Pottermore translations. Ghosts of Hogwarts

Hello again! This time, the Tent offers to listen to Rowling's stories on a ghostly theme: who are ghosts? Who are we used to thinking of as ghosts, but not quite right? What are ghostly phenomena? In 2012, there were already stories about the Hogwarts ghosts, but this was not the end of the materials on this topic. And what is there - read on.

Ghosts
(alpha - Sept, beta - Windora, corrector - Mirika)

In the world of Harry Potter, a ghost is a transparent volumetric trace of the soul of a deceased wizard who continues to exist among people. Muggles cannot become ghosts; wise witches and wizards do not choose this path. Those who have so-called “unfinished business” - fear, guilt, regret or simple attachment to the material world - refuse to move to the next stage.

By choosing a pitiful semblance of earthly life, ghosts limit themselves in development. Physical pleasures are inaccessible to them, their knowledge and worldview remain at the level that was achieved during life, so old grievances (for example, about a head that was not completely cut off) continue to torment them even after several centuries. For this reason, ghosts are generally depressing company. They tend to disappoint on the one question that most people ask: “What happens after death?” Ghosts cannot give an intelligible answer to it, because they have chosen a pitiful semblance of life.

Ghosts can pass through solid objects without damaging them or themselves, but create vibrations in water, fire and air. In the immediate vicinity of ghosts, the temperature drops, this effect increases when they gather together. Their appearance can also change the color of the flame to blue. If a ghost partially or completely passes through a living creature, then it experiences an unpleasant sensation, as if it had been plunged into ice water.

Witches and wizards are more susceptible to paranormal activity than Muggles. They clearly see (and hear) ghosts, while Muggles can only feel the cold where the ghost is located or get goosebumps. Muggles who claim to have clearly seen ghosts are either a) lying or b) bragging wizards - a blatant violation of the International Statute of Secrecy.

Peeves
(alpha - Lenoklug, beta - Windora, corrector - Mirika)

The term "poltergeist" is of German origin, literally translated as "noisy ghost", although a poltergeist, strictly speaking, is not a ghost at all. A poltergeist is an invisible entity that can move objects, slam doors, and create other audible and motion-related disturbances. It is mentioned in many cultures. There is a strong connection between it and the places where young people, especially teenagers, live. Versions about the nature of this phenomenon are very different, ranging from supernatural to scientific.

In a house full of teenage witches and wizards, a poltergeist is bound to appear. It can also be expected that such a poltergeist will be noisier, more damaging, and more difficult to exorcise than those poltergeists that appear from time to time in Muggle homes.

Indeed, Peeves is the most notorious and annoying poltergeist in British history. Unlike most poltergeists, Peeves has a physical form, although he can turn invisible if desired. His appearance reflects his character, which (everyone who knows Peeves will agree) is a harmonious mixture of humor and malevolence.

Peeves deserves his name ("Peeve" - ​​"bother", "irritate", "offend"), as he became a headache for every one of the caretakers of Hogwarts, from Hunkerton Humble (appointed to this post by the four founders of the school) onwards. Although it must be admitted that many students and even teachers have a somewhat perverse attachment to Peeves (he undoubtedly brings some zest to the life of the school). Peeves is an incurable messer, and the attendant is constantly tasked with cleaning up his many carefully planned messes, resulting in broken vases, spilled potions, overturned bookcases, etc. Those with weak nerves curse Peeves' habit of suddenly materializing an inch from the tip of their nose, dropping heavy objects on their heads, or hiding in armor.

Several persistent attempts to get rid of Peeves failed. The last, and most disastrous, was carried out in 1876 by caretaker Rancorus Karp. He constructed an elaborate trap, using cunning baits and various weapons (which he believed Peeves would not be able to overcome), as well as a huge enchanted glass dome with a deterrent charm, which he wanted to drop on the poltergeist at the right moment. But Peeves not only easily got out from under the huge dome, showering the entire corridor with glass shards - he found himself armed with several sabers, crossbows, a blunderbuss and a small cannon. Everyone was evacuated from the castle, while Peeves amused himself by shooting out of the windows and threatening everyone he met with death. The three-day standoff ended when Eupraxia Mole, then headmistress, agreed to sign an agreement that gave Peeves additional privileges: the ability to swim once a week in the boys' toilets on the ground floor, first choice of stale bread in the kitchen (with the intention of throwing it), and a new hat custom-made by Madame Bonabile of Paris. Rancorus Carp left his post prematurely due to health problems, and no further attempts were made to rid the castle of its most unruly occupant.

