A few years ago, you may have assumed that JK Rowling was done with the Harry Potter universe. Then came Pottermore, which updated us on just about everything the characters in the wizarding world were up to. We’ve also been provided with the Fantastic Beasts series (which no one really wanted) and most recently, The Cursed Child stage show.
Between the end of The Deathly Hallows (not including the nineteen-year flash-forward) and The Cursed Child, a lot went on. We’ve listed ten of the most important events.
Ginny Became A Professional Quidditch Player
While it doesn’t get quite so much attention in the films, the Harry Potter books go into rather a lot of detail regarding Ginny’s very promising Quidditch ability. She becomes a highly skilled chaser, putting her future husband’s skills to the test.
After returning to Hogwarts to finish her education, Ginny eventually lands a position on the team of professional Quidditch team the Holyhead Harpies and quickly lands the rank of captain. Even after retiring from Quidditch, she became a reporter for the Daily Prophet.
Neville Became A Herbology Teacher
It was always a destiny for Neville Longbottom to become a successful herbologist. The first films showed the innocent student to be a less-than-competent wizard, so seeing him find something to excel in was nice, even if he did end up being put to sleep by the mandrakes in The Chamber Of Secrets.
In the gap between the final film and the stage show, Professor Sprout must have given up her post at the school, because Neville was now Professor Longbottom, teaching herbology.
Harry And Ron Became Aurors
Being an Auror is probably one of the most impressive jobs a wizard can attain. It not only shows off an impressive level of bravery, but it also proves a wide range of magical mastery, from defensive spells to potions.
Considering their masterful victory in the Battle Of Hogwarts, both Harry and Ron had the de-facto experience necessary to land good jobs in the Auror department of the ministry. Ron ended up quitting a long time before Harry, as he went on to help George turn Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes into a successful company.
Hermione Became Minister For Magic
During the events of The Cursed Child, Hermione actually is the Minister for Magic. At some point, she moved up from her impressive, well-paid ministry job into the top role, something that was pretty much inevitable.
With intelligence and a worth ethic as strong as Hermione’s, it was no surprise she’d end up as top dog. She introduced a lot of pro-muggle and pro-house elf reforms and took a strong stance against dark magic.
George Could Never Produce A Patronus Charm Again
On a far more tragic note, George’s life was effective forever by Fred’s death. The two were inseparable throughout the entire franchise, and JK Rowling drawing them apart at the end was a cruel twist of the knife.
Producing a Patronus charm requires the strong conjuring of a happy memory, and it seems that Fred was never able to muster up anything strong enough after his best friend was gone.
Luna Married Into A Famous Family
At the heart of the Fantastic Beasts series is famed writer Newt Scamander. He is known for writing various textbooks on magical beasts that the Hogwarts students study with. Despite Neville’s admission of love for her at the end of The Deathly Hallows, Luna ended up meeting Newt’s grandson Rufus and marrying him.
Perhaps this pairing makes a little more sense, what with Luna’s obsession with various animals that may or may not exist.
Dolores Umbridge Ended Up In Azkaban
One of the more frustrating things about the Harry Potter films is that we never really get closure on the story of the notoriously evil Dolores Umbridge. She is dragged away by centaurs, yes, but instead of being ripped apart like we all know she deserves, she ended up back at the Ministry the very next year.
However, JK Rowling has since confirmed that the menacing witch was sentenced to life in Azkaban for her sympathetic view of the Death Eaters and various illegal actions.
Draco’s Wife Died
It’s hard to decide how to feel towards Draco Malfoy at the conclusion of The Deathly Hallows. On one hand, he did seem to regret his actions and want to distance himself from Voldemort. Then again, he did have some questionable prejudices and spent a long time trying to ruin Harry’s life.
He doesn’t end up with the twisted Pansy Parkinson, though. Whichever way you look at it, the death of his wife at the hands of a blood curse that left him to raise his son Scorpius alone is particularly sad.
Hagrid Continued To Work At Hogwarts
Hagrid was arguably the best character in Harry Potter. Everything from his permanent paternal instinct to his gruff northern accent and his need to care for all animals made him so loveable, that the very notion of his potential demise was too terrifying to handle.
Luckily it hasn’t happened yet, with Rowling confirming that the combination of wizard and giant blood will give him a long life, which he currently still spends at Hogwarts. As of 2020, he is 92 years old and still going strong.
Minerva McGonagall Became Headmistress
Obviously, Minerva was the logical choice to ascend to the role of Headteacher after Dumbledore’s death, but due to the influence of Voldemort on the school, Snape was given the job and Hogwarts turned into a site full of torture and abuse.
Luckily, after the Battle Of Hogwarts was over and the school needed to revert back to its position as the finest educational institution for wizarding children, McGonagall was handed the job on a plate. She may well be even older than Hagrid, but luckily her wizarding blood should keep her alive long enough to have a great tenure as head of the school.
