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When was the first time we met this Harry Potter character?

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When was the first time we met…? 

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First impressions count for a lot – so how well do you remember first meeting these characters? 

The Jacob and Queenie wordsearch

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Find the words connected to Jacob and Queenie in our latest puzzle. How quickly can you find them all? 

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For more crosswords and wordsearches, [visit our puzzles hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) or you can also enjoy Wizarding World challenges in our app.

Useful spells it would be nice to have for winter

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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and the Order of the Phoenix

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The prospect of winter in the wizarding world conjures up a host of cosy images: a snow-covered Hogwarts, umpteen delicious feasts, endless games of Exploding Snap in the common room – we’d even put up with the icy chill of Snape’s dungeon classroom if the pay-off was getting to sit in front of a roaring Gryffindor fire.

But even in the wizarding world, winter isn’t all Weasley jumpers and Butterbeer. Witches and wizards seem to rely on a few little spells to help them through the colder months. Spells we think it would be quite useful to have in the real world, too. Here’s a few of them:
<br>
## Incendio – for keeping warm

AKA the fire-making spell. It’s probably obvious why Incendio would be useful during a cold snap – the ability to just point at a space and create a fire deserving of Hogwarts’ Great Hall would certainly come in handy.

![wb-hp7-deathly-hallows-harry-ron-casting-incendio-flame-charm](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/7HMKIMfUF10GyxXKxAkx0K/31a2005bb0dc31475f6a6145a438a8af/wb-hp7-deathly-hallows-harry-ron-casting-incendio-flame-charm.jpg)

You’d have to be careful, of course. To keep warm at Hogwarts, Hermione favoured the similar spell, the Bluebell Flame charm, which magically contained blue flames in a nice warm jar. 

A safer option altogether might be...

<br>

## Hermione’s Hot-Air Charm – for drying out

Remember when, in *Order of the Phoenix*, Hermione returned from Hagrid’s covered in snow, which she then just magicked off her robes with “a complicated little wave” of her wand? How great would that be? 

The idea of steam-drying your clothes as you are wearing them seems very economical. It is, indeed, a practical spell worthy of Hermione, and also one that might be useful if you were to, say, find yourself soaked in muddy rain-water after being splashed by a car driving through a puddle. 

Plus, this spell would be great for the splashy drivers themselves. There’d be no need to waste valuable morning minutes scraping ice off a windscreen if all you needed to do was blast your car with a bit of hot air.
<br>
## Impervius – for all-weather protection

Another Hermione-special, this would be especially useful for glasses-wearers because, yes, Impervius is the spell Hermione casts on Harry’s glasses so that they repel rain during a very wet Quidditch match. You’d never need to worry about steaming up your spectacles ever again with this one in your back pocket.

And presumably it can be applied to any garment you wish to protect from the elements. Hats. Shoes. Phones. Face masks. Seriously – with Impervius up our winter sleeves, would we even need umbrellas?

![HP-F3-rain-harry-quidditch](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/1fYBHU4yOYdlHWyoiNOynC/ab1b7d50ad016b6cdc1db6e88743add6/harry_rain.png)
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## Lumos – for dark afternoons

A lot of these spells are about dealing with the realities of bad weather, but another fact of winter life in the UK is that, at this time of year, it gets very dark, very early. 

Say you wanted to go for a run at 5pm in the middle of December – well, a cynic might say you’d be better off going in the morning, but if you had access to a wand and knew your Lumos from your Nox you could easily dismiss that cynic with a flick of your wand and a shout of this spell (it’s Lumos, just to be clear – Nox is the one that turns lights out.)

A head torch might be easier to secure, but surely a wand’s more reliable (and, let’s face it, a lot more exciting.)

