I remember having a lot of problems with the overly simplistic archetypal characters in the first book - fat phobia aside, the Dursleys were just so irrationally, improbably evil, and I just hated that even as a kid. It got better when I realised that Rowling's writing improved with each book, and that she was probably deliberately telling the story through the juvenile eyes and senses of an abused 11-year-old central character, but I still wonder if it was really necessary to that degree. If I re-read I do still re-read the first book, but I skip the first few chapters because I still find them daft. The Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favourite. Sirius! Remus! :D