Wizarding World Homepage

feature

Wisdom from the Wizarding World: romantic relationships

2020-WEB-ARTICLE-wisdom-from-the-wizarding-world-romantic-relationships

PMARCHIVE-NymphadoraTonks WB F6 TonksLookingScaredWithLupinNextToHer Still 080615 Land 6rCuV1gObuZDVcb3qfEuS5-b7

NymphadoraTonks WB F6 TonksLookingScaredWithLupinNextToHer Still 080615 Land

Tonks looking scared with Lupin at her side from the Half Blood Prince.

Some handy romance tips inspired by the Wizarding World. 

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-1

## Telling someone how you feel

We can’t all have it as easy as Queenie and Jacob; being a Legilimens would really come in handy when trying to work out how someone feels about you. But for most of our love-struck characters, mindreading just isn’t an option and they have to pluck up the courage to say how they feel. And it isn’t always easy. 

Poor Harry waited so long to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball that Hermione could have brewed three batches of Polyjuice Potion by the time he got his act together. But although Cho turned him down faster than you can say Quidditch, there’s a good lesson here in getting your feelings out in the open. 

PMARCHIVE-FB WB Newt Scamander Tucks Tina Goldstein's Hair Behind Her Ear 6UBIGGto2sKQMyoam40mEG

Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein share a moment as he tucks her hair behind her ear

FB WB Newt Scamander Tucks Tina Goldstein's Hair Behind Her Ear

Newt Scamander tucks Tina Goldstein's hair behind her ear in a tender moment at the port

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-2

Sometimes actually finding the right words to express how you feel is the problem. Nobody struggled more with this than Newt Scamander, who found it impossible to tell Tina he liked her without comparing her eyes to those of a salamander. Although we wouldn’t necessarily recommend comparing your crush to a magical beast, or indeed screaming in their face like an overexcited Mandrake – oh Ron. The way you express your feelings tells the other person something about who you are, and it’s important to be yourself.

Scorpius Malfoy found it even harder to ask out Rose Granger-Weasley, but he taught us an important lesson about positivity when she turned him down:
‘But I asked her. I planted the acorn. The acorn that will grow into our eventual marriage.’ Bless him. Hopefully he’s got more of a chance in the future than Harry and Moaning Myrtle. 

A final word on the first step: if you’re not as optimistic as Scorpius and wish you could Obliviate all memory of your confession, take comfort in the fact that at least you have been true to yourself.

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-3

## Beware the Veela effect

On the path to romance, it’s important to remember that looks and personality don’t always align. Hermione ¬– blinded by Gilderoy Lockhart’s good looks –couldn’t see past his wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes to accept that he might not be the wizard he claimed to be in his books. The Veela at the Quidditch World Cup were perhaps the best warning that looks aren’t everything. One moment they were beyond beautiful, and the next they turned into terrifying creatures with ‘cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings’. Mr Weasley had some particularly wise words for Harry and Ron once their true natures were revealed: ‘And that boys is why you should never go for looks alone.’ Quite. 

James Potter and Lily Evans taught us a slightly different lesson: personalities can improve over time. Harry was horrified when he witnessed his father being ¬– as Lily put it – ‘an arrogant toerag’ in Snape’s memory. Despite his Quidditch player kudos and constantly rumpled hair, Lily declared to him: ‘I wouldn’t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid.’ Lily set us a good example when it comes to choosing someone for looks as well as personality: she waited until the seventh year to date James – once he was mature enough for her. 

PMARCHIVE-WB F4 FleurDelacour BeauxbatonsEntranceToHogwarts HP4D-09860 1CceovjoUICSgGO8yAoWw4-b4

WB F4 FleurDelacour BeauxbatonsEntranceToHogwarts HP4D-09860

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-4

This isn’t to say that looks and personality can’t go together. Save for a slight blip in the Triwizard maze, Viktor Krum was a genuinely lovely young wizard despite his brooding looks being worshipped by witches everywhere. And then there’s Fleur Delacour. The moment when Mrs Weasley assumed Fleur wouldn’t want to marry Bill anymore, after he’d been bitten by Greyback, warmed our hearts: ‘What do I care how ’e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk!’ The wizarding world teaches us not to jump to conclusions about personality, until we really get to know someone.

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-5

## Valentine’s Day is an absolute nightmare: proceed with caution

Whether you like someone from afar, you’ve just started dating, or you’ve been married for years, romantic gift-giving can be tricky. And never was there a day more fraught with these difficulties than Valentine’s Day, as many of our favourite wizarding characters found out. But what can their blunders teach us?

We can safely say that embarrassing public moments are certainly worth avoiding. Harry’s singing Valentine from a particularly aggressive dwarf doesn’t go well for him or Ginny. Then again, we’d probably also avoid telling someone their ‘eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad’ or telling them their ‘hair is as dark as a blackboard,’ as well. 

