What sort of objects are Portkeys?” said Harry curiously. “Well, they can be anything,” said Mr. Weasley. “Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don’t go picking them up and playing with them . . . stuff they’ll just think is litter. . . .

There's no formula.

If ever I expected to come face to face with an angry Christian fundamentalist, it wasn't in FAO Schwarz.

I'm opposed to fundamentalism in any form.

With all of their benefits, and there are many, one of the things I regret about e-books is that they have taken away the necessity of trawling foreign bookshops or the shelves of holiday houses to find something to read. I've come across gems and stinkers that way, and both can be fun.

Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world.