Rounding up the Hogwarts founders, a new wizard is featured at JKR's official website:

Rowena Ravenclaw

Medieval (precise dates unknown).
One of the four famous Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Rowena Ravenclaw was the most brilliant witch of her time, though legend has it that a broken heart - cause unknown - contributed to her early demise.

Joanne Kathleen Rowling and her fictional character Harry Potter both celebrate their birthday today! Jo is now 42 (not looking a day over 20), and Harry turns 27.

We hope Jo has a fantastic day with Neil and her family!

Earlier today, JK Rowling hosted a live web chat on Bloomsbury's official website where she answered several questions about Deathly Hallows:

Michael: Why didnt fawkes come back to help harry I would have thought that since harry was so loyal to dumbledore, fawkes would have been harrys new pet
J.K. Rowling: Something had to leave the school for good when Dumbledore died, and I decided that would be Fawkes. Dumbledore was a very great and irreplacable man, and the loss of Fawkes (and the fact that he was 'non-transferable'!) expresses this symbolically

Read the entire transcript at the link below! Thank you to everyone who sent it in.

Recently, the entire interview that Meredith Vieira of the Today Show conducted with JK Rowling aired on Dateline. In this exclusive one-on-one, Jo discusses everything about Book 7--deaths, the reprieve, and Snape. She also goes off topic to talk about the franchise including the movies and theme park.

If you missed this interview, the entire transcript can be read here, but be cautious if you have not read Deathly Hallows because it does contain SPOILERS.

JK Rowling has updated her site wishing one of our favorite Dumbledore's Army member a happy birthday. Happy birthday, Neville Longbottom!

In a new interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron says that he would be "very tempted" to direct Deathly Hallows:

I feel a little bit like I have to try to do the films that are not going to exist without me. On the same token, I would be really tempted because it was really beautiful. I just started reading the last book and something I respect is the care the producers have put in the film franchise. It would have been so easy after the success of the series just to take the cynical approach of knowing that no matter what people are going to see those movies. Actually they've been taking a lot of care from beginning to end, so yeah I would be really tempted.

Read the full interview at this link. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

Hello from Detroit! We've gotten word from fans in San Diego that Comic-Con has been promoting that MuggleNet was supposed to host a Harry Potter debate at the convention on Friday, and hundreds of fans waited hours only to be disappointed when no one showed up to represent the site. We were never contacted about attending by Comic-Con, who claims no responsibility for the occurrence, so we can only assume a breakdown in communication somewhere. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience this caused.

The JKR's Army contest we told you about earlier will end on Tuesday, July 31st. More than 7,000 fans have already entered, and you can be among these people for a chance to win great prizes. You can find out more about this contest on their webpage.

In addition, as always after a book signing, there are loads of forgeries on eBay. Please be aware that legitimate signed copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows all have holographic stickers in them. These stickers are now being used by J.K. Rowling's camp to help us all be able to identify authentic signed books. Remember to keep safe when purchasing items off internet auction sites.

The latest episode of our weekly Harry Potter podcast is now online! And if you haven't heard the news, it's the #1 most popular podcast on iTunes this week.

In this episode, we combine two live shows in one. First, listen to our live event from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where over 200 fans came to discuss Deathly Hallows. Afterwards, hear our live show from St. Louis, Missouri, where another 260 fans showed up for even more Deathly Hallows discussion!

If you're craving to hear some great talk about DH, MuggleCast is the show for you. To download, we recommend subscribing (for free) within iTunes so each new episode is automatically sent to your computer. You can also download the show directly through the MuggleCast website where you'll find shownotes and an alternate download for dial-up users. Enjoy!

SUMMER TOUR UPDATE: MuggleCast is also in the middle of its summer road tour. With only four stops left, make sure you check out our tour page to see if we're stopping in an area near you. We hope you can come out to participate!

Scholastic, the US publisher of the books, today announced the launch of the J.K. Rowling and the Open Book Tour Sweepstakes on July 30th. One thousand lucky fans will be selected in a sweepstakes and will receive a pair of tickets to Jo's reading at Carnegie Hall on Friday, October 19th.

