5 Things You'll Recognize in 'Fantastic Beasts'

       Although we're all terribly excited about seeing some of the new things that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer, it'll be a comfort to see some of the familiar aspects of HP that we know and love. MILD SPOILERS WILL BE MENTIONED, SO READ WITH CAUTION.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them poster

The No-Majs or Muggles
     As usual, the Muggles or nonmagic folk will make their regularly scheduled appearance in the new film. Although in the United States, they're not called Muggles; they're called No-Majs.

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander

The Magic
       We'll also run into pieces of magic that we're familiar with in the new movie. New Scamander makes use of Petrificus Totalus. Obliviate is used quite liberally in the film and some poor New York citizens.

Characters Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski

Legilimens
     During the movie, you'll even see that the character Queenie is revealed to be a legilimens. If you remember from the Harry Potter series, Snape and Dumbledore were also legilimens.

One of the creatures from Newt Scamander's briefcase

The Lestrange Family
       Not only will you see phrases, magic, and abilities that you recognize, but you'll also see a family that you are familiar with. In Fantastic Beasts, you will also see a family that you are familiar with: the Lestranges. There is a photograph of a Leta Lestrange, whom Newt Scamander may have had a romantic relationship with.

Book Ginny vs. Movie Ginny: Which One Did You Like Better?

      For the past few days, I've been re-watching all of the Harry Potter films as well as re-reading all of the books. That got me wondering more about one of the most interesting characters in the series: Ginny Weasley.

    From the early Harry Potter books we can see that Ginny is going to grow up to be one kick-ass, no-bullshit kind of girl. She keeps up with all of her brothers (and with your brothers being two of the most well-known pranksters to ever step foot on Hogwarts grounds, that's saying something), can take care of herself, and is funny as hell.

Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley 

     However, when we get to movie version of Ginny, there is a lot to be desired in my opinion. In the early movies, I thought they were doing pretty well with Ginny. After all Ginny does start off to be shy and timid around Harry towards the beginning of the series. However, as Ginny got older, she didn't seem to evolve that much. She only seemed a little less shy. The biggest difference was that Ginny had boyfriends.

Fan art of Ginny Weasley

    In my opinion, they could've done so much better with Ginny. For example, they could've added that  bit where she hexed some Slytherins. Or they could've just included Ginny more with the Trio. After all, Ginny was good friends with Hermione. She did hang out with them pretty often.

The Harry Potter Movies Are Returning to Theaters?!

      If any of you are anything like me, nothing can replace the magic of seeing the Harry Potter films for the first time in theaters. At least that's what I used to think. What if I told you that you could have the opportunity to relive the magic as an adult?

     Since October 13, select theaters throughout the United States have been hosting showings of all eight Harry Potter films. This is only lasting for a week though, so be sure to see all of the films at a nearby theater if you get a chance. Not only will you have the chance to see all eight HP films, but here in a few weeks you'll get to feast your eyes on the newest film from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

      I don't know about you guys but this is personally something I am SO FREAKING EXCITED for. It's the ultimate Harry Potter marathon. If this is something you are able to do, do it!

The Illustrated Version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

      I don't know about you guys, but ever since the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released, I've been excited to see more. Fortunately, the illustrated version of the Chamber of Secrets was recently released so I got the opportunity to check it out. And let me tell you, was it awesome.

Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Ron Weasley illustration

Harry Potter illustration

Draco Malfoy illustration

Hermione Granger illustration

     The colors that illustrator Jim Kay used were absolutely vibrant and really brought out some of the details that the Harry Potter movies missed. It was interesting to see another artist's interpretation of the Harry Potter World. At one point you even get to see Dobby's bare ass running down a hallway. There are pages upon pages of this amazing artwork. To get a closer peek, check out this video:

Three New Harry Potter Books?!

