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Posted by in Website news
In my last entry, I mentioned that Disney Adventures magazine stated that the 101 Wizard cards in the video games were designed by Rowling. I said that I was trying to find out if that were true, but in the meantime I was going to start including that information in… Read More
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I know some of you have decided that I must have given up on the Lexicon, what with the lack of entries here. It’s true that I haven’t been spending as much time on the site as I did before, partly because I’m getting closer and closer to being “done”… Read More
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The Chapter by Chapter pages for each of the books are being “upgraded” into Reader’s Guides. The page for book one has been changed into the new format, although all the text and links aren’t finished. Take a look and see how you like it. Eventually, there will be four main… Read More
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Since I last posted here, I have modified/edited/added to over one hundred of the five hundred pages of information of the Lexicon. Most of those changes have been minor: a new spell added to the Spell Encyclopedia, for example. Here’s a few other of the updates and changes: added to… Read More
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A new map has been added to the Atlas, contributed to the Lexicon by Hermione. It’s a beautiful map of the chambers under Hogwarts where the Philosopher’s Stone was hidden.  I have added links to it so you can click on various places and be taken to relevent places in the… Read More
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I have opened a forum for the Lexicon. You can sign on and make comments, discuss your theories about the books, make suggestions for improvement, and so on. I’m doing this on a trial basis to see if the folks who come to my site find it useful. Read More
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I’m sure you already noticed the biggest change around here: the new main index page and front door. The design for these was inspired by the Daily Prophet design seen in the films as well as the lettering on blackboards in Hogwarts classrooms. The effect is supposed to suggest signboards… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Why didn’t Harry talk Parseltongue to the basilisk? Good question. There are a couple of times in the books where Harry seems to ignore the obvious solution. Another great example is when he was stuck in the trick stair, under his invisibility cloak, when the egg was screeching and he dropped the Marauder’s Map. There it lies almost within his grasp, and he… Read More
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Excellent new essay about Fawkes the Phoenix I have updated the page about the fifth book I am working on a new, complete index of the Harry Potter universe, with references linked to complete information within the pages of the Lexicon. It’s called “The Harry Potter Universe A to Z.” This is… Read More
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Posted by in Creatures / Essays
Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix, has played a prominent role in the first four Harry Potter books. With the fifth book reportedly titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it is worthwhile to speculate about Fawkes’ past. There is strong support in J. K. Rowling’s canon for the theory that… Read More
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IMPORTANT NOTICE – A visitor to the Lexicon emailed me about an annoying pop-up advertising window that appeared whenever he browsed to my site. I was very surprised, since I don’t put any advertising at all on my site. I understand that it’s necessary for sites to accept advertising, and… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
From the start of the Harry Potter series, our hero finds himself a stranger in a very strange land. He discovers that the world he grew up in hides a secret wizarding world. This is no Oz or Wonderland that exists separate from the normal world and can only be entered through extraordinary means. Read More
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Where do I start? I counted and I’ve added or modified 97 pages since June 8, the last date I made an entry here. I can’t begin to list everything, so I’ll just mention some of the big changes: a lot of new information has been added to the Quidditch section. Read More
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More new material added: the day-by-day calendar of Goblet of Fire is here, and it’s, well, spectacular. This one was put together by AmyZ and she has done a wonderful job with it. The mysterious and dangerous chambers where the Philosopher’s Stone was hidden have their own page. I added a detailed… Read More
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Several new sections have been added to the Lexicon. Probably the most exciting is The Definitive Directory of Magical Devices and Items. This new list pulls together several separate lists of magical items and artifacts in one encyclopedia. I’ve been adding as many new items as I can (look up… Read More
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I’ve been working on adding more material to some of the existing pages. I’ve added a lot to the page for Peter Pettigrew, for example. I’ve also been gathering some new fan artwork to add here and there. The Quidditch pages are also under renovation. Once I started organizing the… Read More
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Plenty of updating, added tidbits of information, and so on. I can’t list every change. My goal is to finish adding the last details from GF and then get started onQuidditch Through the Ages… Latest new pages: merpeople old magic Chambers of the Philosopher’s Stone Titles,… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Banking in the middle ages (which is the basic world in which wizards live) was in its infancy. Its primary reason for existence was to provide safe-keeping, for a price (they took some of your money in exchange for keeping it safe). This could still be the basic mode of… Read More
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New pages: Chapter by Chapter, short synopses of each chapter in the books, contributed by William Silvester. I’m in the process of adding artwork and links to the four pages. New essay, from Leroyal Terrell Gould, III: The Unifying Theory. Many, many edits and additions here and there (check out… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