To enter: Print out and complete an entry form available at www.scholastic.com/harrypotter or by printing your name, home address, and phone number on a sheet of paper and mailing the entry to:

Scholastic
Attn: J.K. Rowling and the Open Book Tour Sweepstakes
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Entries must be received by August 31st, 2007, and are limited to one each person.

Good luck!

In the second part of the Today Show interview, JK Rowling explains why she changed the last sentence of the book, where in the original ending the last word would have been "scar." In addition, Jo discusses what house she would be in if she had attended Hogwarts and what she would see in the Mirror of Erised.

"I would definitely see what Harry sees. I would have seen my mother. I would be able to have a conversation with my mother. [Her death] had a profound influence on the books...from that moment on, death became a central if not the central theme for the seven books. In many ways all of my characters are defined by their attitude to death or the possiblity of death."

EDIT: You can find this article and video here. Remember there are SPOILERS in this interview, so do not view it if you have not read Deathly Hallows.

On Sunday at 7:00 PM EST, Dateline will air a one-hour special on the Potter author.

Hey guys, I know this is really last minute, but for MuggleNetters in Northwest Indiana, I'm going to be at the Valparaiso Barnes & Noble at 7pm Friday night (that's tomorrow - 7/27). Hope you'll come out and say hello if you live in the area!

I will also be joining the MuggleCasters on their summer tour starting Saturday, July 28 in Chicago, and finishing the second half of the tour with the guys.

In an interview with USA Today, JK Rowling addresses life after Harry Potter, as well as her reaction to the numerous Deathly Hallows spoilers, which leaked only days before its release:

"I had been working toward that point [the epilogue] for a long time. I did have a sense-of-humor failure when the epilogue went up."

As always, proceed with caution if you have not yet finished the book, as this article contains SPOILERS.

Thanks to Marc for the scan.

This morning, JK Rowling appeared on The Today Show to answer questions some fans have been asking concerning her last Harry Potter book. In the interview, she addressed things left out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, such as jobs some of the characters took on in the future. She also discussed the epilogue that many fans were not expecting to see.

Here is the article and please do not read the it if you have not read Deathly Hallows as is it does contain SPOILERS about the book. The second part of this interview will air tomorrow and a one-hour special will be shown on Dateline on Sunday.

EDIT: Video is now online at the link above.

Bloomsbury is hosting a live internet chat with J.K. Rowling that will take place from 2:00 - 3:00PM BST on Monday, July 30th. For Americans planning on tuning in, that's 9am EST, 8am CST, 7am MST, and 6am PST. You can submit your question to Jo for consideration at this link.

The Half-Blood Prince rumors that we told you about the other day have turned out to be false, according to MTV. Expect many more rumors surfacing and then being debunked to come as we get closer to the November 2008 movie release.

In an interview with the Today Show, JK Rowling revealed who the character is that received a reprieve in Deathly Hallows. Highlight between the arrows to read who it is! --> Arthur Weasley <--

Additionally, Jo announced that she "probably will" create a Harry Potter encyclopedia! From NBC's website:

The encyclopedia would include back stories of characters she has already written but had to cut for the sake of narrative arc (“I've said before that Dean Thomas had a much more interesting history than ever appeared in the books”), as well as details about the characters who survive “Deathly Hallows,” characters who continue to live on in Rowling’s mind in a clearly defined magical world.

Click here to read the full article, including full details on the character reprieve. BEWARE of spoilers if you haven't read Deathly Hallows yet!

For the first time since the show's premiere in August 2005, MuggleCast is the number one most subscribed to podcast on iTunes this week! We'd like to thank all of the listeners for their continued support as we discuss Deathly Hallows on the show.

If you haven't given MuggleCast a listen yet, there's never been a better time to download! Download Episode 101 featuring the world's first DH podcast discussion via iTunes (click "Subscribe" once iTunes loads) or direct download (right click and select "Save Target As...").

A couple weeks ago, Emerson told you about the Harry Potter Alliance: a group of Harry Potter fans dedicated to saving Darfur.

