I, like many others here and everywhere, was a complete and total skeptic of the phenomenon that is JK Rowling's Harry Potter. In 1999, I was in sixth grade and eleven years old, and Harry Potter really took off where I live. I just could not understand what all the fuss was about. I am an avid reader, so it was not that I was unwilling to pick up the 435-page third book and the two that came before it. I am not at all religious, so I was not being told that Harry Potter defied God. I am not opposed to reading books about fantasy, so it was not that I did not want to read about wizards and witches and magic.
I was, however, an eleven-year-old that read at the same level as your typical college sophomore. Me, read children's literature? Surely you jest. So, I went on my way, reading Stephen King and Mary Higgins Clark, picking up the occasional nonfiction book featured in Reader's Digest, and enjoying such classics as Rebecca and A Tale of Two Cities. The Harry Potter craze grew. Goblet of Fire came out. I remembering being annoyed that night because crazy little kids in bathrobes were waving wooden sticks around, all while blocking the entrance to Barnes and Noble. I was in need of a replacement copy of Carrie and could not even enter the store to get it. Harry Potter was children's literature and therefore for little kids. Such books belonged in the boxes in my attic, not on my bookcase between Needful Things and The Shining. At least that is what I always thought.
Then, one afternoon in late November of 2002, I was home sick in bed, finishing On Writing, a King memoir for aspiring authors like myself. I was pleased to see that some of my favorite books were some of King's favorite books. I was surprised to see that some of his other favorite books were Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Actually, that last book was Prisoner of Azakaban, but even literary geniuses make mistakes sometimes.) Stephen King, the master of his craft, reads children's literature? Oh, my. I did not see that one coming.
I was still skeptical, but I figured that my favorite author and a few bazillion kids around the world could not be that wrong. Figuring that the only thing I had to lose was a few afternoons of my Christmas holiday, I asked my cousin Liza, a cousin who happens to be a Borders employee, for the set. On December the 25, one package under the tree seemed rather out of place because it was not all lumpy, which is typical of most presents from my grandmother. It was from Liza, of course, and it contained the paperback boxed set of Harry Potter books. I hate pecans, so I started reading as soon as my family started eating pie. I could not put them down, and exactly 27 hours later, I had read all four Harry Potter books cover to cover. Another obsessed fan was made.
Since then, I have always been slightly bothered by the location of Harry Potter's shelf at the bookstore. (I do not know where they are kept at your local bookstore, but at the Borders up the street, the Harry Potter display is directly between a stuffed Clifford the Big Red Dog that is slightly taller than me and the table of learning-to-count books. It is right in the center of the children's literature section and therefore surrounded by books with double thick pages and titles that nearly always include "zoo" or "day.") If it had not been for all those bright lights, pastel colors and short words, I would have discovered the magic of Hogwarts ages ago. Would my life be any better for it? Maybe not, but it certainly would have given me something to do with all the free time I have had in the last few years. The other day, I was talking on the phone with one of my friends who has not seen me since last summer. Like myself, she is an avid reader, so I asked her if she read Harry Potter. There was a long pause before she said, "Elle, Harry Potter is for little kids. [My eight-year-old brother] Kevin reads Harry Potter. Why would I read it?"
There you have it. Another person turned off of a great book series because of its association with children's literature. Whenever it comes time to mention that I read Harry Potter, I receive a variety of strange looks before someone politely asks why I am so in love with a little kid's book series. The local news had a story on Harry Potter the other night, and the only fans they interviewed were under the age of 10.
Harry Potter might have been a boy at the beginning of the series, but he will very nearly be a man at the end. The kids that loved his story first will have grown up as well. Dr. Karen Brooks of the Courier-Mail wrote a recent editorial about sex in Harry Potter. She writes, "To include sexuality in any form could potentially damage Harry's package and possibly Rowling's remuneration. Like the Forbidden Forest, that area remains out of bounds." According to Brooks, the Harry Potter books are children's literature; thus, sexuality, hormones and relationships —- all the normal parts of adolescence —- are off-limits in the series. Even if Harry Potter goes down in history as a classic children's novel, I feel that those things should be included. The books are already very telling about the ways of the world. Voldemort is the embodiment of the evil in this world, and Harry represents those things that are good. The Harry Potter books present people -— not just children -— an insight on the choices that must be made in life. I do not see how sexuality is much different than any one of these topics. In fact, as a teenager myself, I can relate much more to hormones and relationships than I can an all-consuming evil in the world. People love these stories because they come alive, and I believe that something must have basis in reality to be able to do that.
