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NOTES

This book was edited by Arthur A. Levine and art directed by David Saylor. The art for the cover was created using pastels on toned printmaking paper. The art for the interiors was created using pen and ink on paper. The book was designed by Elizabeth B. Parisi and typeset by Brad Walrod. The text was set in Adobe Garamond Pro. The hook was printed and bound at Quebecor World in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The Managing Editor was Karyn Browne; the Continuity Editor was Cheryl Klein; and the Manufacturing Director was Meryl Wolfe.

1 It is true, of course, that genuine witches and wizards were reasonably adept at escaping the stake, block, and noose (see my comments about Lisette de Lapin in the commentary on “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump"). However, a number of deaths did occur: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (a wizard at the Royal Court in his lifetime, and in his death-time, ghost of Gryffindor Tower) was stripped of his wand before being locked in a dungeon, and was unable to magic himself out of his execution; and Wizarding families were particularly prone to losing younger members, whose inability to control their own magic made them noticeable, and vulnerable, to Muggle witch-hunters.

2 [A Squib is a person born to magical parents, but who has no magical powers. Such an occurrence is rare. Muggle-born witches and wizards are much more common. — JKR]

3 Such as myself

4 [Non-British Muggles may be unfamiliar with the British tradition of plays presented at Christmastime, usually based on fairy tales and including music, comical characters, and audience participation (though not, generally, of the vigorous type described here). —JKR]

5 Professor Beery eventually left Hogwarts to teach at W.A.D.A. (Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts), where, he once confessed to me, he maintained a strong aversion to mounting performances of this particular story, believing it to be unlucky.

6 See Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for a definitive description of this curious beast. It ought never to be voluntarily introduced into a wood-paneled room, nor have an Engorgement Charm placed upon it.

7 Professor Kettleburn survived no fewer than sixty-two periods of probation during his employment as Care of Magical Creatures teacher. His relations with my predecessor at Hogwarts, Professor Dippet, were always strained, Professor Dippet considering him to be somewhat reckless. By the time I became headmaster, however, Professor Kettleburn had mellowed considerably, although there were always those who took the cynical view that with only one and a half of his original limbs remaining to him, he was forced to take life at a quieter pace.