Fil descanted on Sunday, May 2, 2004 at 05:46 p.m. |
What Whomping Willow Dance?
“Nakakatuwa kang magkuwento, Fil. Parang apektado ka
talaga. Bigay na bigay, alam mo ‘yun?”
Such praise from an orgmate, among others like it, had such
an effect on my ego that I agreed to read for kids in National Bookstore’s
weekly Harry Potter event that started three Saturdays ago. The challenge is to
read a chapter from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the movie
of which to appear on theaters by June. Oh, I tell you, it’s a challenge to
continue storytelling especially when nauubusan ka na ng Ingles. But let
me start where I should.
It all began about two years ago by being part of
Pinoy
Harry Potter, a.k.a. Hogwarts Philippines, an online community that caters to
Filipino Harry Potter fans of all ages all over the world. I’m the Head
Librarian, and my job is basically to look over the written works (essays, fanfiction, poems, etc.) submitted to the group. Students are sorted into Houses
(I’m in Gryffindor) and they have virtual classes. We do role-playing games,
talk about the books and perhaps how Daniel Radcliffe is getting more mature and
more droolable by the minute, and have Quidditch-with-a-twist matches. You also
get the usual dose of, ahem, gossip you find in schools. The fun thing is that
we started out by being online friends (except maybe for the
founders—Headmistresses Inez and
Cherie met in the Harry Potter trivia contest
some years ago) but after meeting up for eyeballs and events such as the two
New
Worlds science fiction and fantasy conventions and the release of Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we’ve gotten to know each other better
and have become so close it’s scary (to quote Gryffindor Prefect
Mara).
Understand that the core of the group (me included) is made
of mostly college students and young professionals brought together by our
mutual love for the series. It’s funny to think that we talk loudly about this
house, that message board thread, these witches and those wizards in the MRT
where people look at us as if we’d lost our minds. I truly believe
we’ve lost ourselves into that virtual world amid Muggle school and work. Here’s
where we could be magical people and hang out with trusted friends who
have read our very private blogs and also know what we’re really like in
person.
The latest pangangarir (a term I learned to use on a
regular basis in the group) is, as stated, National Bookstore’s Harry Potter UNO
Competition. Apart from the tournament, there are storytelling sessions and art
activities. I’m stationed in the Quezon Avenue branch along with
Meann, the
Muggle Studies professor; Gary, the Slytherin Head of House who teaches a very,
er, misleading subject, Dark Arts; Joanna, the Astronomy professor; and
RB, a
member of the Gryffindor Quidditch training team. Quite interesting titles, I’d
say…but I digress. Thing is, the five of us have been going to Quezon Avenue for
the past three Saturdays and…basically becoming kids’ babysitters.
The first two Saturdays were quite uneventful. There were
just so few customers in Quezon Avenue, and even if we went around the store in
our robes, it was still hopeless. Amazingly, however, there were a lot of them
on Labor Day. We were able to complete the required six UNO matches, and were
exhausted in the process of training the ones new to the game and calming
overexcited kids. Gary, the artist, presided over the art activity. And I, of
course, told them about the tenth chapter of Prisoner of Azkaban, “The
Marauder’s Map.”
Let me tell you that it’s not easy telling those kids about
how the whole wizarding world thinks Sirius Black betrayed Lily and James
Potter. Wearing my violently scarlet Quidditch robes (a brainchild of our
resident Monsieur Malkin, Prefect Edwin
of Gryffindor), I rambled on and on about how Sirius became the Secret-Keeper
and all that (it’s a tricky part; they never understood it, I’m sure); I don’t
think the kids ever understood that part. The Marauder’s Map Vera and I made the
night before, meanwhile, seemed to do wonders. Yep, visual aids do work, people.
After every storytelling session, we ask the kids questions
and give away books for those who are able to answer them. I know I wasn’t too
clear about stuff and the kids haven’t read the books yet, so we eventually had
to settle with the easiest questions, such as “Who are Harry’s best friends?”
There were parents present, of course, so one of the kids
went to his dad. I asked, “Who is Remus Lupin?” Spoiler Dad said something to
his son, who yelled, “A WEREWOLF!” Now anyone who has read the book know that
you’re not supposed to know that while you’re still in chapter ten, so I told
him so, embarrassing as it may seem.
Another kid, Csam, was given a prize for resourcefulness. I
asked them, “What is the title of the chapter I just read?” While I was looking
at the other kids, Csam took my book, flipped it to chapter ten, and yelled,
“THE MARAUDER’S MAP!”
Later on I asked, “What is the title of the book I just
read?” Csam stood, ran towards the shelves where the Harry Potter books were,
and read from the spine: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!”
Kids do the darnedest things.
I also told them about Harry wanting to kill Sirius Black
after learning that Sirius betrayed his dad. I asked them, would you do that?
Would you take revenge? There were really bright kids, one of them Nicey (a
really cute coñita-in-the-making who speaks in straight English then inserts a
big Filipino word somewhere in the middle) who said that no, you’re not supposed
to do that, you have to tingin if it’s really bad (or something like that).
Another one, I think Kathrina was her name, who said, “Hindi po maganda.
Gumaganti ka kasi eh.” I was so impressed, I gave her a Harry Potter
coloring book.
There was another storytelling session later, where I read
part of the chapter to them. Gary told me later that I seemed really into it. I
didn’t even realize that I had yelled Hagrid’s lines, including, “FILTHY STINKIN’
TURNCOAT!” with such force that Meann and the rest glanced at me in shock.
There were more bloopers in the little quiz afterwards, and then, it was pack-up
time.
RB, Gary, Meann and I headed straight to SM North to meet
Frances, Edwin, Beejay, Thom, Czary, Ana and Jowie for dinner. We had a noisy
UNO game (in which I placed last after RB and Edwin showered me with cards)
among ourselves. It was then that RB, Gary and Meann talked about a “dance step”
I did while storytelling. I was confused; “I danced? What are you talking about?” Then I
realized that it was my little demonstration of how the Whomping Willow destroyed
Harry’s Nimbus Two Thousand: apparently I flailed my arms this way and that
while saying, “You know the Whomping Willow? Its branches hits you like this
[insert Whomping Willow dance here] when you come too close to it.” Gee, I was
so into the story I didn’t even realize I was already making a fool of myself. Thank
goodness they’re kids; they probably know I was being stupid, but they didn’t
say so.
The next chapter I’ll be reading isn’t so hard, I think,
and I’ll be in Powerbooks ATC for it. And I do hope I won’t dance out of reflex while teaching the
kids how to cast the Patronus Charm.
All the things I do for Hogwarts Philippines. And oh, how I love it.
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