While this may be a coming-of-age story about a young boy’s journey into manhood (or in this case, a young wizard’s journey into the only thing that can save civilization as we know it), there’s plenty of love for the Harry Potter ladies. When asked who is your favorite Potter female, you responded as follows:

39% of you rightfully chose Hermione Granger as your very favorite Harry Potter lady. I couldn’t agree more. Good choice. Well done! How does it feel to be right?

Of course, as a nerdy overachiever, I may be just the slightest bit bias…

Also not surprisingly, 19% picked Minerva McGonagall, whose praises I sung (and you sung back) back in September. If I had to pick a stern, but caring professor, she’d be my personal choice. One need only refer to how she put down Umbridge to find out why she is one of the best women in the series.

Coming in at 17% is Luna Lovegood. She’s not my very favorite character in the series, but I can see why she earned the votes. There’s something appealing about a quirky girl who doesn’t give a flying f what people think of her. It’s refreshing. Plus, she has a lion hat.

Tied with 8% are mother and daughter pair, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. I’ve always adored Mrs. Weasley (especially in the fifth book), but it’s only recently that Ginny has developed into someone honestly worth following. She has become quite the little pistol. Her interactions with Ron are fantastic. But then again, I guess if you’re the youngest girl of many many boys, you learn to take care of yourself.

At 6% is Nymphadora Tonks, who remains a very mysterious character, as far as I’m concerned. Why is she always exactly where she needs to be? She raises a lot of questions, but this 6% vote makes me think that the answers are coming eventually.

At a surprising 3% (which actually only amounts to 1 vote) is Bellatrix Lestrange. I wouldn’t call her my favorite character, but she is a fantastic foil, isn’t she?

Pulling no votes at all: Lily Potter (because it’s hard to be everyone’s favorite when you spend the entire series dead) and Sybill Trelawney (because…well…she makes Luna seem well-adjusted).

And now for the obvious follow-up poll: Who is your favorite male character in Harry Potter? Note: Harry Potter is not an option. Too easy!

Vote in the sidebar. Enjoy!

“Mistletoe,” said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry’s head. He jumped out from under it. “Good thinking,” said Luna seriously. “It’s often infested with nargles.” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ever since Halloween, sales have been up in my Etsy shop. I expected to sell a bunch of pairs of Luna Lovegood Radish Earrings to people dressing as Luna for Halloween, but what I didn’t anticipate is that sales wouldn’t totally disappear after that. It seems that people want them for Christmas too! The glow-in-the-dark dirigible plum earrings are selling especially well.

I love making (and wearing) these earrings. I made them to take a break while I was feeling overwhelmed by my Harry Potter research and started selling them in July. Luna Lovegood is the Harry Potter character closest to my heart, and the earrings are one of her several odd trademarks. The Dirigible plum is an orange radish-like fruit, which according to Xenophilius Lovegood enhances the ability of one to accept the extraordinary.

I’ve had a couple of customers on Etsy contact me about their orders and the people they’re intended for. It’s fun and gratifying to actually hear about some of the people who will be getting these earrings under the tree! I’ve made a pair for Santa to bring a 7 year-old girl named Luna. Another pair is for someone who is also buying tickets to take his girlfriend to the new Harry Potter theme park over the summer. Anyway, it’s a nice surprise in what could otherwise be an impersonal business transaction. I love the holidays!

I’ve discovered yet another band named Let’s Lumos starring Brittany and Jessica.

In this video posted on youtube jessicalestrange only Jessica and Jason are singing.

lets lumos brittany indie music idea girl consulting

lets lumos jessica indie music idea girl consulting

ministry of magic jason munday indie music harry potter idea girl consulting

I love fan videos and Harry Potter has been my favorite character for the past several years.

We all loved the movies, the books and JK Rowling.

Now we can enjoy the bands that create songs about the fictional characters in Harry Potter.

Emma Watson – Hermoine Granger, Rupert Grint – Ron Weasley, Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter,  Evanna Lynch – Luna Lovegood and Katie Leung – Cho Chang.