Peeves acknowledges some authorities. Although he is completely unimpressed by titles and badges, he generally submits to the teachers' criticism, agreeing to remain outside their classrooms while they teach. He has also been shown to have affection for some of his students (especially Fred and George Weasley), and of course, he fears the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin.

Ghost Stories
Alpha - Anetheron, beta - Dolvice, corrector - Zhouli. Narrated by J. Rowling.

In the seventeen years that I've been dreaming up and writing the story of Harry Potter (except for the stories in Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find Them, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard), I've planned a lot of information about the wizarding world that never didn't appear in the books. I just liked knowing all these things (and thank God, because sometimes I just couldn't contain my exploding imagination), so often when I needed some minor detail, it was already ready due to the world I had designed.
I also found myself carefully thinking through storylines for secondary (sometimes even tertiary) characters that were not so necessary. Most of these plots had to be taken out of the story so that they did not interfere with the main narrative. I myself called such stories “ghostly.” This is my own definition for all those untold stories that sometimes seemed to me no less true and real than what I ended up writing about. At meetings with my readers, I sometimes mentioned some of my ghostly sketches, and then watched the faces long in surprise. “Have we missed twenty pages of text somewhere?” - read in their eyes. I apologize to everyone I might have confused in this way - these are all my cockroaches, really.

Julia | 08/11/2014

They freely pass through walls, talk underwater, do not sleep, do not eat or breathe. “The imprint of a wizard’s soul that left the earth,” Severus Snape said about the bottom. “They shine through,” Harry Potter rightly added. It's all about them - about ghosts.

MOANING MYRTLE

Why do students avoid the women's restroom on the second floor? Moaning Myrtle, a former student at the Academy of Magic, just settled there. Her favorite pastime is to bemoan her fate and her pimply appearance.

ALMOST HEADLESS NICK

The “home” ghost of Gryffindors, always ready to come to their aid. Despite his goodwill, Nick is still a snob. If you hurt his feelings, he will immediately throw his head back proudly and note that now he should be addressed only as “Sir Nicholas de Mimsey-Delphington.” He was executed many centuries ago, but 45 blunt blows to the neck did not completely separate his head from his body, which prevented him from joining the "Headed Hunters Club."

BLOODY BARON

A full-fledged resident of the Slytherin house. A ghost stained from head to toe with traces of silvery blood, who loves to clang with chains in the Astronomy Tower. By the way, he wears chains voluntarily as a sign of repentance - once, in a fit of rage, he stabbed his beloved, and realizing what he had done, he committed suicide and settled in Hogwarts.

FAT MONK

The faculty's own ghost, Puufendui, is a good-natured fat man who is ready to believe everyone, even those who are not trustworthy.

GRAY LADY

The faculty ghost of Ravenclaw, the daughter of the founder of the faculty, a blond beauty in a robe. However, if she opens it, a deep knife wound is visible on her chest. During her lifetime, she stole a magic diadem, hoping to surpass her mother Candida in intelligence. She was stabbed to death by the Bloody Baron, who had long been in love with the beauty.

BINS

Not only a ghost who lives within the walls of Hogwarts, but also a teacher of the history of magic. A real bore who turns even the most interesting facts into sleep-inducing mantras. Students are still arguing whether the professor even realizes that he is dead?

EDGAR CLOGGS

The ghost of a former Quidditch player has been haunting the Hogwarts field for centuries.

It's Friday again, and the owl from the Translators' Tent is ready to take another scroll to the Agora editorial office: this time with a short story by JK Rowling about the ghosts of Hogwarts Castle. In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting translations that have already been published in the newspaper.
A series of articles about magic wands is already approaching: the wood from which they are made, the magical “core,” length and flexibility. We are contacting the master of the HS and Argemona wands and hope to receive comments - are the approaches to making one of the main tools of magicians in Rowling’s world and in our world similar?

Dear readers, your opinion is interesting and important to us! Are you interested in translations? Which topics did you like best? Is this how you “completed” Rowling’s world for yourself, as she says now? What did you guess and what surprised you? Or perhaps you are ready to argue about something? How is it in our Magomir - and are the worlds similar to each other?
We are waiting for your comments!

Alpha translation - Aish, beta translation - Dolvice, proofreading - Mallone

Hogwarts is the most haunted residential building in Britain (despite a large number of competitors for this title, because it is in Foggy Albion that the largest number of tangible or tangible ghosts has been documented than in any other part of the world). The castle is a good place for ghosts because its living inhabitants treat their dead friends with tolerance and even affection, no matter how many times they have to listen to the same memories.

