Category Archives: Harry Potter

Mischief Managed: Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

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Today is Harry Potter’s birthday (and J.K. Rowling, in case anyone is wondering).  The boy wizard himself is 31!  I wanted to give that a quick mention, as well as the fact that 1 million lucky people get to see Pottermore early!  I’m pretty excited about Pottermore, and I can’t wait until it’s open to everyone.  I think I might try and get the early access.  Whether I actually get it is another story, but since I have a lot of time on my hands, I figure I might as well try.

I thought I’d share some of my favorite moments from both the books and the movies, in no particular order.

  • Seeing Hogwarts for the first time (Movie: SS)
  • Hermione punching Draco (PoA: awesome in the book, even more awesome in the movie!)
  • Fred and George leaving Hogwarts with a bang (OoTP: awesome in the book, but they could’ve left with more of a bang in the movie)
  • “Harry, you’re a wizard.” (SS: one of the most memorable lines of the entire series)
  • “Not my daughter, you bitch!” (DH: also one of the most memorable lines from the whole series)
  • Harry, Ron, and Hermione meeting for the first time (SS)
  • Harry’s First Visit to Diagon Alley (SS- the book version was a lot better than the movie version)
  • The first quidditch match (SS)
  • The 7 Harry’s (DH- funny in the book, funnier in the movie)
  • Snape’s memories (DH- this made me cry)
  • Draco being turned into a ferret (GoF- funny in the book, just as funny in the movie)
  • Hermione, Ron and Harry taking on a troll (SS)

Have a great day!

More Random Thoughts About Harry Potter

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I’ve come up with a few more thoughts about Harry Potter, so enjoy!

  • We know that Hogwarts students can’t do magic over summer breaks.  But what about when students first get their letter and later on, their wands.  Does the Trace start once they say they’re going to Hogwarts, or does it start at some later point?  I would imagine that it would have to start at some later point, because they aren’t actually students yet and are more likely to use accidental magic, so therefore, it would make no sense for them to have the trace.  And that actually brings us to our next point…
  • Why do the first years have to take the boats, while all the second years and above have to take the carriages?  I bet there are some really interesting theories out there, but I don’t really have my own thoughts.  The only thing I can think of is the first point.  Is that why the first years take the boat to Hogwarts, so that the the Trace can be put on them?  That makes the most sense, because once it’s cast, it’s there until it breaks when the witch or wizard turns 17.
  • Speaking of the trace, how does it work at Hogwarts?  I’m guessing it’s completely ignored, because there doesn’t seem to be a way to remove it.  And besides, they’re learning how to use their magic, so to monitor magical activity at Hogwarts is stupid.  And what about the use of magic on the Hogwarts Express?  Magic is used pretty freely on the train, so I’m assuming that the train is overlooked by the ministry.  Either that, or it’s considered to be an extension of Hogwarts.  In relation to Hermione practicing some spells before her 1st year, and everything I’ve already said, it’s likely students about to start at Hogwarts aren’t monitored.
  • Sorting students into their houses: How exactly is it determined what house each student goes into?  Personality traits and who the person is are clear factors, if you look at the song from Sorcerer’s Stone.  And choice is also a factor, because Harry said he didn’t want to go into Slytherin, even though that’s where the Hat wanted to put Harry.  But I find it hard to believe that each year is equally sorted into each house.  So does the sorting hat also take into account where other students have been sorted?  Like, would someone who has the clear traits of a Ravenclaw end up in Hufflepuff because there aren’t enough students in Hufflepuff?  Does it even matter if there are a few more students in one or two houses?  Unfortunately, my thoughts aren’t as nicely put as they are in this blog post, but I agree with it.

I think that wraps up this installment of random thoughts about Harry Potter, but I’m sure I’ll come up with more.

Harry Potter Movie Review!

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First off, this post has lots of spoilers about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so if you haven’t seen it and don’t want it to be ruined, don’t read this post!   But since it’s been a week, you should have seen it by now!  If you haven’t, go see it!

I wanted to do a review on Friday or Saturday, but I figured I’d give people a few days (or a week) before reviewing it since not everyone likes to see it the first day or two. 