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-6

Harry and Cho’s disastrous date was also made much worse by its location at the very public Madam Puddifoot’s. But it has something else to teach us about Valentine’s Day generally: it’s a day that makes it very easy to compare your relationship to others. Roger Davies and his girlfriend snogging at the table next to Harry and Cho’s, pressured Harry into feeling he should be behaving differently. But the truth is, if he’d just stuck to topics he’d felt comfortable with when spending time with Cho, the date might have gone a lot better.

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-7

## Unrequited love is worse than sitting on a Blast-Ended Screwt

There is no shortage of unrequited love in the wizarding world, and the heart-broken characters have much to teach us. One lesson is that loving someone who doesn’t love you back isn’t something you should bottle up. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt was still upset about how things ended with Leta Lestrange. However, Queenie was the only one who found out about her, saying ‘people are easiest to read when they’re hurting,’ because Newt was hiding his feelings. But it’s not just difficult emotionally when you pine for someone: it can affect you physically. When Remus continued to reject Tonks, she ‘…looked terrible; thinner than usual, her mouse-coloured hair lank,’ and she also lost the ability to shift her appearance.

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-8

Remus eventually came around, but some love stories are never meant to be and that can be tough for the person who can’t move on. Just look at Snape’s enduring love for Lily. Was there ever a more heart-breaking exchange than Snape and Dumbledore’s in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: ‘After all this time?’ ‘Always.’  Through love potions, the wizarding world also teaches us something important: you can’t force true love – just look at Merope Gaunt or Romilda Vane’s efforts. Instead of dreaming about love potions, it might be better to make some tea – as Ron says, ‘that’s what my mum does whenever someone’s upset,’ and eat mountains of Chocolate Frogs while reading about Cheering Charms. If Vernon and Petunia found each other, there’s hope for us all.

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-9

## Other people might be interested in your relationship choices

So you like someone, and they like you back and everything is as perfect as the Hogwarts grounds in sunshine. Then other people start finding about your new relationship: your friends, your family, your exes… What wisdom does the wizarding world have for us when our relationship goes public?

Prepare for people to have lots of opinions. Remember all the Weasley resistance to Bill and Fleur? Ginny kept calling Fleur, ‘Phlegm’, and hoped that Bill would decide to marry Tonks instead. And Mrs Weasley wasn’t at all keen on her to start with, either. Fred, George and Ron had plenty to say about Ginny’s love life too. Although of course, it’s important to respect other people’s well-meaning opinions, we think that on the whole Ginny had the right idea when she told Fred it was none of his business. 



web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-10

At the end of the day, people with the emotional range of a teaspoon may be insensitive and nosy, but if you’re happy with your new beau, you might not mind. As Harry found when he finally got together with Ginny: ‘it made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark magic.’

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-11

## Even when you’re perfect for each other, you still have to work at it 

When everything’s going right, it’s easy to see your life through rose-tinted Spectrespecs. But every relationship has its ups and downs ¬– even for our favourite Wizarding World couples. Do you remember how angry Mrs Weasley was with her husband when she found out about his flying car? Or about his Muggle stitches in St Mungo’s? And Mr Weasley was never much of a fan of Celestina Warbeck. But despite their differences, they can teach us an important lesson – compromise. Mrs Weasley put up with her husband’s plug collection, just as Mr Weasley pretended to enjoy ‘A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love.’

Sometimes it is external forces that put pressure on your relationship, rather than internal ones. Jacob and Queenie seemed to be made for each other right from day one, but their disagreement over Rappaport’s Law caused a rift between them. In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Harry and Ginny found that their struggles with their son, Albus, put pressure on their own relationship. And of course, back when they were younger, Harry had to make the difficult choice to break things off with Ginny, so he didn’t put her in danger whilst trying to defeat Lord Voldemort. 

PMARCHIVE-WB FB Queenie and Jacob 4yruDIn7h6meYCGACGam4W-b1

WB FB Queenie and Jacob 

web-wizarding-wisdom-romantic-relationships-text-section-12

But what can we learn from how our favourite characters faced difficult times? Unlike Ron avoiding a difficult conversation with Lavender, we think that talking to each other and being open about your feelings and fears would be a good place to start. 

We’re all out of wisdom for now, but remember, if all else fails: ‘there are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.’ On second thoughts, it might be better to stick to a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. 


Has the Wizarding World ever helped your love life? We’d love to hear about it! @WizardingWorld #wizardingwisdom


Watch our guide on how to draw a Niffler 

WEB-FEATURE-watch-how-to-draw-a-niffler

hero-image-draw-a-niffler-video

how-to-draw-a-niffler-text-section-1

Is there a cuter fantastic beast than the Niffler? (Shush, nobody tell Pygmy Puffs we said that.) How about creating your own to show off to your friends?

