<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56255582dd0895b74e8b4607-4224-3168/hp%20fest%20poster.jpg" alt="HP fest poster" data-mce-source="Kim Renfro/Tech Insider"><p class="source"><span>Kim Renfro/Tech Insider</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Each year, the small Philadelphia suburb of Chestnut Hill undergoes a magical transformation.<p><span>The Hogwarts Express rumbles into town, and Muggles set off to find hidden horcruxes, snack on chocolate frogs, and experience the wonderful world of wizards for themselves.</span></p><p>We're talking about the annual <a href="http://chestnuthillpa.com/showcase/harry-potter-festival">Harry Potter Festival</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>It all began six&#xa0;years ago, when Chestnut Hill College held a Quidditch Tournament on their campus. The castle-like school buildings are reminscient of Hogwarts, while quaint Chestnut Hill neighborhood (established in the late 1800s) makes for the perfect Hogsmeade replica.&#xa0;</p><p>"T<span class="s1">here was a real interest in Harry Potter,"&#xa0;<span>Martha Sharkey of the</span><br><span><a href="http://chestnuthillpa.com/">Chestnut Hill Business District</a> told Tech Insider.</span>&#xa0;"Fans really span generations."</br></span></p><p><span class="s1">The smash hit tournament spawned a larger festival. </span></p><p><span class="s1">"A</span><span class="s1">fter the first year, the Chestnut Hill business community partnered with the college and created the festival," Sharkey explained. "This is the fifth year for the festival as a whole."</span></p><p>Everyone from toddlers to 40-somethings flock to Chestnut Hill to enjoy the elaborate event. Shops are&#xa0;renamed, selling Harry Potter themed merchandise and featuring interactive booths. There are character impersonators, live book readings, and even a "Wizard Rock" concert.&#xa0;</p><p>Scroll down to experience the magic for yourself.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p>

An elaborate 'Harry Potter' festival happens every year in this small town - here's what it's like

