J.K. Rowling Has A Message For Fans On Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary

posted on 00:10

J.K. Rowling Has A Message For Fans On Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and fans are taking to social media to share their stories with the hashtag #HarryPotter20. Naturally, J.K. Rowling joined in the celebration:

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed, and harder still to fathom that a story that has touched the lives of so many once existed only in the mind of one remarkable woman.

How are you going to celebrate today? I suggest kicking things off by commenting on Facebook and incorporating the name Harry Potter or any one of the four Hogwarts houses. Go ahead, see what happens.

This Is the most magical Harry Potter Birthday Party We've ever seen

posted on 01:35

THIS HARRY POTTER BIRTHDAY PARTY COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE AT HOGWARTS

The mark of a true friend? Someone who would throw you an exceptionally realistic Harry Potter birthday party, of course. One lucky Imgur user, n3rdychik a.k.a. Liz Edmonds, has a group of besties that did just that, and the photos that she posted of the event online are blowing our Muggle minds.

Liz explained on Imgur that she's stationed in Germany with the U.S. armed forces, though she's moving back home just five days before her 29th birthday. To send her off and give her the b-day celebration she deserves, her friends and husband orchestrated a soirée that could have actually taken place at Hogwarts.

"My friends decided to throw me a birthday party before I leave, and the party they threw was so amazing!" Liz wrote. "I cried. A lot. I can't believe they did this all for me. They truly are my family away from home."

Check out some of the truly magical photos below. First, there's the entry to the party: a real-life Platform 9 3/4.

An all-too-accurate interpretation of the Hogwarts Express trolly:

The table setting was complete with banners for all the Hogwarts houses, and of course, those mystical floating candles of the Great Hall.

Hogwarts acceptance letters were flying about, as though dropped from the sky by an owl.

Liz even got her very own wand (along with framed, inspirational Ollivander quote)...

...pet owl...

...and Golden Snitch.

Plus, it featured a whole bunch of other incredible Wizarding World details.

We're calling it: This party is almost as amazing a birthday present as finding out that, "Yer a wizard, Harry."

Snape Is Probably Still Alive & This Fan Theory Proves It

posted on 20:53

PHOTO: WARNER BROS/PHOTOFEST.

Turns out, J.K. Rowling isn't the only person who can drop Harry Potter bombshells this long after the franchise's conclusion. While the final film came out back in 2011, and the final book even earlier, fans are still hard at work with theories about the the magical world, and the latest is particularly game-changing.

Is Harry Potter old enough that I don't need to "spoiler alert" it anymore? Just in case: spoiler alert, Snape dies at the end. But, after reading a new theory on Reddit, I wonder — Does he? Everything you thought you knew is turned on its head thanks to user DER_GOTTKAISER, who caused a stir earlier this week with their theory that potions master Severus Snape is still alive.

They have two reasons for believing this, and they're pretty legit. The first is that when Harry uses the resurrection stone before facing Voldemort, Snape doesn't appear.

"You'd think Snape was very important to Harry, he loved his mother, gave his life to save him, and shielded him all his life," the wrote. "Harry just found out how Snape had been protecting him the whole time and died to save him, so when he used the magic ring that brings the spirits of dead people, you'd think Snape would be there. He certainly knew Snape longer than Lupin, and you'd think Snape was far more important to him than Lupin, but Snape wasn't around. Perhaps he was not dead."

Definitely curious, especially when you consider the second point: Snape's body wasn't displayed at the end of the battle.

"After the big battle, they lay out all the bodies, all the people who died, even the death eaters and Voldemort's," the user continues. "Harry sees Lupin's and Fred's body, but Snape's body isn't there. You'd think Harry would have told everyone about Snape's sacrifice so they can find his body too. But nope, Snape's corpse isn't found."

Plus, there are some other things that just don't add up. The post points out how odd it is that a potions master wouldn't have an antidote to snake venom, especially since Snape had to have known that as a double-agent he was highly likely to, at some point, suffer Nagini's wrath.

DER_GOTTKAISER thinks that instead, Snape is still alive and out living his own adventures. After everything he's been through, that sounds like a good idea. We just need someone to confirm that it's all true — J.K. Rowling, where you at?

Harry Potter World

J.K. Rowling Has A Message For Fans On Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary