And it was eventually turned down. What will happen now with the lexicon? Mr. Rapoport has filed an appeal. Will you use this time to make some changes, so that the book wouldn't infringe Ms. Rowling's copyrights anymore?
- I have said all along that I would be more than happy to revise or rewrite the book to satisfy the concerns of Ms. Rowling. Any such revision would take months, however.

A few days ago there was the release of your new book, also related to Harry Potter. Would you describe it shortly to us?
- „In Search of Harry Potter” is a travel memoir, told in the first person, describing my personal explorations of Britain looking for places which were similar to those found in the book. I talked with local people and asked about the customs and folklore of the places I found. I think fans will be excited and amazed at what I discovered.

The lawyers of Ms. Rowling and WB demanded a copy so that they could check the legality of the book. In your opinion, was this simply their mistrust towards you or their willing to kick up another affair?
- The lawyers for Rowling just wanted to make sure that the book was okay. Considering everything, I don't blame them for being careful. In the end, they asked that we make a few changes to the cover, that was about it. Originally there were quotes from the books at the beginning of each section. Long before they asked to see a copy of the manuscript, the publisher made a standard request to use those quotes, the same way he'd request permission from any other publisher to use material from any other book. They never responded, and eventually we just took them out.

Was the lexicon court case an important experience to you, or would you prefer to erase it all from your memory?
- That's an interesting question. The last year has been strange. There were some wonderful things in my life during that time, but a lot of really horrible things as well. Would I want to erase them from my memory? I don't know. I've really tried to look forward and think about the future, about the new book, about other possibilities. I'm excited for what my future might hold. But in saying that, I have to acknowledge that all my experiences, good and bad, are now part of who I am, and therefore part of that future. I think that I'm a little wiser and a little more sensitive and less likely to judge people now than I was a year ago. I'm far more aware of how things said online can be incredibly hurtful. I'm definitely less arrogant and little more humble.

A year ago, when the lawsuit was filed, you said that if you could just meet with Ms. Rowling and talk honestly to her, you'd certainly reach an agreement.
- I tried. So did people on the other side. In November I approached Rowling's people and begged for a chance to try to work things out without resorting to the legal process. They agreed to talk to me and we spent a month in meetings and conversations trying to find a way to work it out. I know we were all disappointed when we finally realised that we couldn't find that solution.

*Steve Vander Ark is a librarian, and privately a fan of the Harry Potter series. In 2000 he founded the Harry Potter Lexicon, an online encyclopedia of the novels. In 2007 he wanted to publish the lexicon as a book, but the author of the Harry Potter books opposed and sued his publisher.