The Hog's Head Inn

Anyone Interested In GarlandGraves' Essay?

2010-01-23T07:16:47Z

I have found a site with not only the essay as it appeared here on LJ, but with all of the comments archived, as well. I'm saving the essay, but unless someone wants the comments, too, I'm not going to grab them.

hogsheadinn @ 2008-02-24T21:55:00

2008-02-25T06:03:47Z

Diffindo Elite is a Harry Potter hybrid sorting community. This means that unlike other Harry Potter sorting communities, there are six houses, all mixtures of the four in canon: Gryffinpuff, Ravendor, Ravenpuff, Slytherclaw, Slytherdor, and Slytherpuff.
diffindo_elite, If you do apply please say I referenced you. :D

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON LIVEJOURNAL: hybrid_elite!
Come check out hybrid_sorting and reparo_elite send in an application! WE ARE RE-OPENING! Start turning in applications March 17th, Applications will start posting in the new term April 1st! Most if not all positions open! Come check us out!

for all who wondered about who used magic late in life

2007-08-09T17:36:57Z

On mugglenet.com is the Bloomsbury chat transcript that jk rowling participated in on July 30. We'll never know who because she changed her mind and cut that little piece of plot. Oh well, I still think it would have been Dudley.

Here is the relevant piece from the transcript,
"Snapedinhalf: You promised that someone will do magic late in life in book 7. I've now read it three times but cant work out who it might have been! Please help!!
J.K. Rowling: I'm sorry about this, but I changed my mind!
J.K. Rowling: My very earliest plan for the story involved somebody managing to get to Hogwarts when they had never done magic before, but I had changed my mind by the time I'd written the third book."

In Defense of the Wretched Epilogue

2007-07-31T17:51:49Z

First of all, Hi, I'm Piper [for now] and I am here via Helenangel. /waves

Now.
This epilogue business.

Personally, I think epilogues are like introductions - they're best kept short and to the point. In that sense, I think it's a very good epilogue, even though it does read more like, yes, an introduction.

Will there more Harry Potter books?

Honestly, I hope so. That's the fan in me, though, and not the writer. The fan in me is passionate about this world and the people in it. The writer in me would hate to see JK Rowling forced into the same eternal loop that writers like Anne McCaffrey have wound up in - Pern is the cash herdbeast that puts the food on the table - and it no longer matters if the books are good or bad, as long as they are Pern. It kills the imagination of the writer, and that kills the world.

I'd like to see JK take a long break. Maybe go to the moon, or into hiding, or back to school, or lay on her back on the roof of her house and do nothing for a while. Why not? But one of these days she'll get back to writing and when she does, she's given us a nice set up.

So that's one point - the epilogue is about 1/2 intro to what might be down the pike, if she gets the hankering to write about this some more.

What the epilogue is to me is a longed for scene that never happens between Harry and Snape: the one where they look and see each other clearly, for the first time. The one we can't have because of how it all ends. It's also about choices, and I like the way JK brings us gently back to that pivotal moment in the very first book - what Harry chooses under that hat determines everything that happens after.

Dumbledore tells Snape he thinks sometimes they sort too early. Perhaps Severus' path would have been different if the people in his common room had been different, if his friends had been other than they were. There were choices he wasn't given, choices Harry was. And when Snape got to a point where he started forcing those choices, or having them forced upon him, they came on the cutting edge of repeated loss and sacrifice. In a way, Snape didn't start making those choices until they no longer were choices, but the only clear path for a very broken heart.

What we get in the epilogue is vindication for Snape. We are now Snape's eyes and ears. We readers are the only way he will know he has been seen and understood. Through his words to, and the naming of, his son [with Lily's eyes and Ginny's hair!], Harry makes it clear that all is not only forgiven, it is embraced, accepted and cherished for what it was. And when he speaks to Al, it is to remind us all of the choices he was given through the sacrifices of others.

I like to think that when Al gets sorted, he'll have to choose between Ravenclaw and Slytherin and he'll go with Slytherin because at least it's familiar.

