Hogwarts Herald

Ok, so that title may be a bit misleading. No, I am not doing an interview with the world renowned author that we all love so much. Nor do I even hope to have something like that on the horizon. She’s just too big for that. However, I was thinking to myself today, what if I could interview JK Rowling? What if I had the chance to ask only 5 questions? What would those questions be?

Today, I’m doing just that. I’m writing out my 5 questions to Rowling, and the reasons behind them. And maybe even what I would answer if I were her. I’d like to know, also, what you would ask. Please leave a question or two in the comments, and the reasons behind that particular question…

OK, lets begin…

1) Something I’ve wondered since reading Deathly Hallows, and then re-reading Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s)Stone… There were several tidbits left throughout Chapter One of SS. The Deluminator, Sirius Black etc… Was that intentional foreshadowing or did the ideas come later?

Mostly, readers, my interest in the question lies in particular with the deluminator. It becomes such an important tool in Deathly Hallows, but before that it’s entirely inconsequential. It’s just another bit of magic. Just another tool that the wizards have that we do not. So I wonder, pretty regularly, was this meant to become so important when she wrote the first words about it so long ago?

2) We find out in Order of the Phoenix that James was kind of a jerk. At least when it came to Severus. Since we all saw James through Harry’s eyes and he thought James was a saint, was it a difficult decision to burst his, and our, bubble like that?

Now I realize that James being a jerk to Severus was a necessary plot device. It’s explains everything. Why was Snape so mean to Harry? Payback. Why did Snape still do everything to keep Harry alive? True love. It just makes sense. Still, I was crushed when I found out that James Potter was one of “those” guys…

3) What age do you think is appropriate to begin, and finish, reading the Harry Potter series?

The first couple books are very much for children, in my opinion, but when it comes to the final books it kind of disturbs me to see 6 & 7 year olds reading them. I don’t know when I will let my son start them, but he will be at least 8, and I may very well be a mean mommy and start him at 11 with a new one each year on his birthday…

4) If you were to give any one of the characters that died in the series a free pass, who would it have been?

This is such a hard question for me to ask, as I’m sure it would be a very difficult question for her to answer. Especially since we know she did give one character a second chance at life. When Arthur Weasley was bitten by Nagini in Order of the Phoenix, he was supposed to die. Rowling changed her mind at the last minute, saying that it would have affected Ron too deeply for the remainder of the series. Still of the one’s that did die, if I were her, I would choose Dobby. I think his death was just so unnecessary. And not in the way that she shouldn’t have written it, but like so many deaths in wars are unnecessary. He was an innocent, not a warrior. His death affected me more deeply than any other in the books.

5) What is one interview question that you always wish would be asked, but never has been?

Of course the reasoning behind this is clear, what do you want to say that you never get the chance to?

I have so many more questions, but that is the point, if I could only ask her 5 things, what would they be. These are mine readers, what are yours?

So, I got the Harry Potter Interactive DVD Challenge game from Netflix last week. I have to say, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a phenomenal game, and certainly nothing I would buy, but it killed an hour and it was fun to see the clips and whatnot. The game starts off with you picking a house. You can either choose one, or have the Sorting Hat sort you into one. Strangely enough, I am always sorted into Ravenclaw, and I was going to choose that one, but I decided to go with the Sorting Hat, to get the full experience. I was sorted, without it asking me any questions, into Ravenclaw. WEEEIIIIRRRDDDD….

OK, as for the game itself. You must attend four classes per “year” and you have the option for “extracurricular activities” after you have completed and passed two classes. The fourth class must be passed in order to move on to the next year. I got halfway through year three before I got bored and turned it off. Actually, I could have kept playing, but Hubby got bored watching me crash over and over again.

There are some criticisms.

(more…)

If you (think you) are - check out the “Deathy Hallow Madness” quiz at Mugglenet.com - they’ve put together a series of 65 questions/predictions for the plot of HPatDH - participants are asked to choose what they think will happen in each situation - And there are prizes! Which is always a good thing. You do have to register with the site to participate.

Mugglenet (which has a strict no spoilers policy) has reported that there are some spoilers floating around on the internet - so, if you “don’t want to know” - beware.

Taking a break from the Potter Party Planning (yes, I know it’s just 2 weeks away) - I thought I’d participate in a meme that’s actually about Harry Potter…

1. Butterbeer or pumpkin juice? Butterbeer -

2. What House would you most likely (or want to) be in in Hogwarts? Well, I’d obviously like to be in Gryffindor - because all the best people are there. Really, the only house I wouldn’t want to be in is Slytherin - I guess my muggle blood would keep me out anyway.

3. If you were an animagus, what animal would you turn into? Excellent question - I’ve often thought that cats have quite the life -

4. What character do you empathize with, or resemble best? hmm, I guess maybe Harry. He’s had to be quite independent throughout his life - but he’s made wonderful friends along the way on whom he can rely. He’s never totally sure of his abilities but when put to the test he comes through it all.

