Byline: Ross

Features / The Daily Prophet

Four Parts of the Wizarding World J.K. Rowling Should Further Explain in the “Fantastic Beasts” Spinoff

After the initial wave of what we’ll call intensity had passed, I started to think about what this would really mean for my understanding of the “Potter” series. Would I really learn anything? Wasn’t “Fantastic Beasts” just a small, 54-page guide to the magical beasts found in the wizarding world? How would this be applicable to my already-existing knowledge of “Harry Potter,” if at all? And what the heck is an Acromantula?!

Features / The Daily Prophet

Exploring animal cruelty and mistreatment in “Potter”

It’s a well-known fact that throughout the “Potter” series we’re introduced to a number of different animals, both “Muggle” and magical, each of which are uniquely portrayed by Rowling in their own way. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Rowling expressed that she typically liked to derive many of these creatures from folklore and mythology, and many, even the seemingly “normal” ones, exemplify magical properties (think owls delivering mail). Further, though, I think it’s important to recognize that a lot of the different creatures in the “Potter” series haven’t necessarily been given happy endings, or stories for that matter.

Features / The Daily Prophet

The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore

Since the beginning of time (and by time, I mean “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”), I’ve always thought of Dumbledore as not only wise beyond his many, many… many… years, but as someone who was in a sense “ethically and morally superior”. He was the Wizard who could do no wrong; he was a role model, in particular to Harry, and as Headmaster of Hogwarts I had assumed a certain level of credibility attached to his name, at least to some degree. But as we continued to read on through the books and as the final pieces of the story fell into their rightful place, I found myself feeling a bit unsure of exactly where Dumbledore stood in my lineup of favorites. I mean, who was Dumbledore, really?

Features / The Daily Prophet

Welcome to the Restricted Section

Books have always been a huge focal point in the Harry Potter series, and this is something that I both love and attribute to J.K. Rowling’s love of them herself. Throughout the series, we’re introduced to a number of different types of books and constantly reminded of their importance; from the book that almost ate Neville (think Prisoner of Azkaban, Care of Magical Creatures class) to Tom Riddle’s Diary to Severus’ copy of Advanced Potion-Making (Half-blood Prince) to even the Tale of Three Brothers, we are truly shown the importance of books and the information they hold. That being said, there’s one set of books that I think has been purposefully left a mystery; and that is the Restricted Section.