The mischievous creature, known for foraging shiny objects and for being a particular favourite of Newt Scamander, was first introduced to us in the book *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, and we’ve been in love ever since.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wdhd0hNU5W8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And don’t worry, you don’t have to have the artistic prowess of Dean Thomas (remember his ‘Potter for President’ Quidditch banner?) to draw this little fellow – our guide is designed so everyone can draw along. 

Don’t forget to draw the Niffler’s gold coins – otherwise you’ll have yourself one sad Niffler. 

For more of our arts and crafts videos, check the [Wizarding World YouTube channel.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChPRO1CB_Hvd0TvKRU62iSQ) 

Harry Potter's sassiest moments 

WEB-FEATURE-2020-harry-potter's-sassiest-moments

HP-F6-harry-hermione-liquid-luck

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

HP-F6

and the Half-Blood Prince

web-harry-potter-sassiest-moments-text-section-1

## When Harry reminded Hermione that being the Boy Who Lived wasn’t all it was cracked up to be… 
‘Harry, don’t go picking a row with Malfoy, don’t forget, he’s a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you ...’

__‘Wow, I wonder what it’d be like to have a difficult life?’ said Harry sarcastically.__ 

## When Harry went on a magical power trip and rebelled against Uncle Vernon… 
‘You’re not allowed to do magic outside school.’

__‘Yeah? Try me.’__

## When Harry gave Umbridge a helpful review of his first DADA teacher… 
__‘Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher. There was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head!’__

## When the twins gave Harry the ultimate guide to Hogwarts and he didn’t appreciate it… 

... given the Marauder’s Map:
 
__‘What’s this rubbish?'__

## When Harry tried to make Roonil Wazlib a thing… 
‘This is your copy of Advanced Potion-Making, is it, Potter?’

__‘Yes,’ said Harry firmly.__

‘Then why,’ asked Snape, ‘does it have the name ‘Roonil Wazlib’ written inside the front cover?’

Harry’s heart missed a beat.

__‘That’s my nickname,’ he said.’__

## When Harry got verbal in a nonverbal spells lesson… 
‘Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?’

__‘Yes,’ said Harry stiffly.__ 

‘Yes, sir.’

__‘There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor.’__

web-harry-potter-sassiest-moments-text-section-2

## When Harry hadn’t really grasped the concept of Portkeys… 
__‘Why are they all standing around that manky old boot?’__

## When Harry reminded Hermione that he’d actually also noticed he was a Triwizard Champion...
‘The task is two days from now!’

__‘Really? I had no idea.’__

## When Harry seemed prepared to use his hero status for romantic ends… 
‘She’s only interested in you because she thinks you’re the Chosen One.’

__‘But I am the Chosen One.’__

web-harry-potter-sassiest-moments-text-section-3

## When Harry was fed up with Neville going on and on about Herbology… 
‘If you’re interested in plants, you’re better off with Goshawk’s Guide to Herbology. Did you know there's a wizard in Nepal who's growing gravity-resistant trees?’

__‘Neville, no offence, but I really don’t care about plants.’__

## When Harry took standing up to Malfoy to a whole other level…
‘You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments.’

__‘Yeah,’ said Harry, ‘but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone.’__

## When Cedric asked how Harry was during the Triwizard Tournament and Harry just said…
__‘Spectacular.’__




Spectacular sass indeed.

Introducing Harry Potter At Home

test-module-hpathome

HPAH collection hero 1

Take a look inside the new illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone designed by MinaLima 

WEB-NEWS-inside-illustrated-edition-of-philosophers-stone

minalima-sorcerer-crop

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-1

[This exciting new edition of the book](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/scholastic-new-illustrated-edition-sorcerer-stone-minalima), which comes with special interactive paper craft features, immortalises many memorable moments from *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*, thanks to the talents of the MinaLima design team. 

The team, fronted by artistic duo Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, have reimagined key moments from the first book that are guaranteed to get you all nostalgic. MinaLima are notable for their work across the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, designing iconic props, book covers, posters and much more. 

minalima-philosophers-stone-1-dumbledore-outside-privet-drive

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-2

The team spoke to us about the upcoming book, revealing how excited they were to get back to the ‘core’ of Harry Potter after having worked on Wizarding World projects for 20 years.


minalima-philosophersstone-hutontherock

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-2point5

‘It’s been a real honour to be invited into this exclusive club of illustrators, and to do it and stay true to our style,’ they said.

MinaLima follow in the footsteps of Jim Kay, who has illustrated four of the seven [Harry Potter books so far with his own distinctive flair.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/first-look-at-jim-kays-illustrated-edition-of-harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire)

‘I think the biggest challenge was trying to un-think working on the films. And re-think, in a very from-the-heart way, what we felt we could best do for the text. This was a lovely opportunity to be fresh, and think - what would a child really love to see?’ 

minalima-philosophers-stone-2-dumbledore-harry-hospital-wing

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-3

In this new illustrated offering, enjoy Dumbledore and Harry’s heart to heart set to a gorgeous stained-glass backdrop and take a moody glance at the Hut on the Rock where Harry first discovers he’s a wizard. 

