J.K. Rowling has given quite a bit of information on the futures of the chosen generation that defeated Voldemort, but Rita Skeeter’s recently released gossip column on Pottermore has more to reveal. Interestingly, Rowling has gotten a bit more specific in her timeline, giving us a better idea of where the gang are. (Currently. This year. In 2014. Sorry, that’s a bit exciting.)
Full rundown ahead!
Though we had been informed before Rowling’s July 8th short story that Harry and Ron became Aurors following school, it turns out that Ron left the program a mere two years later to help run Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes with George. Skeeter’s speculation runs wild here (she spends the entire piece defaming everyone’s character and appearance—Ron’s hair is thinning, apparently), but this is an interesting twist from what Rowling had suggested before. Perhaps Ron realized a life of constant danger really wasn’t for him. Or perhaps he wanted to focus more on his own family, considering the loss of his brother.
Hermione is busy winning the wizarding world with her skills. As of 2014, she is current Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and we know she goes on to revolutionize wizard law. Hermione for Minister of Magic, right? Just a couple decades away, I am betting you anything. They would be idiots not to.
We find out that Percy is running the Department of Magical Transportation, certainly a step down from the Minister of Magic position that he had hoped to achieve in his youth, though not a bad position in itself. Charlie is still out there chasing dragons, and Skeeter makes a jibe at his being single. Is this Rowling’s sly way of indicating that Charlie is gay? Because that would be awesome.
Ginny has retired from her career as Quidditch player by now and is reporting on the Cup, of course. Skeeter mentions that Harry has sons Albus and James in tow, but makes no mention of daughter Lily. Is she tagging along with mom and a junior press badge? Most adorable field trip with a parent ever.
Remember how Rowling told us that Neville married Hannah Abbott, who became the owner of the Leaky Cauldron? Well, it would seem that the pair have decided that Neville’s commute to work from the rooms above the pub was wearing thin. Hannah has trained as a Healer and seems to be angling for a job alongside her Herbology professor—as the Matron at Hogwarts, presumably taking over for Madame Pomfrey. Skeeter makes a crack about them consuming lots of firewhiskey on their off-hours. It’s probably mean slander, but I dearly hope it’s true because drinking competitions with Professor Longbottom sound like the best post-graduation gift a student could ask for.
Luna makes an appearance alongside friends with her husband Rolf, though her twin boys are left at home. Her fashion sense is as fabulous as ever; she’s wearing a set of robes comprised of sixteen country flags. Rolf is described as “swarthy,” so we can rest easy that Luna essentially married a pirate. He’s the grandson of Newt Scamander, so this works out logically enough.
Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley’s relationship is brought up again, so we can assume this couple was intended to last in Rowling’s mind. Skeeter gives the young couple a pretty hard time for all their snogging, but Teddy Lupin has bright blue hair and probably a troublemaking streak that he’s inherited from both parents, so how could we blame Victoire for being smitten?
Dear Harry’s starting to go a little gray and apparently just came out of a fight with some nasty people—he’s got a cut on his cheek. He and Viktor Krum are still good friends, and Harry brings his boys to meet him in the players’ compound. Skeeter continues to be furious that Harry’s friends and family won’t divulge more information on the Boy Who Is Living, but she’s about to get her revenge; she’s written a biography on the crew—Dumbledore’s Army: The Dark Side of the Demob.
And it’s set to come out on Harry’s birthday this month.
You know, Skeeter…the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement knows you’re an unregistered Animagus…
You know, Skeeter…the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement knows you’re an unregistered Animagus…
The best.
Also, thank you for posting this Emily, as I was DYIN’ to know, and don’t have a Pottermore account
Also no Pottermore account, so I was glad to find it on the Today books website:
http://www.today.com/books/read-j-k-rowlings-new-post-latest-harry-potter-gossip-1D79887288
Awesome :) I didn’t want to have to dig up my Pottermore account to read it, so I’m glad you shared this :)
It’s really too bad Lily didn’t get mentioned, but I like to think she’s hanging out with her mom too :)
Rowling has said before now that Ron worked at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes – though whether this came before or after his time as an Auror has caused some debate, so this is a useful resolution.