5. What position do you play at Quidditch?
Bludger -

6. Which teacher is your favorite? Probably Professor McGonagel - she’s so no nonsense and yet very caring.

7. Any Harry Potter 7 predictions? Well, I hope that “you know who” is destroyed - for good. I expect that there will be a terrific battle - with all factions of the series coming together - dragons, giants, wizards maybe even some muggles.

HT: Kelly at Tiny Treasury

Despite what J.K. Rowling says about the fate of dear Professor Dumbledore - there has been a Dumbledore sighting, strangely enough, in the United States. Perhaps he’s taking some down time to explore new places…

Or at least he’s inspiring crafting. I made the Dumbledore hat for the costume. It’s a simple felted “pill box” hat out of gray-green wool, embellished with ribbon and a tassel!

Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter crafts

So, this is the 3rd time we’ve been tagged for the “7 random facts” meme. (is it “mem” or “meem”, btw?) This time by Brick at Encouraging Health.

Since there really aren’t many more “random” things about me, personally, I thought I’d extend the “tag” to one of our favorite subjects, Albus Dumbledore…

So, Professor Dumbledore, here’s the deal… we need 7 random facts about you…

1. The name “Dumbledore” is an old Devonshire word for “bumblebee”
2. My favourite flavour of jam is raspberry
3. My brother, Aberforth, is currently the bartender at the Hog’s Head in Hogsmeade.
4. As, you undoubtedly know from your collection of wizard cards, I, along with Nicholas Flamel, discovered the 12 uses of dragon blood.
5. One of my favorite muggle activities is ten-pin bowling
6. Upon returning to Hogwarts, I was Professor of Transfiguration.
7. Although I am supposed to be dead, Maddy refuses to believe it and therefore awoke me from my nap in my easy chair, and asked me to participate.

I believe I’ll “tag” the following professors/staff:

Severus Snape - because he owes me one;
Cuthbert Binns - as he knows so much history;
Aurora Sinistra - because it’s in the stars;
Septima Vector - because she adores numbers so;
Irma Pince - if she can’t think of anything on her own, she can look it up;
Wilkie Twycross - for reasons that are apparent; and, finally,
Hagrid - because he is so randomly good at random matters.

Thanks Professor Dumbledore (and Wikipedia!)for helping out!

Albus Dumbledore

…and Potter every day?

Check out the MTV article on Harry Potter inspired music groups.

Potter fans are growing up - and it was only a matter of time before “tribute” emerged.

Some of the groups (such as Harry and the Potters) are even available for download on iTunes.

Harry and the Potters, MTV, iTunes

Invitations - first we need a flock of owls.

Since it’s very unlikely that we’ll be able to find that many magical owls, who are, otherwise disengaged, I guess we’ll have to rely on Muggle Mail - or the internet!

On-line invitations are an easy, fun and economical way to invite friends to any gathering. Sites such as Evite do most of the work for you - all you have to do is type in the basic information and they send out the invites (via email), track RSVPs and send reminders.

But, sometimes it’s fun to send out “real” invitations, and I think that this is one of those occasions. While I’ll probably send out a few internet invitations (to those friends that I might not have a street address for), we’re going to make (yes, make) invitations for everyone!

So, what should our invitations look like? An owl shape would be fun - that is how mail is sent through the wizarding world. We might use paper that looks like the parchment the students at Hogwarts use. Or maybe some eerie looking paper similar to the cover art. I think that’s what we’ll do!

Of course, we’ll have to include all of the important information:

What: Harry Potter Book Release Party
When: 5:00pm - whenever, Friday, 07/20/2007
Where: My backyard!
R.S.V.P. by July 14th via Phone, email or owl!

We should be able to have all of the invites completed in a week or two - we want to be sure to send them out soon so that everyone will be able to add our party to their busy summer schedules!

So, let’s see, we’ve been working on the menu, and activities. Next we need to figure out decorations, and just how wicked we want this party to be…

It’s just been announced that a Harry Potter Theme park is in the works!

The plan, which will be a joint venture between Warner Brothers and Universal has been blessed by J.K. Rowling.

The park is set to open in 2009.

We’ll have to feed these hungry readers! What to serve as a “main dish” at our book release party?

Well, as we’ve decided, the party is going to be July 20th - which, for those of us in the northern hemisphere, is the middle of summer - and it’s, most likely, going to be hot. So we don’t want to be spending hours over a hot stove with the oven heating up the whole house - so I think that a dish that can be prepared outdoors will be our best bet!

As Hogwarts is closed during the summer months - there isn’t much going on in the kitchens at that time - but we do have some clues as to wizardly fare by our time at the Burrows. Mrs. Weasley congers up a variety of dishes, including ham and chicken pie, salad and strawberry ice cream. As we’ll be outside for the party (did I tell you we’ll be outside?) with not much seating area, easy-to-eat food will be our best bet.

