There are about 320 students at Hogwarts. How do we know? In order to unravel this mystery, we need to step out of the stories themselves. We need to understand the way that Rowling thinks about the books. Rowling is very, very visual. She writes the kind of visual language… Read MoreMuggleNet's "Ten Amazing Facts" and How To Find Them• Article
MuggleNet just posted a really cool video calling out Ten Amazing Facts you can research on the Lexicon. If you’re looking for a quick way to find them, here’s our Ten Facts Guide: Galleon to Muggle Money converter You can find the exchange rate for Galleons to pretty… Read More🎙️ The Weasleys and Ottery St Catchpole• Article
Did you ever stop to think about the strange relationship between the Weasleys and the town of Ottery St. Catchpole? Some of the folks in town must know about that odd house out there in the middle of the fields. It’s only about a… Read MoreHow A Man Treats His Inferiors• Article
After the Dark Mark appears in the sky on the night of the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch releases Winky the house-elf from his service, and her unfair treatment draws Hermione’s sympathy and indignation. When she, Harry, and Ron visit Sirius in the cave above Hogsmeade to… Read More🎙️ Who Enforces the Statute of Secrecy to the Muggles?• Article
Did you know that muggles are not held to the statute of secrecy? A muggle that knows about the wizarding world can share that information with other muggles. We find this out by the fact that Petunia at some point tells Vernon about her sister being… Read More🎙️ Choosing the Deathly Hallows• Article
I’d like to discuss a passage in the Deathly Hallows that has always interested me. It’s after Harry, Ron and Hermione, hear the Tale of the Three Brothers: “It’s just a morality tale, it’s obvious which gift is the best, which one you’d choose–” The three of them… Read MoreImproper Use of Magic Office: Not the only office for improper use of magic?• Article
As any fan of the franchise worth their salt can tell you if asked, the biggest and most important responsibility of the fictional Ministry of Magic in J. K. Rowling’s universe is to make sure people like you and me (Muggles) remain blissfully ignorant of the continued existence… Read More🎙️ Evans• Article
In a recent Harry Potter Minute, we discussed instances in the books where two seemingly unrelated characters have the same last name. We’ve already covered two of the three instances, the Smiths and the Gudgeons. But a third set caused quite the fuss back in the day, and is the… Read MoreMore reasons to be excited about Hogwarts Mystery!• Article
Come April 25, we’ll all have a chance to play Hogwarts Mystery. Jam City, the developers, recently announced that a number of stars who played Hogwarts professors in the films would be returning to voice the characters in the game, including Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, Michael Gambon as… Read MoreFears and Naïveté• Article
Professor Lupin‘s first class with the third-year Gryffindors covers boggarts, which shapeshift into a form that the person who encounters it will find the most frightening. As humans grow and age, they compile more experiences, which result in unique personalities, a deeper capacity for emotions, and more… Read More🎙️ Portraits• Article
How does the portrait world with in the Harry Potter books work? Here are some things that I wonder about: Are all of the paintings connected, just one painting blending seamlessly into the next? Or is there blank space, equal to the distance from painting… Read More🎙️ OP3: Why Not Side-Along Apparition?• Article
In Chapter 3 of Order of the Phoenix, when Harry is being rescued by the Advance Guard, Rowling writes: ‘How’re we getting – wherever we’re going?’ Harry asked. ‘Brooms,’ said Lupin. ‘Only way. You’re too young to Apparate, they’ll be watching the Floo Network and it’s more than our… Read MoreIt Is Our Choices• Article
When Harry has finished recounting the story of his experience in the Chamber of Secrets, and Dumbledore has dismissed everyone else from his office, he asks Harry to have a seat. He thanks Harry for the loyalty that called Fawkes to him in the Chamber, then opens the discussion… Read More🎙️ Last Names• Article
As careful readers, we’re taught to pay attention to last names – when two characters have the same last name, there is usually a good reason why. But there are three instances within the books of two characters having the same last name, without any reason given explaining it. Read More🎙️ About Snape and Love• Article
Today I wanted to talk about Snape. The “good or evil” Snape debate has rocked the Harry Potter fandom for years, and I know almost everyone has a strong opinion about him one way or the other (so I’m going to try not to ruffle too… Read More🎙️ Episode 31: The Crimes of Grindelwald Trailer• Article
The last week or two has just been chock full of new stuff for members of the fandom. We have a new audiobook version of Quidditch through the Ages which also has a dramatization of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup which is particularly entertaining. We have a new gameplay trailer… Read MoreWhen were Frank and Alice Longbottom attacked?• Article
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Neville and the attack on his parents. I’ve always had trouble with the timing of this event and others surrounding it, and rereading the Pensieve scenes in Goblet of Fire leads me to think that it didn’t occur straight after… Read MoreDigging for Gold in the CG Cast List• Article
Now that the trailer has come out and presented us with wonderful nuggets of canon and plenty of questions to chew over, I think it’s time to dig a little further for canon treasure in the cast list of the film. The complete list is published on IMDb, so… Read More🎙️ Order of the Phoenix Chapter 2 - Kneazles• Article
Mister Tibbles? Mrs Norris? Why do the animals owned by Squibs seem to have similar names? And particularly human-sounding names at that? In chapter two of Order of the Phoenix, we meet Mrs Figg properly for the first time. She’d turned up in book… Read MoreFear of a Name ...• Article
While discussing the fate of the Sorcerer’s Stone with Harry in the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore encourages Harry to use Voldemort’s name: “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” Harry has not encountered that opinion prior to this moment, but he accepts the advice readily. When Hagrid… Read More