JK Rowling's fabulous series never mentions a dog with spots to count or little Suzie's trip to the zoo, but it is one and the same in the minds of many. Just how many skeptics would give Harry Potter a chance if it were moved from the too-bright kid's section to the main floor? If I had not already, I know that I would.
Children's literature is a wonderful thing, and, at the age of 15, I am as thankful as any parent that JK Rowling turned kids everywhere onto reading. However, I do not think that Harry Potter should start and stop in one corner of the bookstore. The Clifford stuffed animal gives me the creeps for some reason, but I am not ashamed or afraid to march past him to get to my Harry Potter. My peers should not have to duck into Borders two days after Book 5's release because they are afraid to mingle with a bunch of kids on the night of the release. Adults should not have to be embarrassed to the point of buying their own inconspicuous editions.
The magic of Hogwarts is really for everyone. Some people realized this long ago, but Harry Potter cannot continue to be synonymous with children's literature for others to take notice. JK Rowling has created something that is much more than children's literature. She has created a story for all people, and I think that is it is time to acknowledge that. Children are not going to stop reading Harry Potter now. If that is the case, is it not about time for more adults to start? A book that can be enjoyed by all ages should be marketed for all ages. If you can never be too old for Harry Potter, I do not understand how his story can be confined to the children's section.
Oh, and for the record, I do not think my family has quite forgiven my cousin yet.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
An original editorial by Andrew Lee and Robert Lanto
"Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She - er got a bit shirty with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first."
- Oliver Wood (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
First they cut Madame Hooch, then they cut Cho Chang and Oliver Wood from PoA. Now you're telling me they're going to cut Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to a (rumored) two and one-half hours?! I don't understand what Warner Brothers is trying to pull here, they must be stopped from butchering a legendary magical novel. Thus, it is important that we be heard, we must voice our opinions before it’s too late. Why? Ultimately, we are the fans of the books and movies and if we don't voice our dissatisfaction with the way the Harry Potter franchise is being managed, we can expect much nastier surprises when the Order of the Phoenix movie enters into production.
The two most important campaigns (at this moment) are the Save Oliver Wood Campaign and the Save GoF Campaign. The unfortunate part is that it would appear that Saving Oliver Wood has fallen on deaf ears. With the movie ending production, the odds of Wood making an appearance now are low unless the special effects teams plan to add Sean Biggerstaff in the background during the Quidditch rounds. Ironically, Wood could appear in Goblet of Fire during the pre-Quidditch Cup scene, but if the movie is really going to be that short the odds are that this scene will be cut.
This brings me back to why the Save GoF Campaign (Goblet of Fire) campaign is so important. The amount of material in GoF is too much to be contained in two and half hours. Just the first half of the school year (up to a little after the Yule Ball) can easily cover two and half hours. Do they expect us to believe that all the character development and introductions can properly be done in that short amount of time? Assumingly Cho Chang's belated introduction and Cedric Diggory’s (who plays a key role in GoF) expanded role can make any fan nervous that they don't become another Penelope Clearwater (“Hello Ms. Clearwater!”).
The obvious questions is what can we do? Well the easiest thing is to tell absolutely everybody you know who likes Harry Potter to sign the petitions. The more signatures they can get, the more the campaign will be be noticed. Though signatures may not be enough, there are approximately 53,000 signatures for the Save Oliver Wood Campaign and no word from Warner Brothers. That is why it is important to mail the letters (email and postal) to Warner Brothers and anyone who will listen. The community needs to make such a fuss that Warner Brothers will have to at least make an official statement about the status of Goblet of Fire.
Website owners can also make a fuss. Post the campaign buttons on your site and provide direct links to the campaigns. Those who enjoy using message boards should keep other fans informed as to what is happening. Of course, we need to keep in mind that we all have to be civil about it. We cannot go around swearing in our letters or threatening Warner Brothers. Being hurtful or using colorful language may get you noticed but will negatively affect the campaigns. Ultimately, the importance of what the organizers are trying to accomplish will only be lost in a slue of derogatory statements should we head down that dangerous path.
Ultimately, we remain faithful that an answer from Warner Brothers will come before the end of the year Whether we get our longer movie(s) or not the important thing is that the community comes together as a whole to voice their collective opinion. If all else fails to work we’ll be seeing you during The Save The Order of the Phoenix Campaign.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Look, I for one am very upset (to say the least) that Sirius black was declared 'dead', but startling new research can prove that he may not have died at all. There are many theories, each of them as less likely as the next, but we cannot rule them out. We owe it to Sirius, to Harry, and to every single Harry Potter fan to wield the sword of truth and slay the awful lies.
