It’s time to acknowledge that something is missing from the Wizarding World.

Maybe it’s Harry Potter.

That isn’t to literally say The Boy Who Lived — and the character who launched author J.K. Rowling’s hugely popular, magic-infused universe of wizards, witches and fantastic beasts — should be in the Wizarding World’s current big-screen series, “Fantastic Beasts.” After all, it is set several decades before Harry’s.

However, the third entry — “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which apparates into U.S. theaters this week — is desperate for a compelling lead character. Or even a character who is clearly its main protagonist.

Is it Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander? He’s the kind-hearted and introverted magizoologist who is most comfortable dealing with magical creatures and who clearly was the hero of the series’ strongest entry, 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Or is it this film’s namesake, Albus Dumbledore? He’s a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry — and its future headmaster — who has been played so ably as a younger man by Jude Law starting with 2018’s so-so “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”

It’s hard to say.

“The Secrets of Dumbledore” is an ensemble affair, one full of all the magic fans will expect but also one that, in the hands of franchise veteran director David Yates, feels as if it’s going through the motions a bit.

It certainly doesn’t help that Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein — Katherine Waterston’s American Auror, who has been involved with an ongoing flirtation with the awkwardly charming Newt — is almost completely sidelined for this affair. (We’ll leave it to you to read online speculation as to why the actress barely appears in “Dumbledore,” if you so choose.)

Penned by Rowling and Steve Kloves, who adapted most of the “Harry Potter” novels for the cinema, this film begins with a flashback in which Dumbledore is being served a cup of tea in a restaurant. He’s waiting for someone, that someone proving to be dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, now portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, taking the role over from Johnny Depp.

In this exchange, we learn more about the wizards’ interconnected past. Dumbledore voices his opposition to the anti-Muggle direction Grindelwald has taken, with the latter countering that he’s simply following through on what they talked about when they were young wizards spending so much time together. They part ways without seeing eye to eye.

“Enjoy your tea,” Grindelwald says.

In the story’s present-day, Dumbledore is building a small army, as due to a magical bond between them, he can not take on Grindelwald himself.

It consists mostly of returning characters — along with Newt, there’s his Auror brother, Theseus (Callum Turner, “Emma”); Newt’s Muggle buddy and baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler, “The Walking Dead”); Newt’s longsuffering assistant, Bunty (Victoria Yeates, “Call the Midwife”); and French wizard Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam, “Stillwater”), a member of the Lestrange family.

The lone newcomer is Eulalie “Lally” Hicks (a delightful Jessica Williams of “The Incredible Jessica James”), a very capable Charms professor who makes a concerted effort to protect the magic-less Jacob.

Jacob is down in the dumps since his magical, mind-reading love, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol, “The Last Full Measure”), defected to dark side late in “Grindelwald.”

Grindelwald also has on his team the powerful Credence (Ezra Miller, “Justice League”), revealed in the previous adventure to actually be a Dumbledore named Aurelius.

As Dumbledore plots against Grindelwald, the latter mobilizes his forces — especially Credence, channeling the young man’s sense of abandonment and betrayal — against the former.

Beyond that, Grindelwald continues to rally the support of those in the magical world by scapegoating Muggles and going so far to insist its sinful for wizards and witches to hide their magical gifts. He is seeking a high elected office, and the existence of a rare magical creature — a fairly fantastic little beast — may be Newt and company’s only chance to stop him.

While the talented Mikkelsen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Another Round”) would seem to be a fine choice for the new Grindelwald, Depp was much more interesting in the role. And although we wouldn’t expect the hair-and-makeup folks to have completely re-created Depp’s unusual look from the series, it’s disappointing that so little was done to that end.

Law (“Cold Mountain,” “Captain Marvel”) — stepping into the role inhabited first by Richard Harris and then Michael Gambon when the character is in his advanced years during the “Potter” saga — continues to be one of the best parts in this series since his debut in “Grindelwald.”

Law brings weight to his character that Redmayne — an Academy Award winner for 2015’s “The Theory of Everything” — simply can’t match with his.

Thus, with apologies to the generally enjoyable Newt, Dumbledore probably should become the lead character if the series is to continue through its planned five installments, instead of having him work so much of his magic through Newt.