That's definitely me being all fanish.

Harry Potter

2007-07-30T15:12:10Z

I am soundly haunted by the death of Fred Weasley. Last night, as I thought about this, and as I read somewhere that Arthur was supposed to die, an interesting scene presented itself to me:

JK Rowling in a study, confronted by very antogonistic twins, and the ensuing conversation, how it saved Arthur, and how it killed Fred.

Within a couple of hours, this little vignette had turned into a series of dialogs, and the next thing I knew I was writing a play. I have never written a play in my life.

The fact is, I've kind of seen this coming. Was he the surprise death? I don't know. What I do know is that Gred and Feorge have done everything in their power to get themselves killed, and they started in book one, right along with Harry. Of all the Weasleys, the twins have often been the most extravagant about putting themselves squarely, frequently disrespectfully, in harm's way.

It was a matter of time.

And as for the manner of Fred's passing, well, all I can say is it was quick.

I'm safe in Kansas. So far no one here has set off a car bomb or tried to blow up a train or a bus. There hasn't been open warfare anywhere near here since the United States Civil War. But I'm not stupid. This is how people die in wars - one moment you are standing there talking and the next you are in hell and someone is gone and not coming back.

I cried through most of this last book. Starting with Hedwig, through Mad-Eye, through Dobby, through everything... but Fred breaks my heart. And yet, it seems fitting. I've spent three books terrified one of those boys was going to wind up paying the ultimate price for their attitudes. I'd hate to waste all that fear and worry. /wink

So now I'm writing a play, go figure.

Anyone want to tell me how to write stage directions? I can't quite get that part down.

Speculations?

2007-07-24T16:28:59Z

Rowling has said in several interviews that two characters were killed in this book which she hadn't intended to die while one got a reprieve.

Anyone know who these characters are or ideas on who they are?

Vindication!

2007-07-23T08:17:36Z

Total reading time (759 pages): 4 hours, 32 minutes

I started my list of predictions about the final book about 20 minutes after finishing reading Half-Blood Prince. I halted it at 50. In the interest of not Spoiler-ing, I won't post the list of predictions until Wednesday (though, if requested by email, I'll send it along to any who want it)

But I have to gloat. I'm damn good at this. 49 out of 50. 98% accuracy. Hoody Hoo! Maybe there's hope for me to make my living from writing after all?

Play that FuMP-y music...

2007-06-28T19:02:59Z

I already posted this in bipolypagangeek and in my own journal, but I had to put it here, too! Yes, it's making fun of HP and fans thereof, but if you can't laugh at yourself, what's the point in having a sense of humor?

Okay! First we put the text from the site: "July 2007 is like the most awesomest month ever: we get a new Harry Potter movie AND a new Harry Potter book within days of each other. Go ahead - start wetting your pants now. Here's a little something to accompany the warm feeling: a parody of Smash Mouth's 'All Star.'"

Now, we embed... Hee!

WOMBAT results??

2007-06-25T13:55:56Z

Did anyone else take the WOMBAT on J. K. Rowling's website? The results were just posted over the weekend, I think.

I got an Outstanding.

I think this means I'm a true Potter maniac.

RL Quidditch?

2007-05-04T17:51:05Z

Okay, so... there are folks trying to make this happen, with the necessary changes. Apparently, some old guy in Scotland had the original idea, but some geeky folks I know here in the states have actually built the Quidditch field and worked with the rules. There are 28 of them -- three teams of 7, 2 extra on each team (in case of injury or just switch-out) and one referee. I'm trying to talk them into filming a match, but apparently they want it "perfect" first. This is not to be confused with the actual ( Muggle Quidditch ) that's already established. This is some friends of mine being geeky and seeing if they can get it closer to the "real" thing

