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entertainment
Fantastic Beasts3
Production & News
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Since the recasting of Grindelwald due to Johnny Depp’s lawsuit, not much has been leaked by the cast and crew, not even an official title! However, with production having wrapped up in late July, news has finally surfaced.
Mads Mikkelsen had an interview with GamesRadar, and he said that he believed that the story was good, and he enjoyed working with everyone. He was the new guy on set and that meant that he didn’t have the bonds that the others had, showing that he is the only new face added to the film at this time, but very few of the cast members have been revealed, and we don’t know who else may have been added to the amazing cast. He also knew that he couldn’t put in a Johnny Depp level of intensity, which did not suit J.K. Rowling’s Grindelwald. Mikkelsen went on to tell GamesRadar he had to make the character his own, and many fans are eager to see Mikkelsen’s interpretation. having some parts take place in Brazil in 1939, just before the start of World War II. This is a huge leap in time from The Crimes of Grindelwald, which took place in 1927. However, as this is only a five-part series, time jumps such as this are to be expected on their way to the famous battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 1945.
The last film ended with Grindelwald using fear to gather followers, some of which were Queenie and Credence. Still, there is hope that things will come out alright, since Newt’s Niffler stole the blood pact that keeps Grindelwald and Dumbledore from hurting each other. Still, we don’t know what Grindelwald has been up to for a decade, and some speculate that perhaps Grindelwald helped in the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, not that it makes the events of WWII any better.
Fantastic Beasts 3 began reshoots in August. It will hit theatres on July 15, 2022.
QUIBBLER ENTERTAINMENT
Draconian Existence
By InformalStudio6 <3
Once upon a starry night A dark haired girl was born She came into the world shining oh so bright Though her family was rather forlorn
With a scar across her heart And three upon her brow With gritted teeth her kinfolk played their part But cursed her in the dying lanterns glow
Growing up she said, 'I want to be an astronaut' But her family kept no faith in her For all they cared, she could rot So she thought, 'Why not'?
Old dreams aflame
Later she said, 'I want to be a doctor' But they rolled their eyes and locked her, Along with her hopes and dreams And used damp cotton to stifle her screams
Her evanescent name
Eventually she whispered, 'I want to die' But no one heard except for her demons that lie 'Forgetting you wouldn't take more than a week, Or maybe two or three'
She was alone And she was in pain Oh how she'd grown While others stood stranded in times unknown
Ancient at 13 years of age Nothing could provide her solace From the war raging inside of her And external enemies banding together
She dreamed of running away But the chains of obligation held her down With mood painted an everlasting gray In despair she did drown
They say that on the last day She seemed rather happy And whispered to her beloved 'I'm finally getting a reprieve' Little did they know It was the ultimate release
By InformalStudio6
Sometimes when I close my eyes, I hear whispers of your ghost. They call me out on my feeble goodbyes, They're the parasites, I'm the host.
They echo off of the cold, dark walls, Of this dungeon I built. I wallow in my bucket of misery, Somehow it still doesn't wash away the guilt But it drowns me, chokes me, stifles me, Till all that's left is these Pretty White Lies.
And sometimes when I close my eyes I hope they never open again. For every time I look at your face, something shrivels up and dies This existence just isn't worth the pain.
My broken bits stain these cold, dark walls, Of this dungeon I built. I could cut open my skin all day and night And drown in all the tears I spilt They surround me, choke me, stifle me, Till all that's left is these Pretty White Lies.
And sometimes when I close my eyes, I hear different whispers But the haunted screams defeat the soft cries And blow them into mere cinders
Pretty White Lies
They cling onto these cold, dark walls Of this dungeon I built They fight against the dark and dread But there is no light in this path that I tread Once, they gave me hope But it got drowned, stifled and choked For now I know that hope is just another Pretty White Lie.
Of a Linear Circle – Review
by Eldis_
Imagine, if you will, a 15-year-old Harry Potter, sitting in the Dursley’s spare room, counting down the days till his birthday.
