Monthly Archives: May 2014

More Literary References in HARRY POTTER AND THE ART OF SPYING Chapter Titles!

read-between-lines

Last week, we revealed the hidden meaning in the five chapter titles from Harry Potter and the Art of Spying. Here are five more!

Chapter 10  Strangers in a Strange Land—An Introduction to Luna Lovegood

Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. The novel explores his interaction with—and eventual transformation of—terrestrial culture.

 Check out the book that was banned in Texas for its adult themes:

Chapter 12  Professor Umbridge—Liar, Traitor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1974 spy novel by British author John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a taciturn, middle-aged intelligence officer who has been forced into retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the “Circus”, the highest echelon of the British Secret Intelligence Service.

 Did you see the movie in 2011?

Chapter 13  Cruel and Unusual Punishment, or, Getting to the Point about Lying

Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering, pain, or humiliation it inflicts on the person subjected to it.  . . . These exact words were first used in the English Bill of Rights in 1689, and later were also adopted by the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution (ratified 1791) and British Leeward Islands‘ Slavery Amelioration Act (1798).         

 

Chapter 16  Harry Takes the Lead—A Not-So-Secret Meeting—We Band of Brothers (and Sisters)

“We band of brothers” comes from William Shakespeare‘s play Henry V in Act IV Scene iii 18–67, where Henry V delivers his famous  St. Crispin’s Day speech wherein he states:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother;

 See the whole (epic) speech 

Chapter 19  Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones . . . But Your Temper May Get You Banned from Quidditch

“Sticks and stones will break my bones” is an English language children’s rhyme. It persuades the child victim of name-calling to ignore the taunt, to refrain from physical retaliation, and to remain calm and good-natured:

Sticks and stones will break my bones
But words will never harm me.

Click here for more hidden references!

Answers: The Birth of Dumbledore’s Army

Dumbledore's Army Answers

1. The Daily Prophet provides what propaganda about Delores Umbridge?

That she is “an immediate success” and is providing the Ministry with “on-the-ground feedback of what’s really happening at Hogwarts”

2. What parent is quoted in the Daily Prophet article for corroboration of the value of having Umbridge at Hogwarts?

Lucius Malfoy

3. When examining the professors, which one predicts that Umbridge is in grave danger?

Sybil Trelawney

4. Who comes up with the idea of having Harry covertly teach his classmate Defense Against the Dark Arts?

Hermione

5. Hermione sets up a “secret” meeting to talk about Harry teaching the students at what location?

The Hog’s Head

6. Filch uses a pretext to try to intercept Harry’s owl before he sends his letter to Sirius?  Why?

Someone told him Harry has been ordering Dungbombs

7. Looking around at their meeting place in Hogsmeade the kids notice a person who is hidden behind a veil.  Who is that person?

Mundungus Fletcher

8. In the process of recruiting the students, the students discuss Harry’s past actions.  What do they talk about?

Harry’s prior encounters with Voldemort

9. There is another person who is heavily bandaged that ends up being the person who tells Umbridge about the meeting. Who is this person?

Willy Widdershins

10. Someone asks Harry about his ability to produce a Patronus.  Who is this student, and how did she get this information?

Susan

Quiz: The Birth of Dumbledore’s Army

Dumbledore's Army

Monday trivia is back once again! Do you know everything about Umbridge and Dumbledore’s Army? Then this quiz is for you! Check back tomorrow for the answers.

1. The Daily Prophet provides what propaganda about Delores Umbridge?

2. What parent is quoted in the Daily Prophet article for corroboration of the value of having Umbridge at Hogwarts?

3. When examining the professors, which one predicts that Umbridge is in grave danger?

4. Who comes up with the idea of having Harry covertly teach his classmate Defense Against the Dark Arts?

5. Hermione sets up a “secret” meeting to talk about Harry teaching the students at what location?

6. Filch uses a pretext to try to intercept Harry’s owl before he sends his letter to Sirius?  Why?

7. Looking around at their meeting place in Hogsmeade the kids notice a person who is hidden behind a veil.  Who is that person?

8. In the process of recruiting the students, the students discuss Harry’s past actions.  What do they talk about?

9. There is another person who is heavily bandaged that ends up being the person who tells Umbridge about the meeting. Who is this person?

10. Someone asks Harry about his ability to produce a Patronus.  Who is this student, and how did she get this information?

