Quote Of The Week #30

The destinies of wizards and princes might seem more certain than those carved out for the rest of us, yet we all have to choose the manner in which we meet life: whether to live up (or down) to the expectations placed upon us; whether to act selfishly, or for the common good; whether to steer the course of our lives ourselves, or to allow ourselves to be buffeted around by chance and circumstance.  Birthdays are often moments for reflection, moments when we pause, look around, and take stock of where we are; children gleefully contemplate how far they have come, whereas adults look forwards into the trees, wondering how much further they have to go. This extract from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is my favourite part of the seventh book; it might even be my favourite part of the entire series, and in it, Harry demonstrates his truly heroic nature, because he overcomes his own terror to protect the people he loves from death, and the whole of his society from tyranny.


J.K. Rowling - The Birthday Book (in aid of the Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts)

Quote Of The Week #27

...So, like, imagine some girl who writes in her little unread blog, right? She writes, and no one comments, and she wonders if anyone reads it... This girl, she can make her voice hearable, but cannot make it heard. This sweet, little girl - who has friends, who harbors crushes, who worries about homework, who knows that talking without being heard is sadder and more poignant than silence.

John Green

Music at Musings - The Divine Comedy, The Fratellis, The View, Biffy Clyro, The Wonder Villains, Garfunkel and Oates, Hank Green

Good evening everybody, and welcome to Music at Musings! *audience applauds* Oh no, really! That's too much! But don't stop! Anyway, Musings has gathered 51 followers! Thank you so much everybody, and hello new followers! I hope you have a nice time here! Let's get started!

The Divine Comedy - I Like

The Irish are very good at rock. They are not good at pop. When we do try pop, it usually ends very, very badly. But there are exceptions to every rule, and this is the best song I have heard in a long time. It's just so happy, and it makes you want to dance! I also want Neil Hannon's glasses. Not the sex doll though.



The Fratellis - Whistle For The Choir

The Fratellis are becoming one of my favourite bands. They don't take themselves seriously, and their songs are catchy, dry and witty, with great hooks and they just sound great!



The View - Same Jeans

I think this is what they call a guilty pleasure... But it's so catchy! How can you not love it?



Biffy Clyro - The Captain

This is one of my favourite songs from Only Revolutions! And doesn't everyone love pirates? (Yes - E.) This only makes my love for Biffy's lead singer stronger.



Oh Peter - The Wonder Villians

On fiction isn't fair, 'Unwritten' wrote about The Wonder Villians and their incredibly catchy song, Oh Peter, about Peter from Heroes. I've never seen Heroes, but I've got the feeling that he shouldn't have cut his hair. (This is me multi-tasking, because this is also a shoutout for fiction isn't fair! Go follow, my children!



Garfunkel and Oates - Pregnant Women Are Smug

Garfunkel and Oates are the most creative, hilarious singers I have seen in a long time. I love the little dialogues in the middle of this song!



Hank Green - DFTBA

This is me being selfish, because it's really a Nerdfighter song. But it's so much fun! I love you Hank Green and Michael Aranda who sang the chorus part!



And this text marks the end of this Music at Musings! Quick shoutout to Miss Vintage Vixen, because today is her birthday! And today is also the birthday of Rupert Grint. Yep, him.

I should really stop grinning and giggling like an idiot. Oh well!

Eleanor Roscuro

I Have Finally Decided What I Want To Do With My Life.

I want to do this:

Durham University students offered Harry Potter course

Students are being given the chance to sign up to what is thought to be the UK's first course focusing on the world of Harry Potter.

The Durham University module uses the works of JK Rowling to examine prejudice, citizenship and bullying in modern society.

So far about 80 undergraduates have signed up for the optional module, part of a BA degree in Education Studies

.Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion will be available for study next year.

A university spokesman said: "This module places the Harry Potter novels in their wider social and cultural context.

Moral universe

"A number of themes will be explored, including the world of rituals, prejudice and intolerance in the classroom, bullying, friendship and solidarity and the ideals of and good citizenship."

The module was created by Dr Martin Richardson, head of the Department of Education at Durham University.

He said the idea for the new module had been conceived in response to growing demand from the student body.

He said: "It seeks to place the series in its wider social and cultural context and will explore some fundamental issues such as the moral universe of the school.

"You just need to read the academic writing which started to emerge four or five years ago to see that Harry Potter is worthy of serious study."

 Now come on... You can't say that's not appealing to you!

Eleanor Roscuro

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Literal Trailer

Remember when I posted the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Well, thanks to Hank Green, I found this, and this is a masterpiece.



When I first watched the trailer, I didn't pay much attention to detail as the people who write HP Tumblrs did. I was just focused on the being a Harry Potter fangirl part. But now I see lots of things! Was Snape there all the time? (Of course he was - E.) If you want them (I know I do), these are the lyrics...

Introductory helicopter nature shot.
Bad guy at a safe distance
Second helicopter introductory nature shot
Bad guy at an uncomfortably close distance (turn)

Careful Harry, he doesn't have a nose.
Harry needs some sleep.
And he needs a nose.
And he needs some sleep.
And some new glasses.
And he needs a manicure.
Don't sleep yet Harry, he's gonna kill you LOOK OUT!

Spell, dodge, too many passengers,
dramatic turn,
how does that hold him up?
First time he touched a girl
Pan up pointy roof
Leaf bed look right
This movie is extremely important
Force field dissolves
Dramatically raise hand
That train is screwed
Slowly look left
This movie is the most important movie you will ever see
Back up in a library
Raise your hand and a wand
Dragon's pissed, Weasley's scared
Of a bunch of bad guys
but he acts brave while he runs.
You've gotta buy 2 tickets
Masked guy on a broom swerve
Run throw exploding
Running closer shot cast a spell
DUCK be careful with that stick too late.