<p>Harry Potter fans are freaking out about a new theory that's been circulating on Tumblr. The theory will make you feel more wary about the Albus Dumbledore fans came to know and love.</p><p>Here's what you need to remember, before we tell you the theory.</p><h3><strong>The whole theory stems around the Tale of Three Brothers, a fairy tale told to Potter during the seventh and final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows</strong>."</h3><p>To jog your memory, here's how the tale goes:</p><p>Three wizard brothers come to a river that's too treacherous to cross, so they make a bridge with their wands. But as they're crossing they're met by a hooded figure, Death, who is upset they've "cheated" him.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c36ecd371d2277018bd483-1890-782/screen shot 2015-08-06 at 10.10.38 am.png" alt="harry potter tale of three brothers death" data-mce-source="YouTube" /><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But Death, being cunning, acts like he's impressed. He offers them each a prize for outwitting him. The first brother asks for an extremely powerful wand - and so he is given the Elder Wand.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c36e622acae72d5f8bd1ba-1611-782/screen shot 2015-08-06 at 10.12.34 am.png" alt="elder's wand harry potter three brothers death" data-mce-source="YouTube" /><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The second brother asks for the power to bring people back to life and is handed the resurrection stone.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c36f1e371d2277018bd489-1255-787/screen shot 2015-08-06 at 10.13.14 am.png" alt="resurrection stone harry potter tale of three brothers" data-mce-source="Youtube" /><p class="source"><span>Youtube</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The third brother, who senses that Death may have ulterior motives, asks for something that will allow him to move forward without being followed by Death himself. And so Death hands him an invisibility cloak that hides the wearer from even his own gaze.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c36f48371d2277018bd48c-1516-792/screen shot 2015-08-06 at 10.13.59 am.png" alt="harry potter invisibility cloak tale of three brothers death" data-mce-source="YouTube" /><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>For two of the three brothers, the story doesn't end well. The first brother is murdered over the Elder Wand. The second brother kills himself after a woman he brings back to life returns differently and he decides to join her in the void. The third brother lives to be an old man, then hands the cloak to his son, and "greets Death as an old friend."</p><p>Harry Potter fans have long assumed that the three brothers represent Lord Voldemort (the brother with the Elder Wand), Severus Snape (the brother with the resurrection stone) and Harry Potter (the brother with the invisibility cloak).</p><p>But who is death?</p><p>Death is Dumbledore, according to this new theory. Here's the evidence.</p><h3><strong>During the first book, Dumbledore gives Harry Potter an invisibility cloak, just like Death in the fable.</strong></h3><p>In the first book of the series, "<span>Harry Potter &amp; The Sorcerer's Stone," headmaster Albus Dumbledore gifts Harry an invisibility cloak, which b</span><span>elonged to Harry's deceased father, James.  The gift included a note: "Your father left this in my possession when he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c3647d2acae716008bdaa0-1341-1006/cloak-1991.jpg" alt="Harry Potter &amp; The Sorcerer's Stone invisibility cloak" data-mce-source="YouTube" data-mce-caption="Harry Potter receiving the invisibility cloak gift from Dumbledore in " /><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">Harry Potter receiving the invisibility cloak gift from Dumbledore in </p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><h3>Dumbledore also gives Harry the Resurrection Stone.</h3><p>During the first book, Harry Potter catches a Golden Snitch by swallowing it during his first Quidditch match. Later, Potter discovers Dumbledore hid the resurrection stone within that snitch. After Dumbledore's death, his will leaves the resurrection stone-containing snitch to Harry.</p><p>"<span>To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill," his will reads.</span></p><p>For a while, Harry is unable to open the snitch. A sentence merely appears on the golden sphere, "I open at the close." </p><p>But at the end of the final book when Potter is walking to his death match with Lord Voldemort, he's finally able to open the snitch by whispering "I am about to die." Inside, he finds the resurrection stone, the stone that was part of the Tale of Three Brothers. Harry is then able to see all of his deceased family members before what he believes is to be his final fight with Lord Voldemort.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c3702a371d2212008bd61b-1049-787/screen shot 2015-08-06 at 9.58.08 am.png" alt="harry potter golden snitch" data-mce-source="YouTube" /><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3><strong>And what about the third brother's Elder Wand? Dumbledore had that in his possession too.</strong></h3><p>Dumbledore acquired the Elder Wand's powers during a famous duel before the books take place. During his demise, the power of the wand shifts from himself to Draco Malfoy accidentally, and then ultimately to Harry Potter, who defeats Malfoy in a duel.</p><p>So with all that knowledge, here's the theory that's <a href="http://harryjxmespotter.tumblr.com/post/102175874685/ok-snape-voldemort-and-harry-are-the-three?ref_url=http://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/news/a32950/this-harry-potter-theory-about-dumbledores-true-identity-will-blow-your-mind/">floating around Tumblr</a>. The theorist also notes that Dumbledore first met Harry Potter at King's Cross and that he was ultimately behind/involved in the deaths of Severus Snape and Lord Voldemort.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c37ecb371d2279018bd5d3-535-742/screen-shot-2015-08-06-at-6-22-35-am.png" alt="tumblr harry potter theory" data-mce-source="Tumblr" data-link="http://harryjxmespotter.tumblr.com/post/102175874685/ok-snape-voldemort-and-harry-are-the-three?ref_url=http://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/news/a32950/this-harry-potter-theory-about-dumbledores-true-identity-will-blow-your-mind/" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://harryjxmespotter.tumblr.com/post/102175874685/ok-snape-voldemort-and-harry-are-the-three?ref_url=http://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/news/a32950/this-harry-potter-theory-about-dumbledores-true-identity-will-blow-your-mind/">Tumblr</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p> </p><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/slacking-red-bull-backflip-sport-baylines-2015-6">People doing backflips on a two-inch wide strap is a real sport called slacklining</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J1cDZvdToyxik-Ww0y-RX8k6QQqJs9ZD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'J1cDZvdToyxik-Ww0y-RX8k6QQqJs9ZD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Harry Potter fans are freaking out over a theory about Dumbledore that makes a lot of sense

