An exclusive interview with Ron and Ginny...
December 13, 2002 at 9:25 PM ET
TheSnitch.co.uk
And here it is an exclusive interview with Ginny and Ron as will be seen in the January 2003 issue of READING:
Interview with Ginny and Ron Weasley at the British Publishing Group Awards Dinner
SL: Ron, Ginny, I am delighted to finally meet you. Are you representing your
U.K. publisher or the Harry Potter franchise here at the conference?
GW: Oh, neither. Jo asked us to come.
SL: Jo...that's J.K. Rowling?
RW: Right. She's putting the finishing touches on Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix and couldn't get away, so she asked us to speak here on her
behalf.
SL: Did anyone else from Hogwarts attend?
GW: Hermione is too busy.
RW: Harry is feeling a bit over-exposed at the moment.
SL: I hope you'll pardon me, but you look a bit older than I expected.
GW: The first book was published in 1995. I was ten years old then. This is
my last year at Hogwarts.
SL: Do fictional characters age in real time? How does that work?
GW: Parallel literary universe, time-space continuum... I am not sure.
RW: (shrugs) Hermione can explain it.
SL: Of course, our Muggle readers will want to know what you think of the
film versions of the books. Have you seen them?
GW: Oh yes, several times.
RW: They're brilliant. Of course, it's just the Hollywood version. We are
literary characters. Our loyalty is to Jo, the author.
GW: We are more concerned with the written word, you see. But the films are
great fun. Our Muggle-born friends say it's just like home videos--whatever
those are--with better production values
RW: Whatever those are!
SL: So everyone is satisfied with how the books translated to the screen?
RW: Not everyone, ummmm, Hermione...
GW: She feels her character was over-glamourised and well, that Hogwarts'
academic rigor was rather trivialised.
SL: I see. Speaking of Hermione, what is she doing now?
GW: I thought you would ask, so I may a few notes. (unrolls a roll of
parchment.)
RW: Ginny, we have only an hour for the interview. That list will take days.
GW: It's just the highlights.
SL: Hermione was head girl last year?
GW: Yes. Oh, I didn't even write that one down.
SL: Please go on.
GW: She is the youngest full professor in Hogwarts' history. Right now she is
teaching first- and second-year Charms, besides doing research with Professor
Flitwick.
RW: And one section of History of Magic.
GW: Someone had to finally tell Professor Binns that he was dead and he
deserved a sabbatical.
RW: Muggle Studies, don't forget Muggle Studies.
GW: Hermoine has re-done the entire curriculum for Muggle Studies. She has a
book coming out which is expected to be the definitive text. Advance orders
have already surpassed Gilderoy Lockhart's final book, Magical Me.
RW: (rolls eyes) That's saying something. There's a huge display in Flourish
and Blott's. Brilliant. Y'know, Muggle Studies was considered an easy
elective. Hah. Wait till our Hermione gets to 'em.
SL: Can you tell us about her changes in the coursework?
GW: Well, 5th and 6th years study traditional Muggle disciplines, chemistry,
calculus and so on, and their applications to Wizarding subjects.
Seventh-year students do a course on Muggle Technology.
RW: Not sorry to miss that one.
SL: Fascinating. Can you tell us about Harry? Ron, I do want to hear about
what all you Weasleys are doing, too.
GW: He is at Hogwarts, too. He's to be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher.
RW: There's no one in the world more qualified.
GW: Harry's not a full professor yet. He's practice-teaching under Dumbledore.
RW: He teaches Advanced Flying and coaches Quidditch, too. Ginny, you forgot
to mention the benefit when we were talking about Hermione.
GW: Oh right. You know that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is
over one thousand years old, so fund-raising has gotten a bit haphazard.
RW: Hermione and Parvati Patel took it over this year. There was a huge event
Halloween weekend, an alumni Quidditch match. It was brilliant.
GW: Witches and wizards came from all over the world. The event raised
thousands of galleons for Hogwarts' scholarship fund.
RW: You should have seen Cornelius Fudge puttering around on an original
"Twiggy."
GW: That's the first ultra-light flying broom designed for Quidditch.
RW: They have been out of production for about two hundred years.
GW: My brothers were falling about laughing when they saw it. Harry played,
of course.
SL: How are the Dursleys taking all this attention to Harry?
RW: Dudley took a fair bit of harassment at Smeltings. Not that he didn't
deserve it.
GW: Vernon Dursely barricaded himself in the house for a few weeks at first.
When he realized that the publicity didn't hurt the drill business, he calmed
down a bit.
SL: Please tell us about your family.
GW: Dad is still at the Ministry of Magic. Percy is now, too.
RW: No surprise there.
GW: Charlie is director of the rare dragon breeding program and head of all
the dragon preserves in eastern Europe now.
RW: Bill is traveling for Gringott's. Mostly in Asia.
SL: Ginny, you are in your final year. Any ideas beyond graduation?
GW: I am just focused on my O.W.L. exams. No plans yet.
SL: How are Fred and George?
RW: Successful! You know they have the joke shop. Shops, actually.
GW: There's the big one in Diagon Alley, and the smaller one in Hogsmeade. We
all try to help out during holidays and the big Christmas shopping rush, even
Mum.
RW: I have been working for Fred at the Diagon Alley location.
GW: And next year. . .
RW: Well, I am to take over the Hogsmeade shop while George scouts a New York
location. We are planning to expand into the U.S. market.
SL: New York! Is there an equivalent of Diagon Alley there?
GW: Yes, of course, where do you think North American witches and wizards
shop?
RW: (low booming voice) I shouldn't 'a said that. I should not have said that.
SL: (Laughs) Good luck to both of you. Thank you, thank you for your time.
GW: Our pleasure.
Reprinted with permission British Publishing Group, from January 2003 issue
of READING. Interview by Sorrel Lucent, editor-in-chief.
if you don't know READING is a small trade publication. which usually write about trends and news in the UK publishing world.
Thanks so much to Sorrel...
Lupinlock