Reportedly, the studio behind the films, Warner Bros., is waiting to see how this movie performs before greenlighting a fourth entry. Considering the Wizarding World’s massive base of fans, it’s easy to envision there being more ‘Fantastic Beasts.”

On the other hand, ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore” can be a bit of a chore and a snore. There are moments exciting and humorous, but there are too few.

Maybe it’s time for Rowling to wave her wand and conjure up something else.

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’

Where: Theaters.

When: April 15.

Rated: PG-13 for some fantasy action/violence.

Runtime: 2 hours, 23 minutes.

Stars (of four): 2.

 

 

Tom Felton, best known for portraying Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” film series, is “on the mend” after he collapsed Thursday at a celebrity golf tournament. 

Ryder Cup celebrity showcase competitors including the actor, who was representing Europe, had just finished posing for photos on the 18th green at the conclusion of their match when the actor, who turned 34 on a day earlier, seized and fell to the ground. Panicked calls for medical assistance ensued.

Felton was tended to while on the ground for some time before a golf cart arrived. He was helped to his feet, placed on a stretcher and driven away. Ryder Cup organizers said only that Felton experienced “a medical incident” at Whistling Straits and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Original report:‘Harry Potter’ actor Tom Felton carted off after collapse at celebrity golf event

The actor provided an upbeat update to fans Saturday on Instagram, where he shared – with a guitar in hand – that he was “on the road to recovery” and “feeling better by the day” while expressing gratitude for all the well-wishes he received.

“Yeah, a bit of a scary episode, really,” he said with a laugh. “But people have been taking really good care of me. … I am on the mend, officially.” 

Potter fans can bring the magic to their iPhone with a few special tricks.

Thanks to Siri and some easy hacks, you can make your device cast all sorts of spells you’ll know from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

From Lumos to Silencio, here are 10 you can try out.

Some will need setting up on the iPhone Shortcuts app, but they’re pretty straightforward.

Lumos

Probably one of the most well-known Potter spells is Lumos, which is used by Harry and friends to light up their wands as they lurk through the corridors of Hogwarts at night.

Just like a wizard or witch, you can ask your iPhone to light up too – or your iPhone’s torch at least.

Just say: “Hey Siri, Lumos.”

Nox

Lumos wouldn’t be complete without the ability to switch your torch off too.

That’s where Nox comes in.

Just say: “Hey Siri, Nox.”

Accio

Accio is used by magic folk to summon objects to them.

Unfortunately, you can’t fetch items from across your room like Harry – that would be something – but you can use it to open apps.

Of course, it’s worth noting that you can ask Siri to open apps without saying Accio, so this one is best for the hardcore Potter fans.

Just say: “Hey Siri, Accio” and the app’s name.

Spells with the Shortcuts app

The following spells can only be done using the Shortcuts app on iPhone.

For each, start by tapping the + icon in the top right, followed by Add Action.

Lumos Maxima

Search for “Set Torch” and select it.

You’ll notice an arrow pointing right next to the words “Turn torch on.”

Tap it and set the brightness right up.

Finally, name it “Lumos Maxima” at the top and hit the play button at the bottom.

Now when you say, “Hey Siri, Lumos Maxima” the light will switch on to its brightest.

Silencio

Silencio does what it says on the tin – silence.

Search “Set focus” and tap Off so it changes to On.

Name it “Silencio” at the top and hit the play button at the bottom.

When you say “Hey Siri, Silencio,” it’ll automatically go into do not disturb mode.

Muffliato

Muffliato is used in the Wizarding World to create a muffle so others can’t hear private conversations.

On iPhone, you can do something similar, by setting the volume all the way down.

Search “Set Volume” and take the percentage right down.

Name it “Muffliato” at the top and hit the play button at the bottom.

When you say “Hey Siri, Muffliato,” it’ll turn the volume right down.

Sonorus

Sonorus is ideal when you want to turn the volume right up.

Do the same as Muffliato above, but this time set the volume higher and name it “Sonorus” instead of course.

When you say “Hey Siri, Sonorus,” it’ll crank up.

Quietus

If you want the volume set to something more moderate, use Quietus.

Repeat the same process but go for a medium volume instead, like 50 percent.

