Issue 70; Vol. 2; October 15, 2007

Owl Post: Bringing you the best in Harry Potter

The Official Newsletter of LeakyNews.com!
Jo in LA

J.K. Rowling Talks Hogwarts Encyclopedia and More

As author J. K. Rowling begins her Open Book Tour here in the US, many media outlets have begun coverage of the scheduled events, one of the first being from the LA Times, which has some bad news for anxious Harry Potter fans eager to learn more about that magical world. JKR has not yet started on the promised Hogwarts Encyclopedia. When asked about this highly anticipated possible book,

Rowling simply laughed. "It’s not coming along," she said, "and I haven’t started writing it. I never said it was the next thing I’d do."

As for what is next, Reuters reports that Jo feels that Harry will be a hard act to follow.

"I want to fall in love with someone the way I fell in love with Harry. I never think about a particular genre. It is all about the story and the characters, but it has to be something I adore," she said.

New details pertaining directly to the Harry Potter books emerged as well, as MTV posted some of the questions and the fascinating answers from J.K. Rowling at the Open Book Tour in Los Angeles. In the Q & A Jo was asked about Professor Dumbledore ("he’s quite a Machiavellian figure, really"), Hedwig, and the always controversial, Severus Snape. Jo said:

"Snape is vindictive, he’s cruel. He’s not a big man," she insisted. "But he loves. I like him, but I’d also like to slap him hard."

To read the rest of the article, with some very interesting further and SPOILER ific details, click here. Please note for those wishing to avoid spoilers to Deathly Hallows, a caution is given.

Two very personal and moving accounts of meeting Jo at this event can also be read here.

A collection of photos from her time in Los Angeles can be seen in our Image Galleries here. We will continue to update this with the newest images as they come in. Much more news and information is expected from Jo as she continues with stops in New Orleans, LA and New York City later this week.

HBP

Filming Underway in Scottish Highlands for "Half-Blood Prince"

There was news this week that filming is underway once again in the beautiful highlands of Scotland for scenes to be seen in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" movie. Lochaber-news.co.uk reports that "cameras have been rolling at Loch Arkaig, in "Commando Country", bordered by Achnacarry and Glenspean. An airborne film unit, and cameramen aboard a fish farm boat have been shooting computer-enhanced sequences, above and on the loch."

The paper also reports scenes involving the Hogwart’s Express were filmed over the weekend as 100 students from Lochaber High School in Fort William were "apprentice witches and warlocks" as extras for squences involving the train on the way to Hogwarts. The paper reports:

The adolescent extras are mainly 17-year-olds, emphasising the fact that the hero, Harry, has grown up over the years. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the excited youngsters boarded Hogwart’s Express at Spean Bridge station. But the windows of the blood-red coloured carriages, pulled by the Hogwart’s Castle steam engine, had had a makeover to simulate a covering of morning dew, which was more than matched by the early misty and wet conditions.

So the teenagers couldn’t wave out from the train as it pulled away from the platform. Hogwart’s was constantly in the sights of a helicopter-borne camera crew as it headed along the West Highland Line to bleak Rannoch Moor.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be in theaters November 2008.

More Big News...

New NECA Talking Hermione Granger Action Figure, New Harry Potter Music Boxes and More
"Order of the Phoenix" DVD to Contain Two Versions for Download
New Marauder's Map, Diagon Alley Map and More from Noble Collection

What's HOT in the Leaky Lounge

The Crafty Witches of Leaky are in their element during the holidays. With Halloween only weeks away, the Craft Section on the Leaky Lounge is buzzing with talk of their favorite spooky and Harry Potter related crafts. Chat with other crafters in this forum about what you have planned this Halloween and be sure to check back often for even more ideas and inspiration for this holiday, and all those to follow!

New from PotterCast

PotterCast 121 comes to you this week with an early dose of holiday cheer as we announce our sixth Get A Clue fundraiser! We also let you know about the latest "Half-Blood Prince" filming news, "Order of the Phoenix" DVD downloads and much more. Five fans join our Fan Thoughts this week with their take on moments from "Deathly Hallows," while Bit by Bit dissects the third chapter of the book: The Dursleys Departing. Cannon Conclusions returns with the topic of the other Magical worlds during the seventh book, Snape is the subject of Scribby5 and Phoenix Files takes on Umbridge in this week’s edition. Finally, the PotterCasters talk about their spooky plans for this upcoming Halloween! Enjoy!

The latest in HP essays!

Take a closer look at Scribbulus, Leaky's premier essay project, this week and dive into two essays about the ever-complex Severus Snape. From his childhood on this character contributed much to the wizarding world created by author J. K. Rowling and these two essays take a deeper look into that life. Take a read of these, and the three additional essays contained in Issue 19 of Scribbulus today!

New and featured items

You can now create your own bit of Hogwarts in your own home with a bountiful selection of Home Furnishings available in our own Cauldron Shop! For instance, this wonderful Harry Potter Gryffindor Twin Bed Set will instantly create the feel of Harry's dormitory in your own bedroom. This set includes a comforter, flat sheet, fitted sheet and one pillowcase, complete with the house crest in house colors. The Cauldron Shop is your complete Harry Potter emporium, with thousands of items for every Harry Potter fan out there. Be sure to check it out today!

 

Jingle Spells: Leaky's Sixth Get A Clue Fundraiser Now Open

JS Leaky’s sixth Get a Clue fundraiser, our yearly efforts which have raised more than $30,000 to date to aid literacy around the world, is now under way, and it’s a doozy this year.

The holiday season is nearly upon us, so we asked 14 of the biggest and best wizard rock bands around to donate a Christmas or Holiday themed song for a very special compilation album. They all did so with enthusiasm, and what we now have to offer you for our fundraiser is one of the best holiday albums any of us has heard. It is all-new music, from 14 different bands, and buying the album is the only way you can hear the music on it. It’s a perfect gift for yourself or anyone else you know who loves Harry Potter. It’s for a good cause. It’s a holiday gift and a holiday good deed, all rolled into one. Every penny of profit on this album will be donated to Book Aid International, to aid in their effort to install libraries in the places in the world that need them most.

The album is selling for $15, including shipping (there is a $3 surcharge for orders outside the U.S.), and is now available for pre-order at this link. All pre-orders will be shipped out in mid-November, and the album will only be available (and only as a physical disc) through Dec. 10.

 
  New Pictures
JKR's Open Book Tour, Los Angeles Pictures

Jo Rowling and Emma Watson at Pride of Britain Awards
Reader E-mails

Dear Leaky Cauldron,
If someone can only see a thestral after they see someone die, why didn't Harry see them:

-after he sees his mother die when Voldemort kills her?
-after he sees Quirrell die at the end of book one?
-immediately after he sees Cedric die?

A Devoted Reader



Dear Devoted Reader,

Harry was too young to understand death when his mother died - and in order to see a thestral, you must understand what death means. As for Cedric, Jo has said that Harry was still processing his death when the school year ended - and that from a storytelling standpoint, it was better to introduce new creatures at the beginning of book five than at the end of book four.

As for Quirrell, you need to re-read book one, for you're confusing the film version with the book: Harry only sees Quirrell die in the movie.

-Kristin for TLC