For those of you interested in hearing more information, a free podcast is available for download. The show features interviews and insight from world leaders on the subject, including leading human rights activist John Prenderdergast, and retired diplomat Joseph C. Wilson (author of The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity: A Diplomat’s Memoir).

It features interviews, discussions, cameos, and humor bits from wizard rockers Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, The Remus Lupins, and more. Matthew Vines of Veritaserum talks about his experiences fighting injustice in Sudan.

You can easily download the show by right clicking HERE and selecting "Save Target As..." Special thanks to PotterCast editor Matt for putting the entire hour-long show together. Enjoy!

Lizo from CBBC newsround had a chance to interview JKR at the midnight release party. Jo discussed the Harry Potter journey, her opinion on spoilers, and her writing future. This was filmed and can be viewed on the Newsround Player, under the Harry Potter Tab. You can read the full transcript here:

Naomi Watts, Joseph Fiennes (brother of Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort), and Stuart Townsend are rumored to join the Half-Blood Prince cast when filming starts in September. Naomi Watts will play the mother of Draco, Narcissa Malfoy. It is still unknown what roles the other two actors might play.

Below are some pictures of Naomi Watts:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Joseph Fiennes:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Stuart Townsend:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Later this week, NBC's Today Show will air an exclusive interview with JK Rowling and have now provided a clip and an accompanying article of this interview. Rowling describes her emotions after finishing Deathly Hallows and admits that after writing the final words, she "was hard to live with for about a week." This interview will show on The Today Show on Thursday and Friday and then on Dateline on Sunday.

Dan Radcliffe turns 18 today, and you know what that means, girls - Harry Potter is legal!

Happy Birthday, Dan, from everyone here at MuggleNet! It's been a pleasure watching you grow up.

Post your thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the comments of this post, so we can try to keep the discussion more relevant in other news posts!

Go - spill!

In its first 24 hours on sale, Scholastic has announced that Deathly Hallows has sold 8.3 million copies in the United States. Half-Blood Prince had sold 6.9 million copies in its first day on sale back on July 16th, 2005.

It's a double dose of our Harry Potter podcast this week as we release two new episodes!

Episode 100: Our centennial show LIVE from Waterstones in London! Join Jamie, Laura, Eric, Kevin and me for our biggest live podcast ever with over 800 fans in attendance just a few hours before the release of Deathly Hallows. We discuss the movie, what will happen to the fandom after the book is released, take some last-minute DH theories, and much more.

Episode 101: RIGHT after we finished reading Deathly Hallows, we hosted a live show online where over 1,000 listeners tuned in to hear the very first talk on this subject! Join the same panel from Episode 100 as we take listener reviews, questions, and much more - all concerning what happened in Deathly Hallows.

Both shows promise to entertain and inform in two audio files. To download, we recommend subscribing for free within iTunes. That way, each new episode will automatically be sent to your computer. If you're already subscribed, load up iTunes and update your MuggleCast feed. You can also find full shownotes and alternate download links on the MuggleCast website. ENJOY!

REMINDER: MuggleCast will be hitting the road tomorrow (Wednesday) for the first stop on our post-Deathly Hallows summer tour in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. Come out and see us at the Whitney Library at 7 PM!

Our very own Jerry Cooke was on hand for both the live MuggleCast podcast at Waterstones and JK Rowling's midnight release party. From his report, we've learned exactly what went on in Jo's media-less event:

As I continued round, surrounded by velvet drape and atmospheric lighting, I came across the next section of registration, where I received my goody-bag, which contained lots of little things like a commemorative poster, some balloons, a smoothy and some stickers. Most importantly though, the bag contained the second immaculate first edition copy of Deathly Hallows of the night, but this time with a holographic authenticity sticker on the same page as would later me signed.

You can see a photo of Jerry's signed Deathly Hallows book right here!

The MuggleCasters have just finished reading Deathly Hallows and are now hosting a live discussion! If you've finished the book, click the link below and listen away!

UPDATE: The show has now concluded and we'll be releasing our hour long discussion as an episode of MuggleCast very soon! Thanks to everyone who listened live and participated.