Overall, I loved it, and thought it did the book justice.  There were a few things that I wished were in the movie (like Percy making up with his family) but overall, I thought it worked out rather well.  I thought it was not only a great movie, but a really good adaptation as well. 

Here’s a few of my favorite things from the move:

  1. Snape’s memories: I thought it was really well done, and I couldn’t help but start crying.  The scene that did me in was the part where he was holding Lily and crying.  Reading it was completely different than actually seeing it on the screen, and it really made Snape’s feelings for Lily come to life. 
  2. The scene with Harry, his parents, Sirius, and Lupin in the forest: that made me cry as well, especially when Harry asked Lily if she would stay with him, and she said always.  It was also really well-done.
  3. And we have a tie between Neville, McGonagall and the duel between Mrs. Weasley and Bellatrix.  “Not my daughter, you bitch!” is one of the most memorable lines from the entire series.  I always pictured it as being yelled across the great hall, but either way, it was a great line, and I wan’t disappointed.  As for McGonagall, I knew she was a stern, yet caring professor, but I was always sort of indifferent to her.  Until this movie!  Her duel with Snape was amazing, and two of my other favorite lines in the movie came from her.  When she was excited about bringing the statues and suits of armour to life, and told Mrs. Weasley that she always wanted to do that spell was hilarious.  It made her seem like one of the very students she taught.  Overall, I saw her in a completely different way.  My other favorite line was when she told Neville to have Seamus do some pyrotechnics, as he had an aptitude for it.  And of course, Neville!  I can’t review Part 2 and leave Neville out of it!  He was awesome, and the change between the Sorcerer’s Stone and Deathly Hallows was unbelievable.  My favorite Neville moment was when he cut off Nagini’s head, closely by his speech to Voldemort. 

The battle was a lot more disorganized than I expected it to be, but considering it was a battle, and they were fighting for their lives, I would expect it to be chaotic.  I do wish there was a celebration after Voldemort died, but clearly, I can’t change that part of the movie.   

And of course, I need to mention the epilogue!  The audience definitely had this whole “oh, here we go,” vibe when the 19 years later popped up on the screen.  Honestly, I didn’t mind the epilogue, which surprised me, because I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue when I read the book.  They did cut a lot from it, only focusing on Harry talking with Albus about being in Slytherin, and then ends with Harry, Ron and Hermione watching their kids go to Hogwarts.

This review is getting pretty lengthy, so I think I’ll end it here…there are a few other things I wanted to mention about the movie, so I think I’ll do that tomorrow.

Harry Potter Round-up!

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Today’s Harry Potter related post will be about some of my favorite Harry Potter things!

  • The Last Muggle: It’s a great blog, about this girl reading the Harry Potter series for the very first time.  I haven’t read all the way back to the beginning, but she shares her predictions about the books, and all sorts of other thoughts about Harry Potter.
  • The Harry Potter Lexicon: It has everything you need to know about the world of Harry Potter.  From magical beasts to the characters we know and love, and everything in between, it’s a great resource, and helped me out a lot back in November.
  • The Harry Potter Companion: Another really cool website!  It has really cool artwork, and covers the Harry Potter series chapter-by-chapter.  Plus, there are essays to read.
  • Mugglenet: It’s one of several sites devoted to Harry Potter, and the news surrounding the books, movies, and (I think) the videogames.
  • Potter Puppet Pals: I’ve only seen The Mysterious Ticking Noise and Wizard Swears, both of which are hilarious, and the 2 videos that introduced me to Potter Puppet Pals. Maybe I should watch those other videos.
  • Starkid Potter: They are the geniuses behind A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel.  The soundtracks are amazing, and there are so many great lines (Daddy, I have mastered the use of the potty!), plus they’re hilarious.  How can you not love the scarf of sexual preference, or Draco rolling around on the floor?
  • Fanfiction: I like fanfiction, and I am not ashamed to admit it.  I’ve said before that Harry Potter fanfiction is the first thing I wrote, and I still write it.  I don’t read it as much as I used to, but I love seeing the different ideas fans come up with and ways people were inspired by the books.  Yes, there are some not-so-good stories out there, and yes, you have to sift through that to find the things you like, but I’m fan (of fanfiction, heeheehee).
  • Wizard Rock: I know I’ve beaten wrock over your heads, but I’m growing to love it more and more.  I love the creativity of it, and it’s very good at calming me down.  Plus, it’s fun to listen to, and whenever I listen to it, I wanted to start singing and dancing.  In fact, as I write this, I’m listen to Oliver Boyd and The Remembralls.  And it’s so hard to not love wrock when the genre as a whole has done several compilation albums for charity!

