A New Generation of Potterheads! ~Grace Shenk

 Growing up a Harry Potter fan has its perks, going into my research I thought I knew there was everything to know, I was wrong. The Harry Potter fandom is clearly larger and more powerful than I had previously thought, still as strong as it ever was and if you haven't dove deeper into the fandom yet, then you are missing out! 

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"All The Young Dudes"

    The fandom has created its own entire universe. Fan fiction is very popular within the fandom, exploring different romances and different alternate ending of what happened to the loved and favored kids in the story, but it doesn't stop there. What if I was to say there has been a whole new generational story, the world of Hogwarts before Harry was born, the life of his parents and their friends, including James Potter, Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. The most notable being "All the Youn Dudes" by Mskingbean89, no one knows their real name but their original fan fiction has become published and has been deemed "canon" by the fandom, and a lot of other fan fictions and theories come from this story. It includes love stories, drama, and the character development of the characters we only ever knew as adults, or never knew them at all in the case of Harry's parents. It is so much more than the original childhood characters we grew up with, Harry Potter is now multigenerational when it comes to storylines. Looking beyond just the original series will lead you into an entirely different word. There are also examples of this when the main characters grow up and have their own children, the creativity has no limits.

    This does not end with just the characters that we all know and love, parts of the fandom have also created entirely new characters that were never mentioned or seen in the books or the movies. These original characters (OC's) have become very well known and even have their own discernible personalities and backgrounds. They start off in fan fictions but some fans will make drawings of them, letting people visualize what this character would look like even though they do not exist. Some of these include long lost siblings, children, friends of known characters, new love interests, etc. In reality, there are too many to count, but some of the most well known being Lorenzo Berkshire, the first son of Bellatrix Lestrange (Fandom), Grant Chapman, a boyfriend to Remus Lupin in "All the Youn Dudes" (Fanlore), and Mattheo Riddle, the son of Voldemort (Fanlore). These characters all have highly detailed backgrounds, trauma, personalities, and relationships with the characters that Harry Potter fans already know and love. There is so much to know it seems almost impossible to know it all. 

     If that still isn't enough for you, Harry Potter is coming back on our screens! The new Harry Potter series will premiere on HBO Max on Christmas Day of 2026 as a TV series! According to the Harry Potter Editorial team, the series is said to follow the movies and books quite well, and even include some more details from the book that we did not see in the original films, like Harry's time at muggle school, and how he was relentlessly picked on. The trailer has already dropped and fans are excited, the trailer looks detailed, and nostalgic to the 90s when the story takes place. All of the beloved characters that Harry Potter fans grew up with will be returning with new faces but the same magic! The cast is a new generation of children, and the adults being played by talented young adults that are all very excited to bring this magic on the screen, the lead role of Harry being played by Dominic Mclaughlin, a talented 12 year old from Scotland.

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Dominic Mclaughlin

As well as Hermonie and Ron being played by Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout. This new series is going to give much more context into Harry's life when he was young and will undoubtedly created more storylines and creativity opportunities from this strong fandom, tuning in if you are a fan is absolutely necessary. 

      This is your sign to dive deeper into the fandom if you found yourself falling out of it. This is the perfect time to get back into it! The new series is about to raise a whole new generation, so catching up with what has been going on in the fandom recently will better prepare you! The fandom is as alive as it's ever been and is about to be set on fire by the wave of new young fans, and there is so much to learn and so much to discover! Go look up a fan fiction, go reread or rewatch the series and reconnect with the love and magic you felt when you were a child! It is so worth it, and there is so much more in store for this beloved and powerful fandom!