I walked up to the bin. With my list of necessaries in hand, I couldn’t resist a quick look. Rummaging through the DVDs, I found one, then another, and another and another. The first six years were all there and at bargain-bin prices. I had to buy them. Hurrying home, I went on the web and ordered year 7 — in two parts. I have them all, all the Harry Potter movies. Now, what to do?

Watch them, of course. It doesn’t take a wizard to figure that out. Does it? Even a muggle can operate a DVD player. That’s not magic. Is it?

The first movie is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” Sorry, mine reads “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which is probably why it was in the bargain-bin. After viewing the film in a dark room with snacks, I challenged myself to think of one word or thing from the movie that jumped to my mind — just one. “Muggles.” That’s the word and that’s me. A muggle is a person without magical blood. All those who are not wizards or witches are muggles. The movie starts with Harry, who doesn’t know he is a wizard, living with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, who are definitely muggles and dreadful ones at that. I think all the stories start with Harry and his muggly relatives, which is one of the formulaic trademarks of J. K. Rowling. She is the author, and she is criticized for her formulas, which work quite well and have made her a billionaire. I don’t know for sure if J. K. is a muggle or a witch, but her bank account would indicate she has a certain magical Midas touch. No matter, after much adventure, it is time to move on to the next year.

“Year Two.” It says that on the spine of the second DVD, which is entitled “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” Each movie follows Harry and his friends through a school year at “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly.” “Sorcerer’s Stone” was “Year One.” Harry got accepted and almost killed a couple times in that first year. Hogwarts is another formulaic of J. K., and Harry is almost killed a couple more times before unraveling this second year’s hidden secrets. Almost-killed-again and this-year’s-hidden-secrets are apparently other formulaic devices of our magical authoress. My word-thing for this second year is “Dobby.” Dobby is a poorly dressed, long-eared, wide-eyed house elf who can’t stop beating his head against things and is searching for new clothes to set himself free. Dobby tries to help Harry, and Harry, at year’s end, shares an old sock with Dobby to liberate the elf from his bondage to the wrong sort of wizard. Then, it’s off to summer vacation and the next show.

“Year Three” is “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” My word-thing for Year Three is “hippogriff.” A hippogriff is a winged horse with the head and upper body of an eagle. This hippogriff is particularly temperamental and not willing to be ridden by many. Harry gets a ride and so does the villain-turned-good, another formulaic, at the end of the year. This third movie was the best received by the critics and the least attended in the theatres. A curiosity and uniqueness of the third film is the absence of the arch villain, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort killed Harry’s parents and was almost defeated trying to kill the baby Harry. Since then, Lord Voldemort has been trying to regain his evil strength to kill Harry, once and for all. To some extent, it is Voldemort and his evil designs that keep Harry and the books and films going. I am Lord Voldemort is the dark underpinning churning the plot and keeping the viewers on the edges of their seats. Without Voldemort’s unexpected, if formulaic, appearances, the third story does not do as well. Apparently, we, the muggles out here are in it for the formulaics. Perhaps, that is great writing. Thank you, J. K. Rowling, and who and what will we witness when wizards, witches and muggles meet again next year?

You have caught up with me. I am taking a few nights off for urgent muggle matters. Next up for “Year Four” is “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” At the start of Year One, Harry had just turned eleven. So, in Year Four, Harry should be fourteen. In real life, he may seem older. The eight films of the seven school years (taking Harry from age 11 to age 17 and wizard adulthood) were released over a ten-year period (2001 to 2011). So, Harry on the screen may be growing slower than Harry and friends in real life. I guess that’s magic, too.

In the next and fourth show, I wonder who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be? I believe there’s a new character in that role each year. Voldemort stays the same, but the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher changes. That is, I suspect, another formula for success.

It does keep me guessing.

You, too?

Grandpa Jim