The Quibbler - Editorial

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An editoral from mugglenet.com

Written by Erin

About Erin: I am 21 years old and currently a senior in college majoring in History. I am the president of my sorority and have turned on everyone to Harry Potter that I have come into contact with. I am a very sarcastic person with a sense of humor, especially when lightening up the incredibly dense Potter stories. I hope that you enjoy the Quibbler!

Welcome to The Quibbler! As a bored college student with way too much free reading time, I have read a LOT of Harry Potter, as we all have. But I am also a future teacher, which means the crazy creativity flows freely and I have come up with some pretty bizarre theories along the way. Each week, I hope to share a new theory with all of you for some fun and interesting fan interaction. As the name of this article implies, some of these theories are slightly outlandish, but fun to read and maybe even slightly truthful. This week's theory: Dumbledore is the Flying Ford Anglia!

Yes, this theory seems slightly outlandish, but believe me, I stand by it! At first, I was convinced that Dumbledore was Harry's Invisibility Cloak, but that theory has since been proven wrong. I thought about the bigger role that Dumbledore might play in the septology. We all realize that he is a major character, of course, but if you dig a little deeper into the books, it is impossible to think that he is merely Headmaster of Hogwarts.

We know from the reading the books that Dumbledore taught Transfiguration before replacing Armando Dippet as Headmaster. As Transfiguration teacher, he has to be very skilled in the art and must be at least animagus. Maybe I am not looking hard enough, but Dumbledore has to transfigure into something that we regularly see. This could be why he trusts so many people: because he can kind of sneak up on them. But what does he transfigure into? Some sort of animal? Maybe, but I do not see enough evidence that he turns into something…maybe the squid thing that lives in the lake? No, it almost has to be an object. Dumbledore is repeatedly referred to as an extremely powerful wizard, which means that he has to be something extraordinary. This is where the Anglia comes in.

Where on Earth did Arthur Weasley get enough money to buy a car? Maybe he just found it? Or maybe he was meant to find it. Things obviously happen for a reason in HP world and JK Rowling makes it that way. In Chamber of Secrets, following the arrival of Harry at the Burrow after flying with the twins and Ron all night in the car, emphasis is put on the fact that "nothing gets past" Dumbledore. So how does Dumbledore know so much about the Weasleys? Of course, they are a very powerful wizarding family, but he seems so interested in them.

Also, when Ron and Harry go to visit Hagrid in Chamber of Secrets, right before Fudge shows up to take Hagrid to Azkaban, Dumbledore gives the impression that he knows the boys are there, even though they are hidden underneath the Invisibility Cloak. Then the car miraculously shows up and rescues them from Aragog. Coincidence? I think not.

Alright, that is about all the evidence I have. It is a bit unusual and probably is nothing close to the truth, but it is fun to speculate, as we all know. That is what HP fans do! Hopefully The Quibbler will be something fun for us all to share and discuss different zany theories that we have all come up with!

8/7/2003

First of all, I need to apologize for my absence. From Blaster worms to personal health issues, and always school, I have been very busy... but never fear; there are many Quibbler theories to be shared!

As you can see, my theory this week is Sibyl Trelawney's secret admiration for Remus Lupin. I would like to thank Madeline for helping me out with this one.

Trelawney is surprisingly one of my favorite characters. We find out in Order of the Phoenix that she is actually very important to the septology through her prophecies. But the first time we meet her is in Prisoner of Azkaban.

At this time, she is described as insect-like with oversized glasses that magnify the size of her eyes. Rowling describes her literally as a "large glittering insect." This makes me laugh. I can see her as a melodramatic character that fans love to hate. She is just hilarious, but one has to wonder what her story is. Is she married? Does she believe in everything that she "sees?" We know that in Order of the Phoenix she lives in the Hogwarts Castle. This is not surprising to fans, but raises questions on her personal life. As animated and just plain flamboyant as she is, it's a pretty sure guess that she is unmarried.

Back in Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter eleven has a lot of support for this theory. In it, Trelawney descends from the North Tower in what turns out to be a very rare occasion. Why, you ask? Well, Lupin is supposed to be there, of course. I am talking about the Christmas Dinner. Further, she enters wearing a sequined dress. Sequins? Obviously, she was trying to make an impression on someone, and, knowing her personality, it was probably to make a loverly impression on Lupin. Also, there is much emphasis on the fact that it makes her look even more insect-like (specifically like a dragonfly). Next, as she sits down, she immediately ignores a question from McGonagall to ask specifically where Lupin is. This is fine, but she has never seemed overly inquisitive about a specific person before. Clearly she has a deep-seeded interest in our favorite werewolf.

Which brings me to my next point. In chapter three of Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts class to the teacher's lounge to practice getting rid of a boggart (a kind of noisy thing that lives in dressers). The students each take turns practicing. You see, the boggart changes into whatever the person facing it most fears. It is then up to the person to yell a spell. At that time, the boggart changes into something funny and eventually fades. The thing that makes this interesting is that when Lupin faces the boggart, it changes into a floating slivery orb. Okay, this is fine...seems like a moon. And, we find out later that it was a moon because he is werewolf and all. It makes sense. But could it mean something else?

Trelawney admits at the Christmas dinner that she offered to crystal gaze for Lupin, at which he "absolutely fled." Nothing wrong with this, I suppose, if Lupin had something to hide...like being a werewolf? But, later in the book, Dumbledore makes it clear that the entire staff already knew about that. So, what would make Lupin flee? Not wanting to break Trelawney's heart, maybe? So, could this orb be a crystal ball? Is Lupin actually scared of Trelawney because she is obsessed with him? Could be...

