 By: Nicole Song If you are a real Potterhead, you have taken all the quizzes, read and reread all the books about a million times, and watched and criticized the movies for not going with the book. You should know all the spells and know the correct wand movement for Wingardium Leviosa (Swish & Flick). But here are some facts I bet you didn’t know about Harry Potter. If you do, give yourself a pat on the back. J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter share the same birthday. Both birthdays fall on July 31. Dumbledore was actually gay. J.K. Rowling revealed that he fell in love with his friend Gellert Grindelwald, but was let down horribly when Grindelwald showed his true colors. Dumbledore’s death was actually predicted by Professor Trelawney in the Prisoner of Azkaban. It's surprising, but it’s true. During the Christmas feast when Trelawney came down to eat and Trelawney warned them that when 13 sit down to dine, the first to rise will be the first to die. Well may I remind you that there were already 13 people seated at the table, including Scabbers, a.k.a Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore stood up to greet Trelawney, and he was indeed the first to die. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was almost named Harry Potter and the Elder Wand. The Deathly Hallows sounds way cooler anyways. Hermione’s race has never been determined. Although Hermione was white in the movies, there are a few hints in the book that Hermione could be black, or at least tan. J.K. Rowling said she never specified her skin color, but she loves the idea of Hermione being black. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was basically a reenactment of the Tale of the Three Brothers. Voldemort was the first brother, who wanted power. Snape was the second brother, who died for the woman he loved. Harry was the third brother, who apart from having the invisibility cloak, welcomed death. Harry Potter could have been a musical. There were many offers for plays and movies, but Rowling turned them all down. Before the British Ministry of Magic was founded in 1692, the Malfoys used to hang out with rich Muggles. One of the Malfoys even tried to win Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ hand in marriage, but failed. Only then did they leave for the Ministry of Magic, the “new heart of power”. Imagine if Draco knew. Draco only teased Hermione because he liked her. Malfoy liked Hermione, but because he came from a pure-blood obsessed family, he could not show it and teased her instead. We have been pronouncing Voldemort wrong for 20 years now. J.K. Rowling said that we have been pronouncing it Voldemort, when really the t is silent. So it’s supposed to be Voldemor. J.K. Rowling almost wrote Dudley into the last chapter of the last book with a magical child of his own. That should have happened. Wizards hate trousers. In The Goblet of Fire, you may recall old Archie liked “A nice wind around his privates, thanks,” and he is not alone. According to J.K. Rowling, there was a movement called F.A.R.T. which stands for ‘Fresh Air Refreshes Totally’ that was against wearing them. Ron has a cousin, Mafalda. She was a daughter of Mrs. Weasley’s accountant cousin and a Muggle. Mafalda was supposed to show up in The Goblet of Fire, but the idea was cut. Ron considered getting his own chocolate frog card after the Battle of Hogwarts, his greatest achievement. He and Dumbledore have something in common. The first book was published the year the the Battle of Hogwarts was supposed to end. Many Harry Potter fans compare this to ‘I open at the close”, which was written on Harry’s snitch in The Deathly Hallows. However, whether this was a coincidence or not is undetermined. Here’s an bonus fact: Hufflepuff is totally the best house ever. Even J.K. Rowling thinks we’re the best. Her favorite house is Hufflepuff. "This may surprise people, but it is the truth...In many, many ways, Hufflepuff is my favourite House.”   By: Erika Wu and Jadelyn Lou
The school year is almost over, and if you’re an eighth grader, you will feel either delighted about finishing middle school, sad that you are not going to the same high school as your friends, or surprised on how short these years were. Here are some things you can do:
Overall, remember that not all friendships last, and you can’t force someone to be friends with you. If it doesn’t work out, there are many other options in the summer. Summer may feel too short, but it is actually about one-third of a typical school year, so don’t worry. Lastly, don’t change who you are, and enjoy yourselves. |
