The Pensieve

It has been quite some time since I updated this blog.  Partly it’s the time of year.  As a teacher, I find spring taxing.  That said, I am finding the Harry Potter Carnival difficult to maintain.  I rarely received submissions, and those I did receive often made it patently obvious that submitters were looking for links to their blog rather than really trying to share information with HP fans.  It was a lot a work.  It was a labor of love.  I always told myself I would stop doing it if it began to be a chore, and after DH came out, I’m afraid that’s what it became.  I am putting it on hiatus indefinitely.  I am not willing to hand the carnival over to someone else.  I did that with another carnival I ran, and they never did a thing with it.  Technically speaking, the carnival probably belongs to Blogcarnival, as that is where I created it.  However, I created it and have been alone in throwing it together and almost alone in finding links to share.  So it is on indefinite hiatus, as I said.

I do have some thoughts on the case JKR brought against RDR books, a company that was set to publish the HPL with Steve Vander Ark.  A lot of the press who only started following the case when the trial started gave JKR a hard time.  They insinuated that she was being greedy.  In my opinion, she was being protective of her rights.  JKR has been generous to her fans.  She has allows fanfiction, fansites, and all kinds of fanart.  To me, any doubt as to whether or not Mr. Vander Ark was in the right was erased when TLC severed their ties with HPL.  Mr. Vander Ark did not seem to be able to hear the opposition, and to be honest, I think that’s because so many fans were so nasty.  I wouldn’t want to hear it either.  But there were some voices of reason he didn’t listen to, either.  I feel sad that a man who has done so much for the HP fan community feels cast out.  Vander Ark has been silent about the case over the last few months, and perhaps that’s for the best.  I wish him well, but I agree with Jo on this one.  She would have been within her rights to put a stop to a lot of what goes on in the HP fandom, but she has been remarkably supportive.  I think she was right to pursue the case.  TLC has a good summary of the case.

Welcome to the 60th Harry Potter Carnival! As promised, this month our focus is Harry Potter: TNG.  Star Trek fans will get that.
I received no submissions related to Harry Potter at all this month (and for that reason, I’ll post my own theories about HPTNG soonish); the four submissions I received could best be categorized as spam.  It’s a pity that people bother with that sort of thing.  For one thing, because of all the spam, off-topic submissions, and submissions for material that has been submitted to the carnival before, I have to remind submitters of criteria for acceptance. It really bothers me that I feel obligated to post this reminder each month, but every month I receive submissions that are not suitable.  I’m not picky.  I just have three basic rules:

1. Blog posts submitted to the carnival need to be made within the last month (between the last carnival and the current one).
2. Submissions must not previously have appeared in the carnival.  I would like to provide carnival guests with recent information and news when I can; therefore, please check to see if news has already been posted in a carnival before submitting it to the next carnival.
3. The information must be related to Harry Potter.

The best way to be published in the carnival is to be an active reader of it — advice which is true of any other publication.

J.K. Rowling

Beyond Hogwarts compiles some information JKR shared about the fates of her characters following DH.

Fan Art

This month’s featured artist is Frizzy Hermione, who submitted this work to Argentinian site Amortentia Multimedia:

You can view the submission and more details here.

Theories and Speculation

DH hints that Albus Severus could end up in either Gryffindor or Slytherin.  Which one do you think he ended up in?  Folks at Mugglenet’s CoS Forums speculated.  I think a lot of fans wanted him to be in Slytherin, but truthfully does he exhibit any characteristics that would make sorting him into Syltherin plausible?  We know already that James is a Gryffindor.  What about Victoire?  I am thinking either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.  Teddy Lupin, I think, was probably a Gryffindor like his father; however, it’s worth noting his mother was a Hufflepuff, so who knows?  Scorpius Malfoy most likely wound up in Slytherin.  I’m betting Rose Weasley will be a Gryffindor, too.  The Scamander twins I see in Ravenclaw like their mother.  You can look for my thoughts on this issue some time soon, but until then, let’s speculate: where do you think HPTNG ended up?

Hermione’s Library

If you want to mine DH’s Epilogue for clues about the fates HPTNG, you might find HPL’s reader’s guide handy.

Random Fandom

If you want to display your appreciation for HPTNG characters on your Web site, you can join the following Fanlistings:

• Lupin, Ted Remus ‘Teddy’
• Potter, Albus Severus
• Potter, James II
• Potter, Lily II
• Weasley Family

No individual Fanlistings exist for any of TNG Weasleys.  If you’re interested, why not propose them?