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fbb317dd0895e3348b45fd-1664/rtr1uygy.jpg" alt="jk rowling los angeles 2007" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Chris Pizzello"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Chris Pizzello</span></p><p class="caption">J.K. Rowling at a book signing in the United States back in 2007.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>The <keyword id="79969" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="insider">INSIDER</keyword> Summary:</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong> &#xa0;Fans are disappointed by&#xa0;J.K. Rowling's stories on&#xa0;wizards in the&#xa0;United States.</strong><br><strong> &#xa0;</strong><strong>Rowling has made numerous</strong> <strong>factual mistakes about American history.<br> &#xa0;</br></strong><strong>The 'Harry Potter' author also did not make American wizards very likable.</strong></br></p><hr><p><br>With her new film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," J.K. Rowling is coming to America.</br></p><p>Her "Harry Potter" books largely left American wizardry out of the conversation.&#xa0;But since <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2013/09/12/jk-rowlingharry-potter-fantastic-beasts">embarking on the project in 2013</a>,&#xa0;Rowling has <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/jk-rowling-new-harry-potter-information-annoying-2016-8">rapidly expanded</a> the American magical universe.</p><p>The first film, which&#xa0;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/fantastic-beasts-where-to-find-them-trailer-ellen-2016-9">will be released in theaters on November 18,</a>&#xa0;is&#xa0;about a wizard and magizoologist named Newt Scamander who has adventures in 1920s New York. In tandem with the movie, Rowling also&#xa0;published&#xa0;<a href="https://www.pottermore.com/collection-episodic/history-of-magic-in-north-america-en">three</a> <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ilvermorny">major</a> <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/macusa">stories</a>&#xa0;-&#xa0;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/what-the-houses-mean-at-ilvermorny-the-American-hogwarts-2016-6">among other trivia</a>&#xa0;-&#xa0;about the history of magic in North America on Pottermore.&#xa0;</p><h2>The problem is, J.K. Rowling is having trouble writing about&#xa0;Americans. Especially Native Americans.</h2><p>In writing these stories, Rowling has already made significant missteps. It started with <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/collection-episodic/history-of-magic-in-north-america-en">her first major Pottermore piece, "History of Magic in North America."</a></p><p>In the piece, Rowling clumsily and insensitively used elements of Native American folklore in her own imaginary world. "The legend of the Native American 'skin walker' - an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will - has its basis in fact," Rowling <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/collection-episodic/history-of-magic-in-north-america-en">wrote</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/native-americans-arent-happy-jk-rowlings-depiction-of-their-culture-in-the-latest-harry-potter-story-2016-3">In reality</a>, skin walkers are only part of Navajo lore, not any of the other hundreds of tribes. Rowling lumped a complex tapestry of beliefs into a single story, and used "medicine man" <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/09/jk-rowling-under-fire-for-appropriating-navajo-tradition-history-of-magic-in-north-america-pottermore">stereotypes</a> by writing things like "The Native American wizarding community was particularly gifted in animal and plant magic."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fbb317dd0895e3348b45fe-1240/cherokee_boy_and_girl_in_costume_on_reservation,_north_carolina,_06-1939_-_nara_-_513344.jpg" alt="Cherokee boy and girl north carolina" data-mce-source="US National Archives and Records Administration via Wikimedia Commons" data-link="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cherokee,_North_Carolina#/media/File:Cherokee_boy_and_girl_in_costume_on_reservation,_North_Carolina,_06-1939_-_NARA_-_513344.tif"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cherokee,_North_Carolina#/media/File:Cherokee_boy_and_girl_in_costume_on_reservation,_North_Carolina,_06-1939_-_NARA_-_513344.tif">US National Archives and Records Administration via Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">Native Americans, like this Cherokee couple, have a particular place in American history that Rowling appears unwilling to empathize with.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>"It's very flattering that she would want to extend her world into [the Native American] world, but it's not a very good fit, because it's too good of a fit," Walter Fleming, the head of the Native American Studies department at Montana State University, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/native-americans-arent-happy-jk-rowlings-depiction-of-their-culture-in-the-latest-harry-potter-story-2016-3">told The Christian Science Monitor</a>. "What happens is that you're taking an assumptive fictional community - the wizarding world - and you're trying to apply it to a culture where it's not an assumptive fictional world. There are elements that are believed and practiced."