Imagine, if you will, a man suddenly appearing in his room the moment midnight passes.
Imagine, if you will, this person offering Harry an option to fight Voldemort without losing, without dying, without his friends and family suffering more than needs be.
Imagine, if you will, Salazar Slytherin not being the evil racist history has portrayed him to be.
After enjoying Swung by Seraphim, which I reviewed in our Summer 2021 edition (see pp. 29-30, red.), I was curious to read more from this wonderful author. So I started reading Of a Linear Circle, intrigued if slightly hesitant after reading its summary. Little did I know I was about to be hooked. (One of these times I will learn not to start a ridiculously long fanfiction during the busiest deadline period of the year. This time was not that time.)
Of a Linear Circle is barely an AU set in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world, but rather more an original tale borrowing names and base concepts from the books we all know and love. As opposed to Swung by Serafim, a story much more anchored to the pre-set magic system, this story takes many, many (many) liberties, as the nature of the plot requires. Changing the names in this fanfiction would, although the concept of ‘a British wizarding school founded by two witches and two wizards’ would, of course, still be very familiar, result in a story that could easily be independently published without the label of Harry Potter attached. Since we know barely anything about the Hogwarts Founders, Flamethrower’s interpretation and presentation of them is as good, or, more accurately, better than any other fan-interpretations found online. With this liberty comes the added wonder of not only seeing inside the heads of the known active Harry Potter characters – originally primarily Snape – but also inside the heads of other figures, who are either OCs or so barely mentioned in the books that they are OCs in all but name. Whilst I am usually not the biggest fan of OCs in any fanfic, these are wonderfully executed and walk the story-world as if they were part of it all along.
Now, though this might be seen by some of you as a minor spoiler (although I would argue, what do you expect from a story with a title like that?), I do have to state this: I don't like time travel. I didn’t really like it in PoA (although it is semi-decently executed there), I don’t like it in Endgame and it is the main reason I haven’t watched Doctor Who or Outlander, even though I would otherwise be their perfect target audience. Yet I did enjoy Of a Linear Circle. This story is one of the very few stories containing time travel I genuinely enjoy. They are out there, they’re just very sparse. Well, except for this one, since I would barely call a 1,877,916word story spread out over 10 books and 1 novella, ‘sparse’. Why did I like this story, where I don't so many others? Because it very responsibly deals with the single act of time-travel that happens in it, and, as the title suggests, everything that happens has always happened. No butterfly effect to be found.
This is, of course, not the only reason I enjoyed reading this story so much I gave up quite a bit of sleep to continue reading it.
The plot – and the prose it is written in – is absolutely wonderful. Flamethrower’s characters are so dynamic, emotional, funny and real that the story feels alive. There are plenty of fun references to the books, foreshadowing is done in an unobtrusive manner that makes you realise that something is foreshadowing at the exact right moment, and the characters are actually genuinely smart, which I always very much enjoy. There is little as frustrating as annoyingly stupid characters ignoring easy solutions to their problems (although a truly good Idiot Plot is still a lot of fun, of course). The story-world, like that of Swung by Serafim, is wonderfully deepened and extended, with some nice extra dimension added when some SbS easter-eggs appear in Of a Linear Circle. Flamethrower, in their characteristic way, pinpoints exactly the missed opportunities of the main series and emphasises wonderfully that this is a world where magic is real, so why are certain things that shouldn’t be problems, still problems?
Another reason I adore this story so is because it is the most well-researched piece of fiction I have read, possibly ever, without it feeling like a lecture, an academic text or an overenthusiastic ‘tell not show’-author who is just so hyped to share everything about the world they have created that their story feels more like an encyclopedia of their fictional land rather than a plot-driven narrative. Whilst I understand that not everyone is looking for a subplot about medieval European political and socio-economic intrigue or constant linguistic jokes throughout the story they are reading, I – being the nerd I am – absolutely revelled in it.