Just for Fun

While not strictly related to HPTNG, this site is kind of interesting.  Translate anything into Parseltongue.  I know Harry received this gift from the bit of Voldemort’s soul that resided in him, according to JKR, but I wonder if any of his children can speak Parseltongue.  If any of them can, my bet is on Albus Severus.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, March 14. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, March 15. Please be careful to read past carnivals before you submit articles to be sure you are not submitting material that has already been included. Also, keep in mind this is a carnival for HP fans, and your posts must be directed toward that audience.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 59th Harry Potter Carnival! Before we begin, I would like to remind submitters that I welcome your blog posts and artwork, but blog posts must be made within the month between the posting of the previous carnival and the current one. I would like to provide carnival guests with recent information and news when I can; also, please check to see if news has already been posted in a carnival before submitting it to the next carnival. The best way to be published in the carnival is to be an active reader of it — advice which is true of any other publication.

J.K. Rowling

JKR appeared in a two-part show on PotterCast.  She shared new canon, which HPL was kind enough to gather in one place.

You can download the PotterCast interview:

• Part One
• Part Two

Also, if you have not yet seen the documentary, J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life, you should check it out.  Some new canon learned in this documentary is discussed later in this carnival.

Fan Art

This month’s fan art selection is a beautiful drawing of Professor Trelawney by Pia’Sharn.

Theories and Speculation

GrrlScientist shares speculation that JKR may actually write another book… if her daughter has anything to say about it.  For my own part, I can’t wait until that encyclopedia comes out.

Hermione’s Library

New canon appeared in the form of a quick family tree drawn by JKR for J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life.  The tree details the Weasley family beginning with Arthur and Molly and running through their grandchildren’s generation.  You can view the tree here (click the appropriate language version, click the eraser, open the door to the Room of Requirement, and it is there as of this date), but here is a quick run-down:

• Bill and Fleur’s children include Victoire, Dominique, and Louis.
• Charlie never married or had children.
• Percy married an unknown character named Audrey (maybe she’s a Muggle — Arthur would be so excited).  Their children are Molly and Lucy.
• George married his twin’s ex Angelina Johnson; their children are Fred (aw) and Roxanne.
• Ron, of course, married Hermione, and they had Hugo and Rose (no middle names given)
• Ginny, of course married Harry.  We already knew the middle name of their second son, Albus Severus, but we learned that the eldest is James Sirius (who didn’t guess that one?) and the youngest is Lily Luna.  My question: why were none of the Potter children named for Ron or Hermione?  Or even Lupin?  I did, however, find it charming that dear Luna was so honored.
• Draco Malfoy married Daphne Greengrass’s little sister Asteria (two years behind the trio and Malfoy in school; she would have been in Dennis Creevy’s year), and they had Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (yikes!)
• Luna married the grandson of Newt Scamander (author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), and they had twins Lorcan and Lysander.  Lorcan is an Irish name meaning “little fierce one,” and Lysander is most famously a character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but also a historical commander of the Spartan fleet in 405 BC.

Wouldn’t a next generation series be great?  I want to read more about Albus Severus, and I want to find out if he is sorted into Gryffindor, as he wished.  See below for more details on the next carnival.

Random Fandom

Mike Blitz submitted a review of the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

As I mentioned already, reviews that appear in the carnival must have been written within the time period between the last carnival and the present one.  In other words, reviews for this carnival were only accepted if they were written during the latter half of December or first half of January, as Mike’s was.  Each month I receive carnival submissions for reviews that not only lack substance (“I saw the movie and liked it, but the book was better.”), but also were written many months ago.  Since it is my goal to present readers with new information related to HP, I will not include news or reviews that are older than the previous carnival.

Just for Fun

Are you learning or Italian?  A native speaker?  Maria Fernandez submitted her post, which shares how you can find HP books in Italian in the U.S.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, February 15. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, February 16. Please be careful to read past carnivals before you submit articles to be sure you are not submitting material that has already been included. Also, keep in mind this is a carnival for HP fans, and your posts must be directed toward that audience.

The next edition of the carnival will focus on the next generation: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter; Hugo and Rose Weasley; Victoire, Dominique, and Louis Weasley; Molly (Jr.) and Lucy Weasley; Fred (Jr.) and Roxanne Weasley; Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy; Teddy Lupin; and Lorcan and Lysander Scamander.  Please submit only fanart and speculations related to these characters.  I would like to see original posts speculating about the personalities, futures, etc. of these characters.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 58th Harry Potter Carnival! Before we begin, I would like to remind submitters that I welcome your blog posts and artwork, but blog posts must be made within the month between the posting of the previous carnival and the current one.  I would like to provide carnival guests with recent information and news when I can; also, please check to see if news has already been posted in a carnival before submitting it to the next carnival.  The best way to be published in the carnival is to be an active reader of it — advice which is true of any other publication.

J.K. Rowling

JKR made news this week as Amazon paid $3.98 million for a copy of her Tales of Beedle the Bard.  Amazon is generously sharing information about the tales on its website for fans.  I have to admit I would love to be able to read them.

