Previously in the Ronbledore saga: J.K. Rowling “regret[s] pairing Ron and Hermione together (because Ron is a time-traveling Dumbledore).” J.K. Rowling has long attempted to downplay the existence of Ronbledore in early drafts of the Harry Potter books. A recent court order has released these never-before-seen drafts that have only been the stuff of legends. Until now. "In OotP, Ron is nearly strangled by some purple wizard robes while cleaning up Grimmauld Place. Who do we…

No, I know, I KNOW, we said no more Harry Potter this year, but I forgot that I had accepted this ages ago, and I think you will enjoy it very much. And imagine the joy you'll get from vociferously disagreeing with their choices in the comments! Jane Austen  We're starting off with a softball here - Jane, beloved Jane, is an easy choice. Her novels, occasionally dismissed by illiterate ninnyhammers as romances, are ultimately about the triumph…

We had sworn we were done with Harry Potter pieces, but we liked this one so much we had to have it just the same. Enjoy it: it's the last one we'll run in 2014. Here is a thing I believe about stories: the best have a life of their own. When you are in a story—whether you are reading it or writing it—it will tell you what it wants. The stories I love best,…

After last week's startling announcement about Ron and Hermione's relationship, J.K. Rowling surprised the world again today by releasing, in full, "The Ron Weasley Diaries," which narrate the Harry Potter series through the eyes of his best friend. The Toast has been authorized to excerpt these diaries in part below. Dear Diary, My name is Ron Weasley and I have one friend. I think friends are better than brothers. I don't think brothers are…

Previously in the Ronbledore saga: This guy on an old Harry Potter forum says Dumbledore is a time-traveling Ron Weasley and I want to hear him out. Fans of the Harry Potter series were stunned this weekend after author JK Rowling finally admitted her regret in pairing Ron and Hermione together, implicitly lending her support to the "Ron is a time-traveling Dumbledore" theory that has resulted in the death and denial of so many.

I do not remember offhand what I was doing for the entirety of 2004; playing a bit of indifferent tennis on the William Fremd frosh/soph high school team, to be sure; carefully nursing a hallway crush that necessitated careful class-navigation strategizing; rollerblading to Subway with my friend Emily a lot, because we both really enjoyed Subway. I think I worked at Portillo's that summer, but I can't be entirely certain. What I most assuredly was not…