Z is for Zonko's Joke Shop

Zonko's most important role in the Harry Potter series is providing inspiration to Fred and George Weasley for their own joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

They walked down the main street past Zonko's Joke Shop, where they were unsurprised to see Fred, George, and Lee Jordon... (The Order of the Phoenix, 335)

Fred and George began making joke products as a mail order service.  After Harry gave them his Tri-Wizard earnings though, they had much more resources to develop their products and began testing them out at Hogwarts.  Notably, they create the Ton-Tongue Toffee and skiving snackboxes, full of sweets that made a student ill enough to skip class.

When they opened their shop in Diagon Alley, it was wildly successful, despite the dark times:

Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and George's windows hit the eye like a firework display.  Casual passersby were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed.  The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked; Harry's eyes began to water just looking at it. (The Half-Blood Prince, 116)

Zonko's was never forgotten though.  When it closed down, Fred explained that he and George "were thinking of buying Zonko's" to expand their business to Hogsmeade (The Half-Blood Prince, 399).

Y is for Yule Ball

One of my favorite chapters in The Goblet of Fire is appropriately titled "The Unexpected Task" in which Harry and Ron learn that they will need to find dates for the Yule Ball:

A week ago, Harry would have said finding a partner for a dance would be a cinch compared to taking on a Hungarian Horntail.  But now that he had done the latter, and was facing the prospect of asking a girl to the ball, he thought he'd rather have another round with the dragon. (388)

Harry and Ron have so much difficultly figuring out how to act around girls in regards to the dance.  Of course, they are only 14 years old, so it is to be expected, but it produces some pretty comical results.

"Why do they have to move in packs?" Harry asked Ron as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry.  "How're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"

"Lasso one?" Ron suggested. (388)

Fred Weasley has no problem securing his Yule Ball date though, leaving Harry and Ron mystified at the ease with which the older Weasley handles this great and terrible challenge:

"Who're you going with, then?" said Ron.

"Angelina," said Fred promptly, without a trace of embarrassment.

 "What?" said Ron, taken aback. "you've already asked her?"

"Good point," said Fred.  He turned his head and called across the common room, "Oi! Angelina!"

Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet near the fire, looked over at him .

"What?" she called back.

"Want to go to the ball with me?"

Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look.

"All right, then," she said, and she turned back to Alicia and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face. (394) 

The young teenage boys are met with disappointment then, as they are turned down by Cho, Fleur, Hermione, Ginny, and Lavender.  It's interesting that Harry's future wife Ginny, and Ron's future girlfriend Lavender and his future wife Hermione all turn them down for the only school dance they have during their time at Hogwarts.

This does lead to conflict for Ron and Hermione at least, though neither of them is quite ready to express interest in the other:

"Well, if you don't like, you know what the solution is, don't you?" yelled Hermione; her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.

"Oh yeah?" Ron yelled back. "What's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" (432) 

Compared to the first task where Harry successfully evaded a dragon, it does seem that he and Ron had much more difficulty with this "Unexpected Task."
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Tomorrow is the final day of the A to Z Challenge! Join me for Z is for Zonko's Joke Shop.

X is for Xenophilius Lovegood

Here is a man who, despite everyone thinking he's completely mad, never gives up on what he believes in and never stops trying to discover new things.  For that, I respect Xenophilus Lovegood, father of one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

As the editor of the Quibbler, Xeno publishes his wild stories, which most people discount immediately as a rule because they are coming from the unreliable paper.  Of course, the Quibbler does report some true stories, as I've mentioned in my Quibbler post, including the articles about Voldemort's return.  He also was right in believing that the Deathly Hallows existed, which most people thought was ridiculous, including Hermione:

"Mr. Lovegood, how can you possibly believe -?"

"Luna has told me all about you, young lady," said Xenophilius.  "You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow.  Close-minded" (The Deathly Hallows, 410).

It's not only the magazine that has the reputation of being a little off, it's also the man behind the writing.  Harry described him as "a most eccentric looking wizard. Slightly cross-eyed, with shoulder-length white hair the texture of candyfloss, he wore a cap whose tassel dangled in front of his nose and robes of an eye-watering shade of egg-yolk yellow" (The Deathly Hallows, 139).

