JK Rowling’s short story conveys nothing new, but it is still welcome by Potterheads everywhere.
The short story is written as a news article by Rita Skeeter, the acidic reporter for The Daily Prophet. Her stories have historically been a treat to read, as they are almost like a parody of the reporting business. Rita embodies the nosy, sensationalist reporter, who places as much emphasis on facts as she does on the feelings of her ‘victims’. Her portrayal of the golden trio, and other important characters induce laughter.
Rita reports from the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, that already has its own coverage on Pottermore, with Ginny Weasley Potter as the special correspondent for the matches(Bulgaria vs Brazil final coming up). The World Cup coverage coincides with the FIFA World Cup. Rita’s piece in the gossip section is about the members of Dumbledore’s Army, after the Battle of Hogwarts.
Fans will not find any new information about their favorite characters, as Rowling had already divulged everything in this article in previous interviews. The professions of the main characters should come as no surprise to them, but reading Rita’s piece is still enjoyable.
Rita’s piece introduces the setting of the World Cup and dates the piece to sometime before the epilogue section in Deathly Hallows. Rowling introduces a mid thirties Harry, while snidely jibing about his continued use of the famous glasses. Rita appears to be just as nosy as ever, while Rowling teases her fans with some of her meta humor, as she hints at a new adventure for Harry.
Rita also hits below the belt as she smarmily talks about Ginny and her apparent success. Rowling is able to capture that sense of realism that arose in the later books, when she discusses the nature of celebrities and their entitlement.
The next victims of Rita’s savagery are of course Ron and Hermione. Ron’s decision to work in Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes is questioned and Hermione’s rise to power in the Ministry is attacked. Rita is on a roll, as she hints at Neville’s alcoholism, Luna’s eccentricity and Teddy Lupin’s rowdiness.
Potterheads are essentially at a point where they will accept anything to do with Harry Potter with the greatest gratitude. Rita’s attacks are extremely entertaining, and she remains to be one of my favorite characters and one of the best hurdles Harry faced. Her perspective always adds a lightness that is inherent in Harry Potter, while maintaining realism. For example, her jibes at Ron’s hair are immediately followed by speculation about a jealous Ron.
Rowling’s writing is missed by plenty of people, including me(sans the ‘adult’ books). Although I miss the wonderful world of Harry Potter, I expected her return to it contain more substance. That said, this piece is great, as it is one of the best ways of doing a short work of fiction. For fans who haven’t binge watched her every interview(ahem), Rita’s gossip piece holds a goldmine of information about their beloved characters.
I decided to turn this into a review along the way, but I just can’t find anything substantially wrong with this, except that it isn’t long enough. The reunion of Dumbledore’s Army almost brought a tear to my eye, as Harry Potter is more than just a series of novels for me; it transcends fiction, it is holy, and it is what I grew up with. I will pester as many fans as I can and convince them to read this.