</p><p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling">@jk_rowling</a> Are there modern Native American witches/wizards? Portraying us as primitive stereotypes reinforces an Anglo version of history</p>- tara houska  (@zhaabowekwe) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/707650717977321472">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/09/jk-rowling-under-fire-for-appropriating-navajo-tradition-history-of-magic-in-north-america-pottermore">Given the backlash</a>, one might think that Rowling would be more sensitive about using Native American folklore in her own invented magical universe. But&#xa0;later,&#xa0;Rowling revealed <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/what-the-houses-mean-at-ilvermorny-the-american-hogwarts-2016-6">a sorting test for the four houses of Ilvermorny</a>: Thunderbird, Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent, and Wampus. The first three are all animals from different Native American mythologies.</p><p>Had she consulted with Native Americans about her concept or explained&#xa0;the roots of these&#xa0;house names, perhaps then her fictional world may have been viewed as more respectful. But&#xa0;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/jk-rowling-new-info-about-the-american-wizarding-school-ilvermorny-2016-6">Rowling's 5,000-word story about Ilvermorny's origins</a> second story, "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," only mentions that Native Americans attended the school. <a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/07/01/pottermore_problems_scholars_and_writers_call_foul_on_j_k_rowlings_north_american_magic/">European settlers founded it</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/j-k-rowling-made-mistake-180352925.html">She also makes easy factual errors</a>, including that MACUSA -&#xa0;<span>The Magical Congress of the United States of America -</span>&#xa0;was founded in&#xa0;1693, nearly a century before the United States of America was&#xa0;so named (you can't have 'MACUSA' without the 'USA'). And she places the MACUSA capital in Washington, D.C., in 1777, before the city was founded 13 years later in 1790.</p><p><span><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>And I still don't get why it was called <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MACUSA?src=hash">#MACUSA</a> prior to the actual founding of USA. Unless all those American wizards were seers.</p>- Devra  (@devrajasmine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/784088836963917824">October 6, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></span></p><p>These may seem like small errors, but they would have been very easy to fact check.</p><h2>She doesn't know how to translate her political ideas into an American context.</h2><p>In the "Harry Potter" series, Rowling was generally adept with her allusions to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643823/Enoch-Powells-Rivers-of-Blood-speech.html">the Muggle community's historical events and issues</a>. The rise of the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald coincided with the rise of the Nazi Reich. Lord Voldemort's obsession with blood purity touched on similar themes. She made Dumbledore, one of the series'&#xa0;most beloved heroes, <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2007/10/30/dumbledores-outing-why-it-matters">gay</a>. Her subsequent non-"Harry Potter" works&#xa0;<a href="https://www.bupipedream.com/ac/54535/j-k-rowling8217s-political-side-gets-air-time-in-new-mini-series/">are even more openly political</a>.</p><p>Rowling stumbled, however, at translating her political beliefs to an American context. <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/macusa">Her most recent work</a>, about the founding of&#xa0;MACUSA, brings up signature American problems like segregation and&#xa0;the relationship with the powerful and the powerless.</p><p><span>But she doesn't seem to know how to handle those issues.</span></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fbb317dd0895e3348b45ff-960/colin%20farrell%20fantastic%20beasts.png" alt="colin farrell fantastic beasts" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." data-mce-caption="Colin Farrell plays a politically significant auror in &amp;quotFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.&quot;"><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p><p class="caption">Colin Farrell plays a politically significant auror in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>MACUSA's longstanding Rappaport's Law makes marriage between a wizard or witch and a No-Maj (the American word for Muggle) illegal. It echoes the United States' historical laws against interracial marriage.</p><p>But what is the connection, exactly? It doesn't appear that the American wizarding community oppresses the No-Maj community, or vice versa. From what we know, the law was introduced as a misguided safety measure. But if marriage laws in Rowling's world bear no relationship to marriage laws in the historical United States - especially the 1920s United States, where laws prohibiting interracial marriage were still on the books - then Rowling has evoked a complicated and sensitive social topic without knowing what to do with it.</p><p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling">@jk_rowling</a> Did magical folks practice slavery and racial discrimination as their fellow No-Majs? What effect did colonization have on them?