       Your humble blogger here has had a giant void in her heart since the Harry Potter series ended. Fortunately though, J.K. Rowling is going to refill it again. After learning about The Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts, I thought that would be the last we'd hear from the wizarding world for a while. However, I'm happy to have learned that Jo has released three new Harry Potter books (which are available as ebooks only). I don't know about you guys, but I am personally very excited about this.

The Harry Potter ebooks

     Although these books are not specifically about Harry, they're bound to be a good read. These three books dive into the details of the lives of several favorite characters, including the detestable Dolores Umbridge and Gryffindor's Head of House,  Minerva McGonagall.  Each book is about 10, 000 words long.

The three books are entitled: Power, Politics, and Pesky Poltergeists, Heroism, Hardship, and Dangerous Hobbies, and Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide. The books are currently available for purchase.

Harry Potter Fan and Employee Honored

     On June 12, the United States was shaken by a terrible tragedy. Forty-nine people were murdered at a gay club in Orlando, Florida. Dozens more were wounded. A few of the people killed during the shooting were Harry Potter fans who worked at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. One of them was named Luis Vielma.

Luis Vielma

        A stranger paid tribute to him in a very heart-felt way. He created a figure of Luis Vielma using Pop!'s online customization tool where anyone can create a design. He has no plans to sell the figure. He just wants to offer it to Vielma's friends and family.

     In my opinion, this is a very kind way to remember Luis. Although I believe the other victims should be represented somehow, the fact that a figure of Vielma was created is a good way for his family and friends to remember him.

Daniel Radcliffe Won't Be Seeing 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'

      Although there is a whole new cast taking the places of some of the old cast members from the movies, many of us are undoubtedly wondering if any of the previous cast members will be queuing up to see the newest installment in the HP series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

      Daniel Radcliffe had a bit to say on the matter. During a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Dan had this to say... "I want to see the show. I genuinely am intrigued and I;ve heard it's fantastic... I just feel like sitting in an audience of what for the most part - for the near future - will be very enthusiastic Harry Potter fans might be... not a relaxing way to see the show, I guess. So not for the time being."

Daniel Radcliffe

     Radcliffe went on to say that he thinks Jamie Parker (who will be playing the older version of Harry) is a great actor. "I'm very excited to see him playing me," he said. "And maybe a lot of questions can shift to him now. He can do all the Harry press!" 

Daniel Radcliffe and Jamie Parker (the actor playing Harry in The Cursed Child)

     Personally I think that it is very thoughtful of Daniel Radcliffe not to see the show, even though he would like to.  He's right in thinking that his appearance at the play will cause an uproar because avid Harry Potter fans are definitely going to be filling all of the seats for a long time. His appearance there, I think, would distract the audience from the fact that there is an entirely new cast and story.

More Things That Have Happened in the Harry Potter Universe Since the Series Ended

1.)  Harry and Ginny got married and had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna.

Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, and their three children: Lily, James, and Albus.

2.) Ron and Hermione got married and had two children: Hugo and Rose Weasley.

Fan art of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley with their children Hugo and Rose.

3.) Draco Malfoy married Astoria Greengrass, younger sister of Daphne Greengrass. They had a child named Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

Fan art of Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, and their son Scorpius

4.) After the death of his parents, Teddy Lupin was raised by Andromeda and Ted Tonks, his grandparents.

Fan art of Teddy Lupin at his parents' gravestones. 

5.) George Weasley married fellow Gryffindor and Quidditch teammate Angelina Johnson. They had two children, Fred and Roxanne Weasley.

Fan art of Angelina Johnson, George Weasley,  and their son Fred, and Fred Weasley's ghost

6.) Harry and Ron joined the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic. Hermione became a high-ranking official of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Fan art of a pregnant Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter

7.) Dementors are no longer used by the Ministry of Magic.

Dementor fan art

8.) Bill and Fleur Weasley's first child was born on the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. She was named Victoire which means "victory" in French.

Fan art of a pregnant Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley

9.) Ginny Weasley became a profession Quidditch player. When she retired from Quidditch, she became the Quidditch correspondant of the Daily Prophet.