Click here to watch a video of JK Rowling reading from the first chapter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the Natural History Museum in London.

OBVIOUS SPOILER WARNING: She's reading from the beginning of the book.

Have you finished reading the book? Are you looking to spy in on some other people reading the book?

Laura, Kevin, Eric and I are all sitting in our London hotel room right now reading the book. You can watch us do so (live) at the link below. There's no audio on the feed so you won't hear any spoilers. Enjoy!

EDIT: We're done with the broadcast! Hope you enjoyed it.

After years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds of waiting, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has now been officially released at the home of Harry Potter, the United Kingdom! It has also been released in all other English-speaking countries with the exception of the US and Canada. American and Canadian fans have just a few more hours of waiting for the final book of our favorite series.

The "JK Rowling and the Midnight Signing" event has concluded. For those who missed it, JKR read from the first chapter of DH.

Today on the BBC, JK Rowling appeared on the show Blue Peter, where 25 lucky fans had the privilege to interview the Potter author. She also received a gold Blue Peter badge, which she was very grateful for. She said, "You have no idea what that means...thank you very, very much." Thanks to staffer Nick, we have video of this interview.

In an op-ed piece from Clark Hoyt, the Public Editor of The New York Times, he responds to the outcry from fans surrounding the Times' early review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

"If The Times had waited until Saturday, or even Sunday, to review the book, most readers would not have been able to finish its 759 pages by then....They would have had the choice, as they had today, of skipping the review and reading Harry at their leisure," said Hoyt.

"I think it’s important to remember that there was never a contract or an agreement between The Times and Rowling or her publisher. The publisher set the release date unilaterally as part of the brilliant marketing campaign that has propelled the entire Harry Potter phenomenon. Neither The Times nor any other newspaper had an obligation to help enforce the release date."

For the past two days, fans have been lining up outside Waterstones Piccadilly Circus where MuggleNet staffers/MuggleCast co-hosts Andrew Sims, Kevin Steck, Jamie Lawrence, Eric Scull, and Laura Thompson will be podcasting from tonight, as part of the many REALLY superb festivities in their massive Book Seven release party!

We've compiled a video with footage from so-far, including several burly Waterstones staffers loading boxes of the books in through the back door of the six-story shop! Set to the video is "The Final Countdown" by Europe. There are no spoilers in the clip.

...at 2:50PM EST to hear Emerson discuss his thoughts on the final book, and YouTube it for us if you can!

Just a reminder, Emerson and I will be hosting a discussion in Oak Park, IL beginning at 8:30CST tonight on the main stage in Scoville Park. We hope to see you there!

UPDATE: Thanks to Craig who captured the video for us!

This time, though, there is no hidden way of getting inside the Room of Requirement on JK Rowling's official website. Instead, simply clicking on the door and then clicking a note laying on Jo's desk reveals a letter of acknowledgments from the Harry Potter author. She also includes a note to fans:

Within hours you will know what happens to Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest in their final adventure. All the secrets I have been carrying around for so long will be yours, too, and those who guessed correctly will be vindicated, and those who guessed wrongly will not, I hope, be too disappointed! As for me, I feel a heady mixture of excitement, nerves and relief. 'Deathly Hallows' remains my favourite of the series, even after several re-reads; I cannot wait to share it with the readers who have stuck with me through six previous books.

After reading Jo's list of acknowledgments, we would like to extend a huge "thank you" back to her on behalf of the visitors and staff of MuggleNet. THANK YOU, JO!

In a new interview, JK Rowling expresses her feelings on the final Potter book. She describes the writing of the final words as similar to "a bereavement." She also addresses the criticisms she has faced by putting death in this last book. Even though some critics think that it may be too intense for children in this book, she makes no apologies for exposing it.

"I think children are very scared of this stuff even if they haven’t experienced it, and I think the way to meet that is head-on. I absolutely believe, as a writer and as a parent, that the solution is not to pretend things don’t happen but to examine them in a loving, safe way."

She also says that she "has no plans" for the future, but that she just wants to "fall in love with an idea again, and go with that."

Israel's ultra-Orthodox minister of trade and industry has threatened to sue any shop opening on the Jewish Sabbath to sell Book 7.

