Harry Potter fans have something new to cheer about, as original writer, J.K. Rowling, has written a new 1500 word story featuring many of the beloved characters from the highly successful novels and films. The story is available at the author moderated fan-site pottermore.com.
Perfectly timed with the FIFA World Cup, the story, titled Dumbledore’s Army Reunites At Quidditch World Cup Final, features gossip columnist Rita Skeeter as she writes about the Quidditch World Cup. The story, written as a tabloid news piece, also features a graying 34 year old Harry, Ginny as a sports reporter for the Daily Prophet, Luna Lovegood showing allegiance to all teams yet none in particular, and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army attending the final match of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. Muggles and wizards alike can once again revel in the excitement of Golden Snitches, Quaffles, and Bludgers.
But Rowling delves deeper than that, giving a detailed look at what her characters have been up to since the last page of her final Potter novel, answering many fans unanswered questions about what Harry, Hermione, Ron and George, and even Neville have been doing in their various lives.Ron no longer works at the Ministry Of Magic, choosing to co-manage Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes with his brother; Hermione is a deputy with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Harry works for the Ministry of Magic, still defending against the dark arts, while his wife, Ginny, is a journalist covering the games, and there are hints that theirs is not a happy marriage.
She even gets a little political, delving into women’s rights issues such as the double standards women have to deal with in the workplace. This is a story for fans who loved the novels when they were younger, and have now matured, but still want stories about these characters they grew up with.
She also uses the short story as a way to examine the real World Cup, what it means to the fans, how it changes when celebrities get involved, and how it unites people even as it divides them. True, this is just a short story, but it is dense and packed with information. Maybe even a hint or two about some future works. She mentions a release date for Rita Skeeters upcoming expose on Dumbledore’s Army members being July 31st, hers and Harry’s birthday. Could we be getting a new novel? Only 23 days to wait and find out.
You can read the story here, as long as you are logged in, and the website doesn’t go down due to high traffic.