It Gets Better

I recently saw a commercial for It Gets Better, a project that speaks out to young homosexuals and anyone feeling out of place. The project uses celebrities and adult homosexuals, who share stories and the message that It Gets Better. This commercial and the project has such a powerful message that it gave me an idea for this post.
The Harry Potter universe possesses its own homosexual, Albus Dumbledore. After publishing the seventh book, J.K. Rowling held a conference of fans who asked her question that they still held even though the series was concluded. One of the questions concerned Dumbledore. The fan asked if Dumbledore ever found love, since he was such an adamant supporter of its power. Rowling responded saying that Albus had fell in love with his friend Gellert Grindewald. Gellert matched Albus in skill and ambition, and the two soon became very close. When Gellert was sent back to his home, Albus was seriously sad over losing someone to whom he was intensely close. This lingering connection was one of the reasons why Albus delayed his confrontation of Grindewald until he could no longer justify the moratorium.
Although it is doubtful that Albus's sexuality was revealed in his lifetime, he must have felt out of place while in school. He was much more intelligent than all his classmates, and he held multiple secrets from them. Therefore, he definitely felt detached from and different than his peers. This awkward and aloof child matured into the greatest wizard of all time. Albus Wolfric Percival Brian Dumbledore survived adolescence to live a very rewarding life. His story proves that it gets better.



Potions

Here are a list of some of my favorite potions:

• Manegro Potion- Causes the hair of the drinker to grow rapidly
• Twilight Moonbeam- This is a love potion designed by Fred and George Weasley for Weasley Wizard Wheezes. There's nothing especially interesting about this potion, I just love the name.
• Snuffling Potion- Causes anyone who inhales its fumes to sniff uncontrollably
• Gregory's Unctuous Unction- Makes the drinker believe that the person who gave them the potion is their best friend.
• Pepperup Potion- Cures the common cold and induces steam to pour from the drinker's ears for several hours
• Hate Potion- Reveals the worst traits of a particular potion to the drinker. Used to get over a loved one who does not return affections.
• Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Junction- Helped heal the wounds on Ron caused by the brains in the Department of Mysteries
• Magi-Me-More- Pills taken by elderly wizards to restore skill and concentration. Side effects include growing tusks.







Riddle

With every moon, I'm made anew
but it's very hard to do.

All of me Umbridge used.
If for good or bad, I only muse.

Friendships broken, to never heal,
for with me, nothing can you conceal.

What am I?

Highlight for answer: Veritaserum

The Chamber of Secrets

So, my little brother has begun reading the Harry Potter novels again. Right now, he is exploring the second: Harry Potter and the Chamber of  Secrets. Therefore, my blog has been inspried by that specific novel. The first time that I read the book was fairly special, and it leaves a definite imprint in my memory. I had just finished Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone and was fully encompassed by the wonder of the novel. However, the true make or break point for a series is the sequel. If the sequel does not meet any expectation, the motivation for reading any subsequent book is lost or seriously dwindled. The "sequel effect" is unique in my experience. If a third or later book ammounts to less than par, the commitment to finish the story and the hope that the author returns to his or her past success if usually enough to overcome the initial disappointment. Fortunately for me, Harry's second year was just as thrilling to me as his first. Perhaps it was somewhat too engrossing, for as i was reading it in first or second grade, I was so absorbed by the story that I did not realize the fullness of my bladder...
On that embarrassing note, I hereby end this blog.

 

Anarchy in the UK!

We are all aware of the craziness happening in the Middle East right now. The people are rising up to have their voices heard. I would live to begin by saying that, in this blog, I am in no way attempting to satirize or downplay the importance of the events in the Arabic-speaking world.
As Voldemort came into full power, he controlled the Ministry of Magic, and therefore a large portion of the magical world. This government oppressed the people and stripped rights from those it deemed less than worthy. The Order of the Pheonix opposed Voldemort, and were practically an anarchist group, at least toward the government ran by Death Eaters. In contrast, Libya and Egypt were hosts to large masses of people that sought reform in the government. Facebook played a major role in the cause of the Egyptian people, so much so that one man named his daughter Facebook. A similar entity in the magical world is Potterwatch, the radio show which tells all the true details of the passing events as well as attempting to instill hope in its viewers. Even in the magical world, people will rise up to combat a government that is unsuitable or evil.

Hermoine's World

The sun is barely up, I get out of bed and sneak slowly out of the dormitory, trying not to wake the others who are still sleeping. I carry my brush and a bottle of Sleakeazy’s Hair Potion to the girl’s toilets. Looking in the mirror, I poked at my teeth. They looked to be getting more bucktoothy everyday. Next, I talked the hair, forcing my brush through the rough, bushy specter on my head.  “Bullocks,” I said to myself, as the brush became entangled in my hair. Even with me pulling and pulling, the brush was stuck, like a fly in a spider’s web. Giving one final tug, I sighed. I slowly withdrew my wand, my wooden friend used much too much as a weapon against the brown monster. Holding the brush, and the connected section of my hair, away from my head, I aimed my wand, closed my eyes and whispered, “Relashio.” An iron prison-guard, my hair continued to hold on to the brush, even though it was no longer part of my head. For a few moments, I stared solemnly at the casualties from the battle of hair and brush: no survivors. With a deep breath, I looked up to survey the damage. A large section of my hair is now half as long as the rest. Hoping to salvage the rest, I grab the jar of Sleakeazy’s and apply a dollop to my head, trying to spread as much as I can over the Quidditch pitch of hair. Taking another dollop, I paid special attention to the recently dwarfed part of my hair. I slicked it down and tried to adjust the hair around it to cover it up, to no avail. Now, about a sixth of my hair is slicked down and shorted, the goblin in a lineup of disheveled wizards. Hoping that no one is awake yet, I run back to the dormitory to try to find a Hair Growth Charm.

