Lovegood (Ministry of Magic)

Propaganda is putting thoughts in my head

Surely now our, days of childhood are dead

You and Ginny, kept the training alive

Despite the Carrows Dumbledores army is ready to fight

And I can’t see why they don’t see

And I can see what they don’t see in you

Luna, I wanna take you to the moon

Where it can be just me and you

Oh, Luna Loo

In the cellar you were tender to Olivander

So perceptive and protective of those you love

Your truth is piercing but welcome in these confusing times

Some say your crazy, but I am crazy for those silver blue eyes

And I can’t see why they don’t see

And I can see what they don’t see in you

Luna, I wanna take you to the moon

Where it can be just me and you

Oh, Luna Loo

Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure

But you also had faith through it all.

Friends know you faithful

and constantly able to lend a good and gifted wand

I am looking for the kind of witch to hold

And stand with against the dark lord

Luna, I wanna take you to the moon

Where it can be just me and you

Oh, Luna Loo

The Harry Potter Prequel, by JK Rowling (2008)

It’s funny how you only know somethings much later than you should. This is one of those things… I leave here to you, a short story that JK Rowling wrote in 2008 for English PEN, the writers' association, and the Dyslexia Society. I read this on the Harry Potter Wiki (you can find the article here) and it says that from 2009 that the story is no longer available online. Even so, they have a link at the bottom of the page redirecting the reader to a page with the story, so I really hope this is the official one. Here it is:

 

“The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted ‘whoa!’ Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flung under his wheels; however, the motorbike made the turn without unseating either of its riders, and with a wink of its red tail light, vanished up the narrow side street.
‘We’ve got ‘em now!” cried PC Anderson excitedly. ‘That’s a dead end!”
Leaning hard on the steering wheel and crashing his gears, Fisher scraped half the paint off the flank of the car as he forced it up the alleyway in pursuit.
There in the headlights sat their quarry, stationary at last after a quarter of an hour’s chase. The two riders were trapped between a towering brick wall and the police car, which was now crashing towards them like some growling, luminous-eyed predator.
There was so little space between the car doors and the walls of the alley that Fisher and Anderson had difficulty extricating themselves from the vehicle. It injured their dignity to have to inch, crab-like, towards the miscreants. Fisher dragged his generous belly along the wall, tearing buttons off his shirt as he went, and finally snapping off the wing mirror with his backside.
‘Get off the bike!’ he bellowed at the smirking youths, who sat basking in the flashing blue light as though enjoying it.
They did as they were told. Finally pulling free from the broken wind mirror, Fisher glared at them. They seemed to be in their late teens. The one who had been driving had long black hair; his insolent good looks reminded Fisher unpleasantly of his daughter’s guitar-playing, layabout boyfriend. The second boy also had black hair, though his was short and stuck up in all directions; he wore glasses and a broad grin. Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird; the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, tuneless rock band.
‘No helmets!’ Fisher yelled, pointing from one uncovered head to the other. ‘Exceeding the speed limit by – by a considerable amount!’ (In fact, the speed registered had been greater than Fisher was prepared to accept that any motorcycle could travel.) ‘Failing to stop for the police!’
‘We’d have loved to stop for a chat,’ said the boy in glasses, ‘only we were trying -’
‘Don’t get smart – you two are in a heap of trouble!’ snarled Anderson. ‘Names!’
‘Names?’ repeated the long-haired driver. ‘Er – well, let’s see. There’s Wilberforce… Bathsheba… Elvendork…’
‘And what’s nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl,’ said the boy in glasses.
‘Oh, OUR names, did you mean?’ asked the first, as Anderson spluttered with rage. ‘You should’ve said! This here is James Potter, and I’m Sirius Black!’
‘Things’ll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little -’
But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staring past Fisher and Anderson, over the roof of the police car, at the dark mouth of the alley. Then, with identical fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets.
For the space of a heartbeat both policemen imagined guns gleaming at them, but a second later they saw that the motorcyclists had drawn nothing more than -
‘Drumsticks?’ jeered Anderson. ‘Right pair of jokers, aren’t you? Right, we’re arresting you on a charge of -’
But Anderson never got to name the charge. James and Sirius had shouted something incomprehensible, and the beams from the headlights had moved.
The policemen wheeled around, then staggered backwards. Three men were flying – actually FLYING – up the alley on broomsticks – and at the same moment, the police car was rearing up on its back wheels.
Fisher’s knees bucked; he sat down hard; Anderson tripped over Fisher’s legs and fell on top of him, as FLUMP – BANG – CRUNCH – they heard the men on brooms slam into the upended car and fall, apparently insensible, to the ground, while broken bits of broomstick clattered down around them.
The motorbike had roared into life again. His mouth hanging open, Fisher mustered the strength to look back at the two teenagers.
‘Thanks very much!’ called Sirius over the throb of the engine. ‘We owe you one!’
‘Yeah, nice meeting you!’ said James. ‘And don’t forget: Elvendork! It’s unisex!’
There was an earth-shattering crash, and Fisher and Anderson threw their arms around each other in fright; their car had just fallen back to the ground. Now it was the motorcycle’s turn to rear. Before the policemen’s disbelieving eyes, it took off into the air: James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them like a vanishing ruby.”