OK, time out. Oh thank god OK. Catchin my breath. He's grabbin his face, whatever. OK go!

Dragon take off
People running
Downhill people running
Flex
Part 1 November walking
Chase that fire you wizards flying horse lizard
look out harry
Too late got him, help him Ron.

PART 2 July 2 BURNING
People Running backwards
Screaming
wave-hand upskirt
Windy
Kissing
Snape
cast spell
climb
look
blow up the town
Wizard lightning battle
Zoom huge shiny P
Then other letters come out.

This has definitely made my day.

Eleanor Roscuro

Harry Potter in 3 Minutes

New video alert!

I hope this works out, I'd like to make another.

Eleanor Roscuro

Quote Of The Week #17

Amortentia, supposedly the strongest love potion in the world, cannot create real love, only a sort of powerful obsession or infatuation. True love is a magic beyond spellbooks and ingredients, something that can change the course of the world. Love cannot be bottled or canned - in order for the magic to work; for the sparks to fly, the love must be real in nature and true on both sides. Love is not only the most powerful form of magic, but the greatest form of power.


Magic in Harry Potter - Wikipedia

Quote Of The Week #16

'You did brilliantly, Ron!' This time it really was Hermione running toward them from the stands; Harry saw Lavender walking off the pitch, arm in arm with Parvati, a rather grumpy expression on her face. Ron looked extremely pleased with himself and even taller than usual as he grinned at the team and at Hermione.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

(Sorry about that everybody!)

Quote Of The Week #13

My name is Draco Malfoy. I am a racist, I deride gingers, and Mudbloods, I hate Gryffindor house, and my parents worked for the man who killed your parents, do you want to be my friend?


Lauren Lopez as Draco Malfoy - A Very Potter Sequel

Official Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer - Tuesday 29th June 2010

No words are necessary. Until tomorrow, when I will blog about this cinematic wonder. I'm tired now. Watch it. Watch it. Watch it. Watch it.

If you're still reading this, you're not watching it!

Quote Of The Week #10

Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Harry’s attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch -
He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways.
“NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”
Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the site of her new challenger.
“OUT OF MY WAY!” shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her want she began to duel. Harry watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley’s want slashed and twirled, and Bellatrix Lestrange’s smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches’ feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.
“No!” Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. “Get back! Get back! She is mine!”
Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly, and Harry stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that he would not hit the innocent.
“What will happen to your children when I’ve killed you?” taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly’s curses danced around her. “When Mummy’s gone the same way as Freddie?”
“You - will - never - touch - our - children - again!” screamed Mrs. Weasley.
Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Harry knew what was going to happen before it did.
Molly’s curse soared beneath Bellatrix’s outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over he heart.
Bellatrix’s gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Tom Felton's Cameo In Get Him To The Greek

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach Us Something Please!

Like anyone else, I've been obsessed with Harry Potter ever since I read the Philosopher's Stone when I was eight years old. Back then, in the Mists Of Time, the Harry Potter books were seen as an endurance test - Read the Harry Potters, and you had ultimate bragging rights. But we were eight then. Plus, there was only six people in my class at school, so I didn't have much of a challenge. But, as Dumbledore met McGonagall in Privet Drive, and as Dudley Dursley learned a new word (Shan't!), I fell in love.

Oh no. This is so cliche! I hate being cliche or mushy, as you might know. Especially when it's on paper, or HTML in this case, and you can't see me saying it. But I'm going to try to avoid it. I have to get my message across!

Anyway, I soon won my bragging rights within a month or so, even though Half-Blood Prince wasn't published yet. And I loved the books, just like them everyone else. But then Deathly Hallows came, and I stood in line and bought it at midnight in my local Dubray's, and then, seven hours later, it was over.

The ending is fantastic. I don't care what anyone says, if Voldemort and his Death Eaters had won the Battle of Hogwarts, everyone would send Rowling all the Howlers they could find. Did I mention I read Deathly Hallows in seven hours? I like to brag about that to people.

Since then, I've been re-reading a couple of times a year, but it was only when I was reading them again last week, when everything hit me. The pure love drenched into the books, for Harry, Ron and Hermione, for the drama, the danger, the romance, the wit, the mystery Hogwarts and Company brings to your life. I know I'm reading way too much into this, but it's not like I'm going to start writing for the Leaky Cauldron soon. I'm not that obsessive, but I have to give credit to those guys, they are fantastic! Hooray!

And do you remember the National Movie Awards last week? National as in Britain, I mean. I was watching it too, and remember how the Harry Potter movies won the Special Recognition award, because they had done so much for promoting the British film industry and giving work to almost all Britain and Ireland's great actors, as well as being great films? (And no, I don't care what anyone says - I LIKE THE HARRY POTTER FILMS!) They made a fifteen minute video featuring clips from the films and people saying how brilliant they were, and they were quite right. So right, I cried watching it.

Oh no! I can't believe I typed that! But it's true. I did cry. And then I read a bit of Order of the Phoenix.

So, what am I trying to say? ...Now that I think about it, I'm not sure. This was just such a revelation for me, and nobody else I know reads the Harry Potters, which is amazing I know, but it's true. One thing I do know is that there'll probably be some HP themed posts up here soon...

High-Fives,

EleanorLight

P.S. Isn't that picture up there so CUTE!

Quote Of The Week #9

'It's going to be all right, sir,' Harry said over and over again, more worried by Dumbledore's silence than he had been by his weakened voice. 'We're nearly there... I can Apparate us both back... don't worry...'
'I am not worried, Harry,' said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. 'I am with you.'


J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince