APRIL 2012
| Reader Response…
…what readers said about last month's magazine
| Favourable…
"I agree with Carlotta Pinkstone. We are well past Muggle persecution, and need to learn how to trust each other again. As for the Statute of Secrecy, it's a good thing it is being relaxed, because no one seems to take it very seriously anyway."
| And unfavourable…
"Justice is justice. Death Eaters and most other criminals do not deserve 'love'. Not to mention the Ministry spent our tax Galleons on this project, which many do not even want. Azkaban was once a place of fear. Now that it's been made nicer, what's to stop people from breaking the law? Bring back the old Azkaban!"
| Most provoking articles…
"A Look inside the New Azkaban" brought in 45.8% of reader response, an all-time high.
"Is It Time to Go Back?" had 23.3%.
Best of Entertainment Reviews
Literature:
The Other Side of "Dangerous" Dai, a new biography by Rita Skeeter, attempts to reveal the darker side of "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn, the famed Caerphily Catapults Seeker. The writing is patchy at best, and there is a conspicuous lack of concrete fact regarding his medical conditions.
Drama:
Malecrit's timeless classic of the early 1400s, Hélas, Je me suis Transfiguré Les Pieds ("Alas, I have Transfigured My Feet"), is now showing at the Pinnacle Theatre in Hogsmeade. The French tragedy loses some of its charm in translation to English, but is saved by the extraordinary performances of the cast. Drew Berry, who plays Bellette, pours her heart into the conflicted character, making the show an unforgettable experience.
Music:
Oliver Boyd's recently released album, Back for the Fight, is a soothing mix of acoustic guitar, gentle piano, and vocal harmonies. The haunting melodies are perfectly balanced by the poetic lyrics.
Barny the Fruit Bat says, "I'm just batty about Butterbeer."
Butterbeer Gold
now available at The Leaky Cauldron and The Three Broomsticks
Twice the Flavor, Half the Alcohol
Neither Can Live While the Other Survives
by Dennis Creevey
During the Battle of Hogwarts, a boy named Colin Creevey was found dead. He was my older brother. I think it's only right that you should get the chance to see what he saw in his final moments.
You see, he was found with his hands clutching his camera. I remember how he loved that thing, always taking pictures, both magical and Muggle, always carrying it around from class to class.
He was underage, and should have been safely away from the school like I was, but he came anyway. He was dead within hours.
In the days afterwards, the camera was pried from his body and thrown into a box of mismatched belongings, which a collector bought a few years ago. Among the half-burnt textbooks and cracked crystal balls, the film lay untouched.
He tracked me down and owled me. It took a lot of persuasion, but after three years, I've decided to allow it to be included in Neither Can Live While the Other Survives, a touring art exhibition based around the climactic Battle of Hogwarts.
The chilling photographs were developed and mounted on large canvases, to be put on display on Monday, May 2, after a WWII Memorial Ceremony on the Hogwarts grounds. Admission is free for all invited guests, including members of Dumbledore's Army, members of the Order of the Phoenix, families of the fallen, and countless other heroes.
The point of this isn't to brag or boast. My brother managed to record a great event in Wizarding history, and I want to share the experience with everyone. It will inevitably be painful to some, and reopen the wounds of others, but I hope that, like me, you'll be swept away by the healing power of knowing that another person is finally, finally at peace.
The Month in Quidditch
► The Highlights
The Holyhead Harpies and Appleby Arrows played for six hours, well after sunset. Arrows Seeker, Bruce Wiggin, finally caught the Snitch at a quarter past eight, bringing the score to Harpies: 210, Arrows: 140.
Montrose Magpies fell from second place to fifth, their spot usurped by the Caerphilly Catapults.
The Kenmare Kestrels are on a winning streak this month, defeating The Wigtown Wanderers, Chudley Cannons, and Wimbourne Wasps, all in less than an hour each.