Even if it was a moon or orb or whatever, Lupin's boggart turns into a cockroach. Okay, that is fine...kind of funny. But maybe this was a poke at Trelawney for the fact that she looks like a bug. Hmmm....

So, there is the Quibbler theory of the week. If you find any evidence, please feel free to use the Feedback Form and let us know! We like Feedback! Thank you again to everyone who gave feedback from the first Quibbler. It was so great to hear from all of you and all of your theories!

Next week's topic: The secret life of Luna Lovegood (my new favorite character!)

09/16/2003

I would like to say that I enjoy reading everyone’s great theories! Please keep sending them along with your comments…however I must remind you that this column is for fun! The Quibbler name implies that most of the things you will read here are outlandish and crazy and that is what makes it so unique! So just read through and have fun…it is not necessarily meant to be taken seriously!

With that in mind, let us speculate on this week’s topic: the secret life of Luna Lovegood. What it is that makes this new character so amazing? She is so cool, yet so crazy at the same time. But Potter fans probably ended up asking many of the same questions throughout the read: where did she come from? Why haven’t we met her before if she is a fourth year? Why haven’t we heard of the Quibbler before now? And what is the deal with her seeming obsession with Ron?

First of all, the Lovegood name is mentioned in Goblet of Fire when the Weasleys meet up with the Diggorys on the way to the Quidditch World Cup. Not much is mentioned here except that they live near the Weasleys. We find out in Order of the Phoenix that Luna Lovegood, presumably of the same Lovegood family, is a fourth-year student at Hogwarts from Ravenclaw house. If she is as weird as Ginny says she is, why haven’t we met her? Furthermore, if her father is a bit of a celebrity (as editor of the Quibbler), seriously why haven’t we met her before?

This is a good question. And there are many explanations. An obvious one is that maybe J.K. Rowling just slipped up a bit in her storyline continuity. This makes sense, particularly when considering the thestral storyline, but I think there is more to it than that.

In many interviews, J.K. Rowling said that she had originally added a character to Goblet of Fire, a cousin to the Weasleys, but ended up deleting the character because it gave too much away for the storyline. Perhaps Luna is the answer to this mistake. Luna is an interesting character that may actually hold a lot of clues to the septology. For example, her name means “moon.” Could she have some sort of connection with our favorite werewolf, Lupin? Only time will tell.

The fact that her father is the editor of a crazy National Enquirer-style newspaper is probably something very important. This is the medium of which Harry can be believed, even if it is dorky and gullible people…you have to start somewhere! This just goes to show that Luna is very open-minded and willing to help Harry out if that means going to great lengths emotionally or physically.

But if she is so loyal to Harry and his cause, what is up with her thing with Ron? Some people might not see anything deeper than a friendship, but you have to admit, it is a little strange. She laughs extremely hard whenever Ron says something, she likes to hum “Weasley is our king,” and she happens to live very close to the Weasleys. Maybe she is a Weasley? Lots of things to speculate on here.

We also know that Luna can see thestrals because she witnessed her mother’s death. Luna sure seems to know a lot and has a lot of the same characteristics as Harry. Some of these include: witnessed a parent’s death, misunderstood by fellow students, sensitive to the opinions of others, and extremely loyal to friends, even if they have just met. There are many parallels here, and I think it is important to watch Luna and her actions.

I had a fan of the Quibbler recently speculate on the idea that Luna is a metamorphmagus. I am not sure if there is much evidence in the books about this, but it could explain why she has never been recognized before Order of the Phoenix. If it is true, think of how great it would be to have Luna on Harry’s side; she could easily disguise herself and slip into sticky situations.

One passage that still takes me off guard is in the final chapter, The Second War Begins, in Order of the Phoenix. Harry has just talked to Nearly-Headless Nick about the possibility of seeing Sirius again. Harry is all upset and he runs into Luna who has also skipped the feast. They discuss the archway and veil from the Department of Mysteries. Luna says, “And anyway, it’s not as though I’ll never see Mum again, is it?” speaking of her mother’s death. Harry is confused. Luna continues, shaking her head in disbelief, “Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn’t you? They were just lurking out of sight, that’s all.” What can this mean? That is what I will be speculating on in next week’s column. I am anxious to hear what you all think about this passage. A little interesting?

Overall, I think that Luna is a wonderful character and that we are only getting a tiny taste of how important she is. We hope that she has a good summer in Sweden and that she actually found a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

Don’t forget to look for next week’s column: The Death of Sirius Black: Real or Just A Set-Up?

Thanks to all who wrote in for their wonderful comments about Luna Lovegood. I received a lot of interesting theories from you all that I might come back and speculate on later. However, it is now time to talk about this week’s topic: the death of Sirius Black. By the way, for those of you who have not yet read Order of the Phoenix, you may not want to read this quite yet, but now you know who died!

First of all, let me say that Sirius’ death to me was not that huge of a deal (I am probably very insensitive). But the death itself happened very quickly and probably a lot of you missed it the first time through. Basically, here are the details again quickly. Harry and his friends are in the Department of Mysteries located in the Ministry of Magic. Harry was summoned there by a vision he had of Voldemort capturing Sirius. Harry and his friends fight the Death Eaters because they want a prophecy egg thing that Harry has. Eventually, when nearly all hope is lost, members of the Order arrive. They all fight off the Death Eaters, and Sirius goes for his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. They battle it out, Sirius is very calm. Dumbledore arrives and everyone stops fighting except for the duo. Bellatrix hits Sirius with a jet of red light and Sirius disappears behind the mysterious veil. The end.

