리틀팍스

I thought in the Harry Potter series, there were only seven volumes: Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deadly Hallows. Well, I was sort of right, because there are seven volumes in the Harry Potter series ― you know, ones with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts, etc. But there are also companion volumes in Harry Potter: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Fantastic Beats & Where to Find Them was supposedly written by Newt Scamander, Quidditch Through the Ages supposedly written by Kennilworthy Whisp, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard was, obviously, supposedly written by Beedle the Bard ― like in the title.

 The three companion volumes doesn't have any characters you'd know; as a matter of fact, books of the same title is in the original Harry Potter series. Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages first showed up in the first volume, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard in the seventh volume. Because of that, they're in the Hogwarts Library series. (Fact: In the series, the full name of Madam Pince is revealed: Irma Pince. Many Potterheads reckon Irma Pince is Eileen Prince (Snape's mother) in disguise, because when you anagram Irma Pince, it becomes 'I am Prince'.)

 Of course, they're really written by J. K. Rowling, not by three fictional characters. But it's fun to imagine that these fictional characters really wrote this. But in the reversion, the words J. K. Rowling is in the title, big as the title. So much for imagining that Scamander, Whisp, and Beedle wrote them.

 Fantastic Beats & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (really written by Rowling), copyright in Comic Relief.

 This book tells you all about magical creatures and beats. From Acromantula to Yeti, it's got all sorts of facts about magical creatures, as I said. You can also know what's the classification about them:

 XXXXX: Known wizard killer / impossible to train or domesticate

 XXXX: Skilled wizards may handle

 XXX: Contempt wizards should cope

 XX: Harmless 

 X: Boring

 Anyway, in the old one, there were scribbles that were supposedly done by Harry and Ron, and Hermione sometimes. They're sort of like Easter Eggs to Potterheads, like me.

 Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp (really written by J. K. Rowling), copyright in Comic Relief and Lumos.

 This book tells you all about Quidditch, the most popular wizarding sports. It tells you about Quidditch teams of Britain and Ireland, how broomsticks evolved, what are the ten common fouls in Quidditch, etc. 

 As Bathilda Bagshot (author of A History of Magic) says (not in real, of course), it's a fascinating read.

 The Tales of Beedle the Bard by Beedle the Bard (really written by J. K. Rowling), copyright in Lumos. 

 This book has five short stories: Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump, The Tale of Three Brothers (which gives Harry, Ron, and Hermione the fact about the Deadly Hallows), The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, and The Warlock's Hairy Heart. Gee, I must say, 'Babbity Rabbity' is the stupidest name I have ever heard. Even Rowling admits so in an interview. I haven't read it yet, but I think it would be great.

 Now, you may wonder what 'Lumos' is; I wrote that copyright is in Lumos in the last two. Well, Lumos is a light-making spell in Harry Potter (the counter-spell is Nox). Inspired by the meaning, Rowling made a society called Lumos which helps orphans. Its motto is: Protecting Children. Providing Solutions. If you buy Quidditch Through the Ages or The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the money you've spent will go to Lumos. So basically, you're doing some good to orphans living in orphanages.

 Which volume do you like the best? I like Quidditch Through the Ages best (partly because it's got such cool illustrations by Jonny Duddle (he's my artistical hero) and Tomislav Tomic).