When you say “Hey Siri, Quietus,” it’ll get working.

Homenum Revelio

Homenum Revelio reveals who is in your presence.

If you use Find My Friends, you can make it do something similar.

Simply search “Open URLs” and add it.

Set the URL to “findmyfriends://”

Then say: “Hey Siri, Homenum Revelio.”

Point Me

Need help getting about?

Point Me is the spell to use – or in the iPhone’s case, the compass app.

Search compass and rename it “Point Me.”

Then say: “Hey Siri, Point Me.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.

One of the largest attractions coming to Epic Universe is believed to be based on the British Ministry of Magic, as seen in the Harry Potter films. There has been some mystery as to what this massive new attraction might be like, including what type of ride system it will utilize and what the story might be about.

With new details for the current version, as well as how the concept may have evolved over time, here’s everything we think we know about the Ministry of Magic ride at Epic Universe. See the video version of this story for additional visuals.

---

Official concept art for Epic Universe with speculated lands labeled

Moving the Idea to Epic Universe

Originally rumored as an expansion for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, there was talk surrounding Universal’s desire to bring this iconic location from the films into the park. While it may have been planned to replace the Fear Factor Live stage in its early iterations, the concept was eventually moved somewhere where they have much more room to work with instead.

Universal wasted no time preparing their newly acquired plot of land near the Orange County Convention Center back in 2017, and officially announced a new theme park in 2019, named Epic Universe.

Official concept art for the new park appears to feature four themed lands branching out from a central hub area. While Universal has not yet confirmed it, we do believe one of these lands will be another Wizarding World, the 3rd such land in Orlando.

Possible layout for Wizarding World based on permits and rumors

Epic Universe’s Wizarding World

The land itself has been expected to feature settings and creatures from the newer Fantastic Beasts films, including 1920’s Wizarding Paris, but the main attraction for the land was always planned to take place within the British Ministry of Magic.

Screenshot from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Photo: Warner Bros.

A second attraction was originally planned to go along with this entry area, also tied to the Fantastic Beasts films. It was going to be a Virtual Reality attraction where you get to fly on a broomstick, but rumor has it that that attraction has been cut from the park. Permits are still active for its structure however, so we may still get something on this side of the area.

Despite the land’s possible integration of the Fantastic Beasts property, (if they still go through with it,) the main attraction set within the British Ministry is expected to take place during the Harry Potter era, around the late 1990s.

Guests may enter the Ministry using the “Floo Network” and arrive in a fireplace, Photo: Warner Bros.

Entering the Ministry of Magic

The main reason for relocating this ride concept from Universal Studios Florida to the new Epic Universe park was likely the blessing of space. Now the concept could be expanded upon, not only expanding the main ride area, but also fleshing out the entry and queue areas in a much more impressive way.

With visible construction on the area beginning now, we are just starting to get a sense of how large this structure will be.

Construction starting on what we believe to be Ministry attraction, Photo: @bioreconstruct

Guests will enter large fireplaces to get into the British Ministry using the Floo Network. Special effects will seamlessly bring us to the other side of the wall, where we will now be standing in the huge hall leading to the Ministry’s atrium. There will also be fireplaces to exit the building, which have been rumored to exit through phone booths on the other side.

Atrium of the British Ministry of Magic, Image: Warner Bros.

The ride entrance itself is thought to be inside the grand atrium area, and all of the queue will be contained within this building. There aren’t any rumors for the queue’s setting, but interdepartmental paper aeroplane memos flying overhead would be a nice touch.

Dolores Umbridge was rumored to have featured prominently in an early version of the attraction, Photo: Warner Bros.

The Trackless Concept

An early version of the attraction was rumored to have been designed as a trackless ride, similar to Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, or Runaway Railway at Disney parks.

Despite multiple in development at the time, Universal apparently scrapped all trackless ride concepts some years back after running into technical issues with Skull Island: Reign of Kong. (The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, which ended up being built as an omnimover, was originally designed as a trackless ride for example.)

Rides like Rise of the Resistance have multiple trackless vehicles that travel together, Photo: Disney

This early trackless ride was rumored to have featured a story surrounding the trial of Dolores Umbridge, taking place after the events of the original stories. Our trackless ride vehicles would load in a courtroom setting, but during the first scene, Death Eaters would arrive to break Umbridge out.