Xeno may be eccentric and a little too anxious to believe any myth, but his daughter Luna is his priority, and that perhaps makes him more sane than we give him credit for.  Their bond is undeniable as she defends Quibbler and spreads his theories.  Luna was so proud of her father's paper because he didn't pay to have articles written and he didn't care about the money.  All he wanted was to share the things he thought the world needed to know.

Review: "Caught in the Middle" by Regina Jennings

"If he's foolish enough to cross us, then our election strategy will have to be reevaluated.  What's the point of electing him if he's uncooperative?" (189)

Caught in the Middle by Regina Jennings is a historical Christian fiction story about Nick Lovelace, a railroad and government man, and his unlikely encounter with an old acquaintance, Anne Tillerton.  The story begins with both Nick and Anne standing up to some train robbers, after which their paths continue to cross and a dynamic relationship forms between them.

At the beginning of the story, Anne is very much a type-character: she rebels against societal norms for women and that seems to be the only character trait she has.  She dresses like a man, hunts buffalo, and refuses to accept any attention from a man.

Through a series of unfortunate events, Anne becomes the caretaker for a young boy, Sammy.  Again, the focus is mostly on the fact that single parents do not fit in to society, regardless of the circumstances.  Stereotypically fitting with her refusal to don a dress as is considered proper for a lady, she is also unsure of how to care for a child, seeming to completely lack maternal instinct.

At the story progresses, the character becomes more fully developed and begins to make realistic decisions instead of just going with whatever the obvious rebellious action would be.

Part of being accepted into the 1883 Garber Texas society includes going to church.  Anne is not a woman of faith at the beginning of the novel and her Christian development through the book seems a little strained.  When she decides to become the official mother to Sammy, she decides that "she would start small, ease into this new role.  Instead of ridiculing the sermons on Sunday, she would give he pastor a chance.  Praying would be a good start, and she could learn the language of faith that everyone around her spoke so fluently.  If it paid off, then maybe she'd trust God with a little more" (153).  Her thought process in connecting becoming a mother to becoming a Christian was not clear.

However, Nick, the pious and God-fearing man, had more realistic faith dilemmas.  No Christian character can know or understand everything, just as no Christian can, which is why Nick's faith experiences were more relateable.  Nick struggled with God's role in his life: "Success always involved risk, and God had faithfully smiled on his endeavors.  And would continue to do so.  He had to, right?  As long as Nicholas followed the rules and obeyed the Bible, his fortunes would continue to rise, his domain would continue to expand.  Wasn't that the bargain?" (194).

The plot is captivating, although it was a bit slow to start even with a train robbery in the second chapter.  Through the rest of the book Anne and Nick overcome many different types of challenges: fitting into society, raising a child, dealing with corrupt political schemes...Anne also has to overcome a troubling past, as we learn more and more captivating details.

My mother who enjoys Christian historical fiction often enjoyed this book, though she too, found some of the Christian conversations to be forced or unrealistic.  I would still recommend Caught in the Middle as a heart-wrenching struggle between doing what is right and doing what you want.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Bethany House for this review.  The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

To Review: "Just 18 Summers" by Rene Gutteridge & Michelle Cox and "One Realm Beyond" by Donita K. Paul

Last week, Just 18 Summers by Rene Gutteridge & Michelle Cox arrived, courtesy of Tyndale.  Here's a sneak peek from page one: "But that was before global warming, or as Butch Browning liked to describe it, before season became irrelevant.  Now there were tornadoes in winter and heat waves in May."  Look for my review coming up early in May!



One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul arrived this week! I thought I'd share the first paragraph, for anyone who might be interested:

Cantor straddled the thick tree limb suspended less than three feet over his favorite fishing hole.  He'd fished from this spot for more than eighteen years, from teh time he could barely straddle the fat limb 'til now, when the tips of his sandals almost brushed the surface of the clear, cold water.  He watched the small fish circling below him, waiting for the big one just as he had been taught.  His fishing mentor, Odem, probably took him fishing here before he was out of diapers.  Cantor wouldn't want to share the limb now.  Though the tree had grown with him over the years, he didnt' think the branch woul dhold the weight of two grown men.  He wasn't eager for a bath in the frigid water from the mountain's runoff. (5)

I'll be reviewing this novel from Zondervan soon, too!