Broomsticks become unicycles. Yep, that's right, you wanna play, you learn
For a Quaffle, you use one of those easy-grip dodgeballs
Keeper and Beaters are on foot, instead of unicycles
For Bludgers, they're using two homemade balls and the Beaters use pieces of dowel-rod, but I think softball-sized wiffle balls and the cheapy wiffle bats would work fine (just have a few extra on hand for if they bend). You can throw the Bludgers at the folks on the other team, but you have to defend teammates with the bats
Play field works much like hockey -- enclosed completely
If the Keeper leaves the goal area, they must mount a unicycle within 10 seconds
The Snitch bit is the part that'll be hard to duplicate. The edge of the field has a series of 2-inch diameter holes, one series at 6 inches high, one series at 2 feet high and one series at 5 feet high. Holes are spaced around the perimeter of the field in each series 5 feet apart. The Seekers, on their unicycles, have essentially, whack-a-mole bats and the Snitch will pop out of one of these holes at random, and stay out for a random interval of 5 to 120 seconds, always out of one hole or another

Oh, give it up!!

2007-04-12T18:45:42Z

That Laura Mallory person in Georgia has a hearing with the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, GA, scheduled sometime soon in her attempt to get Harry Potter thrown out of the schools her kids attend.

An open letter to Ms. Mallory:

Give it up, lady. Honestly. What book is next on your list to ban? Huckleberry Finn? To Kill a Mockingbird?

I might have a little more attention to pay to your assertions that the books teach witchcraft and whatever else you say they teach if you'd actually read at least one of them. It says "fiction" on the spine for a reason: It is. If you get wingardium leviosa to make a feather float, I'll quit reading the books, for they will, indeed, be teaching witchcraft.

Harry's is a fantasy world that uses terms we're already familiar with: witch, wizard, spells, potions, owls, broomsticks. That doesn't make the world any less fantastic than Narnia or MiddleEarth. Oh - and if you pay attention to Narnia or MiddleEarth, you'll find quite a lot of similarities between them and Harry's world.

But first you'd have to read the books.

I've read that the real idea is that you want prayer back in schools. Good luck. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for prayer in school; I think the country started to deteriorate rapidly after prayer was removed from school. However, the two ideas aren't mutually exclusive. Praying people read Harry Potter. I'm one of them.

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by tilting at windmills, but all you're going to accomplish is making yourself look silly.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Cover Art!

2007-03-29T03:42:20Z

Today the cover art was revealed, and I just so happened to right-click on it... thought I'd share...

Enjoy!

I'll put the full-size image in my gallery -- under "Anything Else"

Deathly Hallows latest!

2007-02-01T16:22:13Z

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be published on Saturday 21st July 2007 at 00:01 BST in the UK and at 00:01 in the USA. It will also be released at 00:01 BST on Saturday 21st July in other English speaking countries around the world.

Two interests in one!

2006-09-19T01:50:07Z

Yaaay! Just in time for International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Tom Smith (World's Fastest Filker) has released a song for the holiday -- and worked Harry Potter fanishness into it because September 19th is not only ITLAPD, it's Hermione's birthday :)

WARNING: Drinking anything while following up this topic may be hazardous to your carpet due to hilarity-induced beverage spraying

http://filkertom-itom.blogspot.com/2006/09/008-hey-its-cannon.html

Oooh, poll and response!

2006-07-20T20:15:14Z

An LJ friend of mine, trysha, posted a death-poll about Harry Potter book seven in her journal... I posted who I thought the odds favored and why -- and why not the ones I didn't choose -- in comments

Go check it out!

( Clicky here )

Crossposted to hogsheadinn

Just in case you like the movies too

2005-08-25T07:39:51Z

It's Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang! (daaamn, Cedric looks gooooood and I am a dirty old lady)

Potter Cast

2005-08-23T17:30:29Z

Anybody listen to the new Potter Cast on Leaky Cauldron site?

I'm an idiot

2005-08-13T21:47:54Z

What is a "shipper"?

Just Wondering

2005-08-12T21:42:20Z

Could we see Dumbledore again? He had a long tie to phoenixes which suggests to me that there might be a return. Also, he never did tell Harry the "thrilling" story of how he got the ring Horcrux.