Ever wish that you had magic to deal with your hair in the morning? Well, there are some things that everyone has to suffer through.

Winter Wonderland

My faithful followers (all four of you) may have noticed that this post was a little off from the regular schedule I’ve been posting at. You see, we received significant snowfall in the Bluegrass, and school was subsequently cancelled. I hate doing work on snow days, even though I’m not doing anything anyway. I just seem to think that snow days put a pause on school, so I pause everything. The thing about a pause is that you eventually have to hit play, as did school. When I got back to school, the realization hit me that I had accomplished nothing, bar the impression I left in the couch. Coming back to posting, two ideas magically popped into my head, winter and procrastination. In true spirit, I’ll do the procrastination one some other time.

Kentucky and the Harry Potter world are “blessed” with the addition of winter in their seasonal cycles. We both deal with the cold and the snow, but more welcome are the breaks from classes and CHRISTMAS! Of course, my birthday’s also in there, but I doubt Harry bothers too much about that, he is pretty busy during the winter. But I digress. The seven winters Harry experiences are pretty eventful, though. He gets his first Christmas, obtaining the integral Invisibility Cloak and sees his parents via Mirror of Erised. Christmas time also brings the Yule Ball, a trip to Hogsmead and Harry’s first kiss. Not only those things, but Harry also gets to see his closest-to-a-father figure mauled by a giant snake, and two years later, the same thing happens to him after finding his parents’ graves! Oh wait, those aren’t uplifting. It seems like even the goodness of Christmas is tainted when the most evil person alive is after you. Who would’ve thought?

So as not to end on a grim note, here are some words from Dobby on Christmas as he receives Harry’s makeshift gift, Uncle Vernon’s socks: “’Socks are Dobby’s favorite clothes, sir! I has seven now, sir…. But sir… they has made a mistake in the shop, Harry Potter, they is giving you two the same!’”

Drive Safely.

Pigpimples

Everyday, millions of people disembark at ungodly hours through sometimes tempestuous conditions in order to make their way to a piece of yellow metal. However, many of these would rather be doing anything else. You see, unlike gold, a school bus is not a happy sight for the majority of people.Such is the American system of education, the young people of our nation enduring what often seems to be long, melancholy hours of learning, only to return home and complete more hours of work, whilst arguing with their siblings. Our mother country, Great Britain has nipped this dreary practice in the bud, having sent its young to boarding school for generations. The magical world follows this boarding school approach, with the young witches and wizards of England attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven years, ages 11-17. Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, with its four houses named for them.
Quick! Pick the best Hogwarts House!
Unless you picked Ravenclaw, you are wrong. Founded by Rowena Ravenclaw, this House values cleverness above all other traits. It's colors are blue and (according to the books) bronze or (according to the movies) silver. Given its maxim that "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure," Ravenclaw is was home to some of the most brilliant witches and wizards of Britain, bar Hermonie Granger, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall (but really, what have they done?). Within the period of the books, Ravenclaw houses Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang and others. Of course, not everyone is admitted into this fine house, so others had to be in place:

• Gryffindor with its colors of scarlet and gold is home to the brave. Harry Potter, the Weasleys, Hermonie Granger and Albus Dumbledore are among the Gryffindors.
• Hufflepuff has colors of yellow and black and admits those of pure, just hearts. Notable members are Cedric Diggory and Pamona Sprout.
• The final house is Slytherin, which adorns the colors of green and silver and honors the ambitious. Tom Riddle, most of the Blacks, the Malfoys and Severus Snape were all placed in Slytherin.

J.K. Rowling may have known that Gryffindor would make a better house for her purposes, but she probably also knew that Ravenclaw was the best. You see, she may have made Gryffindor's symbol a lion, but lions are lazy, doing nothing but procreate and eat what the females catch. Ravens can fly, a property unique from the other house mascots, and they are very resourceful. These are qualities befitting the greatest house.
This week's words to live by come from my favorite Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood: "The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly..."

A Free Elf

I wouldn't exactly call myself a fashion savant, but there is one look that I think is truly hot, no matter what season. Here's how to make the look: knit seven or more woolen hats. Next, stack the hats on your head. Then, grab two pairs of hand-made socks, the more colorful, the better. Take one sock from each pair and wear them, and voila, you have perfected the Dobby look. If any of the last few sentences rang a bell, this could be the blog for you.
I will begin my blog talking about the most important character in the Harry Potter universe: Dobby the house elf. Dobby and the notion of house elves enter our lives in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. When we first meet Dobby, he is meddling in Harry's life, stealing friendly letters and antagonizing Uncle Vernon's business meeting. However, Dobby becomes a true friend and integral part of Harry's life, saving it about as much as endangering it. In the movies and the books, Dobby is an important character, as he is a true friend and also provides comic relief. In the novels, he plays a larger role, including taking a position at Hogwarts. As house elves are freed with clothes, Dobby becomes obsessed with odd clothing, especially socks, frequently wearing miss-matched socks and knitting the same for Harry. A pure heart such as Dobby's almost makes me want to join S.P.E.W. Not entirely though, I would love having a little creature clean my room.
Here are my words to live by: "Dobby never meant to kill, only maim or seriously injure."