Expect this new edition to be oozing with creative interpretations of some of your favourite characters and settings. 

minalima-philosophers-stone-hogwarts-express

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-3point5

‘I think the double-spread of the kids arriving at the castle with Hagrid and the full moon just felt... if we could get the magic right in there and get the magic right in the train, that would be the key to unlock the style and personality of the book,’ the team told us.

‘For us, it’s always about that. There’s also a few little easter eggs – and there’s one in that particular drawing.'

minalima-philosophers-stone-3-hagrid-hogwarts

inside-minalima-illustrated-sorcerers-stone-text-section-4

We’ll leave it to you all reading this to see if you can spot it! 

The new edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone in the UK) is coming 20 October 2020, published by Scholastic and Bloomsbury respectively.   

To pre-order in the US, [visit the Scholastic website](https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-9781338596700/), or the UK, [either MinaLima](https://minalima.com/) or the [Bloomsbury website.](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-minalima-edition-9781526626585/?ewid=1329)

Explore the wonders of the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition at home

WEB-2020-NEWS-history-of-magic-exhibition-at-home

PMARCHIVE-British Library poster crop asset final  598Svc8BXGi2ukaakaKY4a

British library poster crop asset final 

web-history-of-magic-exhibition-at-home-text-section

The *Harry Potter: A History of Magic* exhibition unveils rare books, manuscripts and magical objects from the British Library’s collection, capturing the traditions of folklore and magic which are at the heart of the Harry Potter stories. Here’s our little reminder that you can explore the exhibition again, or marvel at the magic for the very first time from your own home, through Google Arts & Culture.

This online curation, which includes highlights from the British Library’s exhibition, is not only ideal escapism for curious adults but perfect for parents looking for engaging activities for their children. They’ll love the interactive experience of searching the Ripley Scroll, an ancient manuscript that sets out the ingredients for the elixir of life. Get those imaginations flowing by flicking through ancient spell books, as well as insiders’ insights into the exhibition in videos featuring Julian Harrison, its lead curator.

Jim Kay’s beautiful artwork (including a study of dragon eggs!) will no doubt inspire many a budding young artist, as well as reading the words of the illustrator himself from a rare interview. For the animal-loving there are plenty of magical creatures to fervently study, and for some story-writing inspiration, read early notes and sketches by J.K. Rowling as she created the wizarding world we all know and love. 

There’s even a ‘how to study like a wizard’ section, where you can discover the history behind the classes at Hogwarts. Grab your quills and delve into eight online exhibits – Potions, Charms, Herbology, Alchemy, Astronomy, Divination, Defence against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. Which subject will you excel in? Beautifully curated for an online experience, each exhibit is visually dynamic – zooming into manuscripts, artwork and sketches – as well as fascinating and easily accessible. 

You can explore the [British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic collection here](https://artsandculture.google.com/project/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic "Arts and Culture History of Magic exhibition link BL"). #HarryPotteratHome


Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone wins ‘Winner of Winners’ Blue Peter Book Award for 2020 

web-news-harry-potter-wins-blue-peter-award

Bloomsbury-Philosophers-Stone-cover-crop

harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-wins-blue-peter-award-2020-text-section-1

Blue Peter have been celebrating the best in children’s literature since 2000, and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Blue Peter Book Award. 

In recent years, this award usually has two forms: Best Story and Best Book with Facts. For its 20th anniversary, a new special category was put in place called ‘Winner of Winners’ with Harry Potter joining a number of other prestigious titles in a carefully selected top ten: [you can see the rest of the top ten here.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/blue-peter-book-award)

Over 50 books have won a Blue Peter Book Award in the past two decades, so reading charity BookTrust assembled a panel of experts to whittle down a shortlist, with the results being decided upon by Blue Peter’s audience. On World Book Day, what an apt prize!  

Blue-Peter-Book-Award-Logo

harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-wins-blue-peter-award-2020-text-section-2

This award follows the news that *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone* recently made New York Public Library’s top ten most borrowed books ever. You can read a [few more fun facts about the worldwide love of Potter here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/just-seven-reasons-that-show-why-we-all-still-love-harry-potter)

Over 20 years later, it looks like Harry Potter’s first trip to Hogwarts is now inspiring a whole new generation.

For more information on Blue Peter’s Book Award, [check the official BookTrust website](https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/awards-and-prizes/current-prizes/blue-peter-book-awards/). For those based in the UK, you can [view the episode celebrating this year’s award on iPlayer.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fznc/blue-peter-world-book-day-and-six-the-musical)

Explore The Story