Well, not quite the end, or at least many of you think. Let me tell you what I think. I do not think Sirius is dead. However, I do not think that he will come back. This veil thing is very mysterious (I started to discuss it in the last article) and I am not sure yet how it works. I believe, though, that it may be a sort of entryway into the “underworld” or maybe even something like purgatory (somewhere between Heaven and Hell). I also believe that this veil is something that is experimental or outlawed in some way (like a former means of the death penalty). The reason I think this is because of the location. Harry recognizes the set-up of the room from his trial for the Wizengamot. I definitely believe that death or some horrible punishment can be found behind the veil. Why else would they have a courtroom surrounding it? Also, the veil and archway are described as “ancient” and therefore may not have been moved, meaning it probably has been there for a VERY long time. What if this thing behind the veil was something terrible, reserved only for those who had received the worst punishment imaginable (worse than death)?

I believe, though, that this veil is some sort of doorway to a different dimension, whether it be an alternate universe, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Punishment, whatever! There are so many possibilities and I could write for hours and hour about it them all.

One thing I am pretty sure of though, is that we will not see Sirius in his completely human form again. Rowling characterized his disappearance as a death, which is surprisingly permanent, and so although he may not be completely dead, we will not have our same Sirius back again.

I personally believe that this part of the storyline sounds familiar. For those who have studied Greek mythology, it sounds a lot like Orpheus. Orpheus’ wife died, devastating him. He begged the gods to allow him to descend into the Underworld to fetch his innocent wife. The gods allowed him to, as long as he did not look at her until they had ascended back to Earth. Of course, his curiosity overcame him, he peeked, and she disappeared forever. I think that there is room for a similar situation with Harry. Although, because of the description as “death” by Rowling, Harry will not have the opportunity to save Sirius.

In the final chapter of Order of the Phoenix, Harry discussed death with Nearly-Headless Nick. Nick says that Sirius will not come back as a ghost and that he will have “gone on.” I believe him! Just because Harry is a “children’s book” does not mean that Rowling can temporarily kill off characters! The arrival of this book clearly demonstrated that this series is no longer full of sugar for kids! Death and pain has become a staple in this series and Rowling can kill off anyone she likes because it is her story to create.

So what am I doing here? Speculating. The veil has something to do with death or the “next stage.” I do not think that Sirius’ death is a set-up. Nor do I think that it is necessarily real. I know that I have confused you now! I am sure that some of you will write to me and exclaim that the other Order members seem way too happy at the end of the book for Sirius to really be dead. Granted, this is true. However, maybe they needed Sirius out of the way. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise for Harry. Perhaps he needed that death to really make him angry enough to go after Voldemort. Nations and individuals must sacrifice those close to them for the better of the cause. The death of Sirius is an example.

I do think, though, that there is hope for Sirius fans. I think that somehow we will communicate with Sirius again (see Orpheus myth). If anything, Sirius’ will live on through Harry through determination. Sirius does not get over things easily and would want revenge. This is one thing that we know Harry inherited. If you think that Order of the Phoenix was dark, just think about Books Six and Seven!

Before you all crash the feedback system, remember to look for facts and clues and try not to let emotions get in the way. It is tough to do (I should know as an historian in training), but those who want Sirius to come back will get skewed facts. Read more carefully and objectively and you will see the facts as well!

As a special Halloween treat for fans, you get to choose the topic for the Halloween edition of the Quibbler! Just fill out the feedback form and let me know a theory that you would like to see me explain. The theory with the most votes will win and I will explain it on the Quibbler. All votes must be received by Monday, October 27 so I have enough time to sort, research, and write so it will be up by Halloween!

Before I get started on this topic, I need to sincerely apologize to everyone who regularly reads this column. No, I did not run out of new topics. No, I did not die. Many of you have written in to me before saying that you admire how I can balance school, work, sorority, and writing this column. Well, the absence is a true testament that it is not always as easy as it seems. Besides, this is the FIFTH column and we all know what that means….gotta wait a little.

All joking aside, I owe it to my faithful readers to catch up. I intend to do this with my increased boredom, which is also known as Winter Break. For this week’s question, I had some help from a few people on, but it was something that I had personally been speculating on for some time. Onto the question, which happens to be: Is Trelawney a puppet for Voldemort?

What do we really know about Trelawney? She teaches Divination at Hogwarts, she seems to be a joke to rest of the staff, some of the students believe her to be a fraud, she is in love with Lupin (see Quibbler 2), and she was defended by Dumbledore in Order of the Phoenix. She is also the granddaughter of a “true Seer” and the holder of many prophecies about our Harry. But, have you ever noticed how she refers to Voldemort?

In every book and passage, people who are on “Harry’s side” refer to Voldemort as You-Know-Who or get scared away at the mention of anything about him. People who are on “Voldemort’s side” always refer to him as the Dark Lord. If you look carefully, this is how Trelawney refers to him in her prophecies. Since we have never really had a look at other types of prophecies, we do not know if this is a trend or just something about Trelawney’s predictions. With what we know, though, we can guess that her prophecies mean one of two things.

