In honor of J.K. Rowling’s birthday today, July 31, we are delving into the world of wizards by dedicating the word of the day to our beloved Potterheads and all Hogwarts fans. 

pure-blood: (noun) This is a term for wizards and witches who have a purely or approximately pure magical heritage. 

muggle: (noun) A muggle is a person who is born into a non-magical family and is incapable of performing magic. 

• If you are a proud Potterhead, a new study suggests there is more reason to be proud! In fact, reading Harry potter has helped to reduce prejudice. “That’s the conclusion of research just published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. It finds that, among young people, reading J.K. Rowling’s book series—and, crucially, identifying with the lead character—can reduce bias toward stigmatized minority groups. Bigotry, the researchers note, is a continuing theme in the series of phenomenally popular young-adult novels. Voldemort, who represents pure evil…believes all power should reside in pure-blood witches and wizards, as opposed to those born of one magical parent and one non-magical muggle. In addition, Harry and his friends interact with various sub-human species such as elves and goblins, who regularly complain about being forced into subservient roles, not unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa. Harry ‘tries to understand them and appreciate their difficulties…’” So there you go, reading Harry Potter isn’t only fun but educational for life! Read the full article here. 

According to Rowling, “The wizards represent all that the true muggle most fears: They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!”

Happy Birthday J.K. Rowling

& Happy 34th Birthday, Harry James Potter.

(via wordsnquotes)