I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.
Books, ReadingJoanne K. RowlingThe dedication of this book is split seven ways: To Neil, to Jessica, to David, to Kenzie, to Di, to Anne, and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.
Book DedicationsJoanne K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsWhether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
HogwartsJoanne K. RowlingWe do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.
Imagination, MagicJoanne K. RowlingSometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Joanne K. Rowling, via Twitter, 05.09.2019The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.
WritingJoanne K. RowlingOnce upon a time, there was a tiny country called Cornucopia, which had been ruled for centuries by a long line of fair-haired kings. The king at the time of which I write was called King Fred the Fearless. He'd announced the ‘Fearless’ bit himself, on the morning of his coronation, partly because it sounded nice with 'Fred', but also because he'd once managed to catch and kill a wasp all by himself, if you didn't count five footmen and the boot boy.
Joanne K. Rowling in The IckabogI do have a tendency to walk on the dark side sometimes. I have suffered from depression, I know how that feels, I have an innate inclination that way. Writing does help with that.
Writing, DepressionJoanne K. Rowling, September 2012It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.
Failures & Mistakes, Taking action, MotivationJoanne K. RowlingI would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.
TalentJoanne K. RowlingA lot of people say that Slytherins and Gryffindors represent two sides of the same coin.
Gryffindor, SlytherinJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldBut we're not bad people. We're like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood.
Slytherin, SnakesJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldUltimately, she had a bigger heart than she had a brain, and that's saying something for Hermione.
Joanne K. RowlingThe Gryffindors comprise a lot of foolhardy und show-offy people. That's just the way it is, I'm a Gryffindor, I'm allowed to say. There's bravery and there's also showboating and sometimes, the two go together.
GryffindorJoanne K. Rowling, Oktober 2012If you need to tell your readers something...there are only two characters that you can put it convincingly into their dialogue. One is Hermione, the other is Dumbledore. In both cases you accept, it's plausible that they have, well Dumbledore knows pretty much everything anyway, but that Hermione has read it somewhere.
Joanne K. RowlingIt is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.
Failures & MistakesJoanne K. RowlingOur emblem is the lion, the bravest of all creatures; our house colours are scarlet and gold, and our common room lies up in Gryffindor Tower.
GryffindorJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldAs for the Hufflepuffs, well, nobody could say they're not nice people. In fact, they're some of the nicest people in the school.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldMerlin was a Slytherin. Yes, Merlin himself, the most famous wizard in history!
SlytherinJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldIf I had a criticism, I'd say Gryffindors tend to be show-offs.
GryffindorJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldDumbledore himself, the greatest wizard of our time, was a Gryffindor!
GryffindorJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldDear God. When your spade starts melting in the molten heat of the earth's core, stop digging.
Joanne K. Rowling, July 2022, about Boris Johnson"Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself?"
"I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was."
"Why is the scar on Harrys forehead lightning shaped?"
"To be honest, because its a cool shape. I couldnt have my hero sport a doughnut-shaped scar."
"What did Dumbledore write in the letter to make the Dursleys take Harry?"
"Dumbledore appealed in the letter you're asking about, so that part of Petunia that did remember wanting desperately to be part of the world and he appealed to her sense of fair play to a sister that she had hated because Lily had what she couldn't have."
I've never said there are only two genders. There are innumerable gender identities. The question at the heart of this debate is whether sex or gender identity should form the basis of decisions on safeguarding, provision of services, sporting categories and other areas where women and girls currently have legal rights and protections. Using the words ‘sex' and ‘gender' interchangeably obscures the central issue of this debate.
Joanne K. Rowling, December 2021As we have developed the game of Quidditch, so it has developed us; Quidditch unites witches and wizards from all walks of life, bringing us together to share moments of exhilaration, triumph and (for those who support the Chudley Cannons) despair.
QuidditchJoanne K. Rowling, Quidditch Through the AgesOur emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb; our house colours are blue and bronze, and our common room is found at the top of Ravenclaw Tower, behind a door with an enchanted knocker. The arched windows set into the walls of our circular common room look down at the school grounds: the lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch and the Herbology gardens. No other house in the school has such stunning views.
RavenclawJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldSport is a very important subject at school, that's why I gave Quidditch such an important place at Hogwarts. I was very bad in sports, so I gave Harry a talent I would really loved to have. Who wouldn't want to fly?
QuidditchJoanne K. RowlingPowerful infatuations can be induced by the skilful potioneer, but never yet has anyone managed to create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that alone can be called Love.
Joanne K. Rowling in The Tales of Beedle the BardThe heroes and heroines who triumph in his stories are not those with the most powerful magic, but rather those who demonstrate the most kindness, common sense and ingenuity.
Joanne K. Rowling in The Tales of Beedle the BardNo witch has ever claimed to own the Elder Wand. Make of that what you will.
Joanne K. Rowling in The Tales of Beedle the BardAlthough there is a lot of Christian imagery in the books. That's undeniable. But that's an allusion to a belief system in which I was raised.
ChristianityJoanne K. Rowling, about Harry PotterOur emblem is the badger, an animal that is often underestimated, because it lives quietly until attacked, but which, when provoked, can fight off animals much larger than itself, including wolves. Our house colours are yellow and black, and our common room lies one floor below the ground, on the same corridor as the kitchens.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldAnother cool thing about Ravenclaw is that our people are the most individual – some might even call them eccentrics. But geniuses are often out of step with ordinary folk, and unlike some other houses we could mention, we think you've got the right to wear what you like, believe what you want, and say what you feel. We aren't put off by people who march to a different tune; on the contrary, we value them!
RavenclawJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldRavenclaws are famous for clambering over each other to get good marks.
RavenclawJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldOur emblem is the serpent, the wisest of creatures; our house colours are emerald green and silver, and our common room lies behind a concealed entrance down in the dungeons. As you'll see, its windows look out into the depths of the Hogwarts lake.
Slytherin, SnakesJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldNow, there are a few things you should know about Hufflepuff house. First of all, let's deal with a perennial myth about the place, which is that we're the least clever house. WRONG. Hufflepuff is certainly the least boastful house, but we've produced just as many brilliant witches and wizards as any other.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldA portrait over the wooden mantelpiece shows Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School, toasting her students with a tiny, two-handled golden cup.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldThe entrance to the common room is concealed in a stack of large barrels in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor. Tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff", and the lid will swing open. We are the only house at Hogwarts that also has a repelling device for would-be intruders. If the wrong lid is tapped, or if the rhythm of the tapping is wrong, the illegal entrant is doused in vinegar.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldHufflepuff house is haunted by the Fat Friar, who was executed because senior churchmen grew suspicious of his ability to cure the pox merely by poking peasants with a stick, and his ill-advised habit of pulling rabbits out of the communion cup. Though a genial character in general, the Fat Friar still resents the fact that he was never made a cardinal.
HufflepuffJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding WorldGryffindor house is home to Nearly Headless Nick, who in life was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. Something of a snob, and a less accomplished wizard than he believed, Sir Nicholas lounged around the court of Henry VII in life, until his foolish attempt to beautify a lady-in-waiting by magic caused the unfortunate woman to sprout tusks. Sir Nicholas was stripped of his wand and inexpertly executed, leaving his head hanging off by a single flap of skin and sinew. He retains a feeling of inadequacy with regard to truly headless ghosts.
GryffindorJoanne K. Rowling in Wizarding World