 

You can find the link for the story here.

Getting prepared for the Oscar nominations

So, accordingly to The Leaky Cauldron, Warner Brothers has launched a “for your consideration” website for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II with all the nominations WB thinks Harry Potter 7 part II deserves.

 

You can go to the site here and you can see the “for your consideration” video below

 

 

While I think that nominations for best actors to Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are a bit overrated, but besides that I agree with Warner Brothers.

 

You can see the article about it on Leaky Cauldron here: [link]

You’re a Wizard, Harry…

(Warning: this post may be a bit sentimentalist, but I am tired and listening to this song while writing. It’s not an excuse, but it helps…)

 

Wondering around on Youtube just makes us find silly things we used to watch years ago and that we don’t watch anymore. It also allows us to find not so funny videos that we also used to watch years ago and that are half forgotten, but still come to mind when you’re tired enough to think what to study next.

 

It’s funny that small clips that used to make you happy and laugh of excitement, today they make you happy and have a sudden urge to cry, and that’s just how it is… It is weird how little things can leave you wondering about the last thirteen or fourteen years of your life, and this clip is certainly one of them.

 

I remember perfectly when this trailer came out. I still keep the rubbish quality video we downloaded at the time. If this was of a solid material I would certainly keep it in my memory box (if I had a proper one).

 

I remember being eleven and watching this video again and again completely in sheer expectation of what would the film be like. What would be like to see Harry Potter. To actually see him instead of just imagining in my head?

 

The downloaded clip I keep in my computer also reminds me of how much times have changed… I remember having a horrible internet connection and watching the initial part of the trailer thirty times before being able to watch the complete clip, because the download was really slow.

 

I sometimes wonder how my life would have been if Harry Potter have never been written. Most things I remember are associated with him somehow, even if they are not related at all.

 

I also remember thinking of what would it be like when Harry Potter as over… but somehow I could never imagine it. Today the books were read, the films were watched and the surprise is no longer there. Even so, it takes a simple query on Google to see why I could never imagine how it would be like… because Harry Potter has never ended, nor will it will ever end. The excitement of reading a new piece of the story will not be there again, but the times and memories are, and those can’t be taken away.

 

Harry Potter in 99 seconds

Just found this on Youtube and thought of sharing it...

Of Light and Magic...

"Albus Dumbledore found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him."

I must admit that when I started reading Harry Potter it read like any fantasy book I had read before. Even the owls flying like mad or the cat reading a map didn't make me click.

The first signal was given by the weird man in the long robes stealing the light from the streetlamps – there was something there. Stealing light was a godlike (or demon-like…) action. Only Gods and Demons were capable of doing so.

I was captured.

I remember reading the book in a wink - after all it was just a children’s book - but it had put a definite spell on me.

I know it had all the necessary ingredients to be accepted – the orphan child, the wicked family with whom he lived in servitude, the kind heart despite all the hatred, the enchanting castle and the brotherhood of friends, the enemies and the bullying, the loneliness, the loss, the death, but also the shared happiness, the self discovery and the hint of hope, the final recognition (“…mirror, mirror on the wall…”) and victory over evil. Over death.