Each of the four houses of Hogwarts has its own ghost. Slytherin is proud of the Bloody Baron, whose clothes are covered with silver droplets of blood. The most silent ghost of the castle is the beautiful long-haired Gray Lady.
The Hufflepuffs are kept busy by the Fat Monk, who was executed because the senior priests found it suspicious of his ability to cure smallpox in peasants with just the touch of his wand, and also because of his habit of pulling rabbits out of the communion cup. Although good-natured by nature, the Fat Monk still resents the fact that he was never made a cardinal.
Gryffindor became the home of Nearly Headless Nick, who during his lifetime was called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. During his lifetime, Sir Nicholas was somewhat of a snob and a less skilled wizard than he thought. He idled around the court of Henry VII until his stupid attempt to use magic to make one of the court ladies beautiful, which resulted in the poor woman growing fangs. Sir Nicholas's wand was taken away and he was clumsily executed, leaving his head hanging by just a piece of skin and tendon. Because of this, he is tormented by a feeling of inferiority towards completely beheaded ghosts.

Another famous Hogwarts ghost is Moaning Myrtle, who haunts the unpopular girls' restroom. Myrtle was a student at Hogwarts and after her death she decided to return to school permanently with the short-term goal of pursuing her main competitor and offender, Olivia Hornby. Decades have passed, and Myrtle has established herself as the most pathetic ghost in the school, and can usually be found hiding in one of the toilets, filling the tiled room with her moans and howls.

Rowling's Reflections
The idea for Moaning Myrtle was inspired by the constant presence of some crying girl in public toilets during my youth, especially at parties and discos. This doesn't seem to happen in men's restrooms, which is why in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince I had to, with some pleasure, send Harry and Ron to the girls' restroom, an unfamiliar place where they also felt awkward.

The most useful ghost in Hogwarts is, of course, Professor Binns, the elderly History of Magic teacher who one day fell asleep in the staff room opposite the fireplace, and the next day simply got up to go to his next lesson, leaving his body in his chair. There is some disagreement over whether Professor Binns is aware that he is dead. And although his appearance in class through the blackboard is a rather funny sight, he is not one of those teachers who knows how to awaken a thirst for knowledge in students.
Professor Binns was based on an elderly professor at my university who gave all his lectures with his eyes closed, quietly rocking back and forth. He was a wonderful person who gave away a huge amount of valuable information in every lecture, but his detachment from the students was complete. Professor Binns has a vague understanding of his living students and is surprised if they start asking him questions.

In the earliest lists of Hogwarts ghosts in my sketches and drafts, I included Myrtle (then called "Screaming Wanda"), Professor Binns, the Gray Lady (then called "The Whispering Lady") and the Bloody Baron. There was also the Black Knight, the Toad (who left ectoplasm all over the classroom), and a ghost named Edmund Grubb, who didn't make it into the stories, which I really regret. Next to his name is the note “Died in the doorway of the dining room. Sometimes out of spite prevents people from entering there.” Well, and also the ghost of the Fat Victorian (he was poisoned by poisonous berries).

Shaera | 11/30/2012

Additional materials from J. Rowling 📝

Ghosts of Hogwarts 👻

Story from J.K. Rowling

Apart from unsubstantiated rumors about the Howling Shack, which has never been haunted, Hogwarts is the most haunted place in Britain (but the school has many competitors for this title: ghosts are spotted on islands around the country more often than anywhere else in the country). world). Hogwarts is friendly to ghosts, because the living neighbors treat them with tolerance and even affection, despite the fact that the ghosts tell the same stories from their lives that everyone has already heard countless times.

Each of the four faculties has its own ghost. For example, Slytherins are proud of the Bloody Baron, whose clothes are covered with silvery drops of blood. The least talkative of all is the beautiful long-haired Gray Lady.

Hufflepuff has a Fat Monk who was executed because senior clerics were suspicious of his ability to cure smallpox by simply poking a person with a stick. He also had the ill-advised pastime of pulling rabbits out of the communion bowl. The Fat Monk is usually very good-natured, but he is still outraged that he never became a cardinal.

Gryffindor House is home to Nearly Headless Nick, who was known in life as Sir Nicholas de Mimsey-Delphington. He dreamed of being in high society and had an overly exaggerated idea of ​​his skills in the area of ​​magic. One day he was walking through the court of Henry VII and decided to brighten up the wait for one lady by improving her smile with the help of magic, but instead she developed fangs. Sir Nicholas was robbed of his wand and then botched and executed, leaving his head hanging by a piece of skin and sinew. He feels a sense of inferiority towards real headless ghosts.