Whilst this story is indeed certainly not a recommendation for those uninterested in medieval history, the plot itself reigns the story, making it enjoyable for those less enthusiastic than I am about the time period it is partly set in as well.
Don’t worry, the story primarily takes place during Voldemort’s first and second wars against British wizarding society, although the latter in a drastically different way than the manner in which J. K. Rowling presented it to us. It is an AU, after all. It changes for the better though: I mean, it involves Voldemort’s face being cut open by one of the characters. Absolutely amazing, if you ask me.
There are, however, like any story, some ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ to me recommending this fanfic to you. If you’re a big fan of a morally good Albus Dumbledore, this story might not be for you. Additionally, whilst there are very few major trigger warnings within the story, they often aren’t clearly marked or, if they are, only mentioned in the endnotes rather than the starting notes of a chapter. General trigger warnings I can share here are murder, mentions of rape and abuse (though no detailed descriptions) and memory loss.
If these warnings pose no problem to you, however, I highly recommend reading this series. The books are registered on Goodreads, so they will count towards this year’s reading challenge. Although, as of writing this, the Ao3 series page says the series is unfinished, each of the 11 works within it is. I do not know if Flamethrower will publish a 12th work as an added epilogue, but the main story is completed, so there is no need to worry about being left on a cliffhanger. If you like character-driven, well-researched stories with lots of wit but also lots of genuine emotion, Of a Linear Circle is the right series for you. Search for ‘Of a Linear Circle flamethrower’ on Google or AO3, or follow the link or QRcode included in this article, and enjoy!
https://archiveofourown.org/series/755028
The Kite: A Short Story Written by u/Zelda_Cat34
One day, Jack was flying his kite in the park, when all of a sudden a gargantuan gust of wind rippled through the air, and blew Jack’s kite into one of the many unsuspecting redwoods nearby. “Just my luck,” Jack thought drearily. “ I’ll never be able to retrieve my kite now.”
So Jack goes home, defeated and disappointed from the day’s upsetting excursion. The next day an idea strikes him, almost identically alike to lightning striking a rod of metal. “I’ve got it!” He exclaims. “I need to contact the fire department because they have long ladders that could probably reach my kite! And I shouldn’t call them so they don’t think it’s a 911 emergency!”
He decides on that course of action, standing strong and firm in his ideas, as always with his other various ingenious ideas that he occasionally formulated on the spur of the moment. Jack scrawls what he has to say down on a piece of scrap paper, tucks it in an envelope, and dashes to the mailbox just as the mailman is collecting the mail. “Thank you, young lad.” The mailman says. “You’re welcome, sir.” But just as he said it, Jack felt a cold chill course down his spine, as if someone were watching him. Where had he heard this man’s voice before? Jack dashed into his house, satisfied that he had avoided the strange mailman’s petrifying glare, forever watching and waiting in the shadows. But little does he know, it has just begun……………..
Jack waits, and waits, and waits…...knowing it cannot be that the mailman is a double agent and actually someone he had seen on the news, such as a newscaster or any of
Art by KackelDackel
those vermin reporters that slunk around in the shadows of every famous persons’ encampment ever.
He also couldn’t be that Shadowman guy that was in all of those ComicBooks that Jack’s late father gave him; and Jack identified everyone as one of the characters, but somehow that mailman didn’t quite fit in with the ComicBook ‘in’ crowd. All these thoughts sent a horrible chill down his spine. Jack tries to forget, but unremembering is not an option for some unlucky people with photographic memory, just like unfortunate Jack; at the moment.
Jack keeps on waiting until even the mere thought of waiting becomes excruciatingly painful. The minutes turn into hours, which turn into days, and even those turn into weeks, and finally those trickle slowly into months. He thinks that it is not possible that the fire department would ever take as long as this.