Here are my theories: What if Sirius held information that was important to The Order, so he was one of Voldemort's targets? Therefore, since Harry was not skilled in the 'art' of Occlumency, Voldemort might be able to harm him through Harry. Not only would it kill Sirius, it would surely tear Harry apart, harming his own Godfather.
Why didn't they use a time turner? Even if someone did use a time turner to go back while Sirius was falling through The Veil, he would not have fallen through in the first place to be rescued, in that case, a time turner would have done more harm than good. But there is another way, it has hardly been spoken of, but it would work: What if someone went back to when Sirius was still at 12 Grimmauld Place, and took a Polyjuice Potion to transform into him, then that person went to The Department of Mysteries, knowing their fate was on the other side of The Veil, but Sirius would have never even been in the Department of Mysteries. It is highly possible, except, who would do that?
And another thing, doesn't it seem like Remus and the others are in a strange mood near the end of OotP, like they're a little too happy. I know that if one of my longtime friends had been recently deceased, I would be a wreck. They are not upset enough!
Since we don't even know what The Veil is, it makes it harder to theorize. What if it is just a doorway? I haven't heard anybody voice that option. If it was just a doorway, then why didn't Sirius come back out right away? Well, it could be because Bellatrix hit him with a stunner (the light was red), because I am sure it wouldn't be a mere disarm. Well even if Sirius was stunned, then why didn't Remus let Harry through? The answer corresponds to my first theory: That Harry needs to think he is dead.
And if Sirius is dead (which he isn't), then what the heck was PoA for? If not to give Harry dreams that would be crushed? I thought Rowling cared about Harry. If she did, she wouldn’t want to cause him more emotional pain than the awful trauma he has already faced.
I heard (from a very reliable source) that in an interview before OotP was released that Rowling said she would be killing off a character whom she enjoyed writing about. If she enjoyed Sirius so much, then why would she make his fans hurt like this? The answer is: she doesn't enjoy writing about him as much as the Death Eaters. Weren't some Death Eaters killed?
As you can tell, I am deeply upset at what happened. Sirius was, is, and will always be my favorite character.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Providing JK Rowling is nice, and allows Harry to triumph over Voldemort in the seventh book, then it would be very interesting to see what happens to the Malfoys. This time around they would not be able to deny their involvement in the Voldermortian cause, but before the likely defeat of the dark lord, I am wondering if Draco would play a part helping his Death Eater father. Draco has been indoctrinated in the "pure blood mania" and harbors considerable hate towards the prominent members of the side of good (Harry and Dumbledore).
Draco has motives to help his father, but how? He attends Hogwarts and so resides under the authority of his enemies. It is likely in the next book his actions will be closely monitored so he could prove to be a liability of his father’s, as in Hogwarts there is verisatanium and the great legilimens of Dumbledore. So in the next book I can see a frustrated Draco, living with his enemies not being told anything of importance and being closely watched. With this increasingly isolated position maybe he will resort to something desperate, like for instance attacking Harry?
With increasing neglect from his father (who has always been his lifeline of gaining power and privilege) and those he admires could he perhaps soon grow bitter and switch sides to spite them? Dumbledore could be relied upon to treat him courteously and with welcome, but because of Malfoy's background his potential defection is unlikely to happen soon. If it did happen, it would only occur in the seventh book.
As for Lucius Malfoy, perhaps he would have to leave the Malfoy mansion as he is now a wanted Death Eater. He will also be relatively trapped as there is no way out for him. Because of this, it is likely he will become more devoted to Voldemort and fight harder as his future depends on the success of Voldemort. Unfortunately, I see Lucius murdering a member of the order of the phoenix and perhaps that could be Tonks. She is a part of his wife’s family, but also a half blood so is a living embarrassment to a prominent pure blood family (like the Blacks) and Narcissa could well resent Tonks presence in her family. In the event of Voldemort’s defeat I am not sure to whether Lucius will be killed or not (if so hopefully by a muggleborn) so he will either wind up dead or in Azkaban (providing the dementors come back).