![HP-F3-harry-lumos](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/5rBm7eNFE4awTorvuNXFvR/f15aca2854f40810f1c5182d6993bf8e/lumos.png)
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## Tergeo and Scourgify – for staying clean

What is it about winter that makes everything feel grubbier? Mud gets crusted onto your shoes, the floors get covered in sludge, that horrible sleety snow leaves marks on your best coat. Well, if we could get the hang of what Tonks calls “these householdy sort of spells,” winter could do its absolute clothes-and-floor-destroying worst and nobody would ever know. Just imagine: there’d be no market for harsh chemical cleaning products and you’d never have to even think about taking your coat to the dry cleaners.
<br>
## The Refilling Charm – for obvious reasons

Hot Chocolate, Mulled Wine, Eggnog, Pumpkin-Spiced Latte... whatever your warming winter drink of choice, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just keep that mug/glass/tankard topped up without ever having to vacate your seat? 

![slughorn-web-header-butterbeer](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/6v3vu0KsPrkifjrjCmNy4l/0b4f1060dd5c016a2f3569a04d633aba/slughorn_webheader.png)

Obviously, you should stick to your limits, but when you’re curled up on the sofa and a trip to the kitchen seems like a journey too far, well, a little responsible refilling can’t hurt.

Which is better: spells or potions?

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## Potions 

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You may think the debate of spells vs. potions is a very quick conversation – but think about it for a moment. The world of potion-making is fascinating, even if we had to learn about it through grumpy Severus Snape’s eyes most of the time. It’s true that casting spells is probably the top thing a witch or wizard is usually doing, magically-speaking, but there are certain potions that have ‘effects impossible to achieve any other way’ – [as J.K. Rowling explains in this piece of writing.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/potions)

For example, without Polyjuice Potion, the potion that allows the drinker to turn into someone else, Harry, Ron and Hermione wouldn’t have been able to do numerous things pivotal to their adventures – such as getting into the Slytherin Common Room during *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, or assuming the appearance of Ministry workers during *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*. Sure, Transfiguration spells can change someone’s appearance as well, but to achieve a true likeness of someone else, you need the ‘essence’ of them, mixed up in the complex broth of a Polyjuice Potion.

That’s the thing about potions – some of them are complicated to make (and can result in a melted cauldron or two) but are usually extremely precise in their intentions, whether that’s creating an incredibly powerful truth serum or concocting a [Wolfsbane Potion](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/werewolves). There’s also a real sense of achievement when you’ve completed your brew of choice, the same joy a Muggle may get for perfecting the greatest cake.

Potions are also so versatile: they can be a medicine, a transformative solution or even a bit of a miracle – [Felix Felicis’s](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/web-13-times-golden-trio-felix-felicis) ability to make the drinker magically lucky is just something “foolish wand-waving” can’t achieve. Also, standing in front of a pewter cauldron, measuring your ingredients and stirring leisurely – you just look cool.

## Spells

![HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-harry-cho-spell-helping-wand-web-landscape](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/5ListGI3ujGn0nxFT3S5aI/804ee29716c4e8f4d244df6f76c08cb8/HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-harry-cho-spell-helping-wand-web-landscape)

Snape might have once referred to wand-waving as "foolish", but we would like to remind you that even the Potions Master himself understood the importance of spell-casting – after all, it was Snape who first taught Harry his signature move, [Expelliarmus](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/expelliarmus-exploring-harry-potters-signature-spell), during that infamous duelling session with Professor Lockhart. And where would Harry be, without Expelliarmus? Well, we all know the answer to that one.

See, we’re not saying potions don’t have their place, but they don’t exactly offer an instant solution. Let’s say you were facing an escaped troll, or a legion of Dementors, or – you know – Lord Voldemort. What would you rather have at your disposal: a wand and a few words, or an (extremely breakable) bottle of some potion full of disgusting ingredients? We know which we’d prefer. After all, if you’re staring down the barrel of an [Unforgivable Curse](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/what-is-the-worst-spell-from-the-wizarding-world) you’re not exactly going to be able to Polyjuice your way out. And anyway, who has time to wait for that to brew up?

Plus, be honest: the spells are what you think of when you think of Hogwarts. Wingardium Leviosa. Expecto Patronum. Even Avada Kedavra. There’s just something inherently mystical about the [rhythm of those words](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-etymology-of-harry-potter-spells), and if you pair them up with the right wand-arm action, well – that’s real magic.