After several months, when it is the twentieth of December, he at long last gets something in the mail addressed to him. The front of the envelope reads,
‘ For Jack Rider at 845 East Penny Lane Zip Code: 6443 Northwest Jordan, Oklahoma. If Jack is not home when this envelope arrives, phone or text to tell me about his absence, and I will call him. My company number is 837-015-2479, but if my secretary doesn’t pick up to your liking, you may call my cell, which is 992-573-0182. If you still can’t reach me, go to my house, which is on the Brooklyn Estates street, and the house numerals are 7439. The house name is Willikin’s Manor.Thank you.’
ENTERTAINMENT QUIBBLER “Wow!” Jack says.“He did all that on the front. I wonder what the inside says. I’d better find out.” He gently peels the Navy blue seal on the front of the envelope and unfolds the envelope to read.
If you would like to know what the envelope says on the inside read on.
‘We cordially accept your plea to remove your kite from the treetops. It has come to our attention that you are a very dedicated environmentalist, and that if you leave a kite, almost especially a plastic one as your’s is, up in the treetops of the redwoods, some natural decomposer will decompose it, as a decomposer’s job is obviously to decompose, and furthermore the decomposed fragments will pollute the earth further than it already is.
Best Wishes on the upcoming environmentalist rally, and hope to see you there, Yoru Egnaiya Kaa, next in line as Your Royal Highness of Japan, where the Zabian Cherry Blossoms grow and the purest water flows.
P.S. I know all those things in there that are Confidential Information because I am formally courting your mother, and wish to propose. And yes, I did say I was officially courting. You need to keep up with the new old, Jack. Don’t be so outdated. I would like you to guess my age, and then compare it with your mother’s; you will be astounded by the difference. Are you alright with that, Young Jack Quuzong Rider? Because she is alright with that and plus I know your
QUIBBLER ENTERTAINMENT second middle name is George Windley. Goodbye for real this time. ‘
That night, Jack was pondering to himself, when a memory replayed in his head, and he knew it was a correct match. It was something he had seen on the news, and it involved that Yoru Kaa guy his mom was oddly dating. Yoru was on the Municipal Board! The newscaster had said, “ Little known fact, but Yoru is actually next in line to the throne in Japan. And he’s coming on right now!” We’ll be back after a word from our sponsors.
“Okay, introducing the infamous, the only, Yoru Kaa!” The newscaster exuberantly bellowed.
Yoru begins to speak. He says, “ I believe that the majority of littering is contributed through children, which scatter play toys such as kites and jump ropes all along public facilities.’’
It felt like an ice cold fist had barrelled him in the stomach. “How could Yoru do this to me, with Christmas just five days away?” He grumbles, on the verge of despair. But, right when he is about to give up, a glimmer of hope peeks through the increasingly thickening veil of darkness.
If Yoru is dating my mom, then Yoru must be obliged to get me a present, so maybe all this hatefulness is just a part of the present scheme. I certainly hope that is true. The next day, Jack confronted his mom once she arrived from her desk job at Delta Dental, as she was an insurance major in college. First, he asked her, “ Do you need help with your purse and water bottle? It seems like such a big load for you to be carrying with your on and off pained back and hips.” His mom replied, her eyes darting to the side as she spoke as if she were indicating a lie about to be told, “I’m not carrying anything that I normally don’t carry, but thank you for the generous offer. In hindsight a few moments later she said, “Hey, you’re never offering me any help regularly. What do you need?” She remarked rather frankly. “Well, nothing much, I just would like to know why you’re dating that stalker, Yoru Kaa. He wants to propose to you, by the way, and sent me a letter telling me he knew exactly where my kite was and where I lived, and my entire name, and he was slightly threatening me. So, if you still really want to date him, I mean, go ahead. I won’t be offended or upset at all.”
