Etern Alley

Jim Kay I have read Sorcerer's Stone many, many times. However, after my most recent reading, I still have a few questions: "How did you know it was me?" she asked. "My dear professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." According to Rowling and Pottermore : "Under the guidance of her inspirational Transfiguration teacher, Albus Dumbledore, [McGonagall] had managed to become an Animagus; her animal form, with its distinctive markings (tabby cat, square spectacles markings around eyes) were duly logged in the Ministry of Magic’s Animagus Registry." If Dumbledore helped McGonagall to become an animagus AND her markings are available for public knowledge ... whey wouldn't  Dumbledore recognize her? Where is Harry during the 24 hours after Voldemort's attack on the Potters?  We know that Voldemort attacked the Potter's in Godric's Hollow on Halloween night and, alongside Vernon, we witness the celebratory nature of the wizar

   Bowtruckle According to  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Bowtruckles are tree guardians generally found in the forests of West England, Southern Germany, and parts of Scandinavia. The specimen at left appears to be more comfortable on the ground than most of his kind. Found in the hot, Mediterranean climate of western United States' Central Valley, this little guy appears to be far from home. Given the lack of bowtruckle sightings in this part of the world, one can't help but wonder how this little guy got here and if there others nearby. Is he a random transplant, perhaps having hitched a ride with a friendly witch or wizard visiting relations in Northern California? Or is there, perhaps, a new species of valley dwelling, Mediterranean weather loving Bowtruckle spreading across the globe?

As I'm preparing to reread the HP series from the start (again), it suddenly occurred to me that I need a special book mark to use - Namely a house bookscarf! Patterns for these are all over the internet (in fact, Lion Brand Yarn published a free pattern  here) , but I chose to modify  Laura K. Miller's pattern  originally published in  Charmed Knits  to best suit my vision. Materials: DMC Pearl Cotton size 5 :  #498 Dark Red (color A), 2 skeins #783 Medium Topaz (color B), 1 skein US 0 (2mm) double pointed needles US 4 (2mm) crochet hook stitch marker scissors needle for weaving in ends Notes:  When doing frequent color changes: Twist the new color with the old color at the beginning of the round, and carry yarn loosely up the inside of the bookmark until the next color change. This eliminates some of the loose ends you'll need to deal with later. I tried  this  technique from Knit Darling for 2-row jogless stripes. I'm not sure I did it righ

I found this posted in a Facebook Fan Page called "District 9 3/4" a few months back and I absolutely adore it. 1 of 4 2 of 4 3 of 4 4 of 4

The Sorting Hat (Pottermore) Nowadays we have Pottermore to help us learn our Hogwarts house (and our Ilvermorny house and our wand and our patronus), but waaaaaay back in 2001, when Sorcerer's Stone was first released to theaters, the Warner Bros Harry Potter website offered a rather rudimentary Sorting Hat quiz. It asked those obviously leading questions like "If you found a wallet with money in it, would you keep it or give it back?" Clearly, if you gave it back you were a Gryffindor because only a Slytherin would keep it! I'm pretty sure those answers didn't actually matter and that houses were assigned on a rotating basis because my three younger brothers and I all took the test, one after another, and all wound up in different houses. Convenient, huh? I was Slytherin which by brothers razzed me about, but I didn't mind because I thought it was cool that the four of us could rep ALL the houses. But somewhere along the way, I can't remember h

My first introduction to Harry Potter almost doesn't count - it was through a Disney Adventures magazine when I was 16. Looking back, I remember that my brothers were just getting into this new thing called "Pokemon" and that my mom had specifically purchased this issue for them because it was a special Pokemon issue and had a giant yellow Pikachu on the cover. Well, at this point in time, I was homeschooled and bored, and totally willing to read anything that wasn't a textbook, so one afternoon I flopped down onto the couch and made my orderly way through the pages, from front to back. Now, the front cover announces a "Sneak Peek" of Harry Potter's 3rd book, but since I didn't know who Harry Potter was, I didn't particularly care. As I made my way through the glossy pages, however, I inevitably came across the excerpt which I would later recognize as the scene in which Professor Trelawney identifies the Grim in Harry's teacup. Remember,