The Keeper of the Keys and Diagon Alley

Hi everyone :) Do you remember that I gave you a question in the previous blog? The question seemed to be very very easy for you! And thank you for answering it;) There is the answer in the following sentence, so I hope you find it by reading♩

BOOM! The thump was heard again. Dudley jerked awake. There was a clash and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room and held a rifle in his hands. Then - SMASH! The door was hit and a giant of a man appeared in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all his hair. The giant gave Harry a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. Then he introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Hagrid was shocked to find out that the Dursleys had never told Harry what Hogwarts was. Uncle Vernon tried to stop Hagrid from telling Harry about Hogwarts, but to no avail. Hagrid told Harry that Harry was a wizard and gave him a letter of acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Uncle Vernon protested that he would not allow Harry to enter Hogwarts, However, the Dursleys had been telling a lie that Harry's parents died in a car crush, so they made Hagrid so angry.Therefore, Hagrid told the truth that a evil wizard called Voldemort killed Harry's parents, and he also tried to kill Harry. Hagrid added that no one ever lived after Voldemort decided to kill them, no one except Harry, so Harry was only a baby who lived. Harry did not believe that he was a wizard, but Hagrid told him that he would be right famous at Hogwarts. Then Hagrid and Harry left the shack.

Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. Harry told himself firmly that he dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell him he was going to a school for wizards. However, there was suddenly a loud tapping noise. Tap. Tap. Tap. Harry got up and found it wasn't a dream. Hagrid told Harry that they had to go to London and buy all his stuff for school. Harry was concerned about money, but Hagrid assured him that his parents left behind plenty of funds for him at Gringotts, the wizards’ bank run by goblins.

Harry had never been to London before. At first, Hagrid took him to Leaky Cauldron which was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. Harry was honored and shook hands with everyone there. Also, Harry met Professor Quirrell who would be one of his teachers at Hogwarts. They headed out to the street, where Hagrid tapped on a brick wall three times with the point of his umbrella. Then an archway called Diagon Alley opened before them. Hagrid explained that Harry would buy what he needed for school here. They went to Gringotts, where they were escorted down to Harry’s safe. Inside were mounds of gold coins, columns of silver and heaps of little bronze knuts. Hagrid told Harry that they all were Harry's and the money his parents left for him. Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag and explained the complex wizard monetary system, which was composed of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Then, Hagrid took Harry to another Vault seven hundred and thirteen which was empty except for a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.

Where will they go next? I am crazy about reading this book!!!

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The Vanishing Glass and The Letters from No One

Hi everyone :) Recently, I went to see a 3D movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with my friend. It was very thrilling and exciting. I felt like I got on the attraction in Universal Studios Japan. I think this movie is the best of all series of Spider-Man. If you don't see it yet, I'd like to recommend you to see!!

Nearly ten years had passed. Harry was awakened by His Aunt Petunia and told to look after the bacon, because today was Dudley’s birthday. However, Dudley went red in his face because he had only thirty-seven presents, one fewer than the previous year. Aunt Petunia suggested that she would buy him another two presents while they're out. Then, the Dursleys, Dudley and Harry went to the zoo.

It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. In the reptile house, Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at a snake. The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. It winked. Harry stared. Then he looked quicky around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and started to communicate with the snake. Noticing what Harry was doing, Mr Dursley and Dudley who pushed Harry aside to get a better look at the snake. At this moment, the glass front of the boa had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor. Dudley claimed that the snake attacked him. The Dursleys were in shock. At home, Harry was punished for the snake incident and sent to his cupboard with no meals.

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-evr punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays started. One day, Uncle Vernon told Harry to get the post. Harry noticed a letter that was addressed to him in “The Cupboard under the Stairs.” However, the envelope was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon glanced at it, and his face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. Aunt Petunia also read the letter and was shocked. They forced Dudley and Harry to leave the kitchen. The next day, Uncle Vernon visited Harry in his cupboard. He refused to talk about the letter, but he told Harry to move into Dudley’s second bedroom.