</p>- Sanchi Kansra  (@sanchikansra) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/771681989971832832">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p>Furthermore,&#xa0;while her three stories broach the topic of oppression, Rowling never once mentions slavery, America's greatest crime that still has a profound, lasting impact in present society. She has chosen to step into the world of American politics and omit&#xa0;its core&#xa0;issue.</p><p>It's possible, of course, that "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will have fully developed thoughts and allegories about racial segregation&#xa0;and slavery, but there is no indication so far that it will.</p><h2>Rowling largely depicts America as a moral failure.</h2><p>When Rowling chose to write&#xa0;about American history, the American wizards come up short. Take the example of the Revolutionary War. According to <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/macusa">her recent writings</a>, MACUSA hotly debated whether they should&#xa0;join No-Maj Americans in the fight against Britain's tyrannical colonialism. Ultimately, wizard government demurred, taking no position on the matter.</p><p>Rowling mentions, as an aside, that "unofficially there were many instances of intervention to protect No-Maj neighbours." That's it.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fbb317dd0895e3348b4600-1250/fantasticbeasts1.jpg" alt="fantastic beasts and where to find them newt scamander eddie redmayne" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." data-mce-caption="Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in &amp;quotFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.&quot;"><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p><p class="caption">Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a British guy, in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><span>In the "Harry Potter" series, the protagonists were marked by their moral goodness.&#xa0;For Harry and Dumbledore,&#xa0;their stories&#xa0;are a matter of good triumphing over evil. And like</span><span>&#xa0;Rowling's novels, American history often intertwines heroism and moralism, from Abraham Lincoln to Harriet Tubman. Their stories are occasionally simplified in&#xa0;the historical record, but American history lionizes people who stood up for the&#xa0;moral good. </span></p><p><span>But Rowling, much like her wizarding population in the US, largely decided to stay&#xa0;out of these matters. Her American wizards simply aren't very heroic. The one MACUSA president she describes in depth,&#xa0;Thornton Harkaway, is actually a pretty bad guy.&#xa0;</span>He bred Crups, a type of magical dog that is hostile to No-Majs, and his pack <br>"savaged several local No-Majs, who afterwards were only able to bark for a period of 48 hours."&#xa0;Rowling goes on to say the magical community drove No-Majs to mental hospitals because so many of them thought they were going insane.</br></p><p>Not that Rowling ever gave Americans much credit in the first place. Her only mention of the US&#xa0;in the main "Harry Potter" books comes in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," where there was a coven of American witches with "a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE" at the Quidditch World Cup. In "Quidditch Through the Ages," she writes that the US Quidditch teams are inferior to the Canadian ones, and that Americans like to play a knockoff game called "Quodpot."&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fbb317dd0895e3348b4601-1500/emancipation_proclamation.jpg" alt="Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation" data-mce-source="Senate.gov" data-mce-caption="Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Does Rowling even like Lincoln?" data-link="http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00005.htm"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00005.htm">Senate.gov</a></span></p><p class="caption">Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Does Rowling even like Lincoln?</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The only real-life political controversy Rowling commented on is in the second-to-last paragraph of her MACUSA piece. She mentions that the&#xa0;American wizarding community, like the real-life No-Maj one, uses&#xa0;the death penalty.</p><p>"A significant difference between the wizarding governments of the United States and the UK of this time was the penalty for serious crime," <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/macusa">Rowling writes</a>. "Whereas British witches and wizards were sent to Azkaban, the worst criminals in America were executed."</p><p>Rowling is trying to assert&#xa0;a higher moral ground: Britain doesn't have the death penalty while the barbaric Americans do. But readers should not forget that one of her&#xa0;British characters, Remus Lupin, once said&#xa0;that the Dementor's Kiss, still issued to British criminals, is even worse than death.</p><h2>So, is J.K. Rowling taking a dig at American culture? Of course not&#xa0;- she just doesn't quite know how to <em>write</em> about it.</h2><p>Rowling's universe may be fantasy, but she seems to be taking liberally&#xa0;from very real people and events. Writers don't always have to write what they know, but in this case, more research would have gone a long way.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-a-japanese-island-where-you-can-hang-out-with-deer-2016-9">You can hang out with deer on this Japanese Island</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BubjY0NjE6WgJ-njiiQBPyfUhPlNOOQt" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'BubjY0NjE6WgJ-njiiQBPyfUhPlNOOQt',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div></hr>