Firstly, we can assume that Trelawney’s predictions are legitimate. After all, they are stored in the Department of Mysteries and act like true prophecies. We know that Trelawney has enough Seer blood in her to have the capability to make a true prophecy. Also, Dumbledore believes her prophecies to be true enough to hire her and eventually defend her later on against Umbridge. It seems kind of fishy though…

Which brings us to option two: Trelawney is working either under own will or someone else’s to prophesy events to happen. This can mean a variety of things. If Trelawney is working under her own will, perhaps she is trying to brainwash certain people (Dumbledore, Harry, et cetera) to get them onto Voldemort’s side. More likely, though, an outside force to aid Voldemort is controlling Trelawney. Perhaps her “trance-like states” only occur when she is being controlled (such as through occlumency). If this is true, perhaps Dumbledore identified it that evening in the Hog’s Head and that is why he hired her. If this were true, he could monitor the trances and the activities of Voldemort.

I personally believe that Trelawney is going to play a huge part in the next two books. There is a definite reason that Dumbledore hired her in the first place, but allowing her to stay at the end of Order of the Phoenix definitely is a big move. Yes, she is annoying and Harry dislikes her, but she is the key to his fate. Why her, you ask? Well, we do not really know at this point because we do not know enough about her. But, please consider my theory about her being on the dark side or being controlled by the dark side. Rowling decided to use the specific wording for a reason.

Again, thank you all for being such loyal readers and I appreciate your patience. My next article will be a difficult one for some of you to stomach because it will be very very controversial. Here is a hint: the Weasleys use time travel a lot, so what if Arthur Weasley knows what will happen to Harry and uses him to help win the Minister of Magic position? Stay tuned because you will want to hear this one! Until next time…

Thank you all for responding to the last edition of The Quibbler. I missed writing it for all of you and I appreciate your continuous support of this article. A lot of people miss the point of this article, so allow me to reiterate the purpose. This editorial is a column where I discuss controversial theories in the Harry Potter series. My articles are written in a very sarcastic manner and are meant to make you think about things in the series from a different perspective. I think up most of theories by myself (with the help of friends and family) and I rely on the fans to help me think of new and exciting ideas. I realize that I make mistakes in my explanations, so please be conscious of that. I appreciate being called on the mistakes, but there is no need to be rude or mean when contributing feedback. MuggleNet and the Leaky Cauldron are the only Harry Potter fan sites that I visit, so please do not accuse me of stealing theories from other fans. I do not do this. However, I do use feedback to help with my theories as well as other published works, including Galadriel Waters’ Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter. Other than that, I think of everything myself and do not steal from other fans.

With that said, I will introduce to you the most controversial theory that I have ever produced (please spare the feedback form by not contributing rude or mean emails). What if there was a possibility that Arthur Weasley, or even Dumbledore, has used time travel and knows the outcome of what we know as the series and uses Harry as the tool for gaining power?

We know that time travel is possible, but we do not know exactly to what capacity. Hermione used a time turner in Prisoner of Azkaban, and we know that time travel is monitored by the Ministry of Magic (as McGonagall mentioned). Although it is regulated and Hermione got special permission, there must be more leniencies with time travel than underage use of magic around muggles. Even when Harry was trying to defend himself against dementors, he had to go to trial. If time travel is monitored so closely by the Ministry, then why could Harry and Hermione do it so easily when saving Buckbeak and not be punished? Time travel must not be monitored as closely as we were led to believe.

In The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter, Galadriel Waters toyed with the idea that the Weasley twins used time travel during the Quidditch World Cup in Goblet of Fire. This is definitely possible because they were continually appearing out of nowhere, acting mysterious, and bet that Ireland would win, but Krum from Bulgaria would catch the snitch. This unlikely ending to a quidditch match would rarely have been considered by anyone who had not traveled ahead and knew the outcome of the match. If the Weasley twins were using a time turner, then one would have to be registered to them or a member of their family to have access to it. Most likely, it would be Arthur Weasley, not only as the patriarch of the family, but because he works for the Ministry of Magic.

We do not know much about Arthur Weasley. We know that he has red hair, lives in the Burrow, works for the Ministry sorting out muggle artifacts. It is safe to assume that he was born to a witch and wizard and has a long ancestry of magic family. We also know that goes out on a lot of raids and does not get paid enough for the work that he does. Maybe this is because he is not actually doing Ministry work when he is away from home. We know that he is associated with the Order of the Phoenix, and we assume that he is on Harry’s side. I completely think that he is as well, but sometimes it seems that Arthur knows more about what will happen to Harry than we notice.

In Prisoner of Azkaban, Arthur pulls Harry aside and tells Harry not to go looking for Sirius Black. Harry replied by asking why he would want to look for someone who wants to kill him. Is this a foreshadow of things to happen in Order of the Phoenix in the Department of Mysteries? Rowling is notorious for her use of foreshadow (see Pettigrew giving his “right hand” for the act of aiding Voldemort in Goblet of Fire. Perhaps Arthur, through the use of time travel, knows that later on Harry will go looking for Black and lose him. Arthur never reneged on his words to Harry that day, even after Harry found out that Sirius was okay. It is a stretch, I realize, but time travel is usually used out of some sort of personal desire (trying to save a life, winning a bet, or cramming in lots of classes).

Another idea brought about by Galadriel Waters in her book is that when Ron makes a joke, he usually ends up being right. At one point, Ron jokes about his father becoming Minister of Magic (about as much of a chance as Dad becoming Minister of Magic). If Ron jokes about this, it may end up being true at some point in the series. But what if Arthur has been using time travel and already knows that he will be Minister of Magic. He is definitely doing a good job of marketing himself. He has made friends with Dumbledore, made friends with Harry, has a positive reputation in the Ministry, made enemies with bad people, and has contributed positively (along with his family) to the entire wizarding world. He has made all the right connections. He has sustained a life-threatening injury by Voldemort and survived. He is completely electable! As a minor in political science, I have much experience in evaluating candidates for elected office (such as president or other offices) and it is very plausible to me to see Arthur as Minister of Magic.

