Harry Potter fans may be in for a few surprises
November 7, 2014
When J.K. Rowling posted a riddle on her Twitter account, fans went crazy trying to decode it. They concluded she was working on something amazing and hoped it was another series about Harry Potter.
“I would really like to find out about other parts of the HP world,” said religious studies major Jessica Kimbrell. “More back story, specifically related to the HP story would be great, but I would love to read more about other people and other places in the HP world.”
J.K. Rowling said she has no plans of writing more Harry Potter books, but she said to ‘never say never’ because she might have a brilliant idea in the future.
“I would like a prequel or a sequel, but I would prefer a sequel because I just wanna know what happens in that in between time, like how Harry becomes an auror or how they decide to raise their children,” said journalism major Isaac Lee.
Rowling might not be writing more Harry Potter books, but she is going to keep the wizarding world alive.
She is working on a screenplay for a series called “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which is a Harry Potter textbook for the fictional class Care of Magical Creatures.
“I am super excited about the new screenplays,” Kimbrell said. “My son was too young to attend the midnight releases of the HP movies and he wasn’t even around yet for the books, so these movies will provide a new way to share the world of HP with a new generation.”
The series will be about Rowling’s fictional author Newt Scamander and all of his wild tales about the magical beasts he runs into. There will be three movies set for release in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
“I’m really excited about it because I’ve read all the [Harry Potter books],” Lee said. “I like how it ties into the actual series because it’s the textbook they use.”
Some people feel that Rowling ended the Harry Potter books very well and does not need to continue writing about the beloved characters of the series. Other people feel they would like to read more about his life after Voldemort.
“[I would like] Harry Potter’s adult life, the adventures of raising his children and the trouble they would get into and how to get them out of it,” said earth science major Jasmine Bell.
Rowling launched a website called Pottermore, which allows fans to explore each book in-depth and explains small details, such as why she named the Dursley’s street Privet Drive.
“I have heard of Pottermore but haven’t spent much time on there,” Kimbrell said. “Maybe when the semester’s over, I can go poke around and see what I’m missing.”
Pottermore is free to sign up and is much more than just exploring the books. People get sorted into one of the four houses, get to explore Diagon Alley and receive points to win the house cup.
“I think that Pottermore is great for Harry Potter fans because it gives an extra dimension and it’s interactive,” Lee said. “Personally, it’s just too interactive for me and there’s too much going on.”
People can keep their favorite characters alive in other ways such as Pottermore or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
“My favorite character in Harry Potter, I guess I’d have to say Professor Umbridge because I really like a good villain and she was just such a good villain, like she was conniving and sly,” Lee said.
While some students loved the villains, others liked the heroes and the lessons they taught people as a child.
“Hermione is my favorite character because she illustrates that no matter where you come from you can be successful in your studies,” Bell said. “Where you come from does not make you who you are.”