Special Summer Edition: Attention DA Members and Friends of Harry Potter—Four days and counting

by Michael Di Gesu, RavenclawLONDON - All week, O.W.L. results have been delivered over Great Britain to soon-to-be sixth years who waited with nerves bordering on a breakdown....

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Query hate/query love

How is your summer going, friends? I am having a great time researching a shiny new idea while simultaneously having a not-so-great time revising marketing materials for a finished...

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Special Report from Hogwarts Florida Campus

by Lisa Galek, RavenclawORLANDO--Ever wish tank tops were part of the Hogwarts dress code? Do you long for ocean-side Potion lessons? Been dying to use that sunblock spell you...

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Bored with/by/of gaffes

Dear Editor-on-Call,Is "bored of" a proper phrase? I thought it was "bored with."Regards,Interested in bored(aka Valerie Keiser Norris)Dear Interested,You're correct. The standard...

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The slow-growing hero

Today, I'd like to talk about a character in the Harry Potter books I've most enjoyed watching change and grow over the series: Neville Longbottom. In Rowling's world of evocative...

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What makes a villain? Part 3: Hero in villain's clothing

This week, I've been looking at Rowling's complex characterizations over the series, focusing especially on the villainous characters. In PART 1, I examined the Dursely and Malfoy...

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What makes a villain? Part 2: Umbridge and Voldemort

Today I continue analyzing some of Rowling's villains and what makes them tick. Check out yesterday's post for my thoughts on the Dursley and Malfoy families. Dolores Umbridge I...

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What makes a villain? Part 1: Dursleys and Malfoys

As I look back over the Harry Potter series as a whole, I see some interesting patterns. Today I'd like to consider Rowling's villains and what seems to make them tick. The...

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HP Week: The benefits of books first

Today I have a guest post from my husband Joel, an assistant professor of philosophy at La Salle University who teaches a course, Harry Potter and Philosophy. He also contributed...

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Snape's Secret Admirer

By Jen Daiker, HufflepuffHOGSMEDE, INVERNESS—The secret is out at Hogwarts. A certain someone in a black robe has been receiving love letters from a student.Have you noticed your...

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Desert wandering: another kind of "writer's block"*

We all get stuck at times, find our productivity come to a screeching--or sputtering--halt. In THIS previous post, I discussed one of the causes--hitting walls because we hadn't...

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