Then there are those spells that don’t require either words or wand-waving. You know, the non-verbal ones Snape was so good at (because of course he was.) The kind of spell that you could do in your head, without anyone knowing, and see instantaneous results, without having to do something like... wait 21 days for a bunch of lacewings to stew. 

No, you can keep your disgusting ingredients and your pewter cauldrons – give us wands and words any day. 

***

__So there you have it. If you were a witch or wizard, which type of magic would you prefer?__

Give your portrait a festive makeover

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One billion hours of listening landmark surpassed for Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible

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Mind you, that’s just a number (even if it is a massive one)! What’s immeasurable is the love that fans have for these stories.  To help you visualise that figure, in one billion hours you could hypothetically:

•	Take the iconic train journey from King’s Cross to Edinburgh 222 million times<br>
•	Listen to Harry Potter books 1-7 read by Jim Dale 8,547,009 times<br>
•	Go through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry more than 14,000 times!

Stephen Fry, who narrates the UK English editions of the audiobooks, says: ‘These statistics are astonishing. Almost every day someone will come up and tell me how important the audiobooks have been in their lives, and it means the world to me.’  Jim Dale, narrator of the North American editions, says: ‘Especially rewarding for me has been the opportunity to touch the lives of so many young people, and the knowledge that my spoken words have brought both comfort and support when needed, and, of course always, so much magic!’

Jennie McCann, Pottermore’s MD, explains: ‘We’re so delighted how many listeners have made a permanent place in their lives for these audiobooks. The original recordings that were released on CD are cherished versions of these incredible stories, so we took great care when remastering them to deliver the best sound quality for the new generation of listeners. We’ve since produced and released editions in an array of further languages and continue to add to that list each year both on Audible and via other platforms.’  Diana Dapito, Head of Consumer Content at Audible, says ‘the evergreen popularity and insatiable appetite for the Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible is both staggering and, at once, not at all surprising.’

We’d love to hear your stories of listening to Harry Potter on audio – share your listening love on social media (if you're old enough!) using the hashtag #HarryPotterxAudible #HearTheMagic. 

Hogwarts Legacy showcase reveals game features including character creator, the Hufflepuff common room and combat

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Led by host Chandler Wood, Community Manager at Avalanche and community host James Whitehead from XpectoGo, we were treated to our most [thorough look at Hogwarts Legacy so far](https://www.youtube.com/hogwartslegacy), alongside Game Director Alan Tew and Senior Environment Artist Boston Madsen. 

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So, what did we learn and what did we see?

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## Character Creator 

Your Hogwarts legacy is what you make it, and creating the perfect character is crucial to discovering who you are in the wizarding world. Hogwarts Legacy’s character creator is extremely rich and detailed, full of different skin colors, hair types, and even a voice slider. In terms of your outfit, you can embrace the 1800s with some robes befitting of the period. We spotted some Harry Potter-style round glasses we had our eye on… And Harry Potter Fan Club members who [link their accounts](https://www.wizardingworld.com/legacyconnect) with the game will even be able to grab a special type of robe, called the Fan-atic robe, to make your appearance extra unique.

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## Your common room 

As with any regular Hogwarts experience, it all starts with getting sorted into your house, and then, it’s off to your common room and dormitory. James Whitehead, who was sampling the game for us, got to embrace the wholesome Hufflepuff life, with a common room reminiscent of a badgers’ sett. Fans will be extra-excited to explore Hufflepuff’s space, seeing as we never got to visit it in the books or films. And it certainly doesn’t disappoint, full of plants, light and comfortable furniture.

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## Exploring Hogwarts 

We’ve always wanted to fully explore Hogwarts, and now, this game truly can make that dream a reality. And, as you’ve probably guessed, it looks rather magnificent. We’re sure you’ll recognise a few iconic pieces, such as the grand staircases and the Hogwarts house hourglasses, but there’s all sorts of other impressive features to observe, such as a grand-looking water fountain where the students like to hang out, huge hanging bones in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and a formidable brass Hogwarts crest adorned across a wall. The luscious Scottish greenery is present all over the outskirts of the castle, and the game-makers encourage you to get lost in it all – “no two hallways should look the same at Hogwarts” they say. 

