The Sunday Times posted a preview of an interview Emma Watson conducted with J.K. Rowling for the newest issue of Wonderland magazine, which she (Emma) guest edited.  In the interview Rowling discusses Ron and Hermione’s relationship.  Not much is said in this preview but we can probably expect much more information in the full issue. The issue will be released on February 7th.

 She said: “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfilment.  That’s how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do  with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first  imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.”  […] “I know, I’m sorry,” she continued, “I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people’s hearts by saying this? I hope not.”

Emma Watson: “I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy.”

Thanks to Hypable for the tip!

Here we have the last of our video footage from A Celebration of Harry Potter.  Below are a few clips from the Harry Potter Expo that was held at the weekends festivities.  There were booths for Pottermore, WB Studio Tour London, USPS Stamps (featuring the Harry Potter stamp collection, of course), Harry Potter: The Expedition, MinaLima and Scholastic (where Kazu Kibuishi was signing his new illustrations.)

Make sure to check out all our Celebration of Harry Potter coverage!

Scholastic has just posted three brand new clips of J.K. Rowling discussing Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, from Pottermore.  The 20-40 second clips can be listened via the links below.

1. Listen to J. K. Rowling talk about which house Gilderoy Lockhart was sorted into. Play
2. Listen to J. K. Rowling discuss Gilderoy Lockhart’s ambitious mother. Play
3. Listen to J. K. Rowling reveal the secret behind Gilderoy Lockhart’s hair-care range. Play

The Daily Mail reports that J.K. Rowling is co-producing a new play based on the Harry Potter novels.  According to the article the play will take place before Harry’s Hogwarts years. The article states:

[…] the play, to be steered by prominent London and New York producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, will mine (according to a statement sent to me, as a mudblood, by Owl Post yesterday) ‘the previously untold story of Harry Potter’s early years as an orphan and outcast’.

Although the statement didn’t spell it out, I understand that Warner Bros, the studio behind the Potter pictures, will be involved in the development of the theatre show, just as it was with the Sam Mendes musical version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, which is running at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Harry Potter’s theatrical adaptation will seek to ‘offer a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard. A seemingly ordinary boy, but one for whom destiny has plans…’

Rowling noted the numerous approaches she has received about putting Harry Potter on the stage, but the vision put forth by Sonia and Colin ‘was the only one that really made sense to me, and which had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry’s story to the stage. After a year in gestation, it is very exciting to see this project moving onto the next phrase.’

In addition to the news we reported earlier about the upcoming full-color, fully illustrated, Harry Potter books, Bloomsbury have sent over a Q&A with Jim Kay, the artist creating the new illustrations.  The Guardian has also released a photo of Hogwarts, as illustrated by Jim. Below are some questions specifically about his work for Potter. Click more below to see all the questions.

How did you feel when you found out you would be illustrating the Harry Potter novels? Scientists say the Big Bang is to be followed by the Big Crunch, I feel I have firsthand experience of this theory, for hearing the news that I’d got the commission was an explosion of delight, followed instantly by an implosion of brain-freezing terror. From my point of view it is, without doubt, the best commission you can be given – I’m a bit of a control freak, so to be given the opportunity to design the characters, the clothing the architecture and landscapes to possibly the most expansive fantasy world in children’s literature, well lets just say I’m extremely excited about it. However, I am also mindful of the huge responsibility this represents, I just want to make sure I do the best job I possibly can.

Is there a particular character or scene that you are looking forward to illustrating? It’s like trying to choose the shiniest object in Aladdin’s Cave; you pick up one treasure, and another gem catches your eye. I couldn’t even pick a favourite creature at the moment (maybe a Thestral, or a Bowtruckle, but then the goblins are wonderful characters, mind you there are trolls too – you see my problem!). It’s been lovely thinking about creating the characters, but at the moment my favourite task is creating Hogwarts – it’s the first time I’ve thought about building something supported by magic – it’s harder than you’d think.

How do you as an artist approach such a large job? Where do you begin with such a wide range of possibilities? It sounds obvious but you start with the text. The story is everything, and so I want to bring what I can to really show the depth of Rowling’s stories, to their best. Then it’s a case of research, and lots of it. The books have made me look at people differently, I’m always scanning crowds for interesting faces. For an illustrator there’s no such thing as an ugly or odd looking person – they are all interesting. Luckily for me, Kettering is home to some very interesting people indeed. Museums and libraries are my favourite places for inspiration. You might see something, it could be a medieval shoe, an old clock, or a stuffed monkey and immediately it gives you ideas about the characters in the story, the things they would do, the way they walk. The tricky thing I’ve found is my annoying habit of reigning in the more fantastical elements of my sketches when working them up, it’s taken a while for it to sink in that for this commission I can go a little bit crazy. Above my desk, the words ‘It’s Fantasy, Stupid” are now a daily reminder to have a bit of fun.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, what are your first memories of reading the books? I AM a Harry Potter fan, although true to form, I arrived a little late to the party. I actually heard Stephen Fry’s wonderful audio book of Philosopher’s Stone before reading it, initially because I’d sat on a tube train full of school children who were chatting about Potter with great excitement. It was actually the recollections of starting a new school that really connected with me (we moved house when I was young, and I had to start at a big school where I didn’t know anybody). As an adult I’d forgotten how hard school actually was, and it all came flooding back – particularly when reading The Order of the Phoenix – the dread of exams! It’s amazing to think, all of Potter’s world, the streets, the shops, the creatures, the characters, all of these wonderful things come from the brain of one person. To me, that’s magic, some grey matter in someone’s head inspires others to read, play, and create ideas of their own. It’s like a spell that jumps from person to person, recasting itself as it goes. I want to keep that spell going, perhaps adding my own little twist, if possible. I hope over the years we will see lots of different illustrators having a go, in the way that Alice in Wonderland has inspired artists for over a century.

Who is your favourite character from the Harry Potter universe? This is like trying to choose your favourite record, it changes all the time. I have a soft spot for Neville, particularly because of his awkwardness, but you have to admire Hermione, because she puts the hours in at the library, she’s the cement really that holds it all together, well it would be a different story. I want to know more about Severus, there’s so much depth there. Visually, though, it has to be Hagrid; he’s got a wonderful heart, clothed in an enormous, shabby body. Hagrid’s hut is, for me, like an extension of his physique: it makes him a part of Hogwarts, but keeps him at a distance too.

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Bloomsbury Publishing today announce that all seven of J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter books will be published for the first time in stunning full-colour editions, illustrated by the award-winning artist Jim Kay. The first in the series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be published in September 2015.

Jim Kay, winner of the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal, will illustrate all seven books in full-colour and design the new book jacket image as well as the inside artwork. A lifelong Harry Potter fan, Jim Kay says: ‘From my point of view it is, without doubt, the commission of a lifetime …to design the characters, the clothing, the architecture and landscapes to possibly the most expansive fantasy world in children’s literature, well let’s just say I’m extremely excited about it. However, I am also mindful of the huge responsibility this represents. I want to make sure I do the best job I possibly can.’

The Harry Potter novels have now sold approximately 450 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 74 languages. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was recently voted the nation’s favourite children’s book in a poll by reading charity Booktrust.

Bloomsbury is in touch with all international Harry Potter publishers and hopes to make the publication a global event. Emma Hopkin, Bloomsbury Children’s MD said of Jim’s selection: ‘Jim is the perfect mix of extremely talented artist and ardent Harry Potter fan, which will bring great spirit to his illustrations of J.K. Rowling’s extraordinary world.’