• Glossary “To rabbit” means to talk incessantly or gossip idly. It’s commonly used among Cockney folk, and is an example of rhyming slang where the actual rhyming word is being omitted; the full phrase is “rabbit and pork”. Read More
• Broomsticks These are brooms that have been specifically designed for speed and control so that they can be used for Quidditch or other broom sports. Chapter 9 of  the book Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling outlines the history of the development of the racing broom. (QA9)… Read More
• Communication
• Rules and laws Rappaport’s Law was instituted by Emily Rappaport, the 15th President of MACUSA, in 1790. The law completely segregated the No-Maj and magical communities in the United States following one of the most serious breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy of all time (Pm). Read More
• Potion ingredients Rats’ brains seem to be used a potion ingredient – at least when they have been pickled. Snape had Harry and Ron pickle rats’ brains for him in the dungeon when they had to serve detention with him (GF18). Read More
• Hogwarts The Ravenclaw Common Room door knocker is in the form of a bronze eagle. It guards the Ravenclaw Common Room by asking visitors a question, which they must answer correctly in order to gain entry. It has a soft, musical voice and a beak that opens when it speaks. The… Read More
• Hogwarts Ravenclaw House is one of the four houses at Hogwart into which the students are Sorted when they start their first year. Ravenclaw is the Hogwarts house of founder Rowena Ravenclaw. The House places high value on intelligence, wit, and learning. During Harry’s time at Hogwarts, the head of Ravenclaw… Read More
• Sports teams The Ravenclaw Quidditch Team of Hogwarts is drawn from the students of Ravenclaw House. The team wear robes of blue and bronze. Their Quidditch team during the 1993-1994 school year was really good. They managed to lighten Harry’s mood when they “flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of… Read More
• Businesses Little Red Books was a well-known publisher in the wizarding world, which seemed to specialize in textbooks and scholarly works.  Known publications include: A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, 1947 (FB, PS5) Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy, 1987 (FB) Why I Didn’t… Read More
• Occupations The Referee is in charge of making sure that Quidditch games are played fairly and safely. Referees at Hogwarts Madam Hooch, who teaches students to fly, usually referees the games played at Hogwarts School (PS11, CS10, CS14, PA9, PA13, PA15,… Read More
• Glossary An official record book. In a school context it refers to the official list of students in a class. Read More
• Hogwarts academics Snape gave Harry lessons in Occlumency, or closing his mind to invasion by the Dark Lord, under the guise of giving him Remedial Potions lessons so that Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad would not be suspicious (OP24). The story was believable to Draco Malfoy and others because Harry’s worst… Read More
• Sentient objects A Remembrall is a glass ball the size of a large marble. In its default state (when nobody is touching it), a Remembrall is full of white smoke. When picked up and held in a person’s hand, a Remembrall will glow scarlet if there’s something the person has forgotten to… Read More
• Magical artifacts One of three Deathly Hallows, belonging to the second Peverell brother Cadmus Peverell.  Death created this hallow by plucking a stone from a nearby river, according to “The Tale of the Three Brothers”. However, Dumbledore believes, “Whether they met Death on a lonely road…I think it more likely that the Peverell brothers… Read More
• Games, toys, and jokes Magical toy for playing Hangman; one of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes (HBP6)… Read More
• Magical objects “Eraser”-like object that makes invisible ink visible. Read More
• Headlines and advertisements How Much Revenge is Safe? is a letter published on the Problem Page of the Daily Prophet (DP3). Wizard Buckley Cooper has been involved in a family feud and wanted to know the Ministry’s position if he kidnapped and transfigured his nieces and nephews. Dempster Wiggleswade from… Read More
• Quidditch A Quidditch move where the Chaser throws the Quaffle over his or her shoulder (QA10). Read More
• Historical events Fought between the original thirteen American colonies and the British government from 1775-1883. Also known as the War for American Independence. American witches and wizards were torn about what their role should be in the Revolution, discussing the matter during the “Country or Kind Debate” of 1777. A message was… Read More
• Food and drinks A rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small, hard fruit cake with a rough surface resembling a rock (Wikipedia). (image from http://ozladym.com/recipes/RockCakes.htm)… Read More
• Food and drinks
• Sports teams The Romanian National Teams are from the European country of Romania. Quidditch Team member Niko Nenad was responsible for the Attack of the Killer Forest during Quidditch World Cup 1809 final match (Pm). Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics “Ronnie” is a nickname applied to Ron Weasley by members of his family. Molly Weasley called Ron this when he was made Prefect. Fred and George made retching noises behind her. A few moments later she expanded on this with “Of course you can… well, I’d better get going if… Read More
• Hogwarts The Room of Requirement is a magical room which can only be discovered by someone who is in need. It is called the Come and Go Room by the house-elves of Hogwarts. Read More
• Glossary “Wasn’t room to swing a Kneazle” is a wizarding expression indicating very tight quarters. Hagrid says it in reference to a cave he and Maxime entered with three wounded giants in it. Read More
• Plants • Wandmaking Rosewood is a type of wood used to make wands (GF18). Read More
• Organizations Purported movement to bring down the Ministry of Magic using Dark Magic and gum disease. Read More
• Glossary As a noun, can refer to any loud noise or commotion, but when referring to something people do means a very heated quarrel; the verb sense means “quarrel, argue”. (NSOED). It’s worth mentioning that “row” used in these senses rhymes with “cow”, not with “low”. Read More
• Quidditch “Royston Idlewind and the Dissimulators” is the name by which the 1974 Quidditch World Cup is known. Events The tournament was famous for the attempt by the ICWQC International Director, Royston Idlewind, to ban crowd members from carrying wands. This led to a feverish and heightened atmosphere in the stands… Read More
• Glossary Trash, garbage. Also used figuratively to mean “nonsense”. Read More
• Hogwarts The Gryffindor hourglass in the Hogwarts Entrance Hall for recording House Points is filled with red rubies (Pm, OP38). Read More
• Glossary A milder, dialectal variation on the swear word, “bloody,” ruddy referring to something being red-coloured (like blood). Similar and slightly more polite version of “bloody” or “damned.”… Read More
• Clothing • Glossary A disc-like, starched frilly collar, popular in the 16th century (such as worn by Elizabeth I and Shakespeare in typical portraits). Read More
• Sports and competitions Rugby is a Muggle team sport played with an oval-shaped ball, and which has a surprising number of wizarding world fans (Essays by Rowling, Pm). Scottish Rugby Angus Buchanan, author of “My Life as a Squib” (published 1900), became a famous Scottish rugby player. Read More
• Wizarding culture The Rumor of Voldemort’s Heir suggests that Voldemort fathered a child before he died. There have been numerous versions of this narrative (CC1.4, CC1.12), but one common version concerned the Malfoy family. The rumor was that Draco and Astoria Malfoy were unable to have children to carry on the Malfoy bloodline… Read More
• Thing Runes are a form of writing used by witches and wizards hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Some important magical documents are written in runes, and some magical items have runes inscribed on them. Ancient runes are studied at Hogwarts by those wishing to be able to decipher and… Read More
• Potion ingredients The eggs of the runespoor, which the creature expels through its mouth (FB), used for making potions. Read More
• Games, toys, and jokes A gambling game played at The Blind Pig speakeasy in 1920s New York. Read More
• Food and drinks • Plants A mundane plant growing on Privet Drive and at Hogwarts (PA2). Read More