Arthur definitely has used Harry to help him get to the point of possibly being Minister of Magic. Being a friend of Harry can sometimes make you seem fickle, but he is, after all, the one who made Voldemort disappear. How much more loyalty do you need? If this time travel theory is true, Arthur has very good political strategy. He is allowing others to do well while acting on his own agenda as well. Although Arthur is not harming Harry, he is definitely using him to his own advantage.

I hope that you enjoyed this theory. Over the next week, I would like to supply you with two more articles. The first will be answering feedback questions and concerns, addressing mistakes, and overall further explaining the first six Quibbler articles. The second will be a new theory: "Comparing Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter." Since the series is especially popular now, what can we learn about Harry and his scar from observing Frodo and the Ring?

12/30/2003

You guys rock! I love writing this column for all of you, and I appreciate to hear back from all of you! A lot of you have written in and asked me questions or offered further feedback from the articles and about myself. I would like to take some time now to respond. You will find the reflections in categorical order so you may skip the parts you do not want to read.

1. Tell us a little more about yourself.

It is a little difficult to tell you all about myself. As of January 1st, I am 21 years old. I attend Simpson College and my hometown is Des Moines, Iowa. I have lived in the city my entire life and know nothing about farming. I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority where I just ended my presidency. I will graduate from college in May of this year with a major in History and a double minor in Political Science and Secondary Education. After graduation I hope to teach high school History and Government or else work at Disney World. I live with two parents, a 12-year-old brother (Sean) and my dog, Daisy. I love pop music and watching foreign film.

2. Regarding Quibbler One: Flying High with Dumbledore.

This is without a doubt the most outlandish theory. A lot of you wrote in that although you did not agree with it at all, you loved hearing a different perspective on this. This theory started with my friend Niki and I talking at lengths about the series. We at first decided that Dumbledore should be the Invisibility Cloak, but later found that it was impossible. When we watched the movies over again, we decided that he should instead be the flying Ford Anglia. So do I really believe that this is possible? No, not really, but I think it would be a lot of fun! Never underestimate the power of Albus Dumbledore. We have much left to learn about him and I definitely believe that he is represented by something in the books, however I do not think that he is represented by Hedwig or Crookshanks. The most probable thing would be on the Chocolate Frog cards, but that seems to be a little too “elementary” for Dumbledore, although it is definitely possible that it is just one of his many means of appearing throughout the book.


3. Regarding Quibbler Two: Trelawney’s Secret Obsession with RJ Lupin

I still stand by this one! Rowling makes this one obvious to a person who is looking at the facts from a varied perspective. The word choices and the actions of the characters make this a very likely theory. In Prisoner of Azkaban on page 139 of the United States paperback edition, Lupin turns his boggart into a cockroach, resembling the insect-like features that characterize Trelawney. Many of you called me on this saying that you did not remember. Go back and consult your books; it is there. I think that there is potential for this subplot to end up being very important to the series (something like Trelawney sacrificing herself or something of that sort).

4. Regarding Quibbler 3: The Secret Life of Luna Lovegood.

This was more of a run-through of facts than it was a theory. I love the character of Luna and I think that will see a lot more of her in the future books. A lot of you wrote in with the idea that Luna could actually be Tonks in disguise. I researched the book quite extensively to see if there was any merit. Although it is possible, I do not think that this is quite right. As far as I know, Hogwarts does not accept transfers (maybe they do, we do not really know), meaning that Tonks would have had to go to school all four years as Luna. However, it would be a good idea to have a member of the Advance Guard and the Order of the Phoenix around Harry at all times. What seems the most suspicious to me about Luna is how big of a role she played in the fifth book. Even other characters that we have heard about before (Seamus, Dean, Lavender, et cetera) all played minor roles compared to Luna. Perhaps this is only because of The Quibbler and the significance that this might hold in the future books.

5. Regarding Quibbler 4: The Death of Sirius Black: Real or Just A Set-Up?

In all honesty, hearing feedback from this particular one gave me a headache. Some people balked at my insensitivity, others applauded me for not falling into the trap of saying things just to please fans. Well, and let me not forget the literally hundreds who wrote in about my mistake (red jets of light). You were right, Rowling did not specify what color the second jet of light that hit Sirius was. We can make assumptions (which I did, in this case), but we do not know for sure. I still think that the jet of light did not kill Sirius, but I also will not back down that we will not see Sirius again in his human form. I reiterate this when I say that Rowling described this event as the death of a major character. Death is pretty permanent, even in the wizarding world (see James and Lily Potter). As Snape said in The Sorcerer’s Stone, you can put a stopper in death, but you cannot stop it altogether.

6. Regarding Quibbler 5: Trelawney on the Dark Side.

Ugh. Even thinking about this one makes me cringe. This admittedly was not the best piece of writing in the world, but I will not back down on the affirmation. Rowling uses certain words and phrases for a reason and identifying Voldemort as the Dark Lord is enough for me to think that there is some dark stuff going on here with Sybill’s predictions. Okay, so maybe Voldemort did not control Trelawney (otherwise that whole Department of Mysteries sequence would not have happened), but I really do believe that someone close to him may be playing a role (where was Wormtail in Order of the Phoenix? And do not say Percy! [That is a whole different Quibbler!]). Honestly, Wormtail is in debt to Harry and may be trying to protect him in some way. Before I get too far away speculating, let’s leave this one to lie out in the sun (I wish it would disappear!).