► Current Standings
1. Holyhead Harpies {8040}
2. Puddlemere United {8020}
3. Caerphilly Catapults {7980}
4. Appleby Arrows {7960}
5. Montrose Magpies {7950}
6. Kenmare Kestrels {7910}
7. Wimbourne Wasps {7500}
8. Falmouth Falcons {7000}
9. Pride of Portree {6940}
10. Tutshill Tornados {6920}
11. Ballycastle Bats {6890}
12. Chudley Cannons {6750}
13. Wigtown Wanderers {6600}
► What the Critics Say
"Don't count out the Wigtown Wanderers yet. The Falcons were bottom of the league a few years back, yet went on to come in second place for the League Cup. The Wanderers are a good team, they just need a chance." ~ Kenilworthy Whisp, author of Quidditch through the Ages.
► Must-See Games Next Month
Pride of Portree vs. Falmouth Falcons
Separated by twenty points, and only one team can make it into the playoffs.
May 12, at Queerditch Quidditch Stadium
Puddlemere United vs. Holyhead Harpies
Beyond a doubt, these two are the best teams in the League this season. What will happen when they meet face to face?
May 27, at Ilkley Moor Quidditch Stadium
.o0O Flourish and Botts O0o.
the widest selection of books in Diagon Alley
all books by Gilderoy Lockhart currently on clearance
Buy two boxed sets, get the third one free!
╨ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╨
╢ Discovering Diagon Alley ╟
╢ with Perry Rover ╟
╥ ╥ ╥
The storekeeper at Fisher's Antique Books, an old yet spry man, glanced up from his newspaper as I entered. As I found out later, he was Harold Fisher the Seventh, the great-grandson of the store's founder. When I admitted that I was only browsing, he returned to his perch on a stool behind the counter.
In contrast with Flourish and Bott's, Diagon Alley's most popular bookstore, this small shop was neat and organized. The walls were lined with shelf after shelf of bound leather books. Their gilded titles jumped out at me as I scan the rows.
I was a third of the way down the second aisle when I saw something that makes me stop in my tracks.
Not daring to breathe, I slid the heavy volume off the shelf.
The original Tales of Beedle the Bard, one of the handwritten copies from the 15th century. The asking price was 15 Galleons. Reluctantly, I put it back, but vowed that I would return for another visit as soon as I could. Not for the book, but for the experience.
Category: Bookstore
Average Price: Medium to Expensive
Product Quality: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Perry Rover is a wanderer and a trailblazer. When not at his office at Pensieve headquarters, he can be found exploring the hidden corners of Diagon Alley searching for his next article or cheering the Catapults at their next match.
Ask… Kirley Duke, lead guitarist of The Weird Sisters
"How do you get inspiration for your songs?" Simon Binkley, London
I keep a leather bound notebook in my pocket all the time and jot down pieces of lyrics or interesting beats whenever they come to me. Then I sit down with the rest of the band and we put together a song.
"What do you fear?" Justin Wheelock, Dublin
Nothing. I'm a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake.
"How long does it take, on average, to write a song?" Annelise Norlin, Hogsmeade
A three minute song can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. It depends on how inspired the guys are, or how lazy we're being that day.
"What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever done?" Scarlette Jenkins, Ottery St. Catchpole
Well, I was at a, what do you call those? Oh yeah, an autograph convention. Me and the guys were signing photos and this fangirl comes up and just stands there, squealing, for a good five minutes before she remembered to give us a poster to sign. And there was that one time the doorbell rang at the studio and when we opened the door there was a gnome in a purple dress. It had a note pinned to its front from "our biggest fan." Sweet mother of Merlin, people are strange.
"Do you have any advice for beginning musicians?" Anonymous, Birmingham
Practice. Practice, practice, practice. It's the only way you'll ever get any better.
Do you have a question you would like to ask Minerva McGonagall, current headmistress of Hogwarts? Send us an owl at
Pensieve Headquarters
98a Diagon Alley, North Side
and we might publish it in next week's interview!
Cutoff date is May 30th. Please mark parchment as "Pensieve Interview Question" in clear, legible handwriting or print. Your entry will not be returned.
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