http://bit.ly/hpaftw

The HPA is like Dumbledore’s Army. We use the messages we’ve learned from Harry Potter to fight the Dark Arts of the real world, such as poverty, discrimination, and global warming, to name just a few. The HPA has done some amazing work in the past, such as our Helping Haiti Heal campaign, which raised enough money to send five cargo planes, named Harry, Ron, Hermione, DFTBA (Don’t Forget To Be Awesome), and Dumbledore, carrying a total of 80,000 pounds of supplies to Haiti after the devastating earthquakes.

The HPA is exactly what I’m all about. They show that we can apply what we learn from fantasy books to the problems of reality. The kind of blogging I do on my blog started with my HPA Ning blog, where I was inspired to connect the teachings of Harry Potter to real-life issues.

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books herself, praises the HPA and says, “I am honoured and humbled that Harry’s name has been given to such an extraordinary campaign, which really does exemplify the values for which Dumbledore’s Army fought in the books.” You’ve heard it from Jo, people, what more do you need? We’ve also had support from Harry Potter actors such as Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy).

If we win the money, the three main causes toward which it will go are literacy, LGBT rights, and an Online Coalition of Fandoms, Youtube Communities, and Organizations. Our Accio Books campaign has collected and donated over 55,000 books to the Mississippi Delta, a youth village in Rwanda, and communities around the world. We have made calls for Massachusetts Equality and held a Wrock 4 Equality concert to convince people to support same-sex marriage. For Helping Haiti Heal, we brought together so many different communities for a great cause. Now we’d like to do even more.

There is no stopping the HPA. We have accomplished so much already, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much more we could do with $250,000. Please take just a few moments to support us in the real fight against Voldemort. Dumbledore’s Army has given you a trick Galleon enchanted with the Protean Charm, so head to the Room of Requirement and vote!

As fans eagerly await the two-part film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the final chapter in the boy-wizard series, “Potter” creator J.K. Rowling is thinking ahead. On Monday the author said that while she has no plans to do so now, she could see herself writing additional tales about the Boy Who Lived “maybe 10 years from now.”

MTV News article

‘I was delighted and excited to be asked to illustrate the covers for such massively famous books – and seven of them! It was top secret for the best part of a year.’

The illustrations (Books 1-7) can be found in the DM Gallery.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker!

Happy Birthday Brendan!

“The Making of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” which gives viewers a sneak peak of the Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park attraction, runs Sunday, June 6.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker!

To read more, click here.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been nominated for 4 awards in total, those being:

1. Best Fantasy Film;

2. Costume;

3. Production Design; and

4. Special Effects

The awards are going to be given out June 24, 2010.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker!

Not to say that life is all puppies and rainbows! You have your lessons to complete, the Groundskeeper to avoid if you want to live and pig sties to muck out if you’re unlucky enough to recieve detention.

Sign up now and begin your very own academic career at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry!

Thanks to SnitchSeeker!

It is alleged that she copied ideas from Adrian Jacob’s Willy the Wizard and incorporated them into Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Rowling has of course strongly denied these allegations and has asked the court to dismiss the claims.

“I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book.”

She went on…

“The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my UK publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves. We will be applying to the Court immediately for a ruling that the claim is without merit and should therefore be dismissed without delay.”

If you would like to read the article, click here.

Thanks to Shimmy!