hp15

NAMES:

In Arthurian legend, RON is the name of King Arthur's trustworthy spear. So it's no surprise that Harry Potter's best friend Ronald Weasley is so steadfast and dependable.

Literally "CROOK" means curve or bend "SHANK" means leg, which makes "Crookshanks" a very appropriate name for a bowlegged cat.

The bully at Hogwarts is names Draco Malfoy- and odd name, to be sure.
Vut considering the Latin and French meanings of the name, it certainly describes him perfectly. "DRACO" is Latin for dragon, "MAL" meaning bad or wrong in French and "FOY" is derived from the Latin word meaning voyage or journey.

To describe the evil Voldemort, Rowling turned two French words-"VOLER" meaning to fly or steal and "MORT" meaning death.

Remus Lupin, one of the professors at Hogwarts School, has a name based in Roman mythology. According to this mythology, Remus and his twin brother Romulus(the founder of Rome) were raised by a she-wolf and the word "lupin" means wolf.

In Greek mythology "ARGUS" is a mythical watchman with a hundred eyes which makes the name appropriate for Argus Filch, the Hogwarts School Hall monitor.

The name of Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, is also the name of a character in a novel written by Jane Austin, J.K. Rowling's favorite author. In "Manfield Park", Mrs. Norris is a hypocritical and nosy woman, similar to her Harry Potter counterpart, the cat patrols the corridors at Hogwarts.

Witches have existed dor untold ages. They began as spiritual figures or priestesses. However, during the medieval period, the label "witch" gained a nagative connotation. Much like the "Animagus" in Harry's world it was believed that witches could change their shape into that of an animal and travel undetected to cause mischief. Witches were also thought to be able to control the weather. Perhaps most frightening was the "Evil Eye". It was believed that witches who possesed this ability had only to gaze at a person and illness and bad luck would follow.
Today, there is a form of witchcraft called "Wicca". Practitioners of Wicca celebrate the of nature and pride themselves on doing good deeds.These modern day witches are a unified group often coming together at festivals on particular occasions throughout the year, where they sing, dance and enjoy the company of friends and family.