J.K. Rowling doesn't know how to write about America

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5784fbfedd089520678b465b-2143/harry%20potter%20quidditch.jpg" alt="Harry Potter Quidditch" data-mce-source="Warner Bros."><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>No "Harry Potter" movie is complete without a good flying scene, and most of those happened on broomsticks.</p><p>To shoot the scenes for Quidditch - a sport where people fly around on broomsticks and try to score goals against the opposing team by throwing, catching, and blocking various types of balls - the production team for the Harry Potter movies had a few tricks up their sleeve.</p><p>The filming methods were different depending on the scene. One of them involves jumping up and down on a trampoline in front of a green screen.</p><p>You can see Rupert Grint (AKA Ron Weasley) showing us how to do it in this old behind-the-scenes special for "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" at 14:10.</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wU65lnDt9D4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>&#xa0;"You&#xa0;go about 30 foot in the air," Grint said.&#xa0;"I was holding a broom and they&#xa0;were throwing balls at me. It's quite scary."</p><p>Another way they got actors to look like they're zooming around on brooms is with a really tall rig. There's a broom on top of a robot that moves around. Along with some artificial wind and a green screen, they could be made to look like they're flying.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5784fbfedd089520678b465c-1262/screen%20shot%202016-07-11%20at%205.44.12%20pm.png" alt="Green screen broom Harry Potter" data-mce-source="Warner Bros" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHM2jhH1WKw"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHM2jhH1WKw">Warner Bros</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>It's really complicated. Every actor is filmed seperately, so even if they appear&#xa0;to be talking to each other in the scene, they're probably not in real life. A computer program determines where the broom rig moves, so even though it looks like the actors are steering it, they're acually just trying to hold on. The actors are up there for hours, and the brooms, as you can imagine, get uncomfortable.</p><p>And because the shots are made to look like they're thousands of feet in the air, the lighting gets complicated. Everyone is shot at multiple angles for the scenes. So when they're stitched together, they need to be controlled for various lighting angles that work for each person in the frame. Plus, the special effects artists need to create a digital environment and atmosphere that all looks cohesive.</p><p>Warner Bros made a video where the special effects team explains how it's done. It's worth a look:</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QHM2jhH1WKw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>Green screen special effects methods can be fun. Take this scene, for example, where Hermione holds up books to the Hogwarts library bookshelves and they float back into place:</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/V-GgWCBVhrg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>In reality, there were people on the other side of the shelves wearing <a href="http://www.123videomagic.com/chroma-key-green-gloves.asp">green gloves</a>:</p><p><div><blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="g5Ne5Xl"><a href="//imgur.com/g5Ne5Xl">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-19-year-old-gymnast-is-about-ot-blow-up-at-the-olympics-2016-7">This 19-year-old gymnast is already one of the best ever, and she's about to blow up at the Olympics</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="x5NGdpNDE635FdDZAqjH6b0wi2AyEAFl" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'x5NGdpNDE635FdDZAqjH6b0wi2AyEAFl',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

How special effects artists created a magical world in the 'Harry Potter' films

22 little-known facts about the Hogwarts professors even diehard 'Harry Potter' fans may not remember

