Five Extra Wizarding World Facts That I Dislike
Since the final Harry Potter books were published, J.K. Rowling has added much to the Potter universe through Twitter, Pottermore, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the Fantastic Beasts series. While some of these extra nuggets were greatly appreciated, many have been with met with less positive reactions. Below are five additions J.K. Rowling made that I didn’t like.
Voldemort’s Name Pronunciation
Voldemort has many names in the series: Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and of course, Lord Voldemort. It wasn’t until years later that J.K. Rowling informed us that we have been pronouncing it wrong. Apparently, the “t” is silent, which makes it sound more like the French word for “death.” The problem I have with this information is that for years Rowling herself said Voldemort with a “t,” and the films use the same pronunciation. If the “t” was meant to be silent all along, why wasn’t it incorporated into the films? Or why didn’t Rowling inform the readers how to pronounce it accurately, as she did with Hermione’s name?
Romione’s Marital Disaster
Years after the epilogue, where we found out that Hermione and Ron got married and had two children, Rowling said that she wrote their relationship as a form of wish fulfillment and doubted the state of their marriage. As someone who was happy that Ron and Hermione ended up together, this felt like a slap in the face. For years, I read as the two fought, became friends, matured, and formed a romantic relationship. At the time of Rowling’s announcement, it seemed like she was trying to spark controversy and cause debate within the fandom. I could have gone without this thought being made public.
McGonagall’s Adult Life
McGonagall is one of my favorite characters in the Potter series, so I was initially glad when more of her backstory was released on Pottermore. I enjoyed finding out about her childhood and relationships, but I didn’t like that the majority of her adult life was focused on her romantic relationships. I would also like to know more about her professional relationships and her rise from Transfiguration teacher to Head of Gryffindor and Deputy Headmistress. Also, I would have preferred if there was some information on the role she had in the First Wizarding War.
Bellatrix and Voldemort’s Relationship
Cursed Child revealed that Bellatrix and Voldemort had some sort of relationship resulting in the birth of Delphi. I have multiple issues with this. Firstly, I could have lived without the mental picture that Rowling’s revelation created. I also find it hard to imagine that Voldemort was distracted with anything else when he was so determined to kill Dumbledore and Harry, find the Hallows, and take over the wizarding world. In addition, the timeline of conception is a little strange; after all, Bellatrix was quite prominent in the later books, and it never appeared that she was pregnant.
Aurelius Dumbledore
One of the major reveals in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the notion that Credence is actually Aurelius Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore’s brother. This could be one of Grindelwald’s lies, but if it is true, this goes against what we learned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There was no way that Rita Skeeter would not have found this out if it were really accurate. Even if it is false, this cliffhanger feels like a cheap way to keep viewers interested in this series.
What extra bit of information do you dislike? Let us know in the comments!