 

Literary References in Chapter Titles of HARRY POTTER AND THE ART OF SPYING

HP Magnifying Glass

A good spy always looks for hidden meaning in his or her sources. Can you spot the literary references in the Harry Potter and the Art of Spying chapter titles? We’ll start with the first five chapters that include important references.

Chapter 1   Saving Private Dudley—The Spies Among Us

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for its graphic and realistic portrayal of war, and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depict the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944. The film follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and a squad (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Davies) as they search for a paratrooper, Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen.

 

Chapter 2   How to Get in Trouble Using Magic without Really Trying, Or, I Raise You One Owl and See You Another

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead‘s 1952 book of the same name. The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company.

 

Chapter 5   Let History Be Your Guide—The History of the Order of the Phoenix

“Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” is the debuting single for singer Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) in May 1961. It was also the first release off Gaye’s debut album, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, in which most of the material was the singer’s failed attempt at making an “adult” record compared to Motown’s younger R&B sound.

 

Chapter 7   Harry Enters the Lion’s Den, Where the Truth (and Professor Dumbledore) Eventually Sets Him Free

The Lion’s Den refers to the story of Daniel (Radcliff?) in the lions’ den is found in the sixth chapter of the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, and in the lesser known story of Bel and the Dragon in the Greek versions. Daniel is an official in the Persian empire under King Darius. Darius (at the instigation of his other officials) had made a decree that no one was to offer prayer to any god or man except him for a period of thirty days. Daniel continued to pray as was his habit, knowing that praying would have him killed. For this action, Darius had him arrested and thrown into a lions’ den. However, he was unharmed, and after he was released the following morning, the people who had cajoled the king into making the decree (for the sole purpose of getting at Daniel) were thrown into the lions’ den themselves.

The truth shall set you free (Veritas vos liberabitLatin) is a variant of Veritas liberabit vos (the truth shall set you free), verse 8:32 of the Gospel of John. Pilate has the philosopher’s response in verse 18:38: “Quid est veritas?” (“What is truth?”).

 

Chapter 8   The Ministry of Magic as the Queen of Hearts: Sentence First, Trial After—Then Off with Their Heads!

‘Sentence first—verdict afterwards’ and ‘Off with their heads’ both come from Alice in Wonderland by written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll.  The Queen of Hearts is a character from the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by the writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll. She is a foul-tempered monarch.  . . . Alice observes three playing cards painting white roses red. They drop to the ground face down at the approach of the Queen of Hearts, whom Alice has never met. When the Queen arrives and asks Alice who is lying on the ground (since the backs of all playing cards look alike), Alice tells her that she does not know. The Queen then becomes frustrated and commands that her head be severed, stating:

‘Off with their heads!’

Later, the Knave of Hearts is tried for stealing the Queen’s tarts,

‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first—verdict afterwards.’

. . .  ‘Let the jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first—verdict afterwards.’

‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said Alice loudly. ‘The idea of having the sentence first!’

‘Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple.

‘I won’t!’ said Alice.

‘Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

Alice in Wonderland Ch. 12.

Click here for more hidden meaning  in the chapter titles of Harry Potter and the Art of Spying!

 

Break the Code: Alphanumeric Codes!

Ministry of Magic

Let’s have another try at code breaking.  Last time we figured out the words above the Mirror of Erised (Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi).

Today we are going to discover what the number 6—2—4—4—2 means.  These are the numbers Mr. Weasley dials when they go to Harry’s trial in the Order of the Phoenix—and the number Harry later uses to get in to the Ministry of Magic with his friends to rescue Sirius.

To get into the Ministry of Magic for Harry’s trial, Mr. Weasley takes Harry to the visitor’s entrance, which is “an old red telephone box, which was missing several panes of glass.”  (OP 125)   Mr. Weasley reaches over Harry and dials in “six . . . two . . . four . . . and another four . . . and another two . . .” (125).  It works and Harry and Mr. Weasley gain entrance to the Ministry of Magic!  (126)

And later on, when Harry flies to the Ministry of Magic with his friends on the thestrals, they land at the visitor’s entrance to the Ministry of Magic (767). All six rescuers squeeze into the telephone box and enter the code Harry remembers the number (62442) and Ron, at Harry’s direction, has him dial in the number.  A friendly sounding female voice asks them to state their names and purpose, and badges arrive stating their names and the purpose of their visit, and after doing so they are allowed to enter (768).

