like Moody - but then I'm confused because most of the time it wasn't really him!

Great character - and how many teachers wish that they could have eyes to see behind them! : )

This was definitely a more frightening book.

[Maggie]

When GoF first came out, a bunch of folks I worked with were reading it, including me. I was discussing it with one of the guys, and misunderstood how far along in the book he was. I mentioned Cedric dying, and he got this horrified look on his face.

Boy, did I feel bad!

[Gwen]

Fleur's not all bad! Although, we really don't see it until the end of Book 6. Can't wait until Saturday!!!!!!

[iSew]

I'm so rubbish at remembering the details of the book. I'm seriously considering starting over tonight.
I thought the idea of the tri-wizard was great, but I hate it when everyone gets mad at Harry for being in it. UGH! That kind of thing makes me so mad. It's not fair. I'm so glad it all works out in the end.

[amanda bel]

I saw the Movie last weekend and I really loved it! I wish it could be 32 hours long so they could included more! Did you hear the crazy-theory (my friend Kat informed me) that some people think McGonnagall is going to switch sides?!?! I find that to be totally crazy!!

[amanda bel]

Oh, and I want to add that I wasn't too keen on Harry's hair cut....but Ron sure was looking adorable in this movie!

[Jessicah]

I agree about them no longer being childrens books- esp not for 8 and 9 yo! We went to the OotP movie yesterday and it was scary! Have to say that although I appreciate that not everything can fit in a 2.5 hour movie that I was disappointed with the manipulation of what was written (eg cho being the sneak). I fell the movies have been very faithful up until now. Other than that enjoyed it :)

[Era]

I just saw the movie last night and I thought it was great! Everything I wanted to see was there and was a lot like I had imagined it. The Department of Mysteries and all the prophecies were perfect, Umbridge was as horrible as I thought she would be (though a lot more attractive than the toad-face she was described as in the book).

I hadn't heard that theory about McGonogall switching sides, but my personal theory is that Dumbledore isn't dead. I haven't read anything on the internet about it, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with this theory. I just hope I can read #7 before everyone gives it away! I have to wait for my sister to read it, and I won't be able to get it until the end of August! I hate it when people give things away!

[Tiffany]

This is the book where we start seeing Harry is in some REAL trouble. Having one of his school friends die really sends that message home.

[Katherine]

This book kept me guessing. It was a surprise to learn that Moody was actually Bartie Crumb. The ending of the TriWizard Cup was also a surprise. It was so awful in the the whole graveyard scene of Voldemort being "reborn". What a shock to have Cedric killed.

[Angela]

I love these books. Sorry I've missed the earlier drawings, but you had better believe I'll be back for the rest.

GoF is one of my favorites. I think I realized they weren't "just" children's books with Azkaban though. The idea of torture and imprisonment that led to madness (for those who weren't already mad) were concepts that really started to let me know that yes, each book is a little older, a little more serious, much as Harry is a little older in each. I love that. I also love the way that relatively minor characters in earlier books come back to be important later on in the series. Hehehehe. I can't wait to see how it all comes out.

To quote another Brit -- The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts.

[Melinda]

I absolutely LOVE this book. It's my favorite of all of them so far. But it's hard for me to pick just one part. I like the TriWizard tournament. I like Fluer. I like Krum, believe it or not. I love the Quidditch World Cup. I loved the way JKR kept us guessing as to who was behind it all. It was a GREAT book.

[Stephanie G.]

I agree that the books started getting too scary for kids before this one, but this was such a dark, dark book. Cedric getting killed seemed like a turning point to me.

I know JKR is quoted as saying "Dumbledore is not Gandolf," but I don't buy it. No way Dumbledore is really dead.

[Libby]

We went to see the latest film last week and loved it. Gets better and better. Keep the tissues ready for the fianl book though, I think you will need them!!!

[Era]

Felicia - Yay! I won! I thought I had your e-mail address too, but I'm not sure where it went. Here's mine, [email protected].

[leslie]

Oh my, life has kept us busy and away from the computer most of the ddy, but Charlie has reminded me that we have to tell you our favorite parts! :)

Charlie says "I liked it when Harry fights Lord Voldemort in the graveyard, and his parents come back to help him. And I also liked the triwizard tournament".

:)