JKR has also been nominated for Morgan Stanley’s “Great Briton Awards” in the Arts category , and Newsweek named DH the “best book of the year.“

Fan Art

This month’s fan artist is =Bilious.  Chapter 33 of DH, “The Prince’s Tale,” might be my favorite chapter in the whole series, and I admit I’m a sucker for pictures based on that chapter.  Here’s “BFF”:

I really like the cartoon aspect.

Theories and Speculation

JKR updated her website with information about the Elder Wand,  Harry and Dudley’s future relationship, exactly what happened when Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra curse on Harry in DH, and what the mutilated baby Harry saw at King’s Cross was (although any astute reader of GoF should have got that one), thus ending some speculation for readers.

Hermione’s Library

A serious treatment of the similarities between Star Wars and Harry Potter appeared on StarWars.com this past week.  I still have a fondness for this one, too:

And of course, this is one of my favorite pictures of all time:

Random Fandom

Ever wonder exactly what Wikipedia is saying about you?  Check out their Harry Potter Fandom article.

Just for Fun

Exactly how many students attend Hogwarts?  Well, JKR has said repeatedly that she is “bad at maths.”

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, January 18. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, January 19. Please be careful to read past carnivals before you submit articles to be sure you are not submitting material that has already been included. Also, keep in mind this is a carnival for HP fans, and your posts must be directed toward that audience.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 57th Harry Potter Carnival! We have a lot of news this time, as JKR is in America and sharing lots of information, and HPL is busily updating pages.

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling and HP Lexicon writer Steve van der Ark have been battling over his plans to publish a print version of the Lexicon. I noticed that Steve has taken down comments on the post in which he presents his side of the argument. I wasn’t keeping up with the comments, but I imagine they were getting ugly, but Steve says he was asked by lawyers (whether his or Jo’s is unclear) to shut the comments down. I happen to love HPL, but I also happen to think Steve is in the wrong here. Many writers would not even allow sites like the Lexicon to exist, much less encourage them with awards, and I feel his plans to publish the Lexicon in book form for profit are a slap in Jo’s face.

Fan Art

Awesome picture of the Tale of the Three Brothers from some late visitor at TLC’s fan art gallery:

Theories and Speculation

Did Snape and Dumbledore really have to make that bargain?

Hermione’s Library

I really liked Sarah J.’s exploration of the reconciliation between Harry and Snape.

Random Fandom

The official HP website has a new look in time for the DVD release of Ootp.

The HP Alliance is asking HP fans for their attention to the tragedy in Darfur.

Just for Fun

Can you imagine being IT Director at Hogwarts? It wouldn’t be pretty…

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, December 14. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, December 15. Please be careful to read past carnivals before you submit articles to be sure you are not submitting material that has already been included. Also, keep in mind this is a carnival for HP fans, and your posts must be directed toward that audience.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 56th Harry Potter Carnival! We have a lot of news this time, as JKR is in America and sharing lots of information, and HPL is busily updating pages.

J.K. Rowling

As I just mentioned, JKR is currently in America. Last Monday, she signed books in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA.

Fan Art

In the wake of interesting news about Dumbledore (see below in “Theories and Speculation”), I wanted to feature a picture of our favorite Hogwarts headmaster.  This fantastic painting was done by Hito at TLC’s Fan Art section.  I love the snowy colors.

Theories and Speculation

Ending much speculation about Dumbledore’s past (was he married? was he ever in love), JKR revealed to fans that Dumbledore was actually gay, and that he had an unrequited love for Gellert Grindelwald. Did anyone else pick up on this while reading DH? I thought I picked up on some homoerotic elements between the two as Dumbledore described Grindelwald, but I decided I was reading too much into things. She also revealed that Hagrid never married, but that Neville’s bride was Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff.

JKR also elaborated on the Christian imagery in the series.

Hermione’s Library

As I mentioned, HPL has been extremely busy incorporating information from DH into encyclopedia pages. Updated pages include the following:

• The Burrow (now organized by floor plan with an essay explaining the logic)
• St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (which now includes expanded lists of staff and patients, and donors)
• The Leaky Cauldron (with expanded list of clients)
• Tom Riddle’s Orphanage (inclusion of the fact that it is no longer still standing)
• Snape’s profile (changes plus timeline changes)
  
• Luna’s profile
• Voldemort’s profile
• Character Index (removal of images for faster loading)
• Hogsmeade (including a list of all secret passages to Hogsmeade from Hogwarts)
• The Gazetteer
• Azkaban
• Godric’s Hollow
• Gringotts
• The Hog’s Head
• Malfoy Manor
• Platform 9 3/4
• Flitwick’s profile
• Fenrir Greyback’s profile
• Neville’s profile
• Regulus’s profile
• Sirius’s profile
• Albus Dumbledore (timeline)
  
• Dudley Dursley (timeline)
  
• Draco Malfoy’s profile (timeline)
• the addition of the DH symbol to indicate that a page is updated through DH

Random Fandom

New Orleans fans were treated to a rare visit from JKR as part of her American tour.