Evanna Lynch, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe,Katie Leung

A new wrock song by my band, Let’s Lumos!
The story of Lily and James Potter is one that gets a lot of attention throughout the books, but it’s always in regards to Harry, and how horrible it must be for Harry to be without parents. But what about the two who actually died to save him? What would that horrible night have been like? This song is their last goodbye, sung to Harry in hopes that he’ll meet them again someday.

James’ vocals are done by Jason Munday of the Ministry of Magic. Lily’s vocals are Brittany of Let’s Lumos! http://www.youtube.com/heartcrux

Add us on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/letslumos

DOWNLOAD THIS SONG:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BBWCNPK1

LYRICS:
I’m sorry for everything,
He came in through the door so quickly, I had no time.
And even though I knew I’d die,
I still wish i had turned around to say one last goodbye, Lily.

Please tell him I love him,
And that i’ll always be there.
And though I’m soaked in blood now,
I just want him to know i’ll always care, and that…

CHORUS:
I’m going home
Home to a place
A place I must go
A place you will go someday

I’m going there
Where I’ll be awake
Though my eyes are closed
I’m going home
I’m going home

Don’t be sorry for anything, James.
It took me long enough to pull away from your side.
And as my screams fell upon deaf ears,
I knew my only choice was for him to take my own life.

I’ll tell him we love him,
And that we’ll always be there.
And though my heart won’t beat for much longer,
I’ll let him know that we will always care, and that…

I’m going home
Home to a place
A place I must go
A place you will go someday

I’m going there
Where I’ll be awake
Though my eyes are closed
I’m going home
I’m going home

I’m always on the lookout for Harry Potter fan videos and dannifan123 youtube channel has some really cool ones that they made.

I decided to feature them here for all of you Harry Potter fans to enjoy.

I can’t wait till the next movie.

I wonder what it will be like without Dumbledore at Hogwarts?

I’m already missing him, mourning the loss of a great leader and imaginary friend.

He would have been so cool to have for a teacher?

Someone who imparts words of wisdom and teaches you how to be a wizard.

It will be exciting to see our favorite cast members portraying JK Rowling’s  magical story of  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

harry potter emma watson daniel radcliffe rupert grint idea girl consulting word press

jk-rowling-harry-potter-deathly-hollows idea girl consulting word press

1. .ATONEMENT BEAUTY.

2. .RECENTLY OUTDATED THINGS.

3.  .SWINGING.

4. .NAPS.

5. .THE PLANET WE LIVE ON.

[Click for my reasoning.]

6. .BROCADE.

[Left to Right] Sienna Miller, Charlotte Ronson Fall 2009, Forever 21, and Alexa Chung

7. .ALL THINGS HARRY.

8. .GUY FRIENDS.

9. .THIS HAUNTING STATISTIC.

10. .MONTAGES. AND THE WORD MONTAGE.

Have a beautiful Tuesday.

Peace,

Sources: bear, long live the queen, that obscure object, alice in wardrobe wonderland, i am the exterminator, bleubird vintage

Giles Deacon’s spring 2010 accessories are totally up Ms. Lovegood’s alley…

She could add these frames to the rest of her collection:

(I dig the clothespin hair clips as well.)

And this pink metallic triceratops purse = YES.

How does this sound for a DIY? Take a stuffed animal, de-stuff it, add some handles and then parade your handiwork while wearing radishes for earrings.

Called it! Snape is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, just like I predicted. And now for my next trick…

To be honest, I hesitate to say anything I “guess” about Book 6 is really a guess and not just a vague memory from the very confusing film. But let me bask in my glory, no matter how undeserved. Correct predictions on my part come around so infrequently.

