Now that the cold winter months are upon us, it’s time to cozy up in front of the fireplace with your fave Harry Potter book for an evening with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Why not sip on some warm butterbeer to accompany you during your trip to Hogwarts? We’ve got a few recipes for you that delight.

In the Harry Potter books, butterbeer is served as either a refreshingly cool drink or hot in steaming mugs at some of Harry Potter’s favorite hangouts like the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron. When asked by Bon Appetit magazine about butterbeer in an interview, J. K. Rowling said, “I made it up. I imagine it to taste a little bit like less sickly butterscotch.”

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Shortly after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 created magic in theaters, fans are already waiting impatiently for the conclusion to arrive on the big screen. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was named as the most anticipated movie of 2011 in a recent poll by Fandango.com. Men and women alike picked the boy wizard as their number one choice in the next year but differed in their number two picks. After Harry Potter, men chose The Hangover 2, while women picked The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 as their second fave film of 2011.

In other Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 news, several new casting additions have been revealed. Bertie Gilbert, 13, will portray Draco Malfoy’s son, Scorpius, in the final film’s epilogue scene. Also, 14-year-old Benedict Clark will play a young Severus Snape, who shows up when Harry Potter looks at Snape’s memories through the Pensieve during the Battle of Hogwarts.

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando recently expanded its Ollivanders shop to accommodate the large crowds. Since opening in the summer of 2010, Ollivanders has been a must-see stop for Harry Potter fans who visit the magical theme park. The wand experience at Ollivanders, where the wand picks you, takes about five minutes and the wait to just get inside usually takes more than an hour.

Due to the wild popularity of Ollivanders, which Universal describes as a “small dusty shop,” Wizarding World of Harry Potter created a second store out of a former stock room. The new expanded wand shop can be accessed from both Ollivanders and Dervish and Banges, where fans can pick up a Sneakoscope, Quidditch supplies or brooms. Not only is the new Ollivanders store full of wands, but it also has other Harry Potter merchandise for sale.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in J. K. Rowling’s saga, was finally ousted from the top spot on Amazon.com. When the seventh book was released in 2007, it shot to the top of the charts and stayed there for three years as Amazon’s best-selling product of all time, an amazing but not surprising feat.

After its release in July 2007, Amazon reported that it had sold over 2.5 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the first quarter following its debut. Now Amazon is reporting that their e-book reader Kindle has overtaken Harry Potter’s last outing as their top-seller, although they declined to give any numbers. Amazon’s third-generation Kindle has not only improved with added features since it first arrived on the scene but it also sells for nearly a third of the price, making it a popular gift over the holidays.

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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint revealed some of their favorite holiday-themed movies during an interview with IGN while promoting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Rupert Grint went with more classic films like Star Wars and The Great Escape, while Daniel Radcliffe listed some Christmas faves, including The Santa Clause, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life and also raved about The Great Escape.

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As the holidays descend, Harry Potter fans are taking time off to visit some of their favorite magical locales. Take a look at the Top 5 Harry Potter destinations!

1. Leavesden Studios
Although not open to the public yet, fans will flock to Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire where all eight Harry Potter movies have been shot. Warner Bros recently bought the studio, which was a former factory, and announced plans to open a Harry Potter museum and attraction, complete with film sets, props and costumes. Harry Potter fans will have to wait until spring 2012 to catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes magic.

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Although the Harry Potter movie franchise is the most successful film series of all time, Harry Potter is repeatedly snubbed at the Oscars. On January 25, the nominations for the 2011 Academy Awards will be announced. Out of the 248 eligible films – will Harry Potter make the cut?

Harry Potter’s history with Oscar 

In past years, Harry Potter films have been nominated a total of seven times for various categories but have never taken home the gold. The nods were for more technical categories, never for acting, writing, directing or best picture, which is amazing considering the phenomenally talented actors who have starred in the Harry Potter flicks. Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Imelda Staunton and more, not to mention the three main stars — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — who continue to hone their acting skills with each movie.

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Harry Potter star Emma Watson capped off a super busy year with a holiday message to her fans on her website, where she summed up 2010 and looked forward to the next year.

Emma wrote, “I just wanted to send you all a quick message to say Merry Christmas. I continue to be overwhelmed by the love and support you all give to me. I really do appreciate it. So wherever you are this December, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and wish you a wonderful New Year.”

In between filming the last Harry Potter films and attending Brown University this year, Emma Watson dabbled in fashion, collaborating with Alberta Ferretti to create an organic clothing line and a collection with People Tree, both out next spring. She also was the face for the Burberry Spring/Summer 2010 campaign and was a British Vogue cover girl.

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Harry Potter fans (and a few celebrities including Michael Douglas and John Travolta) have turned out en masse to see the magical streets of Hogsmeade at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a part of Universal Orlando. The new park has been so successful that Universal Studios in Hollywood is supposedly drooling to figure out a way to bring Hogwarts to Los Angeles.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando has taken a huge bite out of Mickey Mouse since it opened this past June with record numbers. Attendance at Universal Parks in Florida increased by 36-percent in the quarter after the park opened as opposed to Disney World, whose numbers stayed flat.

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By now, hopefully you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at least once, maybe several times! As usual, the book-to-movie-screen transition takes a few liberties with the story that sometimes can add to the overall movie or can lead fans to wonder why.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger engage in an impromptu dance that was created for the big screen and wasn’t in the book. After Ron Weasley leaves the trio in a fit of anger, Harry and Hermione are feeling alone and hopeless, overwhelmed with their task of finding Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Hermione especially has trouble with Ron’s abandonment as she also struggles with her growing feelings for him. In the scene, Harry attempts to cheer up Hermione with a spontaneous dance to the tune of a Nick Cave song called O Children.

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