lj user=The_Boy_With_The_Scar

[mollyringle]

I'm a few chapters into my re-read of Order of the Phoenix, and have reached a part where Harry is bitching about the Daily Prophet painting him as "just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask--I didn't want--Voldemort killed my parents!" Harry spluttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never-"

("We know, Harry," Ginny interrupts.)

Now, I realize the wizarding world doesn't truck with Muggle stuff, but if they have newspapers, surely they have something resembling a blog? Really that's all Harry needs. He must be the only teenager in the world who could fail to think of it--and he does live among Muggles. (Though Rowling seems to be ignoring the fact of the web for her otherwise-modern Muggle world.) He'd get a million readers instantly. He'd have to turn the "comments" feature off and hide his email address; but he'd get the word out, no question. Or, if wizards honestly have nothing like the internet (they do seem to rely on ye olde owls for all correspondence), he could take some of his gold and start up a separate paper. Again, I think he'd get more than enough subscribers. Why haven't any of them thought of this, if getting the "Voldemort is back" message out is so important to them?

Kids these days. I tell ya.

P.S. I need a HP icon. Make me some. Nothing slashy or too sentimental or eponymous (by "eponymous" I mean, say, a photo of Harry that says "Harry" in fancy writing).

Comments

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

I need a HP icon. Make me some.

I have just the thing, but I'll have to wait to send it until I get home from work...

[bluedragon716.livejournal.com]

He could always put out an ad on the WWN. Or in the Daily Prophet - they probably have a readers' comments area.

But really - what he should have done was taken a camera with him. Who wouldn't have paid to see inside photos of the maze, or the merpeople's dwellings? Plus then he could have photographic proof the Voldemort was back. I'm quite surprised no one thought of this.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

The first Harry Potter book plays in... 1991, I believe. I don't think the internet was all that widely spread back then. And online blogs didn't yet exist, afaik...

But the newspaper idea is pretty good actually. Whether his paper would have ranked among the likes of the Witch Weekly or rather the likes of The Quibbler is a different question...

[sopdetly.livejournal.com]

As oloriel said, you do have to remember the timeline. OotP is July 1995 to June 1996. All the cool kids had their own AOL account ;) But, I have always liked the idea of an wizarding Internet...

Actually, someone once asked Jo about that, and she said that they have something even cooler. I'm not sure if it's something we've been introduced to, but somehow I don't think so. Maybe HBP will give us that info!

[sopdetly.livejournal.com]

In the first episode of The X-Files, Mulder was highly equipped with lots of cameras and other gadgets to gather good evidence...

We never saw that stuff again. ;)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Heh! Didn't expect anyone to jump on it that fast. Cool. There is of course no shortage of available HP icons on LJ. The trouble is sifting through the thousands of dippy ones for a decent one.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

True, that would have been cool (the camera). And maybe with those moving wizard photos, there's some built-in way to detect whether the photo is genuine or not - since I'm sure it would be easy to cast a spell and make a fake photo. :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's right. I'd forgotten they started that early. Guess it was right on the cusp of the worldwide 'net craze. But yeah, an underground newsletter seems right up Hermione's alley - or at least the twins'. :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I kinda forgot we weren't in "real time" despite the books taking place at one year apiece. Few authors can write that fast, especially books those size!

But after posting this, I did think, "Hmm, I wonder if the internet will crop up in book 6 or 7?" Because there really are some cool things that could be done with that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the love of Harry's life turned out to be some girl (Muggle, maybe, even) he met online. :D

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Heh! That's right. Where'd all his Ghostbusters gear go? Seemed like all they ever had was a gun and a flashlight (if they were lucky) when the eerieness started happening. :)

[trilliah.livejournal.com]

I mean, say, a photo of Harry that says "Harry" in fancy writing

Well, damn; you just knocked down about anything I could've made with the extent of my photoshop skills. ;)

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

I made this for myself a while ago but never got around to using it. Feel free to make use of it, if you like!

[sopdetly.livejournal.com]

And a cellphone. Don't diss the cellphone ;)

[sopdetly.livejournal.com]

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the love of Harry's life turned out to be some girl (Muggle, maybe, even) he met online. :D

OMGWTF! Harry ♥'s DRACO!!! (Or Ginny. Or Hermione. Or Luna. Or whoever. Hahaha.)

I'd seriously LOVE for Harry to meet a nice Muggle girl on the 'net. Someone who's never heard of him. And who really pisses off the fangirls XD

[modmerseygirl.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! *nods enthusiastically* Very good points, dear!

[(Anonymous)]

I read somewhere that she said she's going to introduce something way cooler than the internet. I think it'll be in the next book.

He actually did try and get the word out in the Quibbler...although that was Hermione's idea. Also, he may not know what a blog is because Dudley never allows him to go on his computer. So he could just be completely unaware of the fact that there is this whole world of technology out there. You know what, he probably doesnt even KNOW what a blog is...the poor bastard.

~Sara

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Hee hee! Will do--fetched it. Thanks. :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Even in my re-reads, though I'm starting to see the Sirius/Remus possibilities, I do NOT get the Draco love. He's a twerp plain and simple.

But yes. Running off with a geeky Muggle girl would be just about perfect. :D