“We must put a limit on the desire to imitate other countries,” he told said. “It is inconceivable that numerous employees will be brought in to allow these events to take place and damage the spirit of Shabbat. I plan to file charges and fine anyone who violates the Hours of Work and Rest Law.”

In spite of this, most Israeli bookstores are willing to face the ire of the religious community and are opening up at 2:01am (12:01am BST) to sell the book.

After receiving an early copy of Deathly Hallows from an unnamed bookstore, the New York Times has posted a review of the book which also contains a few plot details.

UPDATE: In response, JK Rowling has spoken out about this New York Times review and numerous others:

"I am staggered that American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry’s final destination by themselves, in their own time. I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry’s last adventure for fans."

Bloomsbury has also addressed this concern:

The release date and time embargo of 00.01AM BST on Saturday July 21st is being enforced unflinchingly and without exception by the publishers. We confirm that all Bloomsbury’s customers in 93 countries worldwide are robustly supporting this embargo time to ensure secrecy for the children and adult readers of Harry Potter.

Read the entire press release:

Our friends at Alivan's have told us that lots of their great merchandise will be featured on the TODAY show tomorrow morning in between 8 and 9:30 AM EST! There will be HP Trivia games, a book celebration, prize giveaways, and much more.

The US book publisher has issued a statement this morning which reveals where a leak of Deathly Hallows occurred:

We are taking immediate legal action against DeepDiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment. The number of copies shipped is around one one-hundredth of one percent of the total U.S. copies to go on sale at 12:01 am on July 21st.

Read the full press release at the link below!

JK Rowling has made a small update to her official website asking everyone who "calls themselves a Potter fan" to help keep the plot of Deathly Hallows from being spoiled:

We are almost there! As launch night looms, let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!

We, of course, support Jo's statement and ask all of our visitors to avoid spreading information about Deathly Hallows in our comments. With the book release being less than three days away, there's no point in spoiling it now.

Instead, talk about the latest episode of SpongeBob or perhaps the upcoming Hairspray film. If you need any other topic ideas, please e-mail i need something better to do than spoil the book for everyone three days prior to the release@staff.mugglenet.com.

MuggleNet is offering an all expenses paid trip to its UK Deathly Hallows release party at Waterstones, Piccadilly Circus, London. This special prize includes accommodation at the 5 star Meridian Hotel opposite Waterstones, access to the live MuggleCast and entrance to the VIP party, along with a copy of the seventh book (the competition does NOT include travel). The prize is for two people, one of whom must be over the age of 18. As this contest has been announced relatively late, the winner will be chosen randomly.

Email dhgiveaway at staff dot mugglenet dot com if you would like to enter. The contest will be closed tonight at midnight (GMT). Please include your name, address and telephone number and remember that this contest is open to those residing in the UK only. Do not apply unless you can travel to London on July 20th. Check here for full details on the Waterstones party or, for our US visitors, information on MuggleNet's "Countdown to Midnight" taking place in Oak Park, Chicago

With the release of the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, mere days away, the MuggleNet staff is going on the record with their theories on some core issues. It'll be interesting to look back and see who was right - but knowing Jo, who surprises us in each book, most of us will be wrong!

Cheryl Klein, notable editor with Arthur K. Levine Books and Scholastic, has made a guest appearance on NPR's program "Talk of the Nation." Cheryl discusses her work as continuity editor of the Harry Potter books and even answers questions asked by various listeners of the show. To hear this brief conversation with Cheryl Klein, click here and be sure to click on the "Listen" button.

Thanks to everyone who emailed!

JKR's Army is sponsoring a contest this month to help heighten awareness of possible fraud and forgery in Harry Potter collectibles. It will run from July 16th through July 31st. Three winners will be chosen and each will receive a nice prize package which includes one or more GREAT items. One of the prizes is a copy of What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 signed by Emerson and Ben for the contest.

Entrants have to answer one simple question (there is no wrong answer) and will have the option to enter a message for J.K. Rowling. At the conclusion of the contest, select messages will be assembled into a scrap book and sent to Jo as a "thank you" for giving us her wonderful stories.