Just for Fun

I found it interesting that of the trio, Hermione actress Emma Watson knew the most about the outcome of her character.

TLC has a Wizard and Muggle Photography Contest going.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, November 16. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, November 17. Please be careful to read past carnivals before you submit articles to be sure you are not submitting material that has already been included.  Also, keep in mind this is a carnival for HP fans, and your posts must be directed toward that audience.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling, Dumbledore

I want to continue the HP Carnival, but considering how rarely I receive submissions that are timely and useful to readers, I have decided to do it once a month.  And given that I could use submissions for this month’s carnival, I decided to put it off for another week.  You can submit articles here: carnival submission form.

Welcome to the 55th Harry Potter Carnival! Please be aware that this carnival and outgoing links will contain spoilers. You are advised not to read if you haven’t finished DH.

J.K. Rowling

What are Bloomsbury’s prospects after the Harry Potter series?

Fan Art

This week’s featured artist is Chantelle Berg:

I love the fine details.

Theories and Speculation

So, is Snape a vampire or not?  While J.K Rowling says no, David Haber wonders…

Hermione’s Library

Snopes.com is an invaluable reference for those desiring information about urban legends.  So what did they discover about the assertion that Harry Potter is sparking a rise in Satanism or other occult practices among readers?

Random Fandom

I had no idea that the HP fandom had its own Wikipedia article.  And a fairly thorough one, too.

Just for Fun

Oh, that was just silly.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, September 28. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, September 29. Deconstructions of DH and spoilers are OK for submission to the September 29 carnival.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 54th Harry Potter Carnival! Please be aware that this carnival and outgoing links will contain spoilers. You are advised not to read if you haven’t finished DH.

J.K. Rowling

It turns out that the rumor about JKR working on a detective novel was a joke that got out of hand. While that particular rumor wasn’t true, it is fun to speculate about what she might write next and how it will inevitably be compared to HP.

Fan Art

Sanna L. is the current featured artist at TLC’s Fan Art Gallery, and it’s not tough to see why:

Look at those vibrant colors!

Theories and Speculation

Leanne Bruno shares an interesting essay about house-elves in DH over at HPL.

Hermione’s Library

Mike Weinstein’s essay on Astronomy in the Harry Potter Series has been updated to include information from DH.

Random Fandom

I haven’t forgotten I promised a Harry Potter “Methadone List,” but I’m a teacher and we started back to school, leaving me fairly busy for the time being. But it is coming! Meanwhile, enjoy another OotP movie review from the Flick Guru at The Guru’s Movie Reviews.

Just for Fun

Christine Gowen said she couldn’t find good instructions for making a wand online, so she created some herself. Go check out “Make Your Own Magic Wand” at the Crafty Teacher.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, September 14. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, September 15. Deconstructions of DH and spoilers are OK for submission to the September 15 carnival.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the 53rd Harry Potter Carnival! Please be aware that this carnival and outgoing links will contain spoilers. You are advised not to read if you haven’t finished DH.

J.K. Rowling

The latest scuttlebutt is that JKR is working on a detective novel.

Fan Art

John Struan collects Harry Potter fan art at his blog Super Punch. A sample of one of his finds is this picture of Snape’s Avada Kedavra by ThanataPhaemo:

Theories and Speculation

Nancy LeFever shares 10 Life Lessons We Can Learn from Harry Potter at the Centre for Emotional Well-Being.

Hermione’s Library

HPL is still in the midst of a massive update and overhaul and is asking for your patience before contacting them about out-of-date information (in other words, check the date the page was updated before contacting the editors).

Random Fandom

Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, shared a list of books she referred to as “the Methadone List” for readers to enjoy while waiting for her next book. But what sort of Methadone List can one create for Harry Potter fans? The New York Post has a start, but stay tuned here for my own Methadone List.

Just for Fun

In his recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Daniel Radcliffe described a picture making the rounds in which he is “reading” a copy of DH. It took some digging, but thanks to some readers at TLC, I found it at Dan’s unofficial website. Here it is — Harry Potter reading Harry Potter:

Before you correct me and tell me he said he was actually just signing the copy for a fan, I want to assure you I knew that, but you have to admit it’s a more interesting picture if he’s reading it.

Thanks to everyone for the submissions! To submit Potterica for the next carnival, use my carnival submission form. Please note the category for which it should be considered. Deadline is 10:00 P.M. Friday, August 31. The next HP carnival will appear Saturday, September 1. Deconstructions of DH and spoilers are OK for submission to the September 1 carnival.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, carnival, J.K. Rowling