The Harry Potter Lexicon

Paula here. I’ve just posted a new essay, 20 Heads are Better Than One: 1000 Years of Headmasters. New Lexicon contributor Zachary Seymour discusses what it means for Dumbledore’s to have joined the Pantheon of moving portraits in the Head’s office — and what it may mean for Harry to have that kind of resource to available to him as he faces his final challenges of the series.

More new canon! Wheeee!

I have just finished uploading to the Quick-Quotes-Quill what I hope are definitive versions of the press conference and readings Jo did in New York last week. These transcripts use the best from other fansites with corrections and extra research, so I hope you will use these versions as your reference copies.

We will be posting the interview summaries soon over at Madam Scoop’s Index to J.K. Rowling Interviews. Until then, here are some of the bits of new canon that can be gleaned from the interviews:

From the press conference:

• “a couple of characters I expected to survive have died and one character got a reprieve”

Reading and questions from August 1:

• Hermione would see the trio “alive and unscathed and Voldemort finished” in the Mirror of Erised. She may also see herself in a romantic embrace.
• Magical potions always have a magical component “at some point” so Muggles cannot brew magical potions even if they found a real wand.
• If a Muggle tired to wield a real wand there would be some sort of violent accident.
• We will learn more about the relationship between wands and their wizards/witches in book 7.
• All of Jo’s main characters except for Voldemort can be considered redeemable.
• Harry believes that Draco would not have killed Dumbledore even if he had all the time in the world. Indeed he would not have; this will have implications for Draco’s future.
• Wandmakers can choose wand cores “that are particular to their country.”

Reading and questions from August 2:

• “There is a little more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye and you will find out what that is in book seven”
• Dumbledore will not “do a Gandalf;” he is truly dead.
• Madam Pince the Hogwarts librarian had to be mean so that Hermione had to figure things out herself.

We’d like to join Jo in wishing Ginny Weasley a Happy Birthday! As she has done for the past two years, Jo posted this birthday wish on the Wizard of the Month Calendar of her website: jkrowling.com today.

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