This weekend, I plowed through chapters 7 and 8, which really isn’t a great deal of progress, but is better than reading absolutely nothing and leaving this blog completely unattended for a full week. What a slacker! Still, my actors are on Fall Break and I have a wicked cold, so what better way to make use of my time than to spend an hour buried in a Harry Potter book? Surprisingly, for having only read two chapters, I have a lot to say. Okay, maybe the fact that I have a lot to say doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

So, because it’s always easier to split things into easily digestible morsels…

Morsel #1: Slughorn
I don’t like him, but I don’t dislike him. He’s self-promoting and a Slytherin, and yet he hasn’t actually done anything to earn complete and utter dislike. In a book chock full of characters who just beg to be despised, Slughorn hasn’t quite made it into those ranks yet. He sure is slimy, though – saddling up to the most well-positioned students and cutting out those who are of no use to him.

Something that caught my attention when Ginny showed up to Slughorn’s meeting: are Ginny and Harry in any way like Lily and James? Harry’s not a pompous ass like his father (yeah, I said it), but I’m sensing some similarities. Ginny really has nothing to offer Slughorn but her skills, which I can only assume is what Lily offered as well. I know Ginny and Harry get together in this book, but I don’t believe they stay together. Still, it’s something to consider.

Morsel #2: Violent Video Games Made Me Do It
The children are getting violent! The fight at the Ministry was turbulent, to say the least, but so much to be expected. Draco kicking Harry square in the nose is a new kind of violence. That’s the kind of violence you can feel through the text – the kind of violence that would make me wrestle this book out of a child’s hands and hand her a Babysitter’s Club book or something in exchange.

This whole book is cringe-worthy, with people disappearing, muggles and wizards alike in constant danger, and severe, unapologetic violence. I will say, to its benefit, that the violence is not gratuitous. It’s just that when you have one character kicking another in the face and you’re only on Chapter 7, you can expect things to only get worse.

Morsel #3: Snape, You’ve Just Won the Opportunity to Teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. What are You Going to Do Now?
Again, I called it – but maybe I didn’t really call it, just remembered it. Either way, Snape is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, which raises a number of questions, and these questions hinge on my previous predictions.

If Snape is really a good guy, and his murder of Dumbledore is to serve a higher purpose, than it makes total sense that Dumbledore would trust him with this job. If Snape is actually a bad guy, maybe Dumbledore really is losing his touch. Or maybe Dumbledore knows Snape is a bad guy and there is a reason to keep him around and give him this job. I feel like these pieces will not come together fully in this book. A conversation with a friend over the weekend gives me the impression that there is a lot more I just don’t realize yet, and I’m probably completely off the mark. That said, the whole thing’s curious.

Morsel #4: I’m a Big Kid Now
Harry’s no longer a whiney little bitch. Hazaah! He’s friends with who he wants to be friends with and everyone else can screw off, in plain English. It’s a nice change. The same friend I mentioned before noted that the train scene, in which Harry sits with Luna and Neville even though they aren’t “cool” (who is, really?) almost mirrors the scene in Book 5, except Harry’s not embarrassed this time. No, in this book, we’re leaving the overly emotional, completely unbalanced, fatalistic childishness to Draco.

Which leads me to…

Morsel #5: Draco’s Definitely a Death Eater
This is not a prediction. I saw the film. The clues are obvious. Draco’s a Death Eater. Poor life choice, buddy. Poor life choice – but a wholly predictable one. I mean, if you introduced me to Draco when he was a child and asked “What do you think this kid will grow up to be?”, I probably wouldn’t have come back with “A really nice guy.” He doesn’t seem like a nice guy. There’s very little nice about Draco. And yet, I still want there to be some sort of redeeming moment for him. Maybe I put too much stock in this character. It’s not his story. Redeeming him may take away from the overall plot. I just want him to be okay. I’m rooting for him, though this may only end in tears.

I stated this weekend that if J.K. kills off Draco, I’m putting the book down and not finishing the series. Fair warning. (Don’t tell me!)

Side note: To all of you who have been diligently checking back here for updates, thank you. To all of you who have been very patient while I’ve been M.I.A., thank you. And to all of you who are new to this blog (there seems to be some new faces), welcome!

“A Wrackspurt – they’re invisible, they float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy,” she said. “I thought I felt one zooming around in here.”