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## Side-quests, characters and familiar names 

The presentation introduces us to characters and side-quests you can expect to embark upon. For example, one young student called Zenobia wants us to help find her Gobstones – and even mentions a fellow student called “Prewett” which is a last name that should ring familiar to certain fans. [Prewett is Molly Weasley’s maiden name](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/witches-and-wizards-you-might-not-have-realised-were-related). Could this be an ancestor?

That is not the only familiarity we came across – [Peeves the poltergeist](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/peeves) is still haunting Hogwarts, showing just how long he has been terrorising the castle before Harry’s era!  

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## Dueling and combat 

Dueling will be a big part of Hogwarts Legacy, and in this preview, we get to see exactly how you train, which includes practicing your skills on a training dummy, an adorable wizard-on-wheels. You can also fight classmates when you’re feeling more au fait with dueling or pick random competitors. Spell combinations are encouraged for maximum impact, and Shield Charms will be crucial to win your battles unscathed. 

## Anything else?

At the end of the showcase, we are treated to a Q&A with the game developers, who run through a few things you might’ve been thinking about. 

Extra-curricular assignments will be available all over Hogwarts, and the richness of the school will offer up all sorts of little details to look out for, so don’t rush through the game or you may miss something! We also learnt about other fun features that will be available, such as being able to visit a hairdressers in Hogsmeade, discovering different identities to our ‘core spells’ and much, much more.

If we weren’t very, very excited about Hogwarts Legacy already, you can add a few extra “verys” to how we’re feeling right now! 

Hogwarts Legacy will launch on February 10, 2023 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The Nintendo Switch launch date will be revealed soon. [Learn all about pre-ordering the game here](https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-gb/purchase?utm_source=wwd_web&utm_medium=articlenovember_page&utm_campaign=HL&utm_content=HL-PreOrder), or check out our [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy) page to explore other trailers.

And remember! If you are a member of our Harry Potter Fan Club, you can actually bring your wand and house into the game experience if you link accounts - which also gets you exclusive in-game goodies. [Here's how you do it.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/legacyconnect)

The Royal Mint releases commemorative collection of Harry Potter coins

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__Update: you can now check out the Royal Mint's latest release, celebrating the [Hogwarts Express! ](https://www.royalmint.com/shop/limited-editions/harry-potter/hogwarts-express/) This is the first time the iconic steam train has appeared on a United Kingdom coin.__

![royal-mint-hogwarts-express-coin](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/6gTcMeAtRnH94HGnLoOKlX/31c2cc7893e505c1b330acb5d233ba53/t4-1-cat-sf-dt-1200x600-commemorative-coins-he_uk.jpeg)

When it comes to coinage, the Wizarding World might have Gringotts, but we Muggles have The Royal Mint – one of Britain's oldest organisations, with over 1,100 years' experience making coins.

Beginning this month, The Royal Mint is releasing a new collection of UK coins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.*

Each coin in the set will feature a much-loved character based on the work of artist Jim Kay, who was commissioned in 2015 by publishers Bloomsbury to create the first fully-illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s classic story. The first coin in the series depicts Harry Potter himself, and is [available to buy on The Royal Mint website now](https://www.royalmint.com/shop/limited-editions/harry-potter "Royal Mint Harry Potter collection").

No, we’re not Knuts: this is real Muggle money we’re talking about.

In total, the collection will include four coins, each depicting a different scene or character from *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* – including The Hogwarts Express, Dumbledore, and Hogwarts itself.

The first two coins in the collection will feature the portrait of Her Late Majesty, and the final two coins will display the official portrait of King Charles III. The collection is expected to be in high demand, as it is amongst a very few series to include both royal portraits

The [Harry Potter design](https://www.royalmint.com/shop/limited-editions/harry-potter/all/ "Shop Harry Potter coin on The Royal Mint website") is available on a range of denominations, including 50p. Modelled by The Royal Mint Designer Ffion Gwillim based on Jim Kay's illustrations, it's the first of the four designs to be released, with others set to follow in the coming weeks.

For more information on the collection, [visit the Royal Mint website](https://www.royalmint.com/shop/limited-editions/harry-potter "The Harry Potter coin collection on The Royal Mint website"). 