I have, for some time, been speculating on just why Voldemort would single out a child for destruction. There is, of course, the much talked about “Heir of Gryffindor” theory, but for me, this doesn’t hold with JKR’s theme of our choices making us who we are, and not innate qualities. So,… Read More
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It does seem like there aren’t many updates lately, I know. In fact, there is a lot of work being done, but you might not notice it right away. I have recently discovered that a lot of material from the Lexicon has been stolen by a number of websites. I… Read More
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I spent time this weekend doing a lot of editing. You’ll find new links, new artwork, and new information all over the Lexicon. For example, check out the Diggory family page or the meaning of the name ‘Malecrit’ in the list of Wizards. I also FINALLY got to work on the … Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
A theory as to the nature and functioning of Divination as a magical art…  Divination is almost always misunderstood as “predicting the future”. Yes, it certainly is meant to do that, but successful Divination does not predict the raw future. Divination really predicts a future based on events that are currently happening outside of the wizard’s or witch’s… Read More
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Time Line: The End of PA Chronology of the evening of June 6, 1994 compiled and annotated by Hollydaze Here is a time line of when things could have happened, underneath is an explanation of why I think things happened in this order: I know people will argue… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
What about Ginny? Although she figured prominently in the plot of CS, everything she did happened “off camera” and she didn’t really show up until her One Big Scene at the end. Who is she really? Is she just an “extra” or simply a stereotype, thrown in for decoration or for… Read More
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essay: Familiarity, A Key to Understanding Spellwork I’ve added links to two nice online Harry Potter quizzes which were put together by Annie Dicks for her website. You’ll find them on the Hogwarts Journal page. Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Dumbledore’s Put-Outer is a magical device introduced in PS1, and it is unique as the only tool used to perform magic aside from wands. The Put-Outer also has the distinction of being the first magical tool introduced in the series: [Dumbledore] found what he was looking for in his… Read More
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On this page: Related information: What Magical Ability Is Canon Examples The Philosopher’s Labyrinth What Wands Are Stuff From Canon: Wand Idiosyncrasy and Power Harry as Focal Point There’s Something About Harry blood status wands   What Magical Ability Is Canon Examples What is magical ability?… Read More
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New pages over the Christmas holidays: the four school houses Moaning Myrtle essay: Magical Ability and Magic Wands essay: Textbooks at Hogwarts New artists whose work appears in the Lexicon: Clio Chiang Alice Wack… Read More
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We know that book 2 takes place in 1992 because Nearly Headless Nick holds his 500th Deathday Party in CS8. There’s a cake on the table of “food” that bears this inscription: SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492 Obviously, if you add five hundred years to… Read More
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A couple of new pages have appeared on the Lexicon. floorplan of Number 4 Privet Drive has been added to the Atlas of Wizarding Britain an Encyclopedia of Potions a page about the Kwikspell Course Christoph Siemens sent me some new artwork, and I’ve added his delightfully creepy picture of… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT In Muggle vernacular, we’re talking about ghosts; more specifically, the ghosts living at Hogwarts. But enlightened Muggles like ourselves know better, since there are some “ghosts” who aren’t ghosts after all. Peeves the Poltergeist is one: to quote Nearly-Headless Nick: “he’s not really even a ghost” (PS7). There… Read More
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Once again, there are many edits, additions, and improvements all through the Lexicon. I’m adding links to many pages, new spells to the Spell Encyclopedia, new characters to the list of Witches and Wizards, and things like that. I have added a new map to the Wizard’s Atlas. This one… Read More
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Posted by in Essays
It seems a bit weird that everyone would have to go to London to get to Scotland. After all, for quite a few kids it would certainly be closer to go directly to Hogwarts from their homes or possibly to catch the train at some point along the route. Why do they all go to London?… Read More
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I have revised and updated the page which discusses the mysteries surrounding the attack by Voldemort on Harry’s family in 1981. After scads of email, some of which was downright nasty, I decided that it was worth an afternoon’s work to make things clearer. There are still pages coming which discuss… Read More
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Editing again, adding little details here and there. I have added a couple of spells from the film, but one of them, Lumos Solarum, really doesn’t fit into the canon. I have put it into the Encyclopedia of Spells, but with a disclaimer. I’m afraid I may have to do… Read More
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Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
In one of her many interviews, JKR said that wizards generally live longer than Muggles. After a thorough research about food in the Harry Potter universe and, above all, its magical part, the only possible conclusion is that wizards don’t have problems with cholesterol, otherwise their life span would be… Read More
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After a discussion on the Harry Potter for GrownUps list, several members gave permission for me to include their comments about Harry Potter’s status as a pureblood, half-blood, or ‘mudblood’. Another essay what has been sitting here waiting for a final edit has finally made it into the Lexicon: Food… Read More
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Posted by and in Canon discussion / Essays
Yes, Harry is half-blood. We learned in PS4 that Lily’s parents were Muggles. At least, that’s the implication of Aunt Petunia’s remarks that they were proud having a witch in the family. Voldemort, too, is half-blood: we learned in CS13 that his father was a Muggle (his mother was a witch). The intense focus on whether or not a certain character does or… Read More