Through the years, we’ve all seen various book fads come and go. Most enjoy their 5 minutes of fame and then accept their fate as we collectively move on to the next thing. However, few books have experienced the unending death grip of faithful love and attention that the Harry Potter fans have exhibited for the past seventeen years since the first book was published.
From beginning to end, all we’ve ever wanted is more (shouldn’t be that difficult, right?), but once the end inevitably came, many of us got stuck on the denial step in the grieving process. Lucky for us, our queen hasn’t forgotten how much we love her and her characters. And now, our patient (and less patient) waiting has been rewarded.
Several days ago, JK Rowling published a story in the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet on the Pottermore site. The story takes the form of a gossip column by none other than the notorious Rita Skeeter. Skeeter follows the members of Dumbledore’s Army at the campsite getting ready for the Quidditch World Cup’s final match and gets you up to speed with where they are now, providing insight on everything from their careers to their children. Even through the tabloid writer’s “flair,” you understand what everyone has been up to in the years since we’ve last seen them. You’re met with new, strong-feeling-inducing information, but you discover it in the light-hearted air that comes with seeing it through Skeeter’s twisted worldview.
Rowling followed up this column with another article that reads as a play-by-play of the exciting Quidditch World Cup final match. If you’re not a sports fan, don’t worry. Besides Ginny Potter’s Quidditch commentary, you also get a different POV from Skeeter. While Potter watches the match, Skeeter’s eyes are set on the VIP Boxes where she relays every move of Dumbledore’s Army (and, yes, with a little speculation thrown in. The woman’s got a job to do).
With Skeeter’s entertaining narration interspersed with Ginny’s corrections of her family’s happenings, these stories are a must-read for all Harry Potter fans. It is a breath of fresh air to find these characters and read them as they were meant to be read. I have nothing against fan fiction (and little against the movies), but to hear Rowling’s voice describe the characters we love is like meeting up with an old friend after years of only having vague Facebook updates.
My advice: If you miss Potter, don’t miss this. Read it, feel the warm fuzzies, and read it again. Then, go full monty and re-read the whole series. It’s worth it.