So, what do the numbers mean?

Time for code breaking!

ANALYSIS: Why 62442? Time to use logic! Let’s first try assigning letters of the alphabet to the numbers: 1 being A, 2 being B, and so on. Do we get anything?

A B C D E

1 2 3 4 5

6        F

2        B

4        D

4        D

2        B

 

Applying 62442, we get F B D D B. Not much there.

Let’s think some more. Any ideas?

Let’s apply situational analysis. Where are they?

At the visitor’s entrance. Yes, yes. But what are they physically in?

A phone booth! Very good!

So what do you think?

Any thoughts on how to break the code?

Phone numbers, you say? But phone numbers usually have seven numbers, like 555–5555.

What’s that? Oh! You want to apply the letters that are on each number key on the phone itself! Sure, that makes sense!

Any readers out there who have texted someone by using the numeric keys?

Let’s add to our list the letters assigned to each number:

6        M N O

2        A B C

4        G H I

4        G H I

2        A B C

See anything?

6        M N O

2        A B C

4        G H I

4        G H I

2        A B C

 

MAGIC!

Isn’t this great? J. K. Rowling never tells us how to break the code, but by using logic we can decode the password for the Ministry of Magic visitor’s entrance!

Code breaking, you see, is very much like magic!

Exclusive Rita Skeeter Interview with the Authors of Harry Potter and the Art of Spying!

HARRY POTTER & THE ART OF SPYING

AUTHORS EXPOSED AS SERIAL POTTERPHILES

Art of Spying Authors

RITA SKEETER:  Hello, dear readers!

I am sitting here with Lynn Boughey and Peter Earnest, authors of the new book coming out entitled Harry Potter and the Art of Spying.

So, thank you both for agreeing to this exclusive interview.

RS: When does your new book come out?

PETER:  On September 15th.

LYNN: Available at independent bookstores everywhere, and of course on line through amazon.com—

PETER:  —also, Red Lodge Books and Tea is distributing advance signed copies—

LYNN:  —for those of your readers who simply can’t wait that long to get their hands on a copy!

RS:  You too must be SOOOOO proud.  But really, what qualifies the two of you to write such a book?

LYNN:  Well, Peter was with the CIA for thirty-six years and more than twenty years in the agency’s clandestine Service . . .

RS:  Which I suppose makes you a SPY?

LYNN:  Well, yes, actually . . .

PETER:  And Lynn used spy craft tools and techniques throughout Russia when he was researching his spy novel, Mission to Chara—

LYNN:  Now available on kindle!

RS:  Who do you guys think you are, the Weasley twins?  So I suppose you won a bunch of awards and things.

LYNN:  Well, Peter did receive the CIA’s Intelligence Medal of Merit for “superior performance” throughout his career . . .

RS:  Well, fine, but what have you done lately?

LYNN:  Peter has been the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum in Washington DC for the last ten years . . .

PETER:  And Lynn worked for years on Harry Potter and the Art of Spying. . .

LYNN:  I did the initial draft, and then Peter added loads of stuff from the spy world.

RS:  Well, well . . . so there’s something really interesting in your book?

PETER:  Yes, without a doubt.  Anyone who likes the Harry Potter series will love learning all about how Harry and his friends used traditional—

LYNN:  —and some not-so-traditional—

PETER:  —yes, some not-so-traditional tradecraft, as we like to call it at the agency—

RS:  So, did you kill anybody?  My readers are dying to know . . .

PETER: Well, I’m not allowed, really, to . . .

RS:  Or what?  You’d have to shoot me?

PETER:  (His exasperation showing) Well, not exactly . . .

RS: And you, “Mr. Spy Novelist,” what do you do for your, er, “day job”?

LYNN:  I am a lawyer, and taught college-level courses in—

RS:  Let me guess, “The Art of Spying”?

LYNN:  Well yes, in some of my classes, such as the ones in Terrorism, and of course political science, criminal law, international relations, all have something to do with spying to some extent—

RS: Well, all very nice.  So what does this book have to do with Harry Potter, “The Boy Who Supposedly Saved Us All”?

PETER:  Everything.  We go through the fifth book . . .

LYNN:  —The Order of the Phoenix—

PETER: —yes, and describe all the trade craft, the spying techniques, that Harry and his friends use . . .