As for Draco, without his father he will end up poor (what a brilliant situation that would be! I’m sure Ron and the Weasleys would be very gleeful if that happened and hopefully they could get revenge face to face with Draco). So a fatherless Draco would be a very pathetic figure who would have to resort to asking Dumbledore for help if he hadn’t already. If you believe Draco would drink poison rather than resort to that then I would partly agree with you, but you would be forgetting the defining features of a Slytherin student. As Phineaus Nigellus said, “Slytherins are cunning and know when to surrender themselves in order to save their own necks.” This I believe is the future for Draco Malfoy, it is not a happy one but really, do we care?
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
At the beginning, there were four Marauders, led by two inseparable friends: James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, a.k.a. Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail.
Peter Pettigrew: We know that he attended Hogwarts with the other Marauders, and took part in the making of the Marauder's Map. After Hogwarts, he moved on to become one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. He then "blew himself up" and spent the next twelve years as Ron's rat Scabbers.
James Potter: After graduating from Hogwarts (assuming he did), he served as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. We do not know what he did for a living (unless Order members get pay checks), but we know he had the potential to do anything (he and Sirius were very brainy). We don't really know anything else he did in between Hogwarts and Voldemort's attack. For the twelve years after Voldemort's banishing, he was dead, and will remain so.
Sirius Black: James's best friend, he apparently graduated Hogwarts with him and, like James, we know he had the potential to do anything. He became imprisoned in Azkaban around the same time Peter became Scabbers.
Remus Lupin: We know he attended Hogwarts, was a prefect, and was obviously smart. We know he was a werewolf. What we don't know are his whereabouts during those twelve years after James's death. Everybody else's story checks out:
James: dead
Peter: Rat
Sirius: Azkaban
Where was Lupin? We can assume he must have had some past experience in either teaching or Defense Against the Dark Arts to get the position at Hogwarts those twelve years later. Twelve years is a long time, so I don't believe that he was "in training" to become a teacher. And so returns our question: where was Lupin? We know he never tried to contact Harry, and apparently he never tried to contact Sirius (why would he?). During those twelve years he thought two of his best friends were dead and the one responsible was in Azkaban.
Where in the world was he living, who was he with (did he have any other friends?), and was he teaching or did he have another job? Well, we know from past DADA teachers some of the things that would qualify you for the post.
Professor Quirrel: Assumingly, he had prior experience to DADA either through teaching, or practical experience.
Professor Lockhart: Well, we all know that he was, to be blunt, a fake. But Dumbledore hired him because he thought that he worked as someone who protected wizards from "beasts" such as Yetis (Year with a Yeti), Werewolves (Wanderings with Werewolves), and Banshees (Break with a Banshee).
Professor Moody: An Auror, so assumingly dealt with that sort of stuff regularly.
Professor Umbridge: Elected by the Ministry, no apparent talent whatsoever.
So we know from these teachers some guidelines of what Lupin needed to be a DADA teacher: teaching experience, beast experience, auroring, or being a favorite undersecretary to the Minister (highly unlikely). Which of these suits Lupin? Well, since we know that he's a werewolf, perhaps he could have had some experience dealing with beasts and we know that his curriculum was mostly Dark creatures.
We also know that Dumbledore must have kept in contact with him during those twelve years (or at least some of them), as he trusted Lupin and elected him to come back.
After losing two friends to the Dark Arts, wouldn't Lupin want some sort of revenge or to get out there and fight? So there's another theory, maybe he was an Auror.
No matter what, we know that JKR has a knack for slipping things into place smoothly, and we also know that she includes and excludes things for a reason. For that reason, I'm pretty sure that Lupin's "absence" during those twelve years will have something to do with the future books.
3/15/04
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
I have a brief theory about what is going to come in the next book(s). In GoF, when Voldemort comes back he gives this speech about who will join him: dementors, faithful death eaters, giants, and "AN ARMY OF CREATURES WHOM ALL FEAR!" (pg 651).
I haven't read any discussion over this topic, and I don't know why because it seems like real big news to me. I mean why all the secrecy, why not just come out and name these creatures? I think it's because they will turn out to be heliopaths, which we hadn't yet heard of at that time and which the general wizarding population doesn't know exist.
As mentioned by Luna in OotP, heliopaths are "spirits of fire," "great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of [them]" (pg 345). Luna even says that Fudge has an "army" of them. Note the usage of the word army by both Voldemort and Luna. They are probably dark creatures once controlled by the ministry (and kept secret) but, like the dementors, will join Lord Voldemort.
Even if this theory doesn't fit, I'd like to hear some other ones about what Voldemort's creature army will comprise.
3/15/04
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt.... When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."
