A new fan challenge: Durmstrang in Scandinavia?

According to AQ reader Constance Vigilance and HP4GU member Pam Scruton, a transcript exists somewhere of a reading Rowling did at "Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre" in Glasgow, December 9, 2000. According to Pam, Jo told the audience (roughly) where Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are. We'd LOVE to confirm this! Here is an alleged snippet...

"Durmstrang is in northern Scandinavia - the very north of Sweden or Norway and that is somewhere near Cannes in the south of France. She says she doesn't know for certain because, of course, the exact whereabouts of these schools is a closely-guarded secret to which she is not privy!"

I have added this to our "Fan Challenge" list of lost interviews. E-mail me, please, if you have preserved this transcript somewhere. Thanks for tip Constance!

Later edit: Meann has confirmed that the reading took place: BBC News

Edit #2: More digging! I have found a fan report of the reading from the archives of Harry Potter for Grown Ups, and written to the woman who posted the report. Jules found a Mugglenet editorial that comes to the same conclusions but doesn't cite the Glasgow reading, and roonwit found another confirmation [pdf] that the reading really took place.

Diane Rehm Show audio available again!

AQ reader Terrah has written to tell us that the awesome interview of Rowling by Diane Rehm is available for listening again!

In this interview, Rowling speaks of Harry's "burden," how she came up with the word "Quidditch" and what Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts might be like. And if that isn't all, Rowling reads the passage from Book 1 where Harry's wand chooses him. You can't listen to it and not get goosebumps.

Transcript here, courtesy of Jimmi Thøgersen.

Many thanks, Terrah! We are very pleased that this is available again.

New canon: Slytherin = "warped wizards?"

AQ reader Louise told us a few months ago about a 2001 interview in Candis Magazine, so we added it to our Fan Challenge list. Well, this week, AQ staffer Jules got her hands on a copy and has made us all a transcript. Big thanks to Louise and Jules! Here's the new canon we gleaned:

• JKR: "The Harry books are supposed to be full of surprises, but I try to make sure that they unfold in a realistic way."
• Slytherin house is the "home of warped wizards."
• Riddle, "twisted by ambition and lack of love," desires power.
• On the diary Horcrux: "Though he's supposed to have died years before, his malign spirit manipulates events through an enchanted diary."

Did you save clippings of articles we don't have on AQ? Well, you can be a Canon Niffler, too!

Official transcript of Owen Jones interview!

AQ reader Joanne Hill has transcribed the Owen Jones interview that was televised by ITV in 2005! I have been busy correcting all the references to the previous, incomplete reports, because the quoted text is slightly different. Here is the adjusted list of canon summaries for the interview:

• JKR: "Ravenclaw will have its day!" Jo makes this seem like it will be important.
• Wormtail won't kill Lupin.
• Jo is implying that Dumbledore had a hand in ending WWII when he defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald.
• She gave Harry a fortune as she was poor at the time and wanted him to have a lot. It was wishful thinking.
• Loves fan-theories. People have been very close to figuring out things.
• JKR: "Bits of the final book have been guessed."
• Ron is a character who would swear, but her editor won't let her use swear words.
• A Hogwarts graveyard will not play a role in the last book; it is something fans made up. [Ed: the source was actually Alfonso Cuarón]
• JKR: "When people have finished reading this book, they will really know what to expect in book seven. I think I give very clear pointers to what Harry will do next."
• JKR: "The final chapter, as I've always said, really relates to what happens to the people who survive the story, after the end of the story. And I have made small tweaks to it over the intervening years. And I'll have to rewrite it when I get there."

Note: I have also removed something that Jo was reported to have said because it was *not* in the interview. Although it really sounds like her, she apparently did NOT say: "There is plenty to guess at... at least one thing I think people will probably deduce, there is a mystery left at the end, but I think they might already know the answer if they think about it."

Thank you for the transcript Joanne, you have advanced our knowledge of canon! And thanks too to Owen. You asked some really great questions.

Do you have an interview treasure hidden in a box? Check out our "fan challenge" list of interviews we're still searching for.

Fan challenge: Can you find these?

With so many articles and transcripts of J.K. Rowling interviews reappearing, I thought I would post a list of the ones we're looking for. If you have any of these, please email me: accioquote@gmail.com.

• Blue Peter TV Show appearance, March 3, 1997 Jo has mentioned this as her first TV appearance but I can find no record of it except for the listing in the IMDB.
• Diane Rehm show audio from October 20, 1999 (apparently re-broadcast on 12/24/1999). I have written them to request a copy since they removed it from their archives and they said they couldn't do that. It had been here.
• CBC "This Morning, Sunday Edition" audio interview from October 2000. I have searched their site and the web and cannot find it. It had been here. Either the audio or a transcript would be great.
  
• Blue Peter from March 12, 2001. We only have a partial transcript.
• Owen Jones interview from July 17, 2005 -- we only have partial transcripts. We found this one! Big thank you to Joanne Hill!