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787fd4fdd0895923a8b470d-2000/harry potter and the sorcerer's stone book cover daniel radcliffe deathly hallows split.jpg" alt="Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone book cover Daniel Radcliffe Deathly Hallows split" data-mce-source="Left: Scholastic. Right: Warner Bros." /><p class="source"><span>Left: Scholastic. Right: Warner Bros.</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" universe has come a long way since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was released way back in 1997.</p><p>Right now, there are ten books, eight movies, and one play - and it's getting even more complicated.</p><p>By the end of 2016, we'll have two new books and <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/jk-rowlings-harry-potter-spinoff-fantastic-beasts-pottermore-ilvermorny-works-2016-7">a movie.</a> There's also been a steady stream of <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/jk-rowling-new-info-about-the-american-wizarding-school-ilvermorny-2016-6">new stories coming out of Pottermore</a>.</p><p>To help you out, here's a handy guide to all the material in the Harry Potter universe. The release years are included to give you an idea of how everything unfolded.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787fd4fdd0895923a8b470e-1821/harry ron hermione reading movies newspapers.jpg" alt="Harry Ron Hermione reading movies newspapers" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." /><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The books:</h3><p>There are ten books in the Harry Potter series: seven main story arcs, and three shorter, supplementary ones. Here are the main ones, which tell <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/daniel-radcliffe-bath-harry-potter-2016-6">Harry's</a> story:</p><ol><li>"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (1997, published as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in the UK)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (1998)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (1999)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2000)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2003)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2005)</li><li>"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (2007)</li></ol><p>And then there are the three supplementary books. They fill out more of the Harry Potter universe, but they're not, strictly speaking, essential to read for you to understand the story. Rowling actually gave all of their proceeds to charity. Here's what they are:</p><ol><li>"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2001) - A book written by Rowling under the pseudonym Newt Scamander. In the series itself, the book is a textbook for Harry's Care of Magical Creatures class in his third year at Hogwarts, assigned by Hagrid. The same title is being used for a movie and script written by Rowling, due later this year. We'll talk more about that in a bit.</li><li>"Quidditch Through the Ages" (2001) - Also a book written by Rowling, under the pseudonym Kennilworthy Whisp, with a foreword "written" by Albus Dumbledore. The book appears several times in the Harry Potter series proper. It's a history of <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/how-the-harry-potter-quidditch-scenes-were-shot-2016-7">the magical sport of Quidditch</a>.</li><li>"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (2008) - A story book, annotated by "Dumbledore" (but written by Rowling), of five fairy tale-like short stories by Beedle the Bard, who's kind of like the magical world's Brothers Grimm. The book plays an important role in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," giving clues to the nature of the three magical "hallows," objects that Harry seems to need to defeat Voldemort.</li></ol><p>Those are the ten books that are already released. We know for sure that we're getting two more Harry Potter books later this year. Here they are:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787fd4fdd0895923a8b470f-1400/harry potter and the cursed child script book cover.jpg" alt="Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script book cover" data-mce-source="Scholastic" /><p class="source"><span>Scholastic</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ol><li>"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One &amp; Two" (July 31, 2016) - A book version of <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-movie-might-happen-2016-7">a new play</a> written by Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. The story takes place 19 years after the events of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." It centers on <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/would-daniel-radcliffe-play-adult-harry-potter-2016-6">Harry</a>, Ron, and <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/emma-watson-is-basically-hermione-granger-harry-potter-2016-5">Hermione</a>, but <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/emma-watson-met-actress-playing-hermione-in-harry-potter-play-2016-7">the actors in the stage version aren't the ones from the movie</a>.</li><li>"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay" (November 19, 2016) - The screenplay for the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," which will be released a day earlier. The story is about Newt Scamander, who's the author of the book with the same title in the original Harry Potter series, getting into trouble in New York. It takes place several decades before the events of the main Harry Potter story.