7. Regarding Quibbler 6: Harry as a Tool for Power.

I really like this one, I have to admit. There is so much evidence in the books of time travel that it is difficult to think that there are powerful wizards that do not know Harry’s fate. I never meant that Arthur Weasley was using Harry as a tool for power in a negative way, it just happens to be one of those added bonuses. If a person makes friends with the right people, power can sometimes fall into their laps. That is what I meant in this case. I would have elaborated more on Dumbledore’s use of Harry, but I figured that I would get too far off the focus and just end up making more people confused, frustrated, and angry (which is never my intention!). Very seriously consider, though, the use of time travel. Whenever someone pops up out of nowhere or has some unusual advice or news, it might be safe to assume that some sort of time travel took place. I did have several people ask if traveling to the future was possible because Harry and Hermione were only able to move backward. The answer is, um, I do not really know. Maybe the whole thing is a flashback (enter Dumbledore as one of the main characters trying to change the course of events from a hundred years in the future). That is an entirely new article that I will not elaborate further on here.

Overall, I appreciate the feedback. It is so fascinating to me to know that these theories reach so many people from so many different countries; it really constantly amazes me. Thank you to all the people who are supportive and honest with me. I really like to look at the facts from a different perspective and put them back together with a different spin. It really makes the books even more enjoyable and interesting to reread (I have read the books at least 15 to 20 times each, except maybe Order of the Phoenix and I have to think of ways to keep it fresh and new!).

Be sure to watch for the next Quibbler which should be up sometime next week. Remember the topic is going to be: What we can learn by comparing Harry and his scar to Frodo and his ring.

1/2/04

You can all be mad at me now. This article has come late…I know. I have a really good excuse though: my computer crashed. Hopefully I will be a bit more regular now, and you all can enjoy more Quibblers!

First of all, a disclaimer. A lot of you have written in warning me of the response I might get from comparing Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings. There is no way that I could possibly point out all of the similarities between the two, and even if I wanted to, I would not. What I really wanted to accomplish in this is comparing the themes of the two stories and learn about what clues we can gather about what might happen to Harry based on what happened to Frodo in Lord of the Rings. That is all, nothing really special or complicated.

Second of all, another disclaimer. The Lord of the Rings has had a huge rebirth lately with the films by Peter Jackson. For many people, this is the only opportunity that they have had to experience the story. Because of this, I will really only compare the major themes found in the films, unless specified otherwise. I know that many fans will be disappointed by this, but you must realize that this is the easiest way to get my point across to the most people. If you really must, you may yell at me by using the feedback form.

Both Frodo and Harry have a burden. For Frodo, it is an inanimate object that happens to be a gold ring that holds within it power to rule the world. The burden itself was inherited, although Frodo could have given it to anyone else, but chose to complete his mission to destroy the ring because he felt that he was meant to. It was his fate. He accepted it and it nearly killed him. For Harry, it is fame. This burden can easily be characterized as a simple scar on his forehead, a souvenir of his match as a baby with the Dark Lord Voldemort. Harry did not have a choice in his first match; it was simply fate. As he has grown up and the evil has become more powerful, Harry feels compelled to fight the evil that killed those that he loves, and even those whom he does not. Both Harry and Frodo have to overcome their burden in order to complete the task that fate has given them: to save the world from power and evil.

Both Harry and Frodo have a circle of friends to help complete the mission. For Frodo, it was a fellowship. It was started by the Council of Elrond in Rivendell (more people who wanted to organize a group of people to help complete the task) and then aided by various other people throughout Middle Earth (like Galadriel, Eomer, Theoden, et cetera). Harry has something very similar. Not just the Order of the Phoenix, but something unique that we were introduced to in the fifth book; an un-named “fellowship,” that is the group of peers that went with him to the Department of Mysteries. Those people happen to be Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and Ginny, and they are his own fellowship (some might include other members of the DA as well here, including the Weasley twins). All-in-all, the point is that both Harry and Frodo have a very select group of people near them helping them to complete their task.

Another interesting similarity is a fickle member of the fellowship: Boromir and Snape. In The Lord of the Rings, Boromir is driven by the ring, nearly to betraying the fellowship, but instead he sacrifices himself to protect Frodo. Could Snape be compared to Boromir? Snape, too, seems to be driven by power and intimidation, but to what extent? Would he betray Harry? During the fifth book, we learn more than we ever have about Snape, but it is still not enough to draw any clear conclusions. However, there is a striking similarity that one must consider. Gandalf, who could probably be compared to Dumbledore, clearly allowed Boromir to join the Fellowship, and continue even though Boromir continually showed signs that he might be driven by the ring. For Harry, Dumbledore clearly allowed Snape to be a teacher at Hogwarts, be around Harry constantly, and become a member of the Order of the Phoenix. We trusted Gandalf, and so we must trust Dumbledore.

One of the more controversial aspects of this theory is comparing a character from Harry to Gollum. Perhaps Gollum/Smeagol could be compared to the tricky behavior of Snape (voiding the paragraph above). The dual personality of Snape could be extremely important to the success or failure of Harry. If his fate ends up like Frodo (with the Snape/Gollum theory), then we can expect for Snape to turn against Harry right at the end, but also sacrifice himself in the end. But what if the Gollum character were actually closer to Harry? Perhaps a certain friend who has been burned by the power of evil wizards? One who might turn bad when tempted by the things that he desires most? Need more hints? A friend who has bright red hair? Ron. I really really do not want this to be the case; Ron is my absolute favorite character. A betrayal to Harry is inevitable, however, and a nice twist would be with Ron. If anyone were to turn on Harry, my money is on Ron. Please do not yell at me for this, just think about it: it is perfect. I love Ron, and I hope that he does not, but I think it is the most probable.

