Earlier last month, J.K. Rowling awakened all the dormant Potterhead spirits in us by announcing her new online Potter hub, “Harry Potter at Home.” It was an effort to bring magic at home to help ease cabin fever and provide fans with something to pass time with during the quarantine. The project features puzzles, activities, and a free Harry Potter audiobook promised to be completed in the following weeks.
What they didn’t initially announce is who will be reading said audiobook. For the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, it’s none other than Daniel Radcliffe himself, the boy who lived.
Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived
Daniel Radcliffe reading the first chapter of Harry Potter. #HarryPotterAtHome pic.twitter.com/Yvgia1FuLd
— Professor Snape (@_Snape_) May 5, 2020
Hearing Daniel Radcliffe say “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much,” just made every Potterhead go through a range of emotions — happiness, nostalgia, grief, you name it.
Daniel famously portrayed the young wizard Harry Potter for the better part of his childhood and teenage years. The Harry Potter movies and books developed a cult following and an exceptionally strong fanbase throughout the years since the first book was published in 1997 and the first movie premiered in 2001. Many of us grew up with the cast and the world became such a huge part of our lives that we even memorized the spells!
Daniel kicks off the Harry Potter at Home readings with the full 25 minutes of the first chapter which you can either listen to on Spotify or watch through a video.
Daniel Radcliffe: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they
were perfectly normal, thank you very muchYo: pic.twitter.com/cLVZvQcyRb
— Capa͛ Invisible ⚯͛ (@capa_invisible) May 5, 2020
daniel radcliffe: “he couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting up in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: ‘to harry potter, the boy who lived'”
me: pic.twitter.com/vOaXQ2e30t
— ˢᵗᵉᶠ ⎊🏳️🌈 (@uncleofthunder) May 5, 2020
don’t mind me, just crying tears of joy over Daniel Radcliffe himself narrating the first chapter of “The Philosopher’s Stone”#HarryPotterAtHome pic.twitter.com/wDLnWK2USl
— Nariman△⃒⃘ (@slytherinus) May 5, 2020
Harry Potter at Home has also revealed the stellar line-up of personalities that will narrate the 16 other chapters from Philosopher’s Stone. Every week, the following stars will read to you from the safety of their homes:
Eddie Redmayne
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Dakota Fanning
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David Beckham
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Claudia Kim
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Noma Dumezweni
Hermione’s fierce love of her friends & family inspires #CursedChildNYC’s Noma Dumezweni (@MissDumezweni). Happy birthday Hermione! pic.twitter.com/iCyxelEVBS
— Harry Potter and the Cursed Child NYC (@CursedChildNYC) September 19, 2018
Stephen Fry
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Check out the sneak peek!
Now that’s something to look forward to every week. Here’s to hoping Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are part of the lineup! Catch the Harry Potter at Home readings on Spotify or follow them on Facebook for more updates.
Are you excited to listen to the next chapter?
