Tag Archives: London

Big News for Potterheads: MuggleNet’s Expo Patronum!

Everyone’s favorite Harry Potter fan site, MuggleNet has announced its first live event will take place April 18th in London.  MuggleNet Live! Exp Patronum will feature once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet actors from the Harry Potter movies, attend guest panels, and generally celebrate the past, present, and future of the Harry Potter fandom.

The purpose of the event is to raise money for Lumos, an international charity founded by JK Rowling to end the institutionalization of millions of children around the world. In the last four years, the charity has supported the move of more than 12,000 children from harmful institutions to families or supported independent living, saved a further 644 children suffering from malnutrition, severe neglect or a lack of access to medical treatment, and trained more than 17,000 people on the issues, ranging from social workers and medical professionals, to civil servants and policy makers. Most recently Lumos launched its #LetsTalkLumos campaign in order to further raise the profile of their cause.

New guests and programs are being announced daily at the Expo Patronum website. Here’s a sneak peak of the famous guests making an appearance at the event:

Percy Weasley

Chris Rankin – Known for his role as Percy Weasley

Dudley

Harry Melling – Known for his role as Dudley Dursley

Warwick Davis

Warwick Davis — known for his roles as Professor Flitwick AND Griphook!

Anna Shaffer

Anna Shaffer – known for her role as Romilda Vane

Jessie Cave

Jessie Cave — known for her role as Lavender Brown

Follow @ArtofSpying on Twitter for more updates on this awesome event!

Event Details:

Date: 18th April 2015

Times: 10am- 6pm

Ticket price: £100

Location: The Platinum Suites, Excel Centre, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL

Tickets Available Here!

Answers: Padfoot is in Danger!

Harry on Thestrals

How did you do on yesterday’s quiz? Check your answers below to find out! Also, stop back here on Thursday for a blog post about the Daily Prophet in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

1. Who concludes that Umbridge fired Hagrid at night in order to avoid another scene like the one following her dismissal of Professor Trelawney?

Ernie McMillian 

2. What does Kreacher tell Harry when asked about Sirius’ whereabouts?

“Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries” (OP 740-71),

3. What alerts Umbridge that Harry and his friends have infiltrated her office?

Hidden Stealth Sensoring Spells 

4. What does Harry tell Snape in order to communicate that he believes Sirius is in danger?

“He’s got Padfoot at the place where it is hidden!” (745)

5. What spell does Umbridge nearly use to get information out of Harry?

The Cruciatus Curse

6. What does Hermione tell Umbridge to stop her from torturing Harry?

That there is a weapon in the Forbidden Forest.

7. What does Hermione do that alerts the centaurs to their presence in the forest?

She makes a lot of noise as she stumbles through the forest. 

8. Who saves Harry and Hermione when the centaurs become angry with them?

Grawp!

9. What draws the thestrals to Harry and his friends precisely when they need transportation to London?

Thestrals are attracted to the scent of blood and Grawp is bleeding from arrow wounds received from the centaurs!

10. Why does Harry fail to realize that he’s walking into a trap?

He has let his emotions take over. Unlike Hermione, he is not objective enough.

Quiz: Padfoot is in Danger!

Voldemort torturing Sirisu

Although Harry has become quite the spy over the course of Order of the Phoenix. However, when he dreams that Sirius is being tortured by Voldemort, caution flies out the window and all he can do is plan a rescue mission. Thankfully, he has a group of friends by his side willing to fight for him! Can you answer the trivia questions below about this high-stakes moment in the fifth Harry Potter book?

1. Who concludes that Umbridge fired Hagrid at night in order to avoid another scene like the one following her dismissal of Professor Trelawney?

2. What does Kreacher tell Harry when asked about Sirius’ whereabouts?

3. What alerts Umbridge that Harry and his friends have infiltrated her office?

4. What does Harry tell Snape in order to communicate that he believes Sirius is in danger?

5. What spell does Umbridge nearly use to get information out of Harry?

6. What does Hermione tell Umbridge to stop her from torturing Harry?

7. What does Hermione do that alerts the centaurs to their presence in the forest?

8. Who saves Harry and Hermione when the centaurs become angry with them?

9. What draws the thestrals to Harry and his friends precisely when they need transportation to London?

10. Why does Harry fail to realize that he’s walking into a trap?

 

The Ethics of Reporting vs. The Ethics of Spying

 

The Tri-Wizard Tournament—Speak Slowly into My Acid Pen

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

In Goblet of Fire, we find out through Rita Skeeter what damage an unethical reporter can do. It is obvious that her main focus is gossip and certainly not the truth. Rita Skeeter repeatedly fails to accurately document what people say, twisting it instead to her own ends and adding adjectives and adverbs to describe her “personal” observations— or, more accurately, her personal slant on her observations (GF 147, 202–3, 314–15, 437–40, 611–13)!

We eventually find out how Rita Skeeter gets so much juicy information: she is “bugging” everyone’s secure areas—by being a bug (GF 727)! Obviously, she obtains her information without the permission of the person she is “interviewing”—which is in itself quite unethical. Reporters are supposed to identify themselves and request an interview. Rita Skeeter is instead using what we would consider spy craft to eavesdrop on people and gather information.

Books_chapterart_gof_37

Unfortunately the movies skipped right over this juicy tidbit. Discovering that Rita Skeeter was an unregistered animagus may have been one of Hermione’s best moments!

 

 

Although spies are able to do eavesdrop on people, it is unethical for the press to use such means—as certain members of the press in London found out in 2011 when it was revealed that reporters were illegally intercepting and taping phone calls of famous people (including royalty) to get juicy stories. Read more about the International Phone Hacking Scandal here! 

peter-earnest-head-shot-372x372 In Harry Potter and the Art of Spying, Peter Earnest shares the story of the time he had to bug the office of one of his assets while working as a clandestine officer for the CIA!

We LOVE to HATE Rita Skeeter. Read other articles written by her on our blog! Long Lost Interview of Severus Snape, Rita Skeeter Interviews the Authors of Art of Spying , and Rita Skeeter Interviews President Obama.