"...the wonderful editorials, (more insight there than in several companion volumes I shall not name)..." - J.K. Rowling http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials Using his wand to join the edges of the monkey skins, Sir Lionel Niblet put the finishing touches on his new all-weather cloak. It was both practical and stylish, with a warm layer of fur facing inward and a suede-like suppleness facing out. He examined it approvingly, then slipped it on. The fit was perfect. He should have been a tailor. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq154.shtml The hard-faced men in one of the more brutish, back offices of the Ministry of Magic had ways of making people talk. Or, given a suspect like Sadie, who had vast resources of shtumness to draw upon, they had ways of keeping people waiting. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq153.shtml In the infirmary at Isola Indietro, a clutch of teachers stopped squabbling and warily widened the gap between their feet and the crushed remnants of the falcon figurine. Two students remained on hospital beds, one of them staring fearfully over the edge of his sick-berth, the other lying still under a sheet. A portly, middle-aged man peeked around the edge of a nearby screen, giving free rein to his Quick Quotes Quill while, behind him, a younger man with a large, smoking camera jostled for a view. Only Ilona remained close to the fragments. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq152.shtml Merlin and Miss Pucey watched the water on the steps after Rigel swam away. When it had grown quite calm, Merlin smiled thinly and said, "Well, Miss Pucey, we'll want to make the best of our lad's diversion and move on before the merhags come back." http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq151.shtml At last, the "third season" of the Magic Quill has come to a much-delayed close. The time is ripe for another 50-chapter digest. If you've tuned in late, it may also help to read these capsule summaries of the first and second seasons, as well as this handy guide to the characters in the first 100 chapters. The real pleasure is in the details, though. It pays to read all the chapters in full! http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq150.shtml Spanky gasped as his broom approached the grounds of Mangeford Manor. He was so staggered that he missed his footing and landed face-first in a pile of uprooted shrubbery that had been gathered up for burning. His eyes gleamed with tears when he stood up, partly because of the pungent scent of the leaves. But only partly. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq149.shtml While waiting for my Aunt Eunice as she sat for a portrait, I started to browse through some books on Muggle painters and their weird, non-moving 'Hello? Is anyone there? I could use a bit of help getting out of here pictures.' http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq148.shtml My interview with Bruno Fenoglio, disqualified from the final round of the late Hexischoleiad Tournament, was abruptly cut short by a screech from the catlike marsupial that rode everywhere on my photographer's shoulder. "Skreep!" it yowled. "You've got mail!" . http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq147.shtml Scarcely had Rigel handed both brooms to the parking valet and offered his arm to his date when a Wizarding Wireless presenter shoved a wand in his face. He squinted as a hovering lens focused the light of a blazing candelabra on his face. Evidently he was expected to speak into the wand-tip. "Er," he hemmed. "Say again?" he hawed. . http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq146.shtml Until this year, few British sport fans have followed the Hexischoleia Tournament, held every sixth year since 1972. This is not extraordinary, seeing that none of the six schools competing in the Hexischoleiad are in the U.K. What is extraordinary is the level of enthusiasm this year's tournament generated among British witches and wizards. Six schools, six champions, six challenges, six countries - and at every stage, a contingent of loyal supporters from our fair isle. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq145.shtml The Out of This World Outfitter was certainly out of the way. It lay three turns out of Diagon Alley, in a dingy cul-de-sac lined with boarded-up shops and littered with broken roof tiles. It was situated below street level, its entrance hidden behind a gruesome, never-melting ice sculpture depicting the beheading of the Gang of One, the hydra who had terrorized the neighborhood during the Lawlessness that had followed the Third Goblin Rebellion. Its entrance was marked by three signs, falsely identifying it as Ermengarde's Weevil Shop, claiming to be closed for structural repairs, and warning trespassers to beware of Acromantulas. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq144.shtml While reading the Harry Potter series, I couldn’t help but notice, as I'm sure you have too, the many, varied themes that arise in the wizarding world, from the very basic matters of love, courage, and friendship to more complex topics such as death, race, class, status, family (as a social institution), and stratification within wizard society. Several of these latter, deeper issues, are what I’ll be discussing in this editorial about sociological aspects in the Harry Potter series, many of which are tied together and can be quite complex and layered within the society. The first half will deal with status and stratification; the second with racial inequality. Let us begin, shall we? http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-labozettar01.shtml The cupboard door effectively hid her, while the holes carved into it in an elaborate design enabled her to see every move of the duel. This, she thought wryly, must be the reason Aunt or Uncle Leslie wanted to load up on calories. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq143.shtml The Snookerfield Quartet were in the full fury of a Beethoven fugue when the knock came. At first, nobody heard it. When it was repeated, rather louder, the quartet played on without missing a beat; but the lady of the house noticed. "Fifi," she shouted over the music. "Fifi, there! Yoo-hoo!" http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq142.shtml