Courtroom chamber as seen in Harry Potter films, Photo: Warner Bros.

Our courtroom seating sections would then break apart, moving throughout the ministry in a small group of three or four, similar to other trackless rides. The story would have likely involved the good guys attempting to capture her while battling against the Death Eaters, all while showcasing various locations seen in the films, as well as new ones developed specifically for the attraction.

While the trackless concept itself was canceled, we believe that the fireplace entry, hallway, and atrium were left intact for the new version. Plus, it is possible that some of these story details may have carried over from the original concept as well.

Ministry of Magic lifts as seen in Harry Potter films, Photo: Warner Bros.

A New Ride Design Rises

As has often been suggested by fans of the series, it does appear that a different ride system was considered after the trackless idea was scrapped. This one would instead feature an elevator.

Just like the lifts of the British Ministry in the stories, the idea would allow the ride vehicles to move in multiple directions.

Suspended dark ride system patent by Universal, Image: U.S. Patent Trademark Office

This concept was supposedly first designed to utilize a suspended ride system, which Universal has patented. We spoke about this ride possibly using a suspended ride system in a previous story, but mistakenly speculated it could be used for a flying car. Instead, it appears to have been designed for a new type of elevator ride.

Rather than a thrilling drop ride, like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, this patented ride system instead would carry riders up and down between two different levels at much less thrilling speeds.

Patent describes switching between two floors, but dressed as different locations each time

The point of the system is that while the riders are experiencing a scene on one level, the other level’s scenery could be changing. That way, the car could travel up and down, back and forth, multiple times, but appear to arrive at a completely different floor of the building at each stop, even though it’s really only the same two physical locations.

Patent describes how multiple ride paths could be duplicated to increase rider capacity

Due to its ability to utilize the same small ride area but set dressed as multiple locations featuring their own sequences, the patent explains how the entire ride path could actually be duplicated entirely with multiple elevator shafts. Similar to Tower of Terror, you could enter one of several elevator shafts, and experience the same ride at the same time as others in another shaft, increasing the ride’s overall capacity.

“SCOOP” ride vehicle on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Photo: Universal Orlando

One Last Change in the Plans

This is not the end of the story though, as one more major change appears to have happened to this ride concept in the last few years: the ride vehicle itself.

Rather than simply utilizing a suspended ride system, the current rumor is that this new ride will instead use a modified version of the SCOOP vehicle from The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Parks.

The ride is still expected to utilize elevators, but instead of using suspension cables to raise and lower the riders, they can incorporate the elevator technology they already use on Transformers: The Ride 3D.

Ministry of Magic lift as seen in Harry Potter films, Photo: Warner Bros.

The Transformers ride has a split level design to maximize its use of space, and to get riders from between levels, the cars actually rise up and come back down seamlessly during two different scenes on the ride. The media projected in front of you follows your car, so it’s difficult to notice your upwards and downwards motion.

On the new Ministry attraction, they could utilize the rising and lowering feature from Transformers, but this time allow us to see that we’re actually moving up and down. And with this ride vehicle’s full range of motion, we could also move forward and backwards, and left and right, just like the elevators we saw in the Potter movies.

The new Ministry attraction is not expected to utilize 3D glasses, Photo: Universal Orlando

This attraction is not expected to use 3D glasses, but will likely contain projected media. It’s possible there may be layered screen effects, where projection mapped backgrounds or screen media of characters could be overlaid with magical wand effects on a see-through layer in the foreground. This would let us move around a scene while magic is flying through the air around us.

Also, similar to Jurassic World Adventure in Universal Beijing—which uses the same ride vehicle base—animatronics, real sets, and wraparound screens may be utilized to place us into the action without the need for 3D glasses.

Concept art for courtroom chamber in Harry Potter films, Photo: Warner Bros.

Possible Second Ministry Attraction

Even though we now have these rumors for how the ride may work, we still don’t know anything about the story. It’s possible some aspects of the original trackless concept could have carried over, including using Umbridge as the villain, but it’s still too early to know.