Jack decided to write a letter to Mr. Kaa himself . It read,
‘ Mr. Yoru Kaa, I know my handwriting isn’t much, but neither are the best of us. It has come to my attention that the engagement is called off. Furthermore, I would like to know the real reason behind your letter response, and if it is a present, please inform me before I call the cops on you. -Jack Rider’
As instantaneously as Jack would allow it, the response arrived. He carefully removed the Navy blue seal , even though he dearly wanted to rip open the envelope to decipher its contents. The long due message proclaimed,
‘I am truly sorry about the wait and how impolite I was. It is because your mother wanted me to hide the gift I am giving you in an odd way. But I cannot blame all of it on her. It is I, and only I, that must abdicate the throne and pass it down to you, the rightful heir to the throne. You see, your mother and I are not actually dating. That was a cover-up. You are my cousin, as your mother is my cousin, and that makes the two of you brother and sister. Her and your mother, in her will, clearly stated that she wished your sister, Lila, be your caretaker until you were of suitable age to take over the throne in my stead ,instead of me caring for you. This was going to be your gift, but now it is going to be your known gift. Just less anticipation. If you want to abdicate the throne, or make it so there is no throne at all, tell me ASAPFYTS, which stands for, ‘ As soon as possible for your tight schedule…..’ ‘
Jack was astounded; he did not know that he was royalty, but he did want to abdicate the throne, or make the throne unavailable so the reign of Japan would not fall into the wrong hands. He wrote back immediately.
‘Interesting that I am royal. I want the throne to be nonexistent so it won’t fall into the wrong hands. If I have already come of age, as you wrote, is 13 my true age? Would like to meet with you and Lila very soon. -Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Jack Rider P.S. Is that really my name?’ ‘ You are actually 17, but your name is correct. Smart decision about the throne; I’ll arrange it. Would like to meet with you and Lila as well. How about next Sunday at 12:30 in your house? Less conspicuous that way. -Yoru Kaa’
‘Let’s definitely meet up there. I’ll inform Lila.
-Jack Rider’
Jack told Lila right after he put that exact letter in the mailbox, and she agreed it was best to meet up at their house instead of Yoru’s, because the press knew where Yoru lived. When it was Christmas day, they all got together at the Riders’ house and celebrated that they had gotten past the family secrets right before Christmas. Yoru said, “ You do realise, Jack, that since you abdicated the throne, you receive bonus money to relieve all the trouble you went through, in the form of $5,555,555,555,000 cash.”
“What?” Jack said, spurting out all the Sprite he was drinking. “Yeah! It deserves celebration!” Lila exclaimed. “Cheers!” They all clinked glasses, ending the nearly perfect day on a high note.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Read more next year in the sequel to The Kite……….
Hope you liked my book! Merry Christmas!
I dedicate this book to all my amazing family and friends out there.
QUIBBLER ENTERTAINMENT
I Wrote
(by u/iguerr. Translated from Portuguese)
The name I don’t remember.
Not his, the other one’s, the one who was the director of the school. The one who a few months ago was in a lower position and got promoted, the one who had been getting higher and higher since he joined the institution; he always had a smile on his face, always feeling good, he was very extroverted.
His name I also don’t remember. But it doesn’t matter.
His name I never knew. He was the one who worked in cleaning.
They looked alike.
The other one was the one I always saw in the restaurant, with one of those mops. His face didn’t express joy, no extroversion. It was a sad apathy.
His white uniform. The same confident pace.
Waiting for people to pass by so he could go on with his work.
Making people stop to let him pass.
With his mop.
Sitting in the office full of papers.
They looked alike.
I couldn’t help but notice the similarity.
I wrote.
***
About this poem: This came from a real observation I made of how alike two workers in my school were, one worked cleaning the restaurant and the other was among the higher-ups of the direction of the school. I always think it might not make sense for anyone who reads it, but that was a curious observation I made and that maybe some people will be able to relate to it.
His glasses. The first one didn’t wear glasses, I think.
Only this one.
Glasses for no one.
For No One. I always saw him with the same cheerful glance.
The same wandering pace.