Sandwiches - it seems like the perfect solution - easy to prepare and easy to eat.

Keeping with the Potter theme - we’ll serve cold chicken and ham sandwiches and warm roast beef, but slice it so it can be eaten on bread.

chicken sandwiches:

1 rotisserie chicken (easy! get this at the grocery store/deli)
mini pitas (or mini roll of your choosing)
roasted red pepper spread (store bought or made by pureeing (in a blender or food processor) roasted red peppers with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper until a thick, but smooth paste)
8oz sharp provolone cheese (cut into sticks)
Leaf lettuce

Pick all of the meat off of the chicken (can also use baked chicken breasts if chicken picken isn’t your favorite task.
Slice the mini pitas to open.
Spread red pepper sauce into each pita
stuff with chicken, cheese and lettuce
Serve any extra pepper sauce on the side

Ham sandwiches:
1 lb deli ham, sliced thinly
3/4 lb cheddar or swiss cheese, sliced
1 english cucumber, sliced (you guessed it) thinly
1 package party rye
deli mustard
toothpicks

Assemble the sandwiches by spreading 1/2 of the slices of bread on a tray. Spread mustard on each of the slices of bread. Next, add the ham, cheese and cucumber. Top each sandwich with a second slice of bread. If necessary, secure each sandwich with a toothpick.

Warm roast beef sandwiches: This recipe can be made outside on the grill top or outdoor stove.

2-3 lbs sliced roast beef (you can buy this at the deli counter or cook the roast yourself)
2 au jus gravy packets
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
mini kaiser rolls
horseradish (hot or creamy)

-In a large saucepan or dutch oven, prepare the gravy per package directions.
-Once the gravy is done, add the sliced beef - cook on low heat until warmed through
-Serve on mini kaiser rolls with gravy, cheese and horseradish.

While I don’t have time to knit up house scarves for all of my Potter Pals before the end of July, I do have time to knit one scarf to give away as a sort of “door prize.”

The contest could be:

- a guessing game - have a large number of pennies (un-inflated balloons, ) in a container and the person who guesses closest to the number wins;

- a trivia quiz that you create (or borrow from the internet) and the guest with the highest score wins;

- a random drawing of your guests’ names in a hat (a sorting hat, of course).

But, back to the scarf…

There are a multitude of Harry Potter inspired knitting projects on the internet (and, of course the new knitting book, Charmed Knits) and the most popular (and researched) item is the House Scarf. Knitters have, for years, discussed and debated the structure of the scarf, the number of rows, the height of the rows, the pattern (mostly influenced by the movies), and the color choices (the most bitter battle of all - book versus movie color schemes).

The general consensus, however, is that the original house scarf is long, has large stripes and is “knit in the round.” Knit in the round means that you use circular needles and, basically, make a long tube of color. The huge benefits of this method are that you can use just the knit stitch (no purling required) and your color join seams and weaving in are hidden inside the tube!

For colors - I’m going to make a Griffyndor house sweater in washable wool. I really like the colors from the movies - so I’ll use a burgundy and a yellow gold.

Materials: size 8 (or whatever size is recommended for the yarn you choose) 16″ circular needles
2 100g skeins of burgundy wool (about 400 yards total)
2 100g skeins of yellow/gold wool
stitch marker
crochet hook (for fringe)
yarn needle

Cast on 70 stitches with first color - place stitch marker at beginning of round.
Knit in the round for 23 more rows (total 24); switch to second yarn and knit another 24 rows. Knit as many stripes as you like - but do an odd number of stripes so that you end up with the blocks of the first color on either end of the scarf. Weave in ends as necessary.

For fringe - add fringe in alternating colors, again with an odd number. Trim fringe to even.

Telegraph writer Hilary Alexander describes fashion designer Paul Smith’s new collection as “a cross between Harry Potter and Prince Harry.”

As the models assembled for the finale, appropriately on a catwalk in the Museé de l’Homme, it was hard to decide whether they resembled a curtain call for Prince Harry and his chums on a night out or a photo-call for Hogwarts’ sixth form.

“It’s the style of mixing your grand-father’s old tweed coat with a slogan T-shirt or wearing your dinner suit with a woolly jumper and a knitted beanie.”

A woolly jumper and a knitted beanie? You gotta love the Brits.

A couple days ago on her “Shakespeare’s Coffee” blog Rebecca Swain Vadnie shares a few great links for Harry Potter knitting patterns…in particular is this link with a ton of Potter-inspired knitting patterns, including the Ginny Weasly hat above.

Also of note is a forthcoming book of Potter-inspired knits, “Charmed Knits,” by Alison Hansel, famous in Potter knitting circles for her Weasley Sweater (above) and other Harry Potterish designs. The book is due out in April, just before Order of the Phoenix mania swings into high gear.

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