Permit believed to be for Wizarding World theater at Epic Universe, Image: fasttrack.ocfl.net

With a theater planned to be connected to the British Ministry attraction, it’s also possible that the courtroom setting could have been split off from the main ride, and into its own attraction at Epic Universe. We still don’t have any information for this theater show, other than approved building permits seem indicate it will have at least 642 seats.

We’ll be keeping an eye on more permits for this area to see what else we can learn, as well as construction to see if work on the ground lines up with early site plans.

We will continue to follow progress on Epic Universe, as it happens, so be sure to subscribe to the news feed or the YouTube channel to never miss an update. You can see the video version of this story for additional visuals.

That’s all for now, but if you’d like to bring a piece of the parks home, Souvenir Scents has candles and wax melts that smell like the Butterbeer, the ET ride, and even HHN houses. Save 15% off every order with my promo code PARKSTOP at SouvenirScents.com.

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Concept Art: Universal Orlando | Original Photos: Alicia Stella | Other Images as Captioned

---

Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month. All patrons receive behind the scenes posts and exclusive podcasts. Learn More

---

Pottermania is surging once again. Two 20th Anniversary specials were recently released to HBO Max, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters in just a few short days. The Wizarding World  is once again front and center in the film entertainment world. 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is full of colorful characters, curious charms, magical creatures, and ingenious spells. The characters come in all shapes and sizes – good and bad, large and small, old and young, and magical and non-magical. More than a simple battle of good vs. evil, Harry’s story is ultimately about love – played out through the struggles of youth, maturity, family, and sacrifice.

While the characters may be the heart of the story, the setting and location help set the stage for the adventure that unfolds. Author J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World uses a host of ingenious objects, props, and devices to propel the story forward in fascinating detail. Many of these objects are personified, and elevated to the level of being something of a character in their own right. This could be due to their importance to the plot, a pinch of magic, or some cerebral attributes.

Let’s explore some notable semi-sentient characters in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Castle

“Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” – Albus Dumbledore (later amended to specify “those who deserve it.”)

Hogwarts Castle is the heart of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, regarded as the finest wizarding school in the world. But it is much more than a simple castle and a school. Hogwarts is a living – even breathing – home to countless aspiring wizards, and more than a few other magical citizens and surprises.

Hundreds of wizards who have left the living world now reside in the portraits adorning the halls of the school. Ghosts frequent every corner of the castle. One hundred and forty-two staircases throughout the castle are constantly in motion, and their patterns must be closely studied if a wizard is to travel throughout the castle without getting lost.  

The Room of Requirement within Hogwarts is a particularly well managed secret, and one that has the ability to determine a seeker’s worthiness. The room will only be known and available to those who are in great need of it, and can form a shape and surroundings as needed by the user. 

Hogwarts is truly the most magical place in the Wizarding World. It knows who’s good and who’s not, and it soundly keeps the secrets of hundreds of years of wizarding history.

Snitches and Bludgers

The elusive Snitch and the mischievous Bludgers make Quidditch a challenging game to play (aside from the fact that it is played on flying broomsticks). Unlike a soccer ball, baseball or any other Muggle sports equipment, these items were bewitched with a healthy dose of personality to add an additional layer of challenge to the game.

The Snitch is something like a bird, playing “catch me if you can.” This small golden ball with silver wings knows where the Quidditch seekers are located, and does an excellent job of scurrying around just out of reach. Their wiley personalities come with high stakes – the team who catches the snitch during a match is awarded 150 points, which almost always seals the deal for a win.

Bludgers, on the other hand, have more nefarious goals. The 10-inch iron balls aim to knock players off their broomsticks (and at least temporarily out of play) during the match. The Beaters’ jobs are to knock the Bludgers away from their teammates, while also trying to redirect the Bludger towards the other team’s players. Of course, the Bludgers often have other ideas.

Wands

“The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It’s not always clear why.” – Mr. Ollivander

Wands are the centerpiece magical items in all of the Wizarding World. Receiving a wand as a student wizard is a rite-of-passage, which serves as a personality assessment of sorts. A young wizard cannot successfully choose their own wand, for the wand itself has a certain degree of personality, and only the proper match for a wizard can use the wand to its greatest ability. Part of the makeup of a wand’s personality is attributed to the material of which it is made (usually various forms of wood). The core of a wand also helps determine its personality. 

