More Potter

It's inevitable really. The Simpsons gave way, Sex in the City caved in and Friends will probably surrender. I fully expect JK Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise to follow suit. Rumours of an eighth book are circulating and JK seems to be caving. For the remedial among us or, even worse, those who simply watch the films, I will not spoil the twists and tales that occur in the final Harry Potter books as I speculate. That would be, frankly, cruel. It is like when someone spoiled The Sixth Sense for me. They ruined the unexpected twist at the end, when you find out it is actually a really dull film.

The first question, I suppose, is, why? JK Rowling certainly does not need the money, which is the most common motivation for a forced sequel. In fact, it has not even been very long since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released. If JK had been given the opportunity to blow her millions in a rock n roll blaze of sex, drugs and calligraphy sets, she could be forgiven for succumbing to temptation. So, is one of the world’s richest women just a bit scared to let go? She has become synonymous with Hogwarts and she could be forgiven for stalling on a new project. “It’s no Harry Potter” and “One magic trick pony” would be the cries from critics and fans alike if she were to put one solitary foot wrong. So, why not write another Harry Potter? Right? Maybe not. I am afraid Ms Rowling might have got herself in a difficult situation. She tries something new and she gets slaughtered for a drop in standards, she perseveres with Potter and she risks ruining one of the most beloved tales of our generation.

More importantly, where would she possibly go with the next edition? It is mouth watering just hypothesizing what direction the Scottish author could take the story. There are even rumours that our hero Harry may not feature at all. In a Saved by the Bell : The New Class motif, the story could continue at Hogwarts. It’s a winning formula isn’t it?