LYNN: —like organizing a subversive organization, learning self-defense, breaking codes—

PETER:  –developing their own codes and methods to communicate—

LYNN:  –using open sources, such as the Daily Prophet—

PETER:  –that type of thing.  Spy craft!

RS:  So you two think that Harry Potter was a good spy?

LYNN:  Well, not bad for someone in training—

PETER:  —but really quite good, all in all—

LYNN:  —though the best spy—

PETER:  —in our opinion—

LYNN:  —was no doubt Professor Snape—

PETER:  —a superb double agent!

RS:  Fine, fine.  So, I just have two more questions.  First, did you just focus on book 5, or do you look at the spying in the entire series?

LYNN:  Great question!  After going through book 5—a chapter-by-chapter review of all the spy craft used in The Order of the Phoenix—we then review all the really important topics—

PETER:  —related to spying, of course—

LYNN:  —using the entire series.  We have chapters on recruiting, types of spies—

PETER:  —intelligence gathering—

LYNN:  —codes and communications—

PETER:  —the press, diplomacy—

LYNN:  —politics, and even ethics—

PETER:  —those type of things.

RS:  Last question.  So, you’ve already admitted to reviewing the entire series in your book . . .

LYNN:  That’s right.

RS:  And you guys must really be into the Potter story, right?

PETER:  Well, yes, it’s quite fascinating . . .

RS:  So you would consider yourselves both “Potterphiles”?

LYNN:  Well, I suppose so, it really is—

PETER:  —a wonderful story, all seven books.

RS:  GREAT!  Thank you.  I have the lead.  And you two, SOOOOOOO much fun.  You should maybe take your book on the road . . .

LYNN:  Actually, we are doing—

PETER:  —just that!

LYNN:  At LeakyCon 2014 in Orlando.

RS:  Lovely, lovely.  I’m sure your moms are sooooooo proud . . . .

Answers: Gathering Intel in the Order of the Phoenix

Top Secret Case File

Want to check your answers to yesterday’s quiz? Of course you do! Keep reading:

1. Why was it necessary for Harry to use a code when writing to Sirius?

Because the mail might be intercepted

2.Harry tells Sirius that someone new at Hogwarts is “nearly as nice as his mum.”  To whom is he referring?

Professor Umbridge

3. When Harry writes that “we are missing our biggest friend” to whom is he referring?

Hagrid

4. The Daily Prophet informs its readers that Order member Sturgis Podmore had been arrested?  What for?

Trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic

5. Percy’s letter to Ron telling him not to be friends with Harry includes some inside information about Dumbledore.  What is it?

That he might not remain in charge at Hogwarts

6. letter to Ron also repeats the “party line” about Harry.  What is the party line?

The Ministry of Magic thinks Harry is a bad person and a liar

7. When Harry talks to Sirius in the fire the first time, he tells them that Fudge is paranoid and thinks Dumbledore is doing what?

Setting up his own army

8. For the first part of book 5 Hagrid is in deep cover and incommunicado.  What is he doing?

Trying to secretly recruit the giants

9. In order to maintain more control over the school and create a climate of fear, what position is created for Umbridge?

The High Inquisitor

10. The Ministry issues what type of legal document to change the rules and give Umbridge more power?

Decrees

How’d you do? Let us know in the comments or continue on to the next quiz! 

Monday Trivia: Gathering Intel in Order of the Phoenix

Harry and Sirius

Monday trivia is back! We will be alternating between trivia and code breaking each Monday for most of the summer. Did you like our Mirror of Erised code from last week? These questions pick up where our last ones left off, with Harry trying to gather information about the Order, the Ministry of Magic, and his godfather’s activities. Can you gather all of the intel to answer these questions?

  1. Why was it necessary for Harry to use a code when writing to Sirius?  OP 278, 280
  2. Harry tells Sirius that someone new at Hogwarts is “nearly as nice as his mum.”  To whom is he referring?  OP 280
  3. When Harry writes that “we are missing our biggest friend” to whom is he referring?  OP 280
  4. The Daily Prophet informs its readers that Order member Sturgis Podmore had been arrested.  What for?  OP 287-88
  5. Percy’s letter to Ron telling him not to be friends with Harry includes some inside information about Dumbledore.  What is it?  OP 297-98
  6. Percy’s letter to Ron also repeats the “party line” about Harry.  What is the party line?  OP 297
  7. When Harry talks to Sirius in the fire the first time, he tells them that Fudge is paranoid and thinks Dumbledore is doing what?  OP 303
  8. For the first part of book 5, Hagrid is in deep cover and incommunicado.  What is he doing?  OP 424-25
  9. In order to maintain more control over the school and create a climate of fear, what position is created for Umbridge?  OP 306
  10. The Ministry issues what type of legal document to change the rules and give Umbridge more power?  OP 307

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the answers!