W is for Will of Albus Dumbledore

One might expect that the reading of a will would be a somber occasion, but in The Deathly Hallows, the
situation is better described as comical.


Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, is full of questions - trying to figure out what sort of secrets Dumbledore was passing to the only three students he remembered in his will.



1.  Ron receives the Deluminator:

"To what use did he think you would put his Deluminator, Mr. Weasley?" 

"Put out lights, I s'pose," mumbled Ron.  "What else could I do with it?" 

Evidently Scrimgeour had no suggestions. (125)

2.  Hermione receives The Tales of Beedle the Bard:

"Did you ever discuss codes, or any means of passing secret messages, with Dumbledore?"

"No, I didn't," said Hermione, still wiping her eyes on her sleeve.  "And if the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that I will." (126) 

3.  Harry receives the Snitch:

"You think this is a mere symbolic keepsake, then?"

"I suppose so," said Harry.  "What else could it be?"

"I'm asking the questions," said Scrimgeour, shifting his chair a little closer to the sofa.  Dusk was really falling outside now; the marquee beyond the windows towered ghostly white over the hedge.

"I notice that your birthday cake is in the shape of a Snitch," Scrimgeour said to Harry.  "Why is that?"

Hermione laughed derisively.

"Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious," she said.  "There must be a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing!" (127).

4. Harry receives the sword of Godric Gryffindor:

Scrimgeour scratched his badly shaven cheek, scrutinizing Harry. "Why do you think - ?"

"- Dumbledore wanted to give me the sword?" said Harry, struggling to keep his temper.  "Maybe he thought it would look nice on my wall."

"This is not a joke, Potter!" growled Scrimgeour. (129) 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione wouldn't have described the event as comical, since they are very frustrated at the Ministry's prying.  However, as an outside reader, I can't help but laugh at Scrimgeour's ridiculous questions.



And after all, we learn later that Dumbledore's death was no surprise to him - he had been cursed by the Gaunt ring.  I imagine that Dumbledore with all of his eccentricities would've wanted the reading of his will to be a humorous occasion, were it not for the importance of his bequeaths.  Remember the very first words Dumbledore said in the Harry Potter series:

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words.  And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" (The Sorcerer's Stone, 123)

In the movie version of the reading of Dumbledore's Will, Scrimgeour's prying is almost completely absent, except for the visible disappointment when Harry takes the Snitch and nothing happens:

V is for Veritaserum

How reliable is veritaserum as a truth-telling draught?

"It is Veritaserum - a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear," said Snape viciously.  "Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines.  But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips" - he shook the crystal bottle slightly - "right over your evening pumpkin juice." (The Goblet of Fire, 517)

Like Tris from Divergent can resist simulations, some witches and wizards can resist Veritaserum.  In the movie, Snape's threat is much simpler: "Three drops of this and even You-Know-Who would spill out his darkest secrets."  However, since Voldemort knows Occlumency, it's unlikely that it would actually work on him at all, which Snape would know, as he is also trained in Occlumency.

It's also only as accurate as the person's mind who has drank the potion.  Therefore, if a person really believes something, they will be able to easily say it, even if it isn't true.  Veritaserum is used in The Goblet of Fire on Barty Crouch Jr., who is not exactly in a clear state of mind:

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," said Dumbledore, "we heard Barty Crouch confess.  Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort - learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins - went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry.  The plan worked, I tell you.  Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

"See here, Dumbledore," said Fudge, and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, "you - you can't seriously believe that.  You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now...certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that Dumbledore..." (704) 

Of course, Fudge would've looked for any loophole possible in denying Voldemort's return (he also says Harry is lying).  For the Dark Lord to return while he was Minister of Magic would be horrible for his career, so he refuses to believe Harry, despite Dumbledore's support and explanation of Barty Crouch Jr's confession.


In the end, the Veritaserum helped uncover the truth, but still no one would believe it for quite some time.

Join me tomorrow for W is for the Will of Dumbledore!