"I don't want a connection with Pettigrew!" said Harry. "He betrayed my parents!"
"This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me... the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." Dumbledore to Harry in Prisoner of Azkaban
I think that time is coming. Many people know the connection between Wormtail and Harry and Lily and Harry. But there are many more connections linking more people than most realize. Snape saved Harry's life, so there is a connection between them. Harry has saved Hermy and Ron numerous times, so naturally there is a connection between them. Harry saved Ginny, Harry saved Sirius, Sirius saved Lupin (kinda), Sirius saved Harry, Dumbledore has saved everyone...the list goes on. And they are all connected. James-Lily-Sirius-Harry-Ron-Hermy-Dumbledore-Lupin-Ginny-Wormtail... Keep this is mind because I'll make a connection with my next argument.
Now for Voldy's reincarnation, 3 essential things were needed:
1. Bone of the father (unknowingly taken)
2. Flesh from a servant (willingly given)
3. Blood from a foe (forcibly taken)
Okay, these are very powerful substances that may lead to Voldy's destruction. I think the excitement of the chance to return blinded him. He needed everything to go as planned, because it was crucial for no one to notice, especially Dumbledore. In all that haste he might have let a few things slip from his mind, like the effect of those 3 things together.
1. Bone of the father. Here is essence from the man who never loved him. Here is essence from the man he murdered. This was apparently his second murder and much more powerful and direct than his first (Myrtle).
2. Flesh from a servant. This isn't the best servant to choose from. But his choices were limited. It was either Wormtail or Crouch. He needed Crouch to be at Hogwarts, so he really didn't have another option but to use Wormtail. But Wormtail is in the debt of another wizard, a very powerful one, who just happens to be in the dead center of a huge connection.
Before I get to #3, I have to say that the one thing items 1 and 2 have in common is their origin in people who were evil. They weren't ultimate evil but they aren't in any way good. A father who left his wife and his baby and a turncoat who betrayed those who cared about him, setting up two of his best friends in the process, aren't good people.
3. Blood from a foe. Voldy has Harry's blood inside his very veins. The blood of a good person, the person who once temporarily defeated him, a person who was and is loved by so many people, a person who is brave, kind, and extremely good. Voldy couldn't touch Harry and now he has his blood inside of him. Think of what is inside Voldemort right now. Love, something that has probably never been inside him before. All the weapons that Harry has been using to fight him lie in his very veins: love, friendship, trust, loyalty... Plus, now he bears the connection with all those people that I listed above. Now on that same list, if you take away Wormtail, don't all those people love and care for each other? Wouldn't they die before they betrayed each other? Don't they care about each other to an extent that can't be described in words? Some people in the HP universe prefer to fight fire with fire *coughfudgecough*, but Harry fights Voldy with Love. And that is why he is successful in his battles with Voldy.
Now I don't think it will be long until Voldy is destroyed from the inside. I think this is how Harry will VANQUISH (not kill) THE DARK LORD. This suggests that the DARK LORD or Voldemort will be vanquished but not Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle is not the Dark Lord, Voldemort is the Dark Lord. Tom Riddle is still inside Voldy, he's just caught up in the Matrix. When Harry's done with him, he will be out here with us in the H.P. Universe.
Why and how will Voldy be destroyed?
Voldemort holds in his insides things he has never felt before. Think about it, why does Voldy hate muggles and muggle-borns? Because his father left him and his mother. Because his dad just let his mom die and let him get sent off to an orphanage, which he hated. If his dad hadn't left him, then he wouldn't hate muggles and muggleborns. His mom died before he got a chance to know her, he never had that adult-figure in his life. How he was raised changed everything. He became an orphan just like Harry. But Harry knew his parents loved him, and Tom knew his dad couldn't care less about him. It's all about the path you choose and the influences in your life have a lot to do with it (this is exactly what J.K.R. was trying to say through book 2). Tom grew up with hate and was placed in Slytherin. Slytherin, from his friends to Salazar's reputation and beliefs, was a bad influence on Tom Riddle. All this caused him to turn into Voldemort. Harry on the other hand knew his parents loved him, he made the right choices and he chose to be a good kid. Probably so that he wouldn't be like Dudley or turn out to be like Vernon and Petunia. That caused him to be in Gryffindor, and now he is a moody little sack of out of control hormones, like every teenager, but I have no doubt that Harry will turn out to be exactly as we all see him: The Champion of Good, a hero.
3/15/04
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
09-20-2003 04:16 AM