The bond between a wand and a wizard is strong, but it is not unbreakable. The allegiance of a wand can change if the wand is won from another wizard in combat. This precept regarding wands is what ultimately led to Harry owning the allegiance of the Elder Wand, which in turn allowed him to defeat Lord Voldemort. Of course, there was also the matter of both Harry’s and Voldemort’s wands sharing the same phoenix feather core.

The Marauder’s Map

Perhaps the most clever of all magical items, the Marauder’s Map is a lot more than simply a map of Hogwarts Castle and grounds. The map – created by “Messrs.” Moony (Remus Lupin), Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew), Padfoot (Sirius Black), and Prongs (James Potter) can track the whereabouts of anyone who roams the castle grounds. It is not fooled by animagi, Polyjuice Potions, or invisibility cloaks. Even the ghosts inhabiting Hogwarts cannot hide on this map. The user of this map can see everything, as the map cannot help but confess the whereabouts of all Hogwarts inhabitants.

The Marauder’s Map appears to most as just a simple piece of parchment paper. Its contents can only be unlocked by uttering the famous phrase “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” Upon completion of consulting the map, a simple “Mischief Managed” will vanish the map’s contents to unsuspecting onlookers.

The Whomping Willow

Most trees serve primarily scenic purposes (and maybe to make a little oxygen out of carbon dioxide). But the Whomping Willow does a lot more than look pretty. This temperamental tree uses its branches as arms. It moves and swings at will, and usually not in a friendly manner (just ask the Weasley’s flying Ford Anguila).

The willow swings and swats at all who come within its range. It wasn’t until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that we learned the willow is in fact protecting something – a secret passage connecting Hogwarts to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.

Horcruxes

Horcruxes are those terrible objects a dark wizard creates by hiding a fragment of their soul in an otherwise unsuspected item. Horcruxes can only be created after committing murder – the supreme act of evil. Fittingly, Horcruxes are filled with a negative energy that can drain and confuse even a polished wizard, causing them to experience a negative change of personality. 

Two Horcruxes in particular exhibited a healthy dose of wickedness.  Tom Riddle’s Diary did more than hide a piece of Lord Voldemort’s soul. It served as a means for Voldemort himself to craftily gain Harry’s trust, by communicating directly with him, luring him to a dungeon beneath Hogwarts castle.

Salazar Slytherin’s Locket proved to be especially difficult to destroy. While in the possession of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the locket proved to be too heavy an emotional weight for any of the three friends to carry alone. To avoid the Horcrux’s draining emotional effects, the friends took turns carrying the locket. Even using this protective practice, the locket caused Ron to abandon the team for a period of time in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one). 

Harry found the Sword of Gryffindor in a forest pond, the locket tried to flee from the vicinity of the sword, nearly drowning Harry in the process. It is quite clear the locket had a sense for danger and a will for self-preservation.

Wizard’s Chess

Chess is a timeless game requiring a tremendous amount of thought and strategy. The same is true for Wizard’s Chess. But in this magical game, the pieces on the board have movement and personalities of their own. Knights gallop, Queens swing, and Rooks stab. They perform these movements at the direction of their master, but there is an element of trust involved in successfully playing Wizard’s Chess at a high level.

Ron Weasley owned a Wizard’s Chess set, which he inherited from his grandfather. The pieces in the set trusted Ron, and as such Harry could never beat him in the game. Ron’s prowess for Wizard’s Chess proved invaluable in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, as he was able to successfully outplay a magically enchanted adversarial set, while riding one of the knight pieces himself. The penultimate winning move required Ron to sacrifice himself upon his knight, but thankfully he was not seriously hurt in the incident.

The Sorting Hat and the Sword of Gryffindor

The Sorting Hat may be an actual character in its own right. On the surface, it has one primary function – to properly place first-year students in their Hogwarts house. To do this, the hat uses an intellectual element to determine the young wizard’s name, family lineage, and personality. The hat is able to use this information to determine the best fit for a new student. However, as Harry demonstrated himself in his first year, the Sorting Hat does acknowledge the feelings and preferences of the wizard, and considers that information when placing a first-year into their house.