Paper Mayhem - Part 1 by Eldis_ Yes, I know my office is a mess. Yes, I know that is uncharacteristic of me! But it’s not my fault! You see, earlier this morning I spotted what turned out to be a Rowenalis Lazuli. I remembered that I had researched something about this (see pp 78-9 and 86-7 of our Summer 2020 edition), so I attempted to summon my notes on this wonderful creature. I had, however, completely forgotten that ‘any spells cast in the vicinity of the Rowenalis Lazuli will be thrice as powerful’. Whereas this usually only occurs when the spellcaster intends to use the butterfly-like bug’s power, it seems that this one was in a playful mood and granted me the power instead. Do not worry, the creature happily flew off and seemed to be in good health, and I immediately sent an owl to Beelde Zearing, informing him of the anomaly. But back to the topic at hand: the spell turned out thrice as powerful, summoning not just the papers containing my research on the Rowenalis Lazuli, but also the random scattered notes of my colleagues in the Quibbler Tower. So now ‘returning all of this junk’ has been added to my already too long to-do list. Oh well, before I do that, a little peek into the private notes of my colleagues certainly wouldn’t hurt, right?
THREAD
(by u/iguerr)
Iopened the air vent. It was round, composed of an iron piece in the shape of a plus sign, with three screws and a thin grid (which I took off). As I pointed a lantern into the hole in the wall, I could see something. I put my whole arm in the hole, only just reached it, and could feel it was some sort of cloth. I grabbed it and took my arm out of the hole right away to discover I held lingerie in my right hand.
Under the tons of dirt caked on, it was a light color (one could see it was pinkish), very soft, and ripped in some parts. I was so into the piece of cloth I held in my hands that I didn’t even realize I was moving away from the wall; or maybe I didn’t move away at all, as I distinctly remember to stay stone still just looking at each rip, each dirt smudge, each dark stain the cloth had. But when I got out of the trance, I was some meters away from the wall I was right in front of just a second prior. I realized something while unconsciously pulling at the lingerie. It was unraveling. The thread seemed to be coming from that hole in the wall. I pointed the lantern to the wall again but could not see well since there was a heavy mist about the whole place. Changing tact, I pointed the lantern back to the cloth I held and followed the thread closely, inch by inch. I then realized the fool I was making of myself. All that time spent commenting on how stupid it was for the people in those movies to be following tracks so closely they could not see the killer standing right before them… only looking up when they were already too close to run away. And here I was, looking so closely I wouldn’t be able to see a demon with its head leaving the hole of the air vent on the wall if there was one. And I was afraid there’d be one.
“And– Scene!” The girl said in mocked over drama after having finished the monologue. The teacher and her classmates chuckled as they applauded.
“The monologue is a bit different from the version you gave us?” The teacher said waving the paper he held, asking for the girl for further commentary on the changes.
“Yeah, um, I– we, me and my pair,” she pointed at the corner of the room, where I was sitting, “decided to make a few changes, for no reason really.”
I cleared my throat. “Um, yes, this monologue was something I wrote a while ago, so there are a few language mistakes here and there. At first we were going to keep it like it is, you know, be faithful to the original nature of the text, with all of its flaws. But then, at the last minute, we decided to make a few changes and making the needed corrections ended up being one more reason for the changes. But you can notice we didn’t change much.”
“Interesting,” the teacher said. “Well, we haven’t any more time for today so let’s wrap it up. For next class I want you all to think about editing an old text. What do you think of it; is it valid; when is it valid, when it’s not; etc.”
Everyone in the room grabbed their things to leave. “You coming?” My partner asked me.
“In a second. You can go.” I replied cause my desk was a mess and I didn’t want to make her wait. A few moments later I turned the lights off and left the room. It was late, around 23:00, the corridors were all empty. But I still had my mind on that monologue and didn’t pay any mind to my surroundings as I wandered slowly, looking at the floor and still pondering on the mistakes in the monologue.