Fan art of Ginny Weasley as Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies

10.) Hermione went back to Hogwarts to complete her N.E.W.T.'s.

Fan art of Hermione Granger

11.) Arthur Weasley eventually fixed Sirius' old motorcycle and gave it to Harry.

Fan art of Hagrid with Sirius' motorcycle

12.) Luna Lovegood married Rolf Scamander, the grandson of naturalist Newt Scamander. They had two children, named Lorcan and Lysander.

Fan art of Luna Lovegood and her children, Lorcan and Lysander

13.)  Harry ensured that Snape's portrait was restored to its proper place in the Headmaster's office.

Fan art of Severus Snape's portrait

13 Things That Have Happen in the HP Universe Since the Series Ended

        Since the Harry Potter series ended, many of us have often wondered what has gone on in the wizarding world since the defeat of Lord Voldemort. Luckily, this blogger has found the answer to your heart's desire.

1.) Dolores Umbridge was arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned for crimes against Muggle-borns.

Dolores Umbridge

2.) The Resurrection Stone is now buried in the Forbidden Forest after being pressed into the ground by a centaur's hoof. It has not been rediscovered.

Marvolo Gaunt's ring

3.) Harry lost his ability to speak Parseltongue when Voldemort's soul fragment was destroyed.

Harry Potter speaking Parseltongue to a snake in the Philospher's Stone

4.) Viktor Krum fell in love with a woman back home in Bulgaria and they lived happily ever after.

Viktor Krum

5.) The Death Eater's Dark Marks eventually faded into a scar. It will not burn or hurt them ever again.

The Dark Mark

6.) The Quibbler has gone back to publishing articles about the lunatic fringe and is appreciated for its (unintentional) humor.

A copy of The Quibbler

7.) The remaining Death Eaters were either killed or imprisoned in Azkaban for their crimes (excluding the Malfoys).

The Malfoy family and Bellatrix Lestrange

8.) Hagrid was still working at Hogwarts even in 2017, at the age of 88-years-old. He never married, however, he did have a relationship with a giantess.

Hagrid

9.) Harry would take his family to visit Dudley's whenever they were in the neighborhood (much to the dread of Albus, James, and Lily Potter).

Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter

10.) Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school was led by an entirely new headmaster as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Hogwarts castle

11.) Kinglsey Shacklebolt became the new Minister of Magic after the second wizarding war.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

12.) Harry does not ever train to become an Animagus.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

13.) At the end of the war, the Order of the Phoenix was disbanded once and for all.

The old Order of the Phoenix

Hogwarts Mystery: Solved

         Because there are so many Harry Potter fan theories floating around the internet, it only makes sense that some of them are actually true. This latest one explains something that never made much sense to Harry Potter fans. As you probably know if you pay close attention the the literary enchantress herself, Rowling said there were only 1000 students attending Hogwarts during Harry's time.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

      How is this possible? you may find yourself wondering. Fortunately, Tumblr user marauders4ever came up with a theory that could possibly explain it all. "What if there were less students in the Hogwarts Class of 1998 because the period when the other kids would have been conceived (1979-1981) was when Voldemort's reign of power was at its peak?" marauders4evr wrote. "Between the dozens of adults who joined the Order, the dozens of civilians that were killed in Death Eater raids, and the dozens of adults who didn't want to bring a child into the world.... It's entirely possible that was a baby drought for a few years in the wizarding world..."

     My opinion: This seems like a pretty solid theory to me. How else would you be able to explain the fact that there were so few young witches and wizards coming of age to attend Hogwarts.

Could the Items in Harry Potter Work in Real Life? **SPOILER ALERT**

        Here is a question that has been on the mind of every Harry Potter fan since the beginning of the series: could any of the spells or items from the books work in real life?