Next morning at breakfast, another letter arrived for Harry, this time addressed to him in “The Smallest Bedroom.” Harry tried to get the letter, but Uncle Vernon kept it from him. Though Uncle Vernon nailed up the letter-box, twelve letters arrived for Harry the next day, pushed under the door or slotted through the sides. Soon letters flooded the house, entering in impossible ways. Uncle Vernon decided to take everyone away from the house, but at the hotel where they stayed, a hundred letters are delivered for Harry. Uncle Vernon decided on even greater isolation. On a dark, stormy night, he took the family out to an island with only one shack on it. At midnight, as Harry was going to be eleven, the whole shack shivered and someone was outside, knocking to come in.

Do you know who knocks to come in?? It it a easy question, right?:) In next blog, I will write the answer, so look forward to it!!

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Hi everyone :) This semester, we have to read at 500 pages in a book and write what we are reading in our blog, right? I think it will be a very hard for us, but I want to enjoy reading various kind of western books!!

A book that I chose is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowlling. I love Harry Potter and saw all series of the movie at a cinema. When I went to see the first movie, I was still six years old, so I was very scared of the man with two faces. Do you know who he is? … Yes, he is "You-Know-Who", Voldemort. He has a horrible face, doesn't he? Although all series concluded, I watch the DVD over and over again at home. Also, I want to visit the location of the movie sometime.

Mr and Ms Dursley lived in 4 Private Drive along with their small son called Dudley. The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret. Mrs Potter was Mrs Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister.On his way to work one ordinary morning, Mr Dursley noticed a cat reading a map. He was unsettled, but told himself that he had only imagined it. Then, as Mr Dursley sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing a lot of people in cloaks. Walking past a bakery later that day, he overheard people talking about the Potters and their son called Harry. He was upset, but he decided not to mention anything to his wife. Meanwhile, the news was full of unusual reports of flocks of owls, shooting stars, people in cloaks.

That night, as the Dursleys were falling asleep, a man called Albus Dumbledore appeared on the corner the cat had been watching. He shut off all the streetlights and approached the cat that is soon revealed to be a woman called Professor McGonagall. They discussed the disappearance of "You-Know-Who", Voldemort. Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall they Lily and James Potter were killed by Voldemort, and he also tried to kill their son, Harry, but he couldn't. Dumbledore added that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.

Dumbledore said that he came to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle, the Dursleys because they were the only family ha had left. Professor McGonagall protested that Harry couldn't be brought up by the Dursleys. But Dumbledore insisted that it was the best place for Harry. For a while, a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. A giant called Hagrid was holding a bundle of blankets with the sleeping baby, Harry inside. Dumbledore took Harry in his arm, laid him gently on the Dursley's doorstep and he tucked a letter inside Harry's blankets. Then, the three part ways. Harry Potter couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"

I was surprised to read the story of the Dursleys because there wasn't such a scene in the movie. I think there are many scenes which aren't in the movie in this book, so I'm very excited to read them;)

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Self-Introduction

Hi everyone :) I'm Yurina Yamada. I'm from Shizuoka prefecture, but I live in Kyoto now. We are a family of four: my parents, my older brother and I. I also have a black toy poodle called Loe. Loe is a sweet, one-year-old girl. I like to play with her, and when I am depressed, she encourages me.  She always stays with me and gives me peace of mind, so she is very precious to me. Isn't my profile image so cute?

I love watching Western movies. Last year, I watched more than 100 movies. My favorite movies are Star Wars and Les miserables. I'm also interested in Historical movies including Schindler's List, Platoon, Gladiator and the Help. I'm a big fan of Steven Spilberg, so I watched most of his works. I started to have strong interests on Western movies after watching Back to the future when I was twelve years old. Thus, I admire Steven Spilberg because he taught me a pleasure of watching movies.

My other hobby is going to an art museum. Last month, I went to Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, in order to see exhibitions of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Andy Warhol. There were many great works, but what impressed me the most was Ophelia by John Everett Millais. The painting was so spiritual, and Ophelia who is painted as a character from Shakespeare's play Hamlet was so beautiful. I also admired the exhibition of Andy Warhol. And, it was fun for me to look around there because his works were modern. To appreciate paintings provides me with an emotional richness, so I'll visit art museums around the world.

At the end, I will write about the tittle of my new blog. The title of my old blog "Tomorrow is a new day" was quoted from Anne of Green Gables. But this time, I quoted Lewis Carroll's words "The love-gift of a fairy-tale" because the words remind me of the importance of reading a book. It is still hard for me to read Western books, but through this blog, I want to make my English skills including Reading and Writing improve. Thank you.

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