She has also said explicitly that Charlie is not gay, and ‘just prefers dragons to women’ (which might be read in ways which I guess were not intended).
I’m a bit surprised by Teddy and Victoire’s relationship being already in place in 2014: I thought it came over as a new thing when mentioned in the Epilogue in 2017.
So, judging from the way this story ends (I don’t have a Pottermore account, but the Independent kindly quoted the last paragraph) and the stuff in the Silkworm it seems Rowling’s still pretty pissed at the press.
So Colin Creevey is still dead?
Just checking. That Colin Creevey is still dead.
Colin Creevey.
And having checked it out:
It’s interesting that Hermione, though married, is still using her maiden name. (Ginny apparently isn’t, perhaps in order to reduce the number of Weasleys in the world.)
Lorcan and Lysander clearly exist by 2014, though we have been told their parents marriage – and so plausibly their birth – came later than others of that generation.
There don’t seem to be any Longbottom-Abbott children: (I had never thought there were, as JKR would probably have mentioned it earlier, but this is useful confirmation).
As for Lily, I don’t think we are told her age in the Epilogue, so she may be very young just now.
Oh, thanks for the clarification – I am not good with dates so I assumed that this happened AFTER the epilogue, not before.
Just like the 19 Years Later epiloque, this wonderful quirky tidbit just fuels my desire for a Teddy Lupin book or series.
And “Dumbledore’s Army: The Dark Side of the Demob” sounds great. In-world it’s apparently being released on July 31st (Harry and Jo’s birthday!). Maybe there’s some special treat to come IRL on that day?
I could have sworn that Hannah Abbott-Longbottom took over the Hog’s Head, not the Leaky Cauldron. Did I just get that mixed up?
No, definitely the Leaky Cauldron, because I remember the bit about Neville apparating in every day, which wouldn’t be necessary if he lived in Hogsmeade.
This Harry Potter thing sounds like a pretty fun storyline. She should get out of short stories and write a novel about them. I bet it’d sell like hot cakes.
AnotherAndrew @7: Lily is 9 in the Epilogue:
I’m offput by the appalling operational security implied by the fact that Skeeter casually mentions the destruction of Voldemort’s horcruxes as if it were a matter of common knowledge. You mean to say after the war, Harry and the others told people about horcruxes?!
@14: Maybe, considering the fact that discovering the secrets of the Horcruxes ultimately cost Dumbledore his life, Harry and the others thought that people should, at least, know what they are and how to destory them. If Voldemort found out about them once, it’s not that difficult to imagine any dark wizard doing the same in the future.
@14: Plus, Harry was running all over Hogwarts during the final battle, telling lots of people that he needed to find and destroy certain particular objects in order to defeat Voldemort. Even if Harry was reluctant to talk about the specific magic involved, it’s not at all impossible that some post-battle reporter or historian could have pieced it together. I can certainly imagine Slughorn, in a self-important urge to redeem himself, telling someone about how his information helped Harry defeat Voldemort (while glossing over/downplaying the fact that it also helped Voldemort achieve power in the first place).
The reasons why Voldemort could not be killed before, and how Harry defeated him at last, would certainly be matters of public interest. After the public Battle of Hogwarts, I don’t see how Harry would have been able to keep a lid on it, even if he tried.
Plus Harry has to explain why he broke into Gringotts.(I literally just finished that chapter, as every time Emily starts a new book I read to refresh it, and I can’t help but read the rest)
About Slughorn, based on the book Hermione finds, Slughorn didn’t really set Voldemort on his path with Horcruxes, he already knew how to make one, he only wanted Slughorn’s opinion on multiple Horcruxes, which he didn’t give except to try and warn him from it.
No mentioning of a clone emperor palpatine… ahhh Voldemort?