      Fortunately, University of Leicester students have been putting a lot of study and thought into this very question. Two scientific papers Gillyweed - Drowning With Gills? and Revealing the Magic of Skele-Grow analyze two of the many magical items that appear in the Harry Potter series.  Gillweed, you probably know, is the plant that Harry consumes allows him to grow gills and webbed hands and feet during one of the tasks during the Triwizard Tournament.

     This process was carefully examined by natural science students, Rowan Reynolds and Chris Ringrose. They determined that, based on the size of Harry's gills and the maximum oxygen use of a boy Harry's age, he would need to process 443 litres of water at 100% efficiency per minute for every minute that he's under water. This means that the water would need to flow at 2.46 metres per second.

      In their conclusion, they found that Harry's gills probably wouldn't be able to function properly.  However, had Harry opened his mouth during swimming, his gills would be more feasible.

      As you may remember, Skele-Grow was a potion that was used to heal Harry's arm when his boned had been removed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Students Ringrose, Leah Ashley, and Robbie Roe concluded that the Skele-Grow allowed Harry's bones to heal at about 90 times the normal rate. Their calculations show that the bones regrew using energy amounts of "at least 113, 050kcal, giving a power output of 6, 443W." This means that this potion must have unexplained magical properties to be able to heal bones that quickly.

     Although we Potterheads can dream, it seems as if these two items are only possible in the Wizarding World.

Parents Beware! Reading Harry Potter Can Cause Mental Illness In Children!

      .... Just kidding! However, there are people out there who do indeed believe that popular series such as Harry Potter can cause mental illness in children. One example of an individual who believes such a thing is Graeme Whiting, headmaster of Acorn School in the United Kingdom. Now, you're probably thinking that there is no way that someone actually believes this just like I did. Whiting's blog suggests that he really, truly believes this though. Recently he published a blog post called The Imagination of a Child that talks about the effects Harry Potter and other popular series have on a child's mind. Here is an excerpt of that blog post:

       Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, and Terry Pratchett, to mention only a few of the modern world's 'must-haves' contain deeply insensitive and addictive material which I am certain encourages difficult behavior in children; yet they can be bought without a special license, and can damage the sensitive subconscious brain of young children, many4 of whom may be added to the current statistics of mentally ill young children.

Harry Potter 

         To me, his opinion is just downright silly. If a child begins to show signs of a mental illness post reading a book (any book for that matter), then that child was already mentally ill. The book had nothing to do with it. Sure, there is subject matter in books that is meant for older audiences but young children reading those books won't become mentally ill because of said book.

      This is not the first or last time that we will hear about people coming forward and condemning popular books. After all, people have been petitioning to remove Harry Potter books from libraries for years.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour Opens 4 Privet Drive for the First Time

       Every Harry Potter fan remembers the very first line in the very first book. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." We also remember the house that was mentioned, Harry's childhood home. What if you could see it for yourself?

      Good news: now you can. The Harry Potter Studio Tour in London has opened the door of number four Privet Drive for the very first time. While you might see a lot of things you recognize inside, there will also be a few things that you don't recognize. For example, there is a certificate to Dudley Dursley, awarding him 'for always eating his lunch' (shocker, shocker). There's also another detail that all of us are familiar with. The scene where all of Harry's Hogwarts letters falling throughout the living room. Now you can see this scene in real ife - sort of. The individually designed Hogwarts letters are hanging from the ceiling to look as if they're falling.

Fiona Shaw, the actress who played Aunt Petunia

    There are tons of other small details that the naked eye might have missed during the movies. To see them all, you're going to have to take a trip to London, England.

My opinion on this: if you have the opportunity, GO! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity because it is a limited-time event. Seeing the set would almost be like you were in Harry Potter. You'll get to see props that were in the movies and even some of the machinery that was used to make Harry Potter come to life.

Real Life Quidditch?!

        You might be familiar with our Muggle version of Quidditch. You run around on brooms and seek out the Snitch while protecting the other team from scoring. However, a group of Colombian skydivers have come up with a new way to play Quidditch: in the air. Armed with some parachutes, their brooms, and other Quidditch gear, you can see what Quidditch looks like when it's played in it's natural habitat.