You can find more information about this contest on their main page.

The LA Times is reporting that the US Harry Potter publisher obtained a subpoena to learn the identity of a user who allegedly posted copies of Deathly Hallows on a California website.

Scholastic said in a court filing Monday that "materials hosted on Photobucket.com's system" contain materials that infringe copyrights owned by Scholastic and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. Photobucket.com, a News Corp. unit, is a website for sharing photos and videos on social networks such as MySpace.

The subpoena was sent to Gaia Interactive Inc. in San Jose seeking the identity of a user on gaiaonline.com, a social network, according to the filing in San Francisco federal court.

Gaia complied with the subpoena, removed the material and temporarily banned the user from the site, said Gaia spokesman Bill Danon.

Bloomsbury has cancelled a 500,000-copy order to UK supermarket Asda (owned by US giant Wal-Mart) because, according to Asda, the store criticised the book's £17.99 price. Asda's spokesman said, "It just seems funny that after we expose the potty Potter price hike, Bloomsbury are trying everything they can to stop kids getting hold of Harry Potter at a price they can afford."

Bloomsbury cited "invoicing issues" as the reason for the cancellation, but added: "Asda have had a problem with our pricing of Harry Potter for a while now, and they sent out a very aggressive press release saying that we were ripping off children.

"We think at 608 pages, £17.99 is extremely good value."

UPDATE: Asda has now resolved the issue by paying what was due, the BBC reports.

Sky News has a new video covering the imminent release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the drastic security measures surrounding it. The video shows an Amazon.co.uk factory and large crates holding the books, as well as some printing factories in the US.

So are the words of US audiobook narrator Jim Dale, in a new interview. A further extract:

“Deathly Hallows,” which runs to 784 pages in the ink-and-paper version, took about two and a half weeks, working six-and-a-half-hour days, recording about 18 to 20 pages an hour, to finish. As with the other books, Mr. Dale received the manuscript only two or three days before he was scheduled to begin recording.

“That makes it impossible for me to actually read it before recording it,” said Mr. Dale, who does not possess the 13-year-old megafan’s ability to inhale the book in a weekend.

So he read about 100 pages ahead, and noted all the different voices he needed for the first few days of recording. The benefit of reading in chunks, Mr. Dale said, is that: “I don’t ever know how the book is going to end so I can’t unconsciously lead you in the direction that the book is going. I don’t know who the villain is because I am just reading 100 pages at a time.”

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Immelda Staunton, Bonnie Wright, Alan Rickman, and a bunch of other celebrities have spoken out about what they think will happen in Deathly Hallows.

Radcliffe: "One of my theories is stolen from someone else. He thought Snape is going to turn out to be the tragic hero, and I thought that was a really good idea. I think J.K. Rowling would have possibly gone down that route — but possibly he is pure evil, and we'll all just find out."

All 65 of JK Rowling's publishers will be distributing posters with information on Madeleine McCann (the missing UK four-year-old girl) when they deliver the seventh Harry Potter book. Booksellers are being asked to display these in their shops to help aid the search for Madeleine as well as many other missing children.

"I fervently hope that posters displayed prominently in shops all over the world when the new book comes out will help find Madeleine McCann and will raise the profile of the many other missing children in different countries."

It was previously reported that bookmarks, bearing Madeleine's face, would be placed in each copy of the books. This idea was dropped because Jo and her publishers "feel that they have a responsibility to protect younger readers and not to expose them to certain issues without their parents' compliance."

The US Harry Potter book publisher has announced plans for Harry Potter Place: a magical, interactive experience for kids and adults open to the public on July 20th from 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM

To be located on Mercer Street in New York City, Place will open during a press conference at 8 AM. At the same time, a countdown will commence for the book's midnight release. Harry Potter editor Arthur Levine and Illustrator Mary GrandPre will be in attendance alongside Scholastic President Dick Robinson.

Additionally, the very first author-signed copy of the US edition of Deathly Hallows will be unveiled at the press conference.

Read the entire press release at the link below!

