Expanding the wizarding world

As an avid fan of the “Harry Potter” series, both on the page and on the screen, I’ve always feared the announcement of new entries to Harry’s story.

While rumors and fake press releases have made their way around the Internet for years, we’ve been fortunate that J.K. Rowling has refrained from writing another “Harry Potter” book.

Of course I would be the first in line to buy an eighth “Harry Potter” book or to see a ninth “Harry Potter” film. But I really don’t want them made.

Harry’s story is finished, and in the most perfect way possible. He defeated the bad guy, he got the girl and he has his two best friends by his side.

Why put Harry in more danger? Wasn’t seven years of barely avoiding death and heartache enough?

With the announcement that J.K. Rowling will make her screenwriting debut with a film adaptation of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” I have a newfound excitement that doesn’t endorse my fear of new stories for the boy who lived.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a textbook in the wizarding world. It was released in our Muggle world in 2001 as a companion piece to the “Harry Potter” novels. Though credited to the wizard Newt Scamander, the book was truly authored by Rowling.

Rowling writing a proposed film series based on the adventures of Scamander is the perfect answer to keeping the wizarding world alive.

Acting as an expansion of Harry’s world as opposed to a prequel or a sequel, these new films will introduce a new slew of magical characters while hopefully throwing in a few semi-familiar faces.

Personally, I would love to see young Albus Dumbledore. But that’s as far as it should go.

I don’t want to see Harry’s grandparents or past generations of Weasleys running around. At the very most, the Potters or any other familiar wizarding family may be mentioned, but Rowling should not build any sort of story around them.

It’s time for fresh paint on the wall. Rehashing any old tropes of Harry’s adventures will only dampen an otherwise exciting endeavor.

When the day is done, I put every single iota of my trust in J.K. Rowling. She gave me a childhood full of imagination, and I can say with full confidence that I wouldn’t be who I am today without the “Harry Potter” series.

So, I will follow Rowling wherever she leads me.

I just hope that with this new series of wizarding films, we get the same innovative storytelling created with the “Harry Potter” series, not a rehash of what has come before.