Downton Abbey meets the Wizarding World: Hugh Bonneville narrates ch. 13 of “Philosopher’s Stone”

We just shared with you Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 in the Harry Potter at Home series of video/audio of famous actors reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone after a holiday weekend delay, and—Abracadabra!?—Wizarding World has posted Chapter 13, “Nicholas Flamel”. This chapter is read by Hugh Bonneville, a British actor known most recently for his role as patriarchal aristocrat Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, Viscount of Downton Abbey.

Uncover the mystery of ‘Nicolas Flamel’ as we read Chapter Thirteen with @HughBon.

Watch the full chapter now: https://t.co/D8AMQhOUAn#HarryPotterAtHomepic.twitter.com/AKJFwXFFCe

— Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) July 7, 2020

We find out more about Flamel in this chapter and we also might find ourselves a tad suspicious of Snape’s sudden desire to be a Quidditch ref.

Wizarding World has now added a Chapter Challenge for each chapter. You can find Chapter 13’s Challenge here. The Challenge contains activities like drawing a picture of 665-year-old Flamel, and pondering such questions as: Would you want a Philosopher’s Stone of your own, which makes gold and gives immortality? (My answer: a resounding YES!) If you would like a more traditional quiz on what you can recall from the chapter, that is also provided.

The real life Nicholas Flamel was born in 1330 and is thought to have dabbled in alchemy. He was a wealthy bookseller, who undoubtedly came across some interesting manuscripts. Did he die in 1418, as his grave in Paris indicates, or did he fake his death after creating his own Philosopher’s Stone? Read more of his story here and decide for yourself.