If London children, in particular, are finding the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince terribly familiar—the Prime Minister paces his office searching desperately for a way to react to inexplicable deaths and unforeseen new dangers—they may be especially chilled by this exchange between the distraught P.M. and newly elected Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour:

"But for heaven's sake—you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out—well—anything!"

Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minster."

Whether you read it as Good People v. terrorists, opposing parties' political machines, loose nukes, or whatever, it's altogether true.

As for prisoners of Azkaban, some instances of unnamed sources quoted or cited in The Daily Prophet in the first 50 pages:

• " 'We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything,' said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night. Nevertheless, highly placed sources have confirmed..." "a growing number of the wizarding community" ... "speculation is rife" ... "some are going so far as to call Potter" ... ("Harry Potter: The Chosen One?" p. 39)

• "Rumors of a rift...surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office." ("Scrimgeour Suceeds Fudge," p. 40)

• " 'For obvious reasons, the Ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new security plans,' said the Minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include defensive spells and charms, a complex array of countercurses, and a small task force of Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School." ("Ministry Guarantees Students' Safety," p. 41)

Here's an interview I did with Rowling in 1999. Speaking of books, I'm guest-hosting Michael Broder's great Ear Inn reading series at 3 p.m. It's at 326 Spring Street, west of Greenwich St. The readers are Gary Joseph Cohen, Adam Kirsch, and David Yezzi; the hash browns are scrumptious.

Is Harry Potter Evil? [Judy Blume, NYT via judyblume.com]
‘Harry Potter' Author Pregnant; Will Deliver Baby in 14 to 18 Months [Andy Borowitz]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [Anthony Lane, New Yorker Film File]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [Michael Agger, New Yorker Film File]
Why American Kids Don't Consider Harry Potter an Insufferable Prig [Daniel Radosh]

Categories: Books