"...the wonderful editorials, (more insight there than in several companion volumes I shall not name)..." - J.K. Rowling http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials Scarcely had Rigel handed both brooms to the parking valet and offered his arm to his date when a Wizarding Wireless presenter shoved a wand in his face. He squinted as a hovering lens focused the light of a blazing candelabra on his face. Evidently he was expected to speak into the wand-tip. "Er," he hemmed. "Say again?" he hawed. . http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq146.shtml Until this year, few British sport fans have followed the Hexischoleia Tournament, held every sixth year since 1972. This is not extraordinary, seeing that none of the six schools competing in the Hexischoleiad are in the U.K. What is extraordinary is the level of enthusiasm this year's tournament generated among British witches and wizards. Six schools, six champions, six challenges, six countries - and at every stage, a contingent of loyal supporters from our fair isle. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq145.shtml The Out of This World Outfitter was certainly out of the way. It lay three turns out of Diagon Alley, in a dingy cul-de-sac lined with boarded-up shops and littered with broken roof tiles. It was situated below street level, its entrance hidden behind a gruesome, never-melting ice sculpture depicting the beheading of the Gang of One, the hydra who had terrorized the neighborhood during the Lawlessness that had followed the Third Goblin Rebellion. Its entrance was marked by three signs, falsely identifying it as Ermengarde's Weevil Shop, claiming to be closed for structural repairs, and warning trespassers to beware of Acromantulas. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq144.shtml While reading the Harry Potter series, I couldn’t help but notice, as I'm sure you have too, the many, varied themes that arise in the wizarding world, from the very basic matters of love, courage, and friendship to more complex topics such as death, race, class, status, family (as a social institution), and stratification within wizard society. Several of these latter, deeper issues, are what I’ll be discussing in this editorial about sociological aspects in the Harry Potter series, many of which are tied together and can be quite complex and layered within the society. The first half will deal with status and stratification; the second with racial inequality. Let us begin, shall we? http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-labozettar01.shtml The cupboard door effectively hid her, while the holes carved into it in an elaborate design enabled her to see every move of the duel. This, she thought wryly, must be the reason Aunt or Uncle Leslie wanted to load up on calories. http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq143.shtml The Snookerfield Quartet were in the full fury of a Beethoven fugue when the knock came. At first, nobody heard it. When it was repeated, rather louder, the quartet played on without missing a beat; but the lady of the house noticed. "Fifi," she shouted over the music. "Fifi, there! Yoo-hoo!" http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/themagicquill/tmq142.shtml