Final Rita Skeeter Exclusive: All for Lily

Snape and Lily

It is finally here! The authors of Harry Potter and the Art of Spying have reached the end of the Rita Skeeter’s long lost articles in which she interviews Severus Snape’s portrait about his life as a double agent. And it looks like he left the biggest shocker of all until the very end!

All for Lily – Snape Finally Reveals Why He Became a Double Agent

The big question on everyone’s minds for the last few weeks has been why. Why did Severus Snape become a spy to Dumbledore at the height of Voldemort’s power? Why did he die to protect Harry Potter? Why did he submit to these interviews? The truth is that Severus Snape was in love, writes Rita Skeeter, special correspondent.

“I had known, and had been, at one time, a friend of Lily Potter, then known as Lily Evans,” Snape began slowly, “we were neighbors and classmates. For a time she, unlike the others, was kind to me.”

Reports of Lily Potter’s kindness have lived on long after her death. Her husband’s bravado was also well known among those who admired it, but it was Lily who won the hearts of all she had met. “Ah always loved the way she treated my pets,” reported half-giant and former Care of Magical Creatures professor Rubeus Hagrid, “Harry’s got ‘er eyes and ‘er soft touch with ‘em.”

It seems, however, that Snape was more than an admirer of the fiery haired witch. When she fell in love with James Potter, his disappointment took over his better judgment.

“I wanted people like James Potter to realize they could not control the world with a smile and a flick of a wand forever,” said Snape bitterly, “everything came so easily to him, including her. He never knew how lucky he was.”

By throwing his lot in with Voldemort, Snape had aspirations of overturning the stranglehold that certain wizarding families had on the community as a whole. Unfortunately, his loyalty to the Dark Lord proved fatal to the one he loved.

“The Dark Lord, choosing between two possible enemies, selected Potter as the one who provided the most risk to him, and decided to hunt him down and kill him.”

The way the Prophecy is worded, either Potter or his classmate, Neville Longbottom, could have been the Chosen One. When asked whether Snape would have turned against the Dark Lord had Neville been chosen as a target, Snape shook his head.

“I would not have come to the boy’s rescue,” he said with a scowl. “I would not have come to Potter’s rescue if it had not been for Lily.”

Realizing that Lily and her husband would stand and fight for the life of their child, Snape raced to save them by alerting Dumbledore. Unfortunately, their precautions failed and the Potter parents died at Voldemort’s hand.

When asked what he did the night Lily died, Snape shook his head and turned away for a moment. He then turned to face the front of his portrait, his shoulders stiff and square and his dark hair pushed back from his face.

“I thought my world ended that night,” he said. “I wish I had died by the same curse. But the next day her son was still alive and Dumbledore asked me to help keep an eye on him. I hated that boy for who his father was but I had made a promise to Dumbledore to protect him, as much as I did loathe him.  But there was more to it than just a promise made to an old man . . .”

Tears shone in the stoic professor’s eyes. Special correspondent Rita Skeeter was speechless for a moment before she asked her final question.

“So you did it for love?”

“Yes,” he said, “I will always love his mother. That was the only thing that mattered.  It is why I did what I did for all those years.”

Break the Code: Mirror Images!

Mirror of Erised

Codes have been a part of secret communication since ancient history. Julius Caesar even wrote in code! Over time, codes had to get a lot more complex in order to avoid being deciphered. Here at the Art of Spying, we’ll start with Rowling’s simpler codes and move to her more complex ones so you can learn as we go! If you want to try out your other code breaking skills, there are some cool ones on the CIA website.

Let’s give it a try!

Do you recall the engraving on the top of the Mirror of Erised? Let us remind you.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi (SS 207).

Just out of curiosity, have you by chance written those letters in reverse order, as they would appear in a mirror? If you’ve done so, this is what the engraving says:

ishownotyourfacebutyourheartsdesirE.

Now let’s add spaces where appropriate and make it into a sentence:

I show not your face but your heart’s desire.

We have just broken the code!