You know which kinds accessories could likewise take flight?

Some recent finds on the runways – less theatrical than Gareth Pugh’s work perhaps, but no less worthy of Ms. Lovegood’s style:

Rochas is just spot on.

Gaspard Yurkievich (note the glitter on the side of her cheek!)

More Rochas.

Alexander Wang.

Off to dinner!

I do hope there is pudding.

Another week, another Harry Potter poll results!

The question “Who is your favorite Harry Potter sidekick?” has received an interesting response. While Hermione eventually won out (by a single vote), the Weasleys were a lot more popular than I expected. Ron took an early lead, eventually tying for second with his twin brothers, with Ginny taking a respectable third place.

This surprised me!

The Weasley Family Folk Band

It’s not that I don’t like Ron as a character. I just didn’t anticipate the Weasleys being so popular, especially over Neville, who only garnered two votes, putting him just below Luna and above Cho (who no one voted for at all). Actually, the fact that no one voted for Cho only confirms my suspicion that we aren’t going to be seeing much of her in the future. 

From what I’ve heard, I’ll “understand” why Ron, Fred, and George are favored by readers once I finish the last two books.

I’ll take your word for it. But for now, I still say Hermione and Neville are my favorites, for perhaps the same reason. There’s something likable about the nerdy characters who pull through in the end and prove themselves to everyone. The Weasleys are interesting as siblings – there’s something nice about that connection existing between the characters – but Ron doesn’t impress me much right now. I liked him better when he was a little kid. Hmmm…we’ll see…

New Poll in the Sidebar! Check it out!

And expect a little more feedback on Order of the Phoenix tomorrow before things get going Half-Blood Prince next week. How are we already on Book 6?

Clearly not photoshopped at all... (((cough)))

Don’t get me wrong, I think I have a pretty awesome group of friends. They show up to all my plays and pretend to like them (even the really boring ones), help me move and assemble my Ikea furniture (and my bed hasn’t fallen apart yet), and even read long rambling blogs like this one. But five books into the Harry Potter series, and I have to say if anyone has a ridiculously (unrealistically) amazing group of friends, it’s Harry. It’s one thing to ask your buddies to squeeze your queen size mattress up a winding Philadelphia row home staircase (thanks guys, by the way); it’s another thing entirely to ask them to fly off to the Ministry of Magic to battle the Dark Lord. How do you pay your friends back for something like that? Beer and pizza just doesn’t seem to cut it.

Why do Harry’s friends sign-on for all these crazy adventures? You know what? No – I’m not going to call them “crazy adventures”, because that’s like saying they all agreed to go skydiving or something. Why do Harry’s friends sign-on for all these suicide missions? It was one thing when they were too young to really understand they could die, but they are fully aware in Order of the Phoenix that they could zap out of existence with the flick of a wand. Why go through with it?

One explanation seems to be that Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville are part of Gryffindor, so it’s in their nature. Luna, on the other hand, is just Luna. I don’t think that’s enough of a reason, though. Hermione and Ron clearly care about Sirius, but not in the same way as Harry. And while all of them support Harry, they didn’t have the “vision” of Sirius and Voldemort and they don’t even seem to fully believe it was true when they head off to the Ministry.

Maybe the explanation is simply that Harry has a group of brave friends who will have his back no matter what. I guess that’s a good enough reason, but part of me still wants a little something more. At least with Neville we can see a grudge toward Voldemort and a need to prove himself to everyone. Ginny doesn’t seem to want to be left behind and wants to assert herself as one of the group. Luna seems brightly up for anything anyone tosses her way. And Ron and Hermione are probably used to this sort of thing by now. Perhaps that’s all there is to it. Perhaps that’s the reason why this select few battle the Death Eaters at the end, as oppose to the entirety of Dumbledore’s Army. I’d expect a much better explanation for why all those students, many who have not particular allegiance to Harry, would blindly follow him into battle.

