"The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
When renowned author J.K. Rowling said this in her heart-wrenching speech at the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" premiere in London, the Harry Potter fandom took it as a woeful end to the ever so captivating Wizarding World. Of course, fans can always go back and reread the books or spend an entire weekend marathoning all eight movies. Heck, people can join Pottermore or visit the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios Orlando. Yet there was this horribly tragic thought that there would no longer be anything new for fans to look forward to. No more midnight movie premieres to see, dressed up as Harry Potter characters. No more all-nighters, staying up to read the newest release because the anticipation is too much to handle. No more epic scenes featuring favorite characters. No more surprising twists that give both hated and loved characters more depth. From that final movie premiere, Potterheads were forced to come to terms with the end of the Wizarding World.
Then, Queen Rowling completely changed the game by giving her forever-devoted fans more secrets and stories from the Wizarding World than they could have ever dreamed of receiving.
First, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" gave fans a new fix for their wizarding needs. It's a new play based around Rowling's incredible world and set 19 years after The Battle of Hogwarts (which just so happens to be the same year as the epilogue in the final book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"). The play is supposed to center around both Harry coping with his current life and struggling with an unrelenting past, and his son Albus coming to terms with his family's legacy. The play's script is also being printed in book form, set to release July 31, 2016 (a day after the play's world premiere).
Rowling then gifted the world with even more details about the Wizarding World by sharing information about wizarding schools in other countries. By going onto Pottermore, fans can get an inside look at schools like Uagadou in Africa and Castelobruxo in Brazil. Each school has its own strengths and weaknesses, along with subtle differences that align with the countries they reside in. Now fans can dream of acceptance letters from more places than just Hogwarts.
Last but not least, we come to a new movie based around the fictional world we all know and love. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is a story based around Newt Scamander (author of the wizarding textbook "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them") after coming to New York in 1926. Not only does this new film bring extremely minor, hardly-mentioned characters to life, but it also gives fans a chance to experience the Wizarding World of the United States, which has different rules and cultural norms than that of the UK. (Watch the new trailer here.)
Even though Rowling is no longer writing about Harry's adventures at Hogwarts, she still finds ways to give her fans glimpses into the intricate world she created. Luckily, Potterheads are nowhere near getting tired of the Wizarding World and all it has to offer. This world, despite being entirely fictional, has become a beloved and cherished home for many people. For, as Dumbledore wisely stated, "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