Most generally, what will happen to Harry based on what happened to Frodo? First of all, Harry will live, as Frodo did. However, he will be greatly changed, never being able to adjust to real life again. I do not think Harry will lose a limb or appendage, but he may lose his scar. In some science fiction books, effects of evil will disappear when the evil itself is defeated. This would mean that if Voldemort were defeated, Harry’s scar would melt away because the curse would be broken. I think that this is very possible.

So what have we learned? There are a lot of deep similarities between Harry and Frodo (both orphans, task with burden, fellowship surrounding them), and we must watch the major characters for any sort of lapse in loyalty or judgment because it may alter the outcome of the task.

I hope that not many of you were too offended by this installment. To try to include all the similarities would surely fill a book (or five) and it is not my intention to retell the stories for you. Just know that there are many similarities and we can therefore draw some clues and make predictions about what happen to Harry. I will undoubtedly come back to this subject at a later time with even more to speculate on, but I will leave you with this much for now.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next Quibbler soon. The topic will be Arabella Figg and Argus Filch: The Same Person or Just Coincidental Cat Lovers?

1/24/04

One of the things that I never thought possible about the Harry Potter series, is that two characters could actually be the same person. Of course, after reading Goblet of Fire, I realized how easy this actually was. There are lots of clues that tell us that certain characters are hiding things, but I think I may have figured out a huge septology clue.

We all know about Argus Filch. He is the school caretaker; a kind of janitor who also seconds for a snitch. He seems to despise students and goes out of his way to make the lives of students miserable. We do not really know much about him, except that he likes to torture people, get them into trouble, he gets mad at Peeves, and he has a pet cat named Mrs. Norris (kind of odd, right?). We also suspect that he might be a squib because of his suspicious nature when Harry discovered the Kwikspell manual in his office. I really think that Filch is hiding something. And what is it with his obsession with Mrs. Norris? I am sure that all of you that have pets may seem a little sympathetic, but this cat is a little odd. I wonder what kinds of clues she may hide, but we will get back to her in a minute.

This brings us to our other cat-lover, Arabella Figg. We do not know much about her, except that she used to baby-sit Harry while the Dursleys were out, her house smelled like cabbage, and they used to sit around looking at pictures of cats all day. This surely seemed innocent enough when you read it the first time, but after Order of the Phoenix, this is very suspicious.

So what if they are the same person? First of all, they have the same initials (AF). So what, big deal. Everything in Rowling’s world is done for a reason. We know that Mrs. Figg is a squib. We can assume that Filch also is one. Can squibs still change bodies with the Polyjuice Potion? Possibly, but we do not really know. I personally think that one can, as long as a wizard is the one concocting it. Also, Mrs. Figg’s house smells like rotten cabbage, exactly as the Polyjuice Potion does. It is safe to assume, I think, that someone at Mrs. Figg’s house is experimenting with the potion, even if it is not her (we will come back to this in a minute). And well, they both like cats…a LOT. Their seeming obsession with cats is very unusual (even for the wizarding world) and could mean something very important.

We know from Mrs. Figg’s own comments that the cats that live with her act like spies. It was a cat who alarmed her of Mundungus Fletcher’s disappearance when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Harry. We can assume that Dumbledore stationed Mrs. Figg near Harry in order to keep an eye on him (although he never really liked going over there).

One question that we need to have answers is how squibs live. Since they are born to wizards and witches, one can assume that squibs would have a hard time living with them without being able to do magic. However, if they were raised by witches and wizards, living as a muggle would be difficult as well (eckeltricity?). This is where the tent from Goblet of Fire becomes a semi-significant clue.

One fan of the Quibbler wrote in and told me that perhaps the tent that the Weasleys borrowed for the Quidditch World Cup may be a sort of template that the wizarding world uses to help blend into the muggle world. More simply, the tent reminds Harry of Figg’s house (they look exactly the same). Since they are so similar, Mrs. Figg’s house may actually be a creation of the wizarding world to blend in. This would definitely fit for the squib problem because they would not know how to live as a muggle or a wizard. Thus, the tent/Figg’s house mystery would be solved, but ends up not being too significant, unless we see the same layout in a different form.

Now that the tent tangent has been explained, back to the theory at hand. We really only hear about Figg during Harry’s summer holidays from school, and we only hear about Filch during the school year. This is not significant, but could be if we knew that Figg went on holiday during the school year as well. As far as we know, she does not, and has never taken a leave from her home on Wisteria Walk. She did break her leg once, but there is no real connection to Filch on this one.

So what exactly is the deal with the fascination of the cats? We know (as mentioned earlier) that the cats act as spies. Mrs. Norris acts as a second set of eyes to Filch around Hogwarts and Mr. Tibbles was the cat who alerted Figg about Dung. Cats cannot talk (even in the wizarding world, unless they are animagus), but what if there was some different sort of communication? Perhaps when squibs die, they become cats. This would explain the obsession with cats by both squibs here, as well as start an argument for the way that they communicate. Maybe this is how squibs are able to keep their ties with the wizarding world. If this theory were true, then Crookshanks and an animagus like McGonagall would be called into question.