A new report analyzes the measures taken by UK Potter publisher Bloomsbury to keep Deathly Hallows unspoiled.

It is from Tuesday, however, when copies begin to be sent out to retailers, that the most crucial part of the security operation will come into effect.

The trucks Bloomsbury will use are fitted with satellite tracking systems costing up to £1,000 pounds, which will reveal whether any of the vehicles deviate from their intended route. The books are on sealed pallets fitted with alarms to prevent tampering.

A spokesman for Bloomsbury said: “we have a litigation specialist poised 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deal with any breaches. It is our intention to enforce the embargo vigorously and seek an immediate injunction if required.” While experts put the cost of all this at £10 million, the lengths to which publishers have gone are not surprising.

It has been announced that more than two million pre-orders for the final Harry Potter book have been made on Amazon, and that number is growing rapidly. Furthermore, other booksellers have also revealed large pre-orders. These vast pre-order figures far eclipse those of the previous books, indicating that this tome will be by far the biggest-selling in the series.

You can pre-order the book at Amazon right here.

Now that we're just five days from the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, plot spoilers that actually look legitimate are starting to leak online. For some people, it's been a ten-year wait for Book 7, and that could be so easily destroyed if we find out what will happen too early.

Therefore, be warned: there are few spoiler-safe sites on the net right now. However, MuggleNet guarantees you that spoilers will not appear on any of our pages.

On another note, today marks the two-year anniversary of Half-Blood Prince's release.

The fifth Harry Potter film proved the biggest earner this weekend, pulling in $77.4 million in the US alone, raising the movie's domestic earnings to $140 million. Since its Wednesday opening, domestically, Harry Potter 5 has earned nearly as much as Goblet of Fire made in its first week ($146 million).

OOTP also grossed $190.3 million in 44 other countries, bringing its international total to $330 million.

"We're in the middle of summer, and we just said why not, because kids are out of school," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. "It certainly turned out to be the right decision."

We apologize to those of you who tuned in to Fox News's At Large with Geraldo Rivera expecting to see Emerson tonight - his Potter segment ran at the beginning of the show, not the end. However, the show re-airs tonight at 11PM EST, so tune in then and record it for us if you can!

UPDATE: The clip is available here on YouTube.

This week's episode of our Harry Potter podcast is, in our opinion, our best live show ever. It's also one of our longest ever, clocking in at 105 minutes! In this show:

- MuggleCast is live from Enlightening 2007 in Philly!
- Ben's attempt to meet Emma at the OOTP after party.
- An interview with the Moaning Myrtles.
- Order of the Phoenix discussion.
- Make the Connection: LIVE!
- Spy on Spartz: LIVE!
- Several audience members ask us questions about the books and ourselves.

All that and much much more can be found by downloading the latest episode! To get it, we recommend subscribing (for free) in iTunes). That way, each episode will automatically be sent to your computer. You can also find alternate download links and full shownotes on the MuggleCast website. Note that the file size of this show is significantly larger as it is in stereo (meaning it sounds great). Enjoy!

To whet your taste buds, check out this photo depicting a few Deathly Hallows boxes sitting in a Charleston library.

According to this article, librarians received special permission to open the boxes early for cataloging. The books are not allowed to be placed on display until July 21st.

Thanks to Jeffrey for the tip!

With extreme caution for lack of authenticity, we bring you this article from The Guardian's online website. It holds, what they say, is the opening to Deathly Hallows dated October 23rd, 2006.

According to their site, this small portion can be seen in video from the upcoming JK Rowling documentary we told you about a few days ago.

We've posted it in the black area below in case it is removed from The Guardian's website. Highlight in between the arrows if you wish to read.

-->'Chapter One. The Dark Lord Ascending. The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands pointing at each other's chests: then, recognising each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and set off, side by side, in the same direction.

"News?", asked the taller of the two.

"The best," replied Snape.'<--

Please remember that it is still unknown as to whether or not this is real. Interesting, nonetheless. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

Emily's edit: I emailed Andrew saying I didn't think the excerpt was real. Here's why: There is a mixture of British/English grammar - the British spelling of "recognise" and the American use of "a few yards." There are also odd punctuation errors - a colon after "chest" and then ?", when only a question mark before the quotation mark would be used. Would Jo really make these errors? We'll find out soon.

