In praise of fan art (and my birthday card)

Harry Potter on the front of my card

The message inside

Harry Potter art -- an under appreciated aspect of the whole Potterworld fandom.

I continue to be impressed with the artwork that decorates the boxes and cases of the audio book collection I received for my recent birthday, the Jim Dale version with artwork.

I believe that the artist's name is Mary GrandPre, if I interpret the information on one of the CD jackets correctly.

The artwork that decorates these box sets is so incredibly good that I wish this artist would be hired to do a set of graphic novels of the Harry Potter books. I love the fact that her little pieces of art include not only entire scenes from the novels but also entire images devoted to smaller details, like the symbol of the Deathly Hallows or someone's hand or a single building.

I have also mentioned the wonderful artwork on the covers of the French versions of the books, published by Folio Junior. These paintings were created by Jean-Claude Gotting and they are truly magnificent.

Now take a look at the beautiful birthday card I recently received from a young artist friend of mine (presented above). I love the square, card-filling image of Harry, complete with his Gryffindor scarf, on the front of the card -- but I think the little snitch and witch's hat (the "Sorting Hat" perhaps?) that decorate the birthday message (delivered in perfect Harry Potter film font) make the whole card a magnificent piece of work.

I have looked through Pinterest and on the web and seen many many more fabulous examples of fan art for Harry Potter. Fantastic stuff. I just wish I possessed even the slightest artistic talent!

A quick bit of Potter trivia

Here's a new little trivia question I picked up while reading The Goblet of Fire for the umpteenth time. See if you can answer this one without looking it up (online or in the book).

Who owned the Sorting Hat before it started sorting, when it was just a plain ol' hat?

The answer to the question is in the Sorting Hat's own beginning-of-term song in the fourth book. I'm amazed that I never really noticed this little bit of trivia before.

Did you get it? Do you know the answer? Do you remember?

Well, the answer is Godric Gryffindor. Yep, the Sorting Hat tells us Gryffindor took the hat off his own head and made it into the Sorting Hat.

So we've got his Sword and his Hat playing a significant role in the magical world. Neat.

Poor old Hufflepuff House

I often wonder about the fourth house at Hogwarts: Hufflepuff. With the Far Friar as its ghost and the non-descript Professor Sprout as its head, it often seems to me to be the forgotten house.

Certainly, Hufflepuff never seems to compete seriously for the House Cup (in The Philosopher's Stone, for example, Hufflepuff falls to fourth place when Dumbledore awards his year-end points to the hero trio and Neville) nor for the Quidditch Cup. In fact, when loyalties are tested, Hufflepuff members are less likely to support Harry than are Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.

In that first novel, the Sorting Hat describes the qualities valued by Hufflepuff as being loyalty, a sense of justice and a willingness to work hard. Very laudable characteristics, to be sure, but hardly up to the same calibre as Gryffindor (bravery, daring and nerve), Ravenclaw (a ready mind, wit and learning) or even Slytherin (cunning).

Now turn to The Order of the Phoenix and the Sorting Hat is almost dismissive of Hufflepuff. In describing the students each school founder wanted to accept into his or her house, the Hat says Slytherin wanted those of purest blood, Ravenclaw sought those who were the most intelligent and Gryffindor recruited those with brave deeds to their name. Hufflepuff? Well, she'll take what's left and "treat them all the same".

Wow. That's not a stirring recommendation for Hufflepuff, is it?

Few of Hufflepuff's members play prominent roles in the novels and even the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, which is one of the Horcruxes, garners the least attention of all the Horcruxes in both the books and the films.

Being placed in Hufflepuff appears to be an assessment that there's nothing special about you. I find it odd that J.K. quite purposely creates this sort of magical netherworld of the mediocre. Other than Cedric Diggory, I had a hard time naming one of its members.

Basically, Hufflepuff includes a list of minor characters like Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and the detested Zacharias Smith. It turns out, of course, that Nymphadora Tonks was also a Hufflepuff, perhaps that House's most distinguished graduate. She and Cedric tend to carry the torch for this undervalued house, I guess.

I wonder if J.K. ever considered having just three houses at Hogwarts?