So, I’ve mentioned wizard rock a lot, and some are probably really familiar to HP fans, but I hope you find something new and interesting to look at!

More Random Thoughts About Harry Potter

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There’s a few more things I’ve wondered about the Harry Potter series, so I thought I’d share those today!

  • To J.K. Rowling: did you really need to name Harry’s kids James Sirius, Lily Luna and Albus Severus?  That is so cliche, and something I totally expected.  I get Harry would want to honor his parents and Sirius, and even Dumbledore, but Snape and Luna were slightly unexpected, so she gets some points for that.  I think I figured she would do that around book 5, and I hoped I would be wrong.  Clearly, I wasn’t.
  • Why on earth were Harry’s eyes (and looking like his dad) so darn important?  Maybe it was just a connection factor, like she wanted people to be reminded of what had happened to his parents.  But it seemed like it was a lot more important than it really was.
  • What exactly did Harry’s parents do after graduating from Hogwart’s?  Where they full-time Order members or did they have a job outside of that?  If they did have jobs, what were they?
  • If someone is an animagus, is that animal different from their patronus, or is it the same?  Can they be the same, or do they have to be different?  We know your Patronus can change, is it at all possible for the form of your animagus to change? 
  • Did Harry ever get another owl after Hedwig died?  If so, what did he name it? 
  • We know Hermione got 10 outstanding’s for her owls, and only one class is unnamed.  What is this unnamed class?  And for that matter, are there more classes than what’s been mentioned in the book?  That would certainly be interesting, and I wonder what other subjects there could possibly be.  It would have to be one of the elective classes, of course, because if it were one of the main subjects, we probably would have heard about it.
  • Did using the time-turner age Hermione at all?  I know I’ve seen it pop up in a few fanfics…would we have heard about it if it did, or did it have no effect on her? 
  • Did George really need to marry Fred’s ex-girlfriend?  I get naming his son after him, so that wasn’t a big surprise, but really?  Of all the people you could have fallen in love with, it had to be Angelina?  Whatever floats your boat, I guess…
  • I mentioned the other day that someone comes to speak to the muggle-born students when it’s time for their Hogwarts letter to come.  Why is there no wizarding studies?  I know an education at Hogwarts is the equivalent would be an education in the wizarding world, but there have to be a few different traditions and such in the wizarding world.  Say McGonagall went to talk to Hermione about her Hogwart’s letter.  Did McGonagall go over the transition to the wizarding world, and some of the basic traditions and stuff?  Or is it something they’re thrown into?

I think that’s about it, if I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to do another post on it!

It All Comes Back To Harry Potter

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For me, I owe a lot to Harry Potter.  It’s the one series I can read over and over, and never get tired of, it’s the example I use for so many things, and most of all, the very first thing Iwrote on my own, besides journal entries, was a Harry Potter fanfiction.

The fact that Harry Potter inspired me to start writing on my own is amazing!  Would I have started writing my own novels regardless?  Maybe, but it might have taken me a lot longer if it weren’t for Harry Potter.  Writing fanfiction gave me the confidence to come up with my own novels and commit to the the screen.  The more I write, the better I get at writing, but writing Harry Potter fanfiction let me write, and just focus on my writing.

Hogwarts is one of the very few places I can escape to when I need a break from the real world.  It’s comforting to know that Hogwarts is always there when I need it.  And if I ever have kids, Harry Potter is one of the stories I’m going to share with them.

Here’s a great video for everyone: It’s from the London Premiere of Deathly Hallows, Part 2, and it’s speeches from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and J.K. Rowling.  I started crying during Emma’s speech and completely starting bawling during J.K. Rowling’s speech.  Watch it now!  You know you want to!