Throughout the series, Harry keeps finding himself alone. He is ousted and villianized, isolated and beaten. Almost every parental figure in his life is taken away (more on that in another entry). Maybe he has incredibly supportive friends because he needs incredibly supportive friends. Eventually, he will have to go it alone, but there’s no need to go it alone at this point. That would just be sad.

I love Ralph Fiennes, even when he looks like this handsome fella with no nose

While we’re on the topic of Harry’s absurdly fantastic friends, how about that final battle? It was nice to see the Order of the Phoenix come back and kick ass, but the real part worth focusing on his how well the kids did against the Death Eaters. Fictionalized battles between adults and children sometimes take on a Tom & Jerry air, with the sneaky children tripping up the bumbling adults, followed by an obligatory laugh track and a wailing “Wha, wha, whaaa…aw, shucks!”

That was not the case with the battle in the Department of Mysteries. Quite the contrary, in fact. I mean, I knew none of the kids died during this scene (since they’re all back for Half-Blood Prince), but I still found myself getting nervous. Yes, I was nervous at a fiction book…when I knew everything would turn out okay…don’t judge me.

Still, I found it impressive how skillfully (and somewhat haphazardly) the kids were able to fend off the Death Eaters. In the end, they were mostly down for the count and there was absolutely no way they would have been able to win on their own, but they had a good showing, which makes me hope we’ll have some more incredible battles later in the series.

The hero of the battle, of course, was Dumbledore. The hero is always Dumbledore – which means it’s going to be that much more interesting when Dumbledore is no longer in the game.

But we’re not quite there yet.

********************

Remember to cast your vote in the sidebar.

Why is everyone so fond of Ron? (Don’t answer that… I’m sure it will come up later in the series).

Luna Lovegood has been introduced, adding another name to the growing list I like to call: “God, I hope the Harry Potter fans don’t grow up and name their kids after these characters, cause they will definitely get beat up in school.” Maybe it’s a pessimistic view, but can you honestly tell me it would come as a surprise if your kid came home and told you Draco was given a swirly in the bathroom or Luna was found upside down in a trash can…again? And just forget about the Hermione Heinie jokes. Personally, I don’t want to be writing out birthday invitations for my child, only to realize I don’t know how the hell to spell Neville (Nevile? Nevell?). I feel like there’s going to be a whole generation of children who believe the British just have really weird names.

But I guess Luna Lovegood works fine within the context of the story. Just in the future, try and name your kids something normal, like Apple or something, okay?

Anyhoo, Luna was only introduced this past chapter, but I kind of have to wonder how they cast this role in the films. Same goes for Dudley. It’s one thing to cast an adult because they’re just the right amount of weird looking to fit the part. But how do you tell a kid “Listen, we like you for this part cause you’re fat” or “We think you’d be great because you have the whole crazy-eyes thing going on”? She does have the whole crazy-eyes thing going on. And the uncomfortably-blonde hair, which seems to be running rampant in these films.

Speaking of uncomfortable, weird things, while I know Harry isn’t going insane (talking to himself, seeing the invisible horses pulling the carriages), wouldn’t that have been a fantastic plot twist? About halfway through the series, Harry Potter snaps the tether, and for the rest of it, we’re following the mad rantings of a cracker jack? Surprise!

But I know he’s not crazy, because it would have been crazy to make him so, which means I’m not sure why he’s seeing the horses. Maybe the horses only appear to overly-angsty teens who think the world is out to get them.

********************

Reminder: Cast your vote in the poll to the right. I know it’s a difficult decision, but really, no one’s going to hold you to it. I swear.

Toujours en vacances…

Aujourd’hui, je vais vous parler d’un crush, un truc incroyable (ouioui rien que ca) qui s’est passe la derniere fois que j’ai mis les pieds dans une salle de cine.

La copine de mon frere m’a trainee au cinoch pour voir Harry Poter. Il faut savoir qu’a la base, les aventures d’Harry, je ne suis pas fan du tout. J’ai essaie de lire un livre il y a longtemps, et ca n’a pas colle. Faut croire que je suis plus Lestat qu’Harry, chacun son truc fantastique apres tout.

