Details about a supposed Wizarding school in the United States within J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter world have always been a mystery, but information about one academy will finally be unveiled when Fantastic Beasts opens in theaters next year.
For years it’s been assumed that a school like Hogwarts (but far less cool, because come on) exists in America, but Rowling has never specifically named it.
The closest thing we’ve heard of resembling a Hogwarts-like school in the U.S. is the Salem Witches’ Institute, which was referenced in Goblet of Fire during the Quidditch World Cup. While many have assumed this was a place like Hogwarts, Rowling confirmed over the weekend via Twitter that it’s not what we think:
.@jgrahamhutch The Salem Witches' Institute isn't a school, but a joke on the Women's Institute in the UK.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2015
Rowling didn’t go into further details about the Salem Witches’ Institute, but thanks to this little tweet we now know that it’s not a major school like we thought.
As for a school like Hogwarts, Rowling confirmed in a second tweet that one does exist, and we’ll be learning about in Fantastic Beasts. But:
.@MrBanankartong That information will be revealed in due course.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2015
And Newt Scamander, who’ll be played by Eddie Redmayne in Fantastic Beasts when it hits theaters November 2016, will not be visiting or enrolling at the school:
.@tannerfbowen No, but he's going to meet people who were educated at [name] in [not New York].
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2015
The next day, Rowling offered a little more light on the situation to another Twitter follower. While Rowling was at first confused by the fan’s question…
.@loonyloolaluna If I answer that fully it will reveal the location of the school, but you can take that as a yes!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015
.@loonyloolaluna Oh wait – did you mean the NAME is of American Indian origin? It isn't. The name is of immigrant origin.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015
… She then clarified that the magic taught at the school will be a part of the surrounding area’s culture, it seems:
.@loonyloolaluna However, indigenous magic was important in the founding of the school. If I say which tribes, location is revealed.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015
Listeners of MuggleCast know that I dropped a little tidbit concerning a potential U.S. school during a recent episode of our Harry Potter podcast.
Rowling apparently had plans to offer more details about the American school in Goblet of Fire before only making mention of the Salem Witches’ Institute. In an interview in July 2000, Rowling was asked about American wizards attending Hogwarts. “No, they have their own school. You’ll find out in book four,” she said.
Fantastic Beasts’ plot is still a closely-guarded secret, but we know Newt will be arriving in the United States with the intention of only staying for a short period of time. Something will be happening which’ll require him to stay longer, as Rowling teased last year.
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