J.K. Rowling can’t seem to stop dropping one “Harry Potter” shocker after another.
Remember when she outed the late Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore back in 2007? Or when Rowling and her merry band of Internet wizards and witches created that Web-based treasure hunt in 2011 that ended with the unveiling of website Pottermore?
And how about her interview earlier this year with actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the books’ film adaptations, in which the British author revealed that The-Boy-Who-Lived should have lived happily ever after with our favorite bookworm instead of the youngest Weasley?
It has been seven years since the last book was published, three since the final film was released, but “Harry Potter” is once again in the limelight after Rowling released via Pottermore a short story—an epilogue after the epilogue—about our favorite magical trio and their friends.
Teaser
In the guise of a Daily Prophet gossip column written by Rita Skeeter, Rowling on July 8 teased fans of her worldwide best-selling book series by offering them a glimpse of the lives of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and the rest of the so-called Dumbledore’s Army who are now in their 30s.
Skeeter was reporting from the stands of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in the Patagonian Desert in Argentina. The gossip-monger extraordinaire reported seeing Harry and his friends at the Cup.
Harry returns as a 33-year-old Auror, still sporting his round glasses, but now with streaks of silver in his trademark unruly black hair. And according to Skeeter, he’s still getting into all sorts of scrapes, judging by that cut on his cheek. His wife, Ginny, is covering the World Cup for the Daily Prophet.
Hermione, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with at the Ministry of Magic, rising from the ranks to become the deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Her husband Ron, now with thinning ginger hair, is comanaging the joke shop Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes with his brother George (the surviving Weasley twin).
Neville Longbottom, who married Hufflepuff Hannah Abbot, is the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts.
And Luna Lovegood, who married the grandson of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” author Newt Scamander, is a mother of twin sons and as eccentric as ever.
Still as snarky and as unethical as when we first met her in the fourth “Harry Potter” novel, Skeeter peppered her already scandal-ridden column with all kinds of nasty asides and unfounded remarks: the Potters’ failing marriage; a mentally unstable Ron; the immortal dig at Hermione’s bushy hair; and even an alcoholic Neville.
She left no one unscathed, too, throwing barbs at the rest of the Weasley brothers Percy, Charlie and Bill; Bill’s wife Fleur Delacour; their daughter Victoire; and Harry’s godson Teddy Lupin.
Brilliant
We don’t know about you but any article by that horrible Skeeter woman should always be taken with a grain of salt. We all know that aside from being disgustingly self-serving, Skeeter has a grudge against Harry and his friends, especially since Hermione found out what an annoying little “pest” Skeeter really is.
(Unsurprisingly, Skeeter’s agenda was revealed at the end of the column. She wanted to stir up trouble as publicity for her new book—of lies?—“Dumbledore’s Army: The Dark Side of the Demob.”)
But, of course, we know that Rowling masterminded the whole thing. She is, after all, the creator and source of all things “Harry Potter.” (Brilliant as always, Ms Rowling!) And now, we can’t help but salivate for more.
Even the promise of the spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” film trilogy is not enough to quell our hunger for more “Harry Potter” stories.
Additionally, we noticed that a lot of characters were left out of the short story—like Draco Malfoy.
Yes, Ms Rowling, whatever happened to Draco Malfoy?
To read J.K. Rowling’s short story, visit Pottermore.com