Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 11

I wonder why Slytherin House remained at Hogwarts after Salazar Slytherin left. It would seem that someone so passionate about his views on the worthiness of students might have left and started a competitive school – and surely the students/parents who agreed with him would have followed him. Along the same lines, it seems weirdContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 11”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 10

On the topic of thestrals, this continues the theme of “mundanization” of magic found in the last book. The first books are all wide eyed wonder at magic: carriages that pull themselves, a majestic feast that magically appears on the tables. Now we pull the curtains back and realize that those are the results ofContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 10”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 4

Can we talk about how OP Hermione is? She’s the smartest (IQ) of the Power Trio by far and then this scene (when Harry arrives at 12 Grimmauld Place and Hermione anticipates how he must be feeling / how to talk him down from his lashing out) demonstrates how she has the highest EQ asContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 4”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 2

As we are winding down for bed each night, we read a little bit with our toddler. Currently we are making our way through the Harry Potter series and just finished book 4 / started book 5. Book 5 / Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is where my online Harry Potter bookContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 2”

Fantastic Beasts 2 Review

Last night Katie and I went to our first movie in the theater since becoming parents – we’re so wild! We didn’t love the first Fantastic Beasts film so didn’t have very expectations for this one – and that’s about what we got. WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS BELOW! THE GOOD There are some good visuals,Continue reading “Fantastic Beasts 2 Review”

Dear Mr. Potter

Recently I have been listening to a Harry Potter podcast that I really enjoy and highly recommend called Dear Mr. Potter. As I’ve been getting into podcasts (Yes, I know I’m late!), I’ve been seeking out content about topics I really enjoy – which most certainly includes Harry Potter! Unfortunately the vast majority of HarryContinue reading “Dear Mr. Potter”

Harry Potter Dinner

Last Friday we hosted a Harry Potter dinner at our house for a small group of friends. It was a blast! DECORATIONSTo create a Hogwarts-like ambiance, we made a few changes to our dining room: FOOD AND DRINKWithout house elves to help, I think we still did a pretty admirable job of preparing a Hogwarts-caliberContinue reading “Harry Potter Dinner”

Magical Weekend in Florida

Last weekend we went to Florida to celebrate our nephew’s sixth birthday! It’s been years since I’ve been and a great deal has changed since the last time I was there. Katie and I flew in Thursday and were immediately treated to a wonderful dinner of fish tacos at my brother’s new house. Both heContinue reading “Magical Weekend in Florida”