</li></ol><h3>The movies:</h3><p>The eight Potter <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/how-the-harry-potter-quidditch-scenes-were-shot-2016-7">movies</a> that have been released so far are based on the books. There's one for each book, released between 2001 and 2011, with the exception of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," which was split into two movies. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" were released in 2010 and 2011 respectively.</p><p>Next, we'll get <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2014/07/21/j-k-rowling-plans-to-write-more-about-cormoran-strike-than-harry-potter">a trilogy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" movies</a>. The release dates are subject to change, and the two sequels don't have finalized titles yet. There's also a chance we'll get <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-movie-might-happen-2016-7">a "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" movie down the road</a>.</p><ol><li>"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (November 18, 2016) - The movie will be about Newt Scamander, a British wizard played by Eddie Redmayne who arrives in New York around the year 1920.</li><li>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Part 2 (2018)</li><li>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Part 3 (2020)</li></ol><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5773db67dd0895e9528b4b23-999/gormlaith ilvermorny pottermore.jpg" alt="Gormlaith Ilvermorny Pottermore" data-mce-source="© JKR/Pottermore Ltd. ™ Warner Bros." data-link="https://www.pottermore.com/news/pottermore-reveals-ilvermorny-writing-video-and-sorting" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.pottermore.com/news/pottermore-reveals-ilvermorny-writing-video-and-sorting">© JKR/Pottermore Ltd. ™ Warner Bros.</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p> </p><h3>Miscellaneous:</h3><p>Complicating the Harry Potter canon even more are the bits and pieces of material Rowling has released over the years. Here's how it breaks down:</p><ul><li>Harry Potter prequel short story - In 2008, Rowling wrote and sold to charity <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Harry_Potter_Prequel">an 800-word short story</a> that takes place before the series' events. It's about a confrontation between muggle (read: non-magical) police officers and Sirius Black and James Potter, Harry's dad.</li><li>Pottermore - Since 2011, Rowling has published some work on <a href="https://www.pottermore.com">Pottermore</a>, a Harry Potter-centric website. There's all sorts of stuff there. It has everything <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/the-malfoy-family">from background information on the Malfoy Family</a>, to <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/professor-mcgonagall">an illuminating profile of Professor Minerva McGonagall</a>, to <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/jk-rowling-new-info-about-the-american-wizarding-school-ilvermorny-2016-6">a 5,000-word short story about American wizardry</a>. You can also do things like take a quiz to get <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/what-the-houses-mean-at-ilvermorny-the-american-hogwarts-2016-6">sorted</a> into a Hogwarts or <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/which-ilvermory-house-are-you-in-american-harry-potter-school-2016-6">Ilvermorny house</a>.</li></ul><h3>Other J.K. Rowling works:</h3><p>That sums up pretty much everything written by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter universe. But if you're a Rowling completist, she's written four non-Potter books worth seeking out.</p><p>After "Deathly Hallows," she released "A Casual Vacancy" in 2012. It's a non-magical novel about the politics and relationships of a couple of towns in the English countryside. It was later adapted into <a href="http://www.bupipedream.com/ac/54535/j-k-rowling8217s-political-side-gets-air-time-in-new-mini-series/">a pretty solid miniseries</a>.</p><p>Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Rowling is writing the "Cormoran Strike" series, another non-fantasy story. They're about a detective by the same name who solves mysteries and struggles with romance in London.</p><p>There are three of those books out right now, published each year between 2013 and 2015: "The Cuckoo's Calling," "The Silkworm," and "Career of Evil." Rowling said <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2014/07/21/j-k-rowling-plans-to-write-more-about-cormoran-strike-than-harry-potter">she plans to write more Cormoran Strike books than Harry Potter books</a>, but they haven't quite taken hold of the public imagination in the same way.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/these-bffs-are-amazing-at-tandem-acrobatics-2016-6">These best friends are unbelievable at tandem acrobatics</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J1NGdnNDE6ed6zsdJ0eO_XpdRionMCqE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'J1NGdnNDE6ed6zsdJ0eO_XpdRionMCqE',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "quidditch" and got 6 results

An elaborate 'Harry Potter' festival happens every year in this small town - here's what it's like

Kim Renfro

Harry Potter fans are freaking out over a theory about Dumbledore that makes a lot of sense

Alyson Shontell

J.K. Rowling doesn't know how to write about America

Jacob Shamsian

How special effects artists created a magical world in the 'Harry Potter' films

Jacob Shamsian

22 little-known facts about the Hogwarts professors even diehard 'Harry Potter' fans may not remember

Stephanie Ashe

Everything you need to know about what's happening in the 'Harry Potter' universe right now

Jacob Shamsian