• Businesses, merchants, and shops • Pubs and inns The Railview Hotel is a gloomy-looking Muggle establishment in or near Cokeworth to which Vernon Dursley took his family while attempting to avoid Harry’s Hogwarts letters (PS3). Of course, the letters found him there anyway – when the family woke up in the morning, the woman behind the… Read More
• 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
• Event Repealed in 1965 by MACUSA. Before that, Wizards could not mingle with No-Maj, whether as friends or married couples. Magical children could not have a wand before attending Ilvermorny School, and they were not allowed to take their wands home during breaks (Pm). Read More
• Place Not really a house, of course, but a building in a zoo near Little Whinging. While visiting in celebration of Dudley’s eleventh birthday, Harry discovered here that he could talk to the boa constrictor. He then unwittingly vanished the glass in front of the cage, freeing the snake and making… 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
• Character Grandparents of Tom Riddle Jr. (Voldemort) and parents of Tom Riddle Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Riddle were wealthy landowners whose mansion overlooked the small village of Little Hangleton. They, along with their son Tom Riddle Sr., were found murdered in their house in the summer of 1943. Read More
• Character The Riddle family was a singularly unpleasant, upper class family who fifty years ago lived in the village of Little Hangleton in a large manor house (‘Riddle House’) on a hill, overlooking a graveyard and a church. Tom Marvolo Riddle/Lord Voldemort: Born of a witch mother (Merope Gaunt) and… Read More
• Houses and addresses Though few wizards realize it, the Riddle House holds an important place in wizarding history. Located on a hill overlooking Little Hangleton, it was the home of Voldemort’s grandparents, and the place where his father, Tom Riddle, lived both before and after Voldemort’s birth at the end of 1926. The summer… Read More
• Character Ripper was a bulldog owned by Marge Dursley. He liked to take his tea from Aunt Marge’s saucer. He always traveled with Marge because he “pines” if he is away from her. Marge had twelve dogs, but Ripper seemed to be her favourite (PA2). Ripper did not seem to… Read More
• Character The Reverend Robert McGonagall was a Scottish Presbyterian minister. He married Isobel Ross, an 18-year-old, high-spirited witch after they eloped. The pair brought forth three children, Minerva, named after Isobel’s grandmother, Malcolm and Robert Jr. They lived in the manse just outside Caithness, Scotland. It was… Read More
• Character Mr. Roberts is a Muggle man who worked as the campsite manager for the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. Read More
• Event Ron is unfamiliar with telephones and shouts extremely loudly into the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, it was Uncle Vernon who answered the call and his response was “THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!” (PA1). Read More
• Event At his test for getting a Muggle driver’s license, Ron Weasley uses magic to help him and to manipulate the person overseeing the test. Deserved or not, Ron passes the test (DH/e). He boasts that, although Hermione thought he would have to use a Confundus charm on… Read More
• Event As part of a bet, Cornelius Fudge’s nephew causes a Muggle “tube train” to disappear. Muggle travellers wait an hour and a half for their train before figuring out that it has vanished. As results of the event, Rufus is suspended from his job at the Improper Use of Magic… 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