     Here is the video:

    I'm personally very excited about this video. It's super cool to watch. It also makes me wonder what other methods people will start coming up with so they can play a more authentic game of Quidditch.

The One Harry Potter Theory That J.K. Rowling Hates

      Since the last Harry Potter  book was released nearly ten years ago, Potterheads all over the world have come up with all kinds of fan series. Some make a lot of sense (and happen to be true) while others make (false) absolutely no sense. Today I'm going to be talking about this theory: Fawkes, Dumbledore's loyal phoenix, is his Horcrux.

Fawkes the phoenix

     J.K. Rowling had this to say on the matter: The idea that anybody believes this is strangely upsetting to me.

    Why would Harry Potter fans believe this anyway? One reason is because Fawkes seems to always appear during a time of need. Another reason is because Dumbledore seems to understand an awful lot about the Dark Lord's relationship with his Horcrux, Nagini. For example, Dumbledore liked to keep Fawkes close just like Voldemort kept Nagini close. Similarly to Lord Voldemdort, Dumbledore also seemed to have an unusual amount of control over Fawkes.

Albus Dumbledore

    These are reasons that fans might believe the theory. However, there are also reasons that fans should not believe this theory. For example, one reason that this theory isn't a good one is because Dumbledore did not approve of Dark Magic. However, some fans argue that just because he disapproved of Dark Magic when we met him doesn't mean Dumbledore was always that way. Secondly, Dumbledore hasn't knowingly, intentionally killed someone which is crucial to making a Horcrux. Lastly, another reason you shouldn't believe this theory is because J.K. Rowling flat out denied it.

    My opinion? Dumbledore probably didn't make any Horcruxes. I get the feeling that other fans just don't want to accept that Dumbledore is truly dead.

The Heartbreaking Reason That J.K. Rowling Killed Remus Lupin

       After finished the last book in the series, Harry Potter fans were heartbroken for one reason or another. Although I was very sad about many of the deaths that took place, one that hit me particularly hard is the death of Remus Lupin. Like J.K. Rowling does every May 2 (the day the Battle of Hogwarts took place), she apologized for the death of Harry's favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

     Here's what J.K. Rowling had to say about killing off Remus Lupin, "Once again, it's the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts so, as promised, I shall apologise for a death. This year: Remus Lupin.  

In the interests of total honesty I'd also like to confess that I didn't decide to kill Lupin until I wrote Order if the Phoenix.

Arthur lived, so Lupin had to die. I'm sorry. I didn't enjoy doing it. The only time my editor ever saw me cry was over the fate of Teddy."

      You may be wondering why J.K. Rowling waited until after writing the Order of the Phoenix to decide to kill Remus. All of Harry's father figures ended up dying. And Remus, being Harry's last link to his father, needed to go as well. Regardless of Rowling's reasoning for killing Remus, that was a hard death to accept for me considering that not only did Remus die, but his wife, Tonks, died as well leaving their newborn son an orphan. 

     

Familiar Harry Potter Star is Unrecognizable

      As the Harry Potter stars grew up, some of them were totally recognizable while others... not so much. One of those stars that you might not recognize would definitely be Josh Herdman, otherwise known as Draco Malfoy's mean henchman Gregory Goyle. You might remember him as a heavy-set kid, but as an adult he is very far from heavy-set.

Josh Herdman, MMA fighter and actor

       Josh Herdman has gone from overweight, spell-casting bully to buff, handsome MMA fighter. Herdman made his amateur debut last weekend, beating Polish opponent, Janusz Walachowski. Herdman has been training in Japanese jujitsu for nearly five years and he holds a shodan black belt.

      The child star spoke about what he likes so much about MMA fighting. "It's raw, exciting, and unpredictable." He also had this to say, "I find it more interesting than boxing although I appreciate the beauty and the art of boxing. It also made sense to move onto MMA because of my jujitsu training."