J.K. Rowling reveals new story, the ‘History of Magic in North America’
J.K. Rowling will reveal new dimensions to Harry Potter’s world in a new story, “History of Magic in North America.”
J .K. Rowling has some good news for fans of her “Harry Potter” universe, especially ones on this side of the Atlantic.
The author’s website, Pottermore, will publish a four-part story this week called “History of Magic in North America.” The story will provide the background for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the film adaptation of Rowling’s “Harry Potter” prequel book, which is scheduled for release in November.
During a sneak peek at Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a visitor is shown how to wield his interactive wand to make a shop-window display come to life.
The new writing comes a little more than a month after Rowling revealed the name of the North American wizarding school, the suspiciously Scottish-sounding Ilvermorny.
A video posted on the Entertainment Weekly website provides some hints as to what readers can expect from the new story.
“The wizarding world you thought you knew is much larger than you imagined,” a narrator intones ominously, just before a person leaps from a rock and is turned into a fiery eagle. “History has many secrets. The official story is never the whole story.”
The first installment of the story will be published on the Pottermore website on Tuesday at 6 a.m. Pacific time, with the other parts following this week.
The video teases some of the material that Rowling’s new writing might contain: “Ilvermorny, skin-walkers, the witch trials and the Magical Congress of the United States of America.” Skin-walkers, in Navajo legends, are people who can transform into animals.
Meanwhile, fans will soon be able to visit the magical world of Harry Potter in Southern California, when Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios — we’ve seen a preview — officially opens April 7.
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