Can someone point me to the dart game. I can’t find it.
Certainly.
From her main page, you click on the “hairband portkey” (the black circle in the centre of the desk). This takes you to a door that used to have a “do not disturb” sign on it. The sign is no longer there, so just click on the handle to open the door.
Now you’re staring at darkness. There’s a light switch in there. It’s roughly level with the windowsill, and on the left-hand side (your left) of the darkness. Just point and click until you hit it.
BrainGlutton, and anyone else confused by my first post. I meant to type something like, “If you read them carefully, Dumbledore’s never cast a Dark Arts spell in the five books, especially the Unforgiveable Curses. He may not know how. He may not wish to know how.” This was a speculation on my part why he’s never tried to kill Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka, ‘I am Lord Voldemort.’ Clearly we’ve read about Dumbledore’s prowress and use of unique magic artifacts, and seen him transform things and pull chairs across rooms, and the battle at the Ministry of Magics. If he knows Dark Arts magic and deliberately refrained from using it, there must have been a reason.
kaylasdad99. Dumbledore as Hedwig? Bwah ha ha ha!
I don’t think Petunia’s as ignorant of magic as has been presented. I think for Uncle Vernon’s sake she’s often pretending. Lily went to Hogwarts seven years-- Petunia’s been aware Lily’s experiences. I’m sure she’s seen owl mail before, and been to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and seen Howlers besides the one that said, “Remember my first, Petunia.” I have wondered elsewhere on these boards whether Petunia ever went school supply shopping in Diagon Alley in London with her sister.
Thanks! I was on the right track. I just gave up clicking in the darkness before finding it. I guess I’ll go try again.
Another thing I’m curious about is the identity of the person upon whom she based Gilderoy Lockhart. She said that this is the only character based on a real person, and that the actual person is worse. She said something about how she knew the person for about two years. Anyone know how long she was married the first time?
I scanned her biography. She was in Portugal around 1990 or 1991, and divorced her husband (who she met there) in 1993. So the timeline’s right. 
I found where she described the person who inspired Lockhart. She didn’t say that she knew him for two years, but that she had to “endure” him. Certainly sounds like it might have been her husband.
I didn’t take it that way at all. I assumed she was referring to a past coworker, boss, or perhaps even a…professor.
Of course, then someone might try to kill Harry in order to kill Voldemort.
I can never remember; isn’t Hamish the one who posts to Harry Potter threads?
I think that the reason that Voldemort fears Dumbledore is very simple. Voldemort fears Dumbledore because Dumbledore does not fear Voldemort. Like many mystical villains, Voldemort has built his power largely upon fear. When a person has no fear of V., he has considerably less power over that person. And of course, he fears anything over which he does not have power. This is also of a piece with him addressing V. as Tom: He won’t acknowledge Tom’s terror, but rather calls him by his humble name.
And might I add that I really like Humble Servant’s idea that Harry must give up his magic to defeat Voldemort. It’s a good dramatic ending, victory with loss, and it fits with their paired wands and each of them being half-blooded.
Also, I think I saw an interview with (non-incognito) Rowling where she confirms that Percy was, sadly, working entirely of his own free will, so if someone in a chat room was saying he was Imperiused, then either that wasn’t Rowling, or she was deliberately spreading misinformation (either of which is, of course, plausible).
Yeah, if it’s matt_mcl in a Harry Potter thread or Hamish in a I-Love-the-Metro thread, it’s safe to assume they’ve been careless about signing out. <shrug> It does not seem to bother them much.
That as an excellent fear as basis for V’s power paragraph, Chronos.
The idea that Harry would have to give up magic would be quite cool, and fit well with the (leaked by Rowlings?, I can’t remember) final line of the book, where Harry watches his scar vanish.
Actually, that was me. We may be careless about not signing each other out, but we’re pretty religious when it comes to correcting the error.
I can’t believe I’ve developed a reputation here already
Still, it’s worth being obsessed about. The first time I wandered into the Harry Potter fan sites less than a month ago, it terrified me how into they all were. And then I realized they were just doing what I’d been doing in English Lit classes while getting my bachelor’s. I paid $14,000 to indulge my passion for literature, and here they were getting it off the internet for free.
The “shippers” (people who adhere fanatically to one potential couple getting together) still scare me though. I think Rowling hates these people, too, because they keep pestering her. In the end, she’lll do something really weird, like killing off the trio, or having an 18-year-old Hermione marry Professor Flitwick, and all hell will break loose. She’ll have to run off to Bolivia, like she planned to do after the whole Mark Evans thing.
By the way, it’s easy to tell which posts are mine and which are Matt’s. Mine are four times as long and rambling, and his quote lesbian comedians
I apologize for mistaking you, one for another.
Evidently I have failed to notice Matt posting on his own in other HP threads.
I also like Humble Servant 's guess that Harry will give up magic to defeat Voldemort. It has a nice symmetry to it. I wonder whether he’d go live as a Muggle in the Muggle world or as a Squib in the magic world? If this is what really happens, I hope she explores his future a little.
Another symmetrical aspect of the story I always liked was the mutual envy Harry and Ron felt for each other’s lives. Harry envied Ron’s large and loving family, while Ron envied Harry’s fame and perhaps his wealth (although Harry seemed careful not to show off too much).