These same signals are present in every story we read or were told when we were children – Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty (no, they were not written or invented by Walt Disney!)… - as well as in complex sagas like The Lord of the Rings.

Nothing new? Obviously not.

But it works. It tells about values like friendship or loyalty, or love being a powerful shield against whatever might strike us through life. It tells of hope and dreams, of life and the inevitable death. It tells of grief and pain, of joy and tenderness, of suffering and sacrifice.

Nothing new. Obviously not.

These are the things why Harry Potter must be cherished – because it brought to light those values sometimes forgotten in the mayhem of modern life where virtual friends are at hand and families are estranged…

It tells of things that kept us going along centuries, preserved our life and made us different.

To that awesome difference we called Humanity.

And that was the real magic of Harry Potter.

Re-Fredding de-Fredded Fred

Sometime ago I saw this piece of fanfiction on Tumblr. There were lots of people saying that you should read it, so I decided to give it a try. It really caught my attention and I must say that the story itself it quite consistent with the books, and I thought it would be a good idea to share it.

 

This is a story about Fred’s de-Fredding and re-Fredding. So, if you want to read an alternative ending to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, go ahead, it is just a click away

 

Fox Ears, by The Starhorse

 

If you didn’t understand already what all that de- and re-Fredding means, just read the story and you will know of what I am talking about.

Pottermore: A Magical Experience

It is a new addition to the daily routine. Every morning I check my email to see if something important came up and after that I log in to Pottermore to see how many students are now at Hogwarts and what house has more house points.

Pottermore is definitely not Hogwarts, but it is a very good approximation. Everyone seems to fear which house he or she is going to be sorted. And if you look well into it, you can see several patterns in the people that are chosen to which houses.

But the purpose of this post is not analysing nor discussing the people that constitute each one of the four Hogwarts houses. The purpose of this post is to discuss the people on Pottermore in general.

All the people on Pottermore right now had to enter through the Magical Quill challenge, and many of them stood many nights woken up so that they could get in. So, if they are on Pottermore is because they really like Harry Potter, and are there to live the books again and see how it would be to be at Hogwarts.

When finally my account was activated and I could get into the site, I was sorted in Ravenclaw. And every morning since that day, when I check the house points, Ravenclaw has been in the lead. Except for a couple of days ago, when Slytherin started to catch up. Apparently, everyone on the Slytherin house seems to be really strong minded and they work day and night to win more house points. When turn the computer off at night Ravenclaw is winning, and in the morning, when I turn it on, Slytherin is winning.

So, I’m writing this as I am waiting for a potion to brew. It takes some time, between one and three hours. When you brew a potion correctly, you win five house points. The Wizard Duels are down right now, so the only way to win house points is to brew potions.

Taking a quick look at the comments panel in the Ravenclaw common room, we can see many people asking for ingredients for their potions and many people giving support. Reading those comments, writing comments back and getting replies (even if the most common form of reply is a “like”) makes me feel part of a real team, a real Ravenclaw team, where everyone is making efforts to not let Slytherin win the house cup. Everyone is brewing potions, and it is almost possible to feel the rush of the people working as a team to win more house points. It is absolutely fascinating. On the other hand it is also possible to see the efforts of the Slytherin people to win points, because each time Ravenclaw is on the lead, minutes later, Slytherin is already there…

It is completely amazing to see people from all around the world working together to achieve an end, even if it is something as simple as winning house points… and somehow, in the middle of all that, Hogwarts is there, and it exists. And at night, everyone wonders what the four hourglasses in the Great Hall will mark in the morning.

It’s amazing to see that, in spite of everything, Hogwarts is really there. It exists in the will of everyone to make it real…

Do you need to tell me something?

I’ve recently entered the world of Tumblr and found out that there are many people who make different Harry Potter related graphics each day. Most of them are really good, and even between the ones that I find uninteresting there is none that I found really bad.

In the middle of everything I found a curious blog called Harry Potter confessions. Apparently there are several “something confessions” blogs (Castle confessions, Bones confessions, Merlin confessions, and so on…) but I must say that by far, the Harry Potter one is the most interesting.

