“These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today.” When former Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour uttered these words in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, none of us could imagine how true they would ring in 2020. But with that darkness, …read more!

Horace Slughorn was a man of contradictions. He was, at times, both cowardly and brave, naïve and shrewd, uninspired and ambitious. But he was at all times an immensely talented and powerful wizard, and his inherent idiosyncrasies made him an interesting contribution to the Harry Potter story, which would be most gratifying to him. As …read more!

J.K. Rowling knew what she was doing–has there ever been any doubt?–when she chose April 1 as the unforgettable day Fred and George Weasley were welcomed into the world. It may be known as April Fool’s Day, but Fred and George were no fools. They loved a good laugh, and the more the better. But …read more!

“I am sorry too… Sorry I will never know him… but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand.“ Today, we celebrate the birthday of Remus Lupin, one of the more tragic characters of J.K. Rowling’s invention. It’s important to acknowledge and remember this, the pain of his journey, because it …read more!

“[Dumbledore] knew what he was doing when he gave me the Deluminator, didn’t he? He – well,” Ron’s ears turned bright red and he became engrossed in a tuft of grass at his feet, which he prodded with his toe, “he must’ve known I’d run out on you.” “No,” Harry corrected him. “He must’ve always …read more!

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~Albus Dumbledore Newt Scamander is an exceptionally talented wizard and Magizoologist, far more able than he might get credit for, but, as his former headmaster and good friend Albus Dumbledore said to Harry, his abilities are actually the least …read more!

We wouldn’t be here without Luna.  There would be no Potter fans enjoying a website about the series if she didn’t exist as a character because she was crucial, in her own dreamy, ephemeral way, to the defeat of Voldemort.  And in the process she taught us a lot about judging people. At first, she …read more!

Albus Dumbledore may be viewed as the wizened mentor of the Harry Potter series, but Arthur Weasley is the enduring father figure. He never tries to take James place in Harry’s life–or usurp Sirius’ role as godfather and confidant–but he is the reliable, steadfast presence that both Harry and his children need. Throughout J.K. Rowling’s …read more!

It’s a bittersweet thing to celebrate the birthday of beloved friend who passes too soon from our lives. In the case of Lily Evans Potter, she is memorialized in pages of fiction, never lost to us entirely but always, there, a reminder of how inadequate are the brief glimpses of her story. We must strive …read more!

Celebrating the birthdays of the Harry Potter villains is always a wee bit awkward.  I mean, do you really wish Bellatrix a happy birthday?  She killed Sirius!  Luckily, J.K. Rowling provides a little backstory for most of the characters that gives us some context for their bad behaviour.  This never excuses their behaviour—as much as you …read more!