Has anyone noticed...

2005-08-02T18:25:57Z

That the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, sounds a lot like Abracadabra when you say it out loud?

I've heard that JK Rowling uses actual spells, etc, in the books, so maybe that's the origin of abracadabra?

Anyone have any knowledge on the origins of abracadabra?

Because I Have Way Too Much Time on My Hands

2005-07-28T17:00:55Z

I was skimming through Order of the Phoenix last night, especially the super funny part in Dumbledore's office after Umbridge catches the DA. And I know this really, REALLY isn't hinted at in the story, but does anyone else think that Minerva McGonagall had some serious unrequited love for Dumbledore?

Plus, I love the exchange where Fudge incredulously asks if Dumbledore is going to take on all of them single-handed. To which Minerva responds:

"He will not be single-handed!"' said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.
"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"

(Dumbledore third-person reference--awesome)

Not that she would ever say anything. This has also made me curious about Dumbledore--as Mr. Love Conquers All Man, what's his background and experience with this? No wife, no kids, no relatives other than his creepy, goat-loving brother? I think maybe it's tied to what happened when he drank the potion in Half-Blood Prince. All speculative, of course.

I dunno, whaddya think?

Dumbledore says

2005-07-27T18:50:48Z

When Draco, Dumbledore and Harry are on the tower (sorry, I don't have the book in front of me for direct quotes), Dumbledore tells Draco that he knows the task that has been appointed to him, but he did not want to risk confronting him about it all year in case V. used Legilimency against Draco.

OK. Now, Dumbledore is the smartest dude ever, we all know. (Incidentally, although he has Gryffindor's sword which I'm not sure is DD's property or the school's, has it ever been stated conclusively that he was a Gryffindor--could it be possible he was a Ravenclaw? I've been cooking up weird theories about the interconnectedness of characters and their representation in the four tiers of Hogwarts--OK, side note over) So we could surmise that he worked this out on his own, but don't you think it's more indicative that Snape told DD at the beginning of the year both about Draco's task AND the Unbreakable Vow and thus DD always knew that Draco would kill him or Snape would have to?

Is my logic totally flawed? I think this so far is the most conclusive/logical fallacy evidence we have pointing to the fact that Snape is still on "our" side.

Why drink it?

2005-07-23T11:35:57Z

"Oh yes." Dumbledore peered more closely into the basin. Harry saw his face reflected, upside down, in the smooth surface of the green potion. "But how to reach it? This potion cannot be penetrated by hand, Vanished, parted, scooped up, or siphoned away, nor can it be Transfigured, Charmed, or otherwise made to change its nature." Almost absentmindedly, Dumbledore raised his wand again, twirled it once in midair, and then caught the crystal goblet that he had conjured out of nowhere. "I can only conclude that this potion is supposed to be drunk."

"What?" said Harry. "No!"

"Yes, I think so: Only by drinking it can I empty the basin and see what lies in its depths."

1. I'm really confused why Dumbledore could scoop the green potion up with his goblet since he mentions that it can't be scooped.

2. If he can scoop it up, why can't he pour the green potion away? Like elsewhere? Into the lake or onto the floor or something. Why pour dangerous liquids into his mouth?!

Am I missing a huge chunk of information?

Half Blood Prince?

2005-07-23T11:10:04Z

Ok, so in the book, when Harry asks Lupin about whether he was the Half Blood Prince, and later confirms the date of when the book was published, the book says that the textbook was published too early for it to be his father.

But wasn't Snape at school at the same time as Sirius, James and Remus? So how would that work?

Although the date the book was published may not necessarily denote the time when it was used. Does anyone actually understand what I'm saying? I'm talking very incoherently today..

semi cross-posting.

2005-07-21T19:21:08Z

You have to read this awesome bit about the Snape argument. Spoliers galore, don't click if you haven't read the whole thing.

It gave me great hope.