Essays
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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 As the book series progressed, many of those essays became outdated or were proven wrong.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.
Echoes of the Past: Street Names in Little Whinging
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by Paula Hall
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(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
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
This work is based on a good understanding of Southern England (the author’s home territory), along with solid knowledge of the County of Surrey, the history of Great Britain, and British domestic architecture. It is an attempt to probe beneath the surface of the Potter books and to fit, where possible, the… Read More
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by Paula Hall
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
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by Steve VanderArk
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
Those Unpredictable Defence Against the Dark Arts Professors
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Introduction: An Explanation And A Bit Of History Defence Against the Dark Arts professors are really something, aren’t they? None of them are what you’d call “typical” teachers, and there’s a fascinating element in the way nobody can hold onto the job for more than a single school year. I,… Read More
A View of the Map: Understanding How the Marauder's Map Works
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
Let us take a look at the mysterious, amazing Marauder’s Map. But first, let’s look at the castle. If you research castles on the Internet, you will see that Hogwarts is a castle of unprecedented (mammoth, huge, gigantic) size. You might find some castles that have towers that are 7 commercial stories high,… Read More
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
There has been a lot of talk about who might come back as ghosts in the Harry Potter series. I don’t think Rowling will have anybody return as a ghost, because she is very aware that there are children reading this series who have lost or about to lose a… Read More
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
I am an astrologer, and I observed the types of astrology Trelawney and Firenze teach (and presumably practice) are two different types. Trelawney’s astrology is natal or genethiliacal astrology. It consists of personal birthcharts and what will happen when Mars and Saturn make an angle. As Parvati said, it has to do with individuals and their… Read More
The Tragedy of Petunia Dursley
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I’ve just finished my third reading of OP. The Dursleys interest me in a way that I can’t fathom, but I feel the need to explain Petunia Dursley. OP opens our minds and Harry’s to the idea that Petunia had had more contact with, and understanding of, the wizarding world then she had hitherto pretended. From the small glimpse we… Read More
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
What he’d like the most is a pair of warm socks, Dumbledore told Harry (PS12). Is he joking? Is this just another example of his droll wit? I think Professor Dumbledore told the truth, that Harry surprised it out of him, although it wasn’t very clear. Fans have suggested that socks represent include freedom (Dobby), love (Molly… Read More
Timeline Facts and Questions
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One of the more interesting mysteries about the Harry Potter universe is when the stories in the books take place. There have been a lot of discussions and debates about this subject and some fans have done amazingly detailed research trying to determine the years involved. This page presents some… Read More
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by Steve VanderArk
in Essays
Charms magic can be used to move objects in various ways. Locomotion Magic The basic spell for moving an object is Locomotor, which comes from two Latin words meaning roughly “move from its place.” First years learn to move objects by magic; the practical part of Flitwick’s exam for the first years… Read More
How Do Duels Work?
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This is no moot point. Quite contrary to what many a reader may think, duels such as those in the Harry Potter books are not frequent in fantasy literature. That is so because it’s very difficult to convey to the audience or to the readers the precise impression of a… Read More
Vanishing Magic
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Various types of spells and items make things vanish, but in different ways. Vanishing The basic form of Vanishing is the Vanishing Spell. Taught in fifth year Transfiguration (OP13), this spell is usually cast using the incantation Evanesco which is Latin for “vanish.” McGonagall starts students out with Vanishing invertebrates—snails—and then works them up to mice… Read More
History of the Ministry
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The Wizards’ Council The Wizards’ Council was the predecessor to the Ministry of Magic (FBx). Barberus Bragge was the Chief of the Council in 1269. Burdock Muldoon was Chief of the Wizards’ Council in the fourteenth century (FB, QA). He was followed in office by Elfrida Clagg, who is generally regarded as being more enlightened than her predecessors… Read More
British Schooling in the 1970s
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by Paula Hall
in Essays
Some American fans have raised the issue of being confused about the British education system. I am a Brit who is exactly the same age as JKR (a mere 5 weeks older) so I can explain, step by step, British schooling as we both knew it in the 1970s. Obviously… Read More