The Sorting Hat sneakily helps save the day twice in the Harry Potter film saga, both times by appearing when needed and magically providing the Sword of Gryffindor. The hat assisted Harry in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and it assisted Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part two). In both cases, the sword was used to successfully kill a Horcrux.

The Sword of Gryffindor also appeared to Harry to assist in the killing of a third Horcrux – Salazar Slytherin’s Locket – as noted above. In this case, the sword simply appeared at the bottom of a pond without any obvious assistance. The sword knew it was needed, and it knew where to be.

Dumbledor’s Deluminator

Do you remember that very first scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? When arriving at 4 Privet Drive, Dumbledore systematically collected all the lights from every lamp on the street to sneak Harry to the Dursleys – his adoptive family. That was Dumbledore’s Deluminator, and we all thought it was a pretty cool little trinket. But there’s way more to it than simply collecting the light.

When Dumbledore bestowed his Deluminator upon Ron following his death, Dumbledore had a feeling Ron would need it. But not to darken the room. Ron was able to use the Deluminator to find Harry and Hermione after he reconsidered his decision to abandon them. It took him several weeks, but he was finally able to track them down, having heard Hermione’s call for help, broadcast ever so faintly from that very Deluminator. Ron didn’t exactly know how it worked – he just knew that it worked, and he explained exactly that in one of the most touching moments in the entire series. Hermione put up a stubborn front, but we all know Ron’s explanation touched her deeply inside.

Death

The Tale of the Three Brothers – the only animated segment in the entire Harry Potter film series – tells the story of the Deathly Hallows, through the eyes of the three Peverell brothers. In the tale, Death is not simply an end-of-life moment. He is personified as a shrewd and calculating figure, plotting a way to trick the three brothers into giving him their lives. In the end, Death succeeded in taking two of the brothers for his own. The third brother, more humble and wise than the others, outsmarted Death with his own humility. A frustrated Death came up one life short in his quest to obtain three more souls.

Out of this tale, the Wizarding World learned of the Deathly Hallows – the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. At one point, Harry himself was close to owning all three, which – according to the tale – would have made him the Master of Death. But like that third Peverell Brother, Harry’s humility and respect led him to make better choices than to allow himself to be tempted by promises of power.

___________________________________________________

Can you think of any additional nominees that act more like a character than a simple object? Reach out here with a comment, or send a direct message on social:

Instagram: Disney Facts and Figment

Facebook: Disney Facts and Figment

Twitter: Facts and Figment

Also, there are more connections between Harry Potter and Disney than you may realize. Have you noticed them all?

Sources consulted for this article include:

Wizarding World

Harry Potter Wiki

The authorities and the BJP leaders justify this by talking about unauthorized constructions. It is well known to them that illegal constructions are taking place in large scale in those areas where the urban rich are concentrated. Their malls, shops, offices, houses, theatres, etc. are built or extended as and when they like it. Can the government say that all these big constructions are taking place as per rules and regulations?

Bulldozer politics is yet another instance of the double standards followed by the ruling class.

There are different yardsticks for their law for the rich and the poor. Even while dealing with the so-called illegal constructions, the Supreme Court has specified conditions like proper notice and rehabilitation. In the case of large-scale evictions, rehabilitation measures are unavoidable.

For the BJP rulers, all concerns of human rights and democratic norms are insignificant. They approach the issue with political vendetta. Communal intolerance also guides them. They draw in faith and God into their demolition frenzy.

Even though bulldozer politics hits at the lives and livelihood of the poor, irrespective of their religion, RSS-BJP are eager to paint it as a Hindu- Muslim issue.

Aiming at communal violence, their storm troopers are propagating rumours and cooked up stories. The ruling party, which has failed in all walks of life, is desperately trying to divide people with elections in 2024 as their goal. For that, they intend to mobilize religious extremists as their vanguard. An analysis of the recent demolitions signifies this fact.

The government should desist from its communally-charged vendetta politics targeted against the poor and the minorities. They should heed to the reference made by the Supreme Court asking the Central government in a similar case “to act humanely, as is expected of a “model government”, by not taking any coercive action against the occupants till their plea for rehabilitation is decided”.

(IPA Service)

Views are personal