Donc cette chere copine-de-mon-frere (que j’adore) m’emmene voir le film. L’histoire est ce qu’elle est, les personnages sont ce qu’ils sont. On ne va pas developer, tout le monde ou presque a deja vu ce film.

Par contre, je suis restee scotche a mon siege.
Pas a cause des effets speciaux, pas a cause de ce cher harry que je trouve passablement insupportable, et surement pas a cause du personnage d’Hermione …

Nononon, tout ca a cause d’elle :

(et de cette robe, cette robe !!)

La fille sur la lune au prenom poetique. Completement deconnectee, une beaute particuliere, diaphane, differente, qui ose et assume ce qu’elle est. Bref, je l’adore. Elle est mon crush du moment.

Forcement, je bave devant la longueur de cheveux du personnage (ca fait un choc de la voir sans cheveux quand elle n’a plus ses ajouts !). Ca m’a ote mon envie de couper les miens.

Et je fonds litteralement devant ce detail, totalement decale – vous connaissez mon Amour pour les rubans right?

Elle change des filles et styles habituels.  Il y a toujours un detail decale dans ses tenues. Le truc qui ne devrait pas aller avec le reste, et sur elle, ca marche. (ici, les ongles – ils me font penser a ceux de Nathalie Portman toute de noir vetue, avec des ongles jaunes)

J’ai un grand faible pour cette seance photo.

Elle a tout pour plaire. J’ai hate de voir la suite.

Cheers ^^

A collection…

• “Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?” -RW
• “Listen… I can’t be involved with you anymore. We’ve got to stop seeing each other. We can’t be together.” – HP
• “Hey! My eyes aren’t glistening with the ghosts of my past!” – HP
• “Oh my god! I’ve killed Harry Potter!” – NL
• “Neville Longbottom, isn’t it? How’s mum and dad?” – BL
• “You’re not going mad. I can see them too. You’re just as sane as I am.” – LL
• “Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.” – AW

Hacía mucho que no pasaba por aquí y la verdad es que no me gustaría tenerlo abandonado porque a mi el wordpress en sí me gusta porque puedes poner muchas cosas y es un diseño sencillo, simple y práctico de utilizar…

Voy  a dejar algunos de los últimos dibujos que he hecho ^^

este es mi rol como entrenadora pokémon junto con mi umbreon shiny y otros pokémons de mi equipo

es una chica en la playa (lo que me costó la piel de la chica, las gotas de agua y la playaaa)

Luna Lovegood de Harry Potter

propuesta de cartel para el salón del manga de BCN que obviamente no ganó

otra propuesta de cartel que no ganó XD

Y en otro post ya pondré más cosas

¡¡vacaciones!!

When I was growing up, my mother would always say–sometimes with frustration and sometimes in amusement–that I always just had to be different. Recently, this was echoed again by my sister–and you have no idea how proud this made me.

The reason Luna Lovegood is my favorite Harry Potter character is that she dares to be different and doesn’t care what other people think of her. She knows what other people say about her, but she never seems to get down about this. She is herself–always. Also, she’s adorable. It’s my opinion that people like Luna are necessary in the world. Once she was introduced in the series, she was instantly my new favorite and I’ve never looked back. In both the books and the movies, I’m always hoping for more scenes with Luna because she gives such a different slant to the rest of the characters. If you take out all the parts about fighting dark wizards and such, the trio really are fairly ordinary: the hunky jock, the nerd, and, well, whatever clique Ron would fit into (I can see him as a band geek). Then there’s Luna, who’s in a category all by herself.

I’m not afraid to be different. It’s not that I actively seek it out, but I just like to be myself and I don’t care if this is considered strange. I could write a lengthy dissertation about individuality, but I think Uncle Robert here says it best:

Antes de que alguien se queje (si visitan seguido este blog, ya saben de quién hablo), ya sé que esta es la segunda entrada sobre Harry Potter que hago hoy, no hay necesidad de recordármelo. Resulta que Evanna Lynch, quien interpreta a Luna Lovegood en las películas de Potter habló pestes sobre Twilight (Crepúsculo). Para empezar, Lynch dijo que no entendía por qué tantos orgasmos por Edward Cullen, es más, criticó el personaje de Bella porque sólo se la pasa pensando en lo bello que es Edward, según ella debería superarlo.

Evanna también dijo que no hay punto de comparación entre la historia de los maguitos y la de los vampiritos porque a su parecer: “los libros de Twilight son buenos, pero no son tan fantásticos como los de Harry Potter. Por un tiempo fui anti-Twilight. Todos decían que era el nuevo Harry Potter, pero yo no estoy de acuerdo“. ¿Escucharon eso? Es el sonido de millones de fans de Twilight diciéndole PINCHE PERRA a esta tipa al unísono. Espero por el bien de Evanna que jamás vuelva a salir sola a la calle luego de esto, su vida corre peligro.

Fuente

It’s no secret that the Harry Potter series is a work of fantastical fiction. It’s an odd irony that I would be sifting through elaborate stories of noble centaurs, love potions, and magic spells to find lessons in skepticism, but I believe J.K. Rowling revealed her respect for critical thinking in her stories. Sure, she also respects mythology, fantasy, and the ark of the hero, but within that world of magic and wonder, she reveals a subversive anti-authoritarian streak tinged with a healthy dose of practical skepticism…

1. There’s no better example of an “argument from authority” than that of the wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, a narcissistic blowhard  renown for his many autobiographical novels. Of course, Rowling likely meant for the main message behind Lockhart to be directed against the idea of fame, but in that message, we can find some skeptical lessons. Here is a man whose only proof of his claims are his own anecdotes, and when called upon by his believers to display his wizarding skills, he completely fails at every magical task. He’s the Jenny McCarthy of the wizarding world.

2.  An excellent example of the “placebo effect” can be seen in the latest film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Harry wins a vial of Felix Felicis, or “liquid luck”, from Professor Slughorn. Rather than drink the potion himself, Harry gives the dose to his best friend Ron on the day of the big Quidditch match. It’s not until later that Harry reveals that he only pretended to give Ron the luck potion. It was the placebo effect that brought a victory for Ron and the Gryffindor team, not the Liquid Luck. It’s nice to see Rowling introduce the muggle concept of the placebo effect to a world where nearly any magical thing can happen.

3. Hermione, the shaggy maned skepchick of Hogwarts, is perhaps Rowling’s best example of classic skepticism. In the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she is debating with Xenophilius Lovegood about the existence of the legendary “Deathly Hallows”, weapons that make a wizard powerful enough that he can cheat death.  This is how the conversation plays out when Hermione puts the “burden of proof” on Lovegood, the claimant, to prove that the mysterious “Deathly Hallows” are real:

“Prove that it is not,” said Xenophilius.

Hermione looked outraged.

“But that’s – I’m sorry, but that’s completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn’t exist? … I mean, you could claim that anything’s real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody’s proved it doesn’t exist!”

“Yes, you could,” said Xenophilius. “I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little.”

“Say Wha???”

I’m sure that skeptics will see the humor in the “open your mind” comment at the end. We do have open minds if we’re provided with adequate evidence. In the case of the “Deathly Hallows”, Harry and his friends did eventually find evidence for the legend. In fact, Harry’s invisibility cloak was one of the infamous objects that Hermione had previously doubted, but the “reality” of the Hallows does not invalidate Hermione’s skepticism.

Even if UFO researcher, Stanton Friedman, could some day provide physical evidence for his claims, perhaps flying saucer wreckage or alien bodies, it wouldn’t invalidate previous skepticism of those claims. We have a right to demand evidence until the person making the claim produces the evidence.

There’s plenty of other examples of skepticism in Harry Potter, such as the conspiracy theories of Luna Lovegood or the phony psychic predictions of Professor Trelawney. Somehow, even in a world where the craziest things happen, J.K. Rowling can make someone look crazier than crazy. That’s quite an accomplishment!