No matter what, there are things that we know. First of all, Argus Filch’s name means “a thousand eyes” which completely fits for his job of being able to maintain the school and be the disciplinarian. But if we look at Arabella Figg’s name, a fig leaf is used to conceal certain (ahem) male body parts in ancient Greece. If we were to take this name clue figuratively, we could assume that Figg is not who she seems to be and that she is hiding something (that would explain the Polyjuice Potion smell). If we would take it literally, then perhaps Figg is hiding a particular male body part as well (supporting my theory).

Some fans have written in to say that they think Figg may actually be Mrs. Norris. While there is no evidence to disprove this, I think there is much more evidence pointing to the theory stated above. I have said it a million times, and I will continue to: Rowling does not do things for no reason and everything points to something else. Why would Rowling make these two characters have the same initials? Why would she have them both have an obsession for cats? Why would she have them both keeping all eyes on Harry? Why would she have them both be squibs? Perhaps squibs are more perceptive to muggles since they have no magical powers. I believe that there is a big connection between Filch and Figg, and if they are not the same person, all signs point to the fact that they are related or linked in some way.

That is about all I have for this one, although it ended up being about squibs as well as the link between Figg and Filch. If you find more evidence of these two being linked, please follow the feedback form and email me. The next edition of the Quibbler is more a personal note than an actual theory: "Why read the Quibbler?"

2/3/04

I decided that I would dedicate an entire edition of the Quibbler to tying up some loose ends, and I am trying to convince fans that not everything I write is completely bad. I think that it is important to take the Harry Potter series as wonderful pieces of literature. Like any other great novelist, Rowling has infused her work with clues as to what may lie ahead and uses classical and classic literature as her inspiration. Does this mean she has plagiarized? No. She is simply building off what she thinks is important and inspiring.

Rowling has gone through a lot with critics saying that she has drawn inspiration by such works as The Lord of the Rings, but has taken it almost too far by using exact words, phrases, and themes and claiming it as her own. Although that I think that she has drawn inspiration, I definitely do not think that she has plagiarized. Saying that she has plagiarized is basically forbidding anyone to read literature and then comment on what was comprehended. It would be like reading To Kill a Mockingbird and not being able to comment on the major themes like racism or else be accused of plagiarizing in any book that used racism as a theme and used certain phrases or words. In this case, all of the literature and writing classes that we all have taken would be a waste of time, and nothing new would ever be published. Besides, I am sure that Rowling never expected the series to be as huge as it is.

I am beginning this particular article with this argument because I feel it necessary to after the response that I got from a few people regarding Quibbler Eight: Comparing Frodo to Harry. Many accused me of saying that Rowling plagiarized Tolkien and that the outcomes will be the same. This is only partially accurate. What I meant by the article was to look at the outcome of The Lord of the Rings and see what things would be like in Harry’s world if it ended the same. None of us knows what will happen to Harry in the end, but as a devoted Quibbler fan, you should understand how interesting it is to speculate.

So why read the Quibbler if all I do is speculate? Because it is all that we can do as fans. As much as we would want to, there is no way that we can go into Rowling’s home and look through all of her notes. And even if you wanted to interview her to ask, she probably would not tell you. So what we have to work with is other published works, myths, stories, legends, and our own imaginations. Some people get nervous with speculations and assumptions, but in literature, there is nothing to lose. Everything is speculation because we cannot know what the author was thinking or feeling at the time it was written. Therefore, we have to look at the time period that the author was writing in, what their background was, where they drew their inspiration from, major themes from other written works by the same author, and other literary works by different authors using the same themes. This is no different from an English class asking about what an author means or thinks about a certain topic, character, or theme. Speculation and prediction is what keeps us interested in a specific work. We want to know the fates of the characters, we want to know how the themes will affect these characters, and we want to know everything because reading literature makes us a part of the world being shown to us.

In Quibbler Eight (Comparing Frodo to Harry), I listed off some of the similarities between the two main characters: Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter. I in no way meant to compare the two as an accusation of Rowling plagiarizing. It was merely a look at the two trying to figure out what may happen to Harry based on the similarities that he has with Frodo (which are many). But this does not mean that Rowling has plagiarized; it merely means that the way to make a hero for a fantasy novel does not vary much from book to book.

So why read the Quibbler? It is fun, it is wacky, and it holds us over until we get something new to read! You do not have to believe everything that I say to enjoy the Quibbler; it is just a way for me to get my ideas and alternate perspectives out to HP fans. I realize that they are outlandish and a little improbable, but they all have lots of support and give HP fans an opportunity to look at the words from a different perspective. The thing that makes it so worthwhile for me is that I can read your feedback and learn even more. Sometimes I get fabulous theories that I have not thought of before, I get information that supports one of my theories, and sometimes I get information that throws off one of my theories. With as many times as I have read the books, it still amazes me how much I have missed. Rowling truly is a literary genius during a time period when books are uncool and people have forgotten how to write suspenseful novels.

Many fans of the Quibbler often ask me if I will be embarrassed if the next two books come out and I am completely off. No, I will not be embarrassed. I think that prediction and speculation is what makes us think and makes us creative and I get enough of that. If I was completely correct on everything that I think, then I should write my own books. I do not expect to be correct, however, and that is why the Quibbler is so much fun. I often speculate on theories that I do not want to be true (anything bad dealing with Ron), and yet I feel very comfortable writing these things.

Overall, thank you again for reading the Quibbler. I just needed to get a couple things out in the open about Rowling and about my work. Do not worry, though, there is a brand new theory on the way: "Malfoys, Blacks, and Weasleys: Where the Potters Fit In".

2/29/04