It is worth mentioning another ghost of Hogwarts - Moaning Myrtle, she lives in the girls' toilet, which no one has been going to for a long time. At the time of her death, Myrtle was a student at Hogwarts, and then decided to return to school forever in order to ruin the life of Olivia Hornby, who at one time bullied Myrtle. Decades later, Myrtle has established herself as the most pathetic ghost, who usually hides in some toilet and moans and screams pitifully from there.

J.K.'s thoughts Rowling

Lots of crying girls in public restrooms, especially at the parties of my youth, were the inspiration for Moaning Myrtle. This doesn't happen very often in men's rooms, so I loved putting Harry and Ron in such an unpleasant and unusual environment for them in the Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Blood Prince.

The most useful ghost in Hogwarts is, of course, Professor Beans, the old teacher of the history of magic. One day he simply fell asleep in front of the fireplace in the staff room, and then went to his next lesson, leaving his body behind. Some even argue whether Professor Beans realizes that he is dead or not. And although it is very interesting for freshmen to watch him appear in class from the blackboard, he cannot be called the most interesting teacher.

Professor Beans was inspired by an old professor of mine at university. He lectured with his eyes closed, barely perceptibly rocking back and forth on his toes. He was simply a storehouse of knowledge and every lesson poured out a lot of valuable information on us, but at the same time, he was very far from his students. Professor Beans hardly notices his living students, and therefore is very surprised by their existence when one of them suddenly asks him a question.

My very first list of Hogwarts ghosts included Moaning Myrtle (then called Wailing Wanda), Professor Beans, the Gray Lady (then called the Whispering Lady), and the Bloody Baron. There was also the Black Knight, the Toad (a ghost who was emitting ectoplasm all over the office), and a ghost - I'm sorry I didn't mention him - called "Edmund Grubb": next to his name I wrote "Died on the threshold of the Dining Hall" " Sometimes he prevented people from going inside, purely out of spite. It was a fat ghost from the Victorian era (he ate poisoned berries).

Translation: vk.com/wall-144094821_340507
vk.com/potteromaniya
Original: my.pottermore.com

Almost headless Nick has a sense of self-esteem, apparently due to his noble origin. As soon as one of the students accidentally offends Nick, he declares that his name is "Sir Nicholas de Mimsey-Delphington", and, proudly raising his head, walks away. However, the ghost is easy-going and not vindictive: Sir Nicholas has long been accustomed to "jokes about your death". An important quality of Almost Headless Nick, which makes him a Gryffindor, is loyalty to his word, to the faculty. He “he would rather die than betray his trust”. Nick is always ready to help the Gryffindor, but the ghost also has negative qualities. For example, he hums the song “Weasley is our king!” at Ron Weasley's disgraceful performance in the Quidditch match. Nick is fearful. He admits to Harry Potter that "feared of death".

Origin

During his lifetime, Almost Headless Nick was called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. He came from France (as indicated by the particle de in the name), but lived in England in the 15th century. It is likely that he was an aristocrat, perhaps even a knight. He was probably a magician and studied at Hogwarts in the Gryffindor faculty (no wonder Sir Nicholas is the faculty ghost). According to Pottermore, Sir Nicholas was a courtier and part of the retinue of King Henry VII. One day he decided to endow one of the maids of honor with special beauty, but the attempt was unsuccessful: the maid of honor grew tusks. Nicholas was deprived of his magic wand and beheaded on October 31, 1492, but also unsuccessfully. 45 blows with a blunt ax led to the fact that Nicholas's head was supported by several pieces of skin, which is why, when he became a ghost, he received the nickname “Almost Headless”. It was this fact that did not allow Nick to join the Headless Hunters Club.

Why Nick chose Gryffindor Tower for his posthumous residence is unknown.

Magic

Conversation*
(screenshot from the game “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”)

Like any ghost, Almost Headless Nick has a translucent “body”, is able to appear out of nowhere, pass through solid objects, including thick castle walls, fly and soar in the air. Being in a borderline state between life and death, Sir Nicholas can communicate with both living people and other ghosts. Moreover, he is even capable of throwing parties with his fellow ghosts, remember his death anniversary.

Contactors

Nearly Headless Nick first appears at the school feast in honor of the beginning of the school year. It was then that Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger saw him for the first time. It was Hermione's question that caused the ghost to demonstrate the peculiarity of its head.

Attack
(still from the film "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets")

Audio versions

*Image source: http://i39.beon.ru/61/50/2255061/99/114750599/475235331.jpeg
*Image source: http://greatgamer.ru/screenshots/harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince/77.html
*Image source: http://www.charmed-potter.narod.ru/harry.htm