People
“I’d love to go with you as friends! Nobody’s ever asked me to a party before, as a friend!”
— J.K. Rowling · Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker responds with delighted surprise to a party invitation offered in friendship. Repeating 'as a friend' makes the nature of the invitation especially important. The words suggest that this simple form of welcome matters because it has not been offered in that way before.
Context reviewed