So, what is this blog about after all? Well, as the tiltle says it, it is a place where you can confess something about Harry Potter, wether it is something you like, or that you don’t like, wether it is about the films or the books. It’s something personal you have to say about Harry Potter. Then, you can submit to the site and the authors will choose a picture of the films and make graphics of it. And don’t worry, all of the confessions are completely anonimous.

 

I actually found out that I related to many of the so called “confessions” said by many people around the world. I think that most of all you can see that you are not alone in your way of thinking.

 

So, here are some of my personal favourites:

 

 

I can’t say I relate very much to this one, but I really like it. I find really interesting that people can look at Hermione and try to be like her. I wish I could as well…

 

 

Not every confession is as personal as the first one I posted here, and many of them are about the way the story took in the books or films. I can’t help but agree with this one, even if I think that the killing of Bellatrix by Mrs. Weasley is perfect…

 

 

I completely agree with this one, although it doesn’t exacly “break my heart”. That’s a bit exagerated…

 

Well, and then there’s the funny ones…

 

 

I couldn’t help but laughing at this one… but I wouldn’t actually mind eat at Hogwarts… both the books and the films state that the food is wonderful… oh, and Ron also makes it appear that way…

 

And then there are the ones that love Voldemort…

 

Not that I agree with this one…

 

And then, there’s the eternal battle between those who think that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together since the very beginning and those who think that Hermione was meant for Harry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A battle in which I won’t take any sides… For me any of the versions makes some sense…

There are also the same kind of “confessions” about Harry and Ginny… Lily and James or even Lily and Snape.

 

Then there’s Fred. There are a lot of things written about Fred. Most of them are wishes or reactions (and then, the wrong ones – the one on the right, for example).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really think this to be an interesting project, and submissions are already closed due to the high volume of “confections” that are getting their way into the site everyday.

 

I’m now ending this post with two “confections” that I really identify with

 

 

 

and the one “confection” that surprised me the most

 

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time.
These were the magical words that opened most of my favorite stories when I was a child.
They had the power to open the "realms of magic" that I dreamt someday would open so I could live there happily ever after.
I didn't have dreams of knights or charming princes. Instead I dreamt of magic creatures, of fairies and witches and wizards and dragons, of places where I could have a wand and be free. When in my teenagehood I discovered Bilbo and his companion hobbits I could understand their fascination for the Elves "who left a trail of stars on the grass" when they walked across the woods.

But slowly the "realms of magic" vanished from children's stories, and authors told that the most magical feat they could perform would be going to the grocers for two pounds of sugar, going for a ride with a group of friends, playing with their cat or running with their dog. The cat would never be a witch and the dog would not have three heads. Those were myths. Children and youngsters need reality.

And suddenly something changed.
I remember reading some piece of news about a book that was bringing magic back to life. I found it piled on a shelf, still unnoticed, waiting to be opened. I didn't buy it straight away but it found its way into my house, into my life, into my family, into my heart.

At the end of the first chapter I was sure I had awaken the magic I had kept slumbering in a secret spot on my way to adulthood. At the end of the first book I wanted more. At the end of the second I dreamt of this world where friendship and loyalty were prized, where love was an invisible defense against enemies and extended beyond death, where you were supposed to be valued for your actions and not your riches.
I shared it with my daughter, discussed it with my students, teenagers asking questions about life and death, love and being loved.
Teenagers like the one Harry Potter was turning into ten years after that first chapter:

"A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"."


And I still hold up my glass to Harry Potter and the magic he brought into our life.


"To Harry Potter - the boy who will live forever!"

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Hello everyone!

This is an attempt at making a Harry Potter blog. And when I mean a Harry Potter blog, I mean that it is a blog only about Harry Potter and only with Harry Potter related stuff, whether they are quotes, pictures, news, reviews, analysis, stories, anything...

The paragraph you can read above is the first paragraph of the first book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I thought, as this is the first post, it would be appropriate to have the first words of Harry Potter in this post...

I don't know how this will turn out in the end, but I hope you all like it!

See you soon, then!

Mischief Managed