J. K. Rowling continues to hand out the secrets that Harry Potter, Dumbledore and others have kept. But, should she?
While the secret sexuality of Professor Dumbledore made headlines around the world, many readers wondered whether J. K. Rowling should have given away that premise in the first place. Since the publication of The Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling has given several in-depth interviews to answer questions from fans, many of which should likely have remained secrets in the form of the literary cues she left behind.
As many of her fans know, no word of her prose goes to waste. Whether it was 600 pages or more than 800, each word of each sentence was crafted to create clues and hints that allowed the readers to put together the past and future of Harry Potter and the other players. When stumbling across a revelation in any one book, other passages come to mind, showing the reader the genius of the author who left her secrets out in plain sight.
Professor Dumbledore is Indeed Gay
Was Dumbledore gay? There were certainly clues to suggest so, and after reading all seven books and seeing how her clues directed readers toward the truth, readers had every reason to read and reread the key passages for a clearer understanding. However, coming out and telling fans that he was gay destroys a piece of that magic that has made her fans so rabidly interested in every word she has written.
If she will be spilling all of the secrets that her readers have wondered about, is there any reason to reread them to search for overlooked nuances? What secrets will be next? Probably many, judging by how many interviews have resulted in these types of revelations.
Harry Potter Becomes an Auror
Many readers hoped that Harry Potter would become an auror, as it was his dearest wish for his future. There were few clues to the professions of any of the characters given out during the epilogue of the final book. Neville becoming the Herbology professor was one such nugget, but the rest had to be pondered by readers. Given what they knew about the characters, readers had to make up their own minds about how their futures progressed.
That was true, of course, until J. K. Rowling came out and told fans that Harry Potter became the head of the Auror Department. Well, that saves a lot of time for readers who were using the text as clues to how the new Ministry regime would be formed. It also took some of the magic out of the hands of those readers. While getting fresh Harry Potter news is an exciting addition to the Harry Potter world, J. K. Rowling should think about the impact of those revelations before spoon feeding any more secrets to her adoring fans.