At first I agreed with handing out the original version, but right after that I regretted the decision, because the more I saw the mistakes the more I felt ashamed of having committed them, always thinking those were silly things I should’ve known when writing the monologue in the first place. That reminded me of the task for the next class. When was it valid editing an old text? For me always. I always edited the things I wrote as soon as I spotted some flaw. Before anyone else had a chance to read it and spot them themselves and think of me as stupid.
That’s when I noticed something on the floor, a few meters away from where I was, in the middle of the hallway. It was a piece of cloth. Could this be some silly prank? Someone making fun of the monologue I wrote? I went on walking and when I came closer to it I noticed a thread leaving the cloth and going on down the hallway until it took a turn and passed beneath a door to a classroom. I followed it and was about to open the door when something made me stop. A feeling. An uneasiness with what could be waiting for me on the other side. That’s when I heard a loud noise from the inside of the classroom and knew I had to run for my life.
I ran and ran, turning right then left then right again then again right then another left. I didn’t know or care where I was going, I just knew I had to leave that place, but I couldn’t find the exit. Every turn I took always led to another hallway with more turns. I couldn’t recognise where in the building I was. Then I remembered I wasn’t on floor level, but there were no stairs around. The noise had been following me all along so I knew I couldn’t stop running. I ran more and more until I got to the end of a hallway that didn’t have any turns, only doors. I tried the one at the end of the hallway; locked. The one to the left; locked. The one to the right; locked. The noise behind me is growing louder. I turned to face whatever was coming at me, but the louder the noise got, the more lights went out, coming closer and closer to where I was. I just remember falling to the ground right before the lamp right above me, the last one on, went out.
When I woke up I was in a bright place. A hospital room. There was someone near my bed. A doctor. He approached me and asked how I was. I asked what had happened. He said that was what he was hoping to figure out with me and that he was going to ask some questions and was that okay. I said yes. He asked what happened at the school. Then I remembered the darkness and the cloth on the floor and the noise and the running. I felt something wet on my ear and when I touched it I discovered it was blood. I felt my legs ache due to all the running. I said I didn’t know what had happened at the school. Then the doctor said something that didn’t make any sense. He said there was a video caught by the security cameras of me leaving the theater room, then stopping in the middle of the hallway, staring at the floor. Then running from one end of the corridor to the other and back again, and again, and again. Until I get to one end and finally stop. He said I opened the doors around me but didn’t enter any room. There is something he didn’t say though. Maybe he didn’t notice it, or didn’t think it was relevant at that moment, but he forgot to mention the look I gave the camera before collapsing to the ground.
It’s hard to believe that the first Harry Potter film entered our lives on November 14, 2001. That’s right, the first film will be turning 20 years old this year. So, what will be happening this year in the Wizarding World? Well, there are a number of Harry Potter experiences around the U.S. and the U.K. to allow fans to enjoy the fandom in person. But what is being done to celebrate this occasion?
Well, first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.) is getting a Magical Movie Mode on August 17 of this year. It comes with several things.
• filmmaking secrets • spell incantations • trivia and quizzes • fun activities • curiosities • special features • director’s commentary from
Chris Columbus • deleted scenes • special graphic and audio features
All of this adds up to a more magical experience than ever before.
But that’s not all! HBO Max, Cartoon Network, and TBS will air a quiz-based competition. It will be four one-hour-long segments and take place over four days. Fans can tune in and enjoy the fun of participating with contestants on the show. Contestant hopefuls must be at least 14-years-old, and parents/guardians must fill out applications for anyone 14 to 17 years of age. You can apply at http://harrypotterquizshow. castingcrane.com/ to sign up to be a contestant.
Tom Ascheim, President of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults, said, “To celebrate our dedicated fans who have passionately kept the Wizarding World magic alive in so many forms for decades, these exciting specials will celebrate their Harry Potter fandom in a mustsee multiplatform TV event. All Potter fans can gear up for this ultimate one-of-a-kind celebration by embracing their inner Hermione Granger and studying their Wizarding World knowledge. For fans who have always wanted to discover what it might be like to take the O.W.L. exams, this is as close as they are going to get!”