MuggleNet's Senior Systems Manager Damon Brangers turns 22 today! Damon is a recent graduate of the Louisville Institute of Technology, and nobody looks sharper in a suit and tie. He's been keeping MuggleNet from crashing since 2003. Happy birthday, Damon, we hope you got lots of waffles!

MuggleNet's Emerson Spartz will be appearing live on Fox News's At Large with Geraldo Rivera Sunday evening, sometime between 8:40-9 PM EST. If anyone can capture it and send it to us or put it up on YouTube, we would be very grateful! Emerson also filmed a segment for CBS Evening News, which will be airing this week. We'll keep you informed!

Entertainment Weekly has a new article on the fifth Potter movie. The article contains general information on the Harry Potter films as well as what Dan plans on doing once he is done with the Potter series. He also tells EW what he thinks about tabloid journalists:

"What everybody would love to see," he says, "is me having ditched school and then just going wild." He grins the sort of unalloyed grin you rarely see from poor, tormented Harry Potter these days. "That's what I'm determined not to give them."

Every year in March, millions of Americans sharpen their No. 2 pencils and fill out brackets picking the college basketball teams they think most likely to win the NCAA Tournament. Now, Harry Potter fans across the globe are all doing the same thing - but instead of predicting basketball game outcomes, we're making predictions about how the series will end. For us Potter prognosticators, we're not suffering from March Madness, but Deathly Hallows Madness.

Similar to how college hoops fans attempt to select the winner from a pool of 65 teams, we want MuggleNet visitors to choose their best answers to 65 Deathly Hallows-related questions! The fan whose predictions most closely match the events that unfold in Book 7 on the 21st wins the opportunity to be a guest host on MuggleNet's Award-Winning Harry Potter Podcast, MuggleCast! In addition, 1st - 5th places win a MuggleNet shirt and their choice of Alivan's wand.

Good luck!

Rupert Grint and Emma Watson made an appearance on today's edition of Yahoo!'s "The 9" show. Both of them discuss various things ranging from music festivals to the best way to make toast.

UPDATE: Rupert was also on NBC's Today Show and Fuse's The Sauce. You can watch both videos here.

JK Rowling will be reading from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at London's Natural History Museum on July 21st, and Bloomsbury has announced that this will be streamed live at their website.

Furthermore, Jo is set to participate in a live web chat from 2-3:00 PM BST on July 30th. Questions may be submitted one week in advance or live on 30th July at Bloomsbury.com.

ITV is set to broadcast a documentary on JK Rowling this winter called "A Year in the Life...JK Rowling," and some excerpts from the special have been released.

The author JK Rowling is seen in a forthcoming TV documentary looking over the just-finished version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on her laptop. She declares: "Yeah, think I've finished."

As an off-camera film-maker offers his congratulations, Rowling, 41, says: "Thank you...yeah, you don't know, it might be rubbish. Some people will loathe it, they will absolutely loathe it. For some people to love it, other people must loathe it. That's just in the nature of the plot."

She adds, "I'm actually really, really happy with it", before bowing her head on the keyboard to exclaim: "Oh my God!"

Ciaran's opinion: When she says readers could potentially loathe the book, it would be because of deaths. And I don't think Jo believes killing off any character(s) other than Harry would spark hate among fans, which could mean... (Consider that she's never said this about a previous book even though very beloved characters have died.)

Emerson's opinion: This could be interpreted to mean anything. I still don't believe Harry will die.

It has emerged that some book stores in the UK are not required to keep a written agreement preventing them from selling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before its release next Friday.

"It's quite possible one will break the embargo," says Katherine Rushton from The Bookseller magazine. "They'd do it to be first, and for all the PR."

Bloomsbury replied saying that there is "no reason to believe anyone would want to ruin the excitement. If such a thing were to happen, we believe that the public would make their feelings known by not buying it from such a spoilsport retailer. [However] it is our intention to vigorously enforce the embargo if required."