Shortly after the Lexicon was created in 2000, the first essay appeared: The Limits of Magic by Caius Marcius. From that point on, the Lexicon’s collection of canon-based essays grew and grew. As the book series progressed, many of those essays became outdated or were proven wrong. However, they are all included in our collection as an archive of fan thinking and speculation during those exciting years. You can find all those essays, plus new ones as they get published, listed here. The following listing of essays is in reverse chronological order — the more recent essays are listed first.

• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
I am primarily a trio shipper; by that I mean I enjoy reading and writing fics about various pairings of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. However, as far as reading goes, I will read pretty much any ship, even if I don’t ‘ship’ it—with two exceptions: Harry/Ginny and Draco/Hermione. I tried to sit down and think about… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Although much has been made of the contrasting upbringings of Tom Riddle and Harry Potter by the Harry Potter community, very little analysis appears to have been put forth towards analyzing the differences between each character’s childhoods, with many fans focusing upon the similarities instead. The fact that they are each half-bloods, or that both… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
When exactly did Professor Quirrell’s year-long trip around the world take place? The popular fan assumption is that it immediately preceded the year of Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. I do not think this is correct. In PS5, after Harry meets Quirrell while buying his school supplies and asks if he is always that… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
N.B.: Dates for this essay are based on the timeline in the Lexicon. Notes on sources from outside the canon are at the end. Sibyll Trelawney is named after an ancient prophetess from classical mythology—or, more accurately, she is named after a whole group of prophetesses from classical mythology. The name Sibyll was… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Introduction No, I don’t intend to predict the identities of the next several Ministers for Magic, but rather to present and discuss the various evidence available in Harry Potter canon on the relative ages of the seven Weasley siblings. Since the original version of this discussion, Rowling has, on her website, www.jkrowling.com, presented us… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
The Riddle of the Potions seldom gets the respect it merits. It is the last challenge faced by Harry and Hermione before entering the chamber where the Philosopher’s Stone is kept safely hidden in the Mirror of Erised. Usually when reading the book, we speed past the riddle, admire Hermione for solving… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Contents: Introduction The Deathday Party The CS DVD ROM Timeline Lower Bounds Nicolas Flamel Quidditch through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them The PlayStation Pairs of Date and Weekday Full Moons Summary Conclusion Appendix   Introduction The question of mapping the timeline of the Harry Potter… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
The name “Dobby” appears in A Fine Old Conflict, 1 Jessica Mitford’s memoir of her radical youth in 1950s America—and a book J K Rowling has almost certainly read. Rowling, as we know from interviews, admires Jessica Mitford—she even named her daughter after the left-wing political campaigner and journalist. “Dobby” Walker (no other… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Essays
Not the least interesting thing about Harry’s possessions is that it is possible to make a virtually complete list of them. This is because he starts with nothing but the blanket he is wrapped in. His material poverty is contrasted with Dudley Dursley’s conspicuous consumption, both literal and metaphorical. Though… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
I do know that many people have theorized about how Muggle-borns get their Hogwarts letters (and take them seriously), or are taken to Diagon Alley for the first time, or how they are able to adjust. Even with Rowling’s recent comments on this topic, we’re still left with a lot… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Essays
Luna is clearly Hermione’s mirror. I think Hermione’s rationalism, which is such an important part of the trio’s dynamic, has its downside: an unwillingness to leap before looking; a fear of the unknown. We’ve watched Hermione freeze up in just about every book because her studies haven’t provided her with the answer. Usually Ron and Harry have to pull/prod/jolly Hermione past… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
At turns exciting, suspenseful, horrific, unexpectedly funny, and in the end, tragic, OP35 (“Beyond the Veil”) brilliantly captures the chaos and confusion of battle. Harry doesn’t have time to fully comprehend everything going on around him, but we the readers have the luxury of going back and re-reading this chapter for new insights… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Essays
(by Nik the Hermit, our “man in the street”) J. K. Rowling has stated many times that memories and “echoes” from her own childhood became part of the Harry Potter Books. Two well-known examples are: The use of the surname of her two friends from her early childhood, Ian and… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Essays
After the events of book five, one can’t help but wonder whether Harry is really safe now in Privet Drive. Has the protection reached critical mass at this point, and are the risks beginning to outweigh the benefits? Obviously when Voldemort was Vapormort, and the most loyal Death Eaters were incarcerated in Azkaban, the protection held up very… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Essays
At Nimbus 2003, several people asked if they could see my notes. It never occurred to me that anyone would be interested, but I was sort of flattered that they asked. So I figure that there might just be a few curious people out there who might want to see… Read More