I sometimes rented a car and drove from event to event in Europe; a road trip was a great escape from the day-to-day anxieties of playing, and it kept me from getting too lost in the tournament fun house with its courtesy cars, caterers, locker room ...
Archie Henderson has won no awards, written no books and never played any representative sport. He was an under-11 tournament-winning tennis player as a boy, but left the game when he discovered rugby where he was one of the worst flyhalves he can re...
[the Trio sits around the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, digesting the murder of Barty Crouch, Sr. that has just taken place] Ron: They'll cover this up, you watch. Fudge'll sell his soul before this gets out in the Daily Prophet. Harry: Bu...
When I was in London in 2008, I spent a couple hours hanging out at a pub with a couple of blokes who were drinking away the afternoon in preparation for going to that evening's Arsenal game/riot. Take away their Cockney accents, and these working-cl...
Hermione: Victor's gone to get drinks. Would you care to join us? Ron: No, we would not care to join you and *Victor*. Hermione: What's got your wand in a knot? Ron: He's from Durmstrang! You're fraternizing with the enemy! Hermione: The enemy? Who w...
Hermione: Harry, you told me you'd figured that egg out weeks ago! The task is two days from now! Harry: [sarcastically] Really? I had no idea. I suppose Viktor's already figured it out. Hermione: Wouldn't know. We don't actually talk about the tourn...
Rita Skeeter: So tell me, Harry. Here you sit, a mere boy of 12... Harry: Rita Skeeter: Harry: I dunno, I haven't really thought about it... Rita Skeeter: Because you're no ordinary boy of 12 are you? Harry: 14. Rita Skeeter: Your story's legend. D...
Begbie: Picture the scene: The other fuckin' week there, down the fuckin' Volley with Tommy, playing pool. I'm playing like Paul-Fuckin'-Newman by the way. Givin' the boy here the tannin' of a lifetime. So it comes to the, down to the last shot, the ...