Ursula Bergenthal completed her Masters in German, English and Comparative Literature, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Goettingen, Germany. She is working on a dissertation on Harry Potter as an example of literary communication in modern media society, for which the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation grants her a scholarship. She participated both in Nimbus 2003 in Florida and in Convention Alley, Ottawa (where she presented on "Harry's International Readers: Global Understanding or Culture Shock?") - and is sure that the Harry Potter phenomenon makes fruitful discussions possible between fans and the 'academic world'.