Pottermore unveiled a new sorting quiz for North America’s Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it seems like everyone is excited about it except me.

I don’t have to visit Pottermore to know that they launched a new sorting quiz for Ilvermorny. It was all over social media and quickly brought up in discussion among my fellow Hypable staffers. While many of the writers were quick to get their sorting done, and start reporting on the news, I had zero interest in the subject.

I was a bit apprehensive to admit among my fellow Harry Potter fans that I did not want to take the sorting quiz for Ilvermorny. Surprisingly, I wasn’t alone. For all those that were interested in the sorting among our staff, there were several of us who didn’t feel the hype.

But why is that? Some weren’t even sure why. Something was clear though, we’re not all feeling a connection to this new addition to the fandom. I’ve thought about it a bit since then and I’ve come to the realization that for me it largely has to do with how I fell in love with Harry Potter to begin with.

Although I’ve always been a big Harry Potter fan, it was really the books that I loved. I read them over and over again as well as listened to the audio books whenever I was doing something that allowed it. As far as the movies went, I did always get excited for them and usually went to midnight screenings — they were never my biggest love and I haven’t watched any in years.

When Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were announced, I didn’t feel any excitement at all. I think a large part of that has to do with the fact that they’re not the medium that originally brought me to the fandom. Ever since Cursed Child premiered, I’ve felt even less connection to the story.

For a while I resisted Cursed Child spoilers, not because I was trying to save myself — but because I just wasn’t interested. The few that I eventually did end up reading turned my stomach sour and I haven’t looked at anything else. At this point I don’t even plan on picking up the screenplay when it’s released.

Another thing that bothers me about the Cursed Child story is that it wasn’t even J.K. Rowling’s idea to begin with, rather the subject of adapting Harry Potter for the theater was brought to her. The script was written by Jack Thorne while collaborating with Rowling. Somehow that just doesn’t seem wholly authentic to me. Surely if this was a story that really needed to be told she would have done it on her own?

Which brings me to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The screenplay for the movie was actually written by J.K. Rowling, but I’m still not sure why this story is so important to the fandom. The only connection that Newt has to Harry Potter is that Harry had to read Newt’s book for school. So how will Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them help me understand Harry’s story any better? I have yet to see anything that makes me feel connected to or excited for the story.

A prequel that I would rather see is one that is actually related to the characters Harry Potter fans already love. James Potter, Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall — any of these characters and countless more seem way more important and intriguing to learn about.

Will I eventually watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Probably. Could I even enjoy the movie? Maybe. The love and anticipation that I have felt for the fandom in the past, however, is lacking. Honestly, it just makes me sad more than anything. I would love for nothing more than to enjoy everything Harry Potter. But I can’t help but feel disappointed in the latest products being thrown our way.

There’s also the issue of how the Ilvermorny sorting test was launched. The quiz came on the same day that fans officially learned about them — meaning there was no time to learn about the Houses and identify with one on your own. This is such a contrast to the Hogwarts houses that we grew up learning about in the Harry Potter series. For many fans, Pottermore’s Hogwarts sorting test was more of a confirmation of their houses than anything. We knew the houses so well that we could tell for ourselves which ones we belonged in. The same definitely cannot be said for the Ilvermorny houses. Instead people are turning to others to find out exactly what their sorting means.

Surely it would make more sense if Pottermore had held off on the sorting quiz until after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when fans had more experience with Ilvermorny. Instead, it’s being used as a marketing ploy to get us excited for the film. Well, it’s just not working for all of us — rather the opposite.

Even though I haven’t personally taken the quiz, I heard from fellow staff members that it also felt rather quick, thrown together, and didn’t wholly make sense to them. This might have to do with the fact that we don’t know much about Ilvermorny or maybe the quiz just was put together too quickly.

With that said, I do appreciate that they need some sort of promotion for the film. I just wish that they wouldn’t leave it up to something so important, and fundamental to the fandom, as house sorting. For Harry Potter fans, our houses have always been a big part of our identity. Now it’s being turned into a ploy to get us interested in something new, and that I do not appreciate.

How do you feel about the Ilvermorny sorting?

The CW has signed a new deal with Netflix that will kill their current deal with Hulu, and it’s all bad news for viewers.

Update (July 5): This deal has been formally announced by The CW and Netflix. This year’s upcoming seasons will not appear on Hulu, and will instead be released on Netflix 8 days after each show’s season finale. You’ll have to watch live, use your DVR / OnDemand, or load up CW’s official site/apps to watch sooner.

“Netflix members in the US love the great lineup of series from The CW, and we are thrilled to extend the relationship and bring those shows to our members exclusively now, just eight days after their season finales,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix. “This is a great step forward with a valued network partner to give fans exactly what they want, when and how they want it.”

“Since the initial landmark deal in 2011, The CW’s programming has enjoyed tremendous success and increased exposure through Netflix, and our new agreement not only continues but enhances this valuable relationship,” said Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW. “The CW has positioned itself for the future by transforming into a true hybrid network, rooted in broadcast while fully embracing the digital and streaming habits of the viewers.”

Original story (June 20): Variety reports that The CW and Netflix will soon announce a deal in which the streaming behemoth will release the latest seasons of CW shows two weeks after their season finales air. For example, the next season of The 100 will be on Netflix in its entirety two weeks after the season 4 finale.

But the deal is bad news for cord-cutters, because the Netflix agreement means the Hulu pact is over. The current deal, which puts the latest five episodes of all CW shows on Hulu, will be coming to an end in October. The only way to watch new episodes the day after they air will now be through CWTV.com, CW apps, OnDemand, or your DVR. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until two weeks after the season ends to binge it all on Netflix.

The CW’s 2011 deal with Hulu is widely credited with bringing much needed attention to the network’s slate, so it’s a shame to see it come to an end. Many people will turn to Hulu this fall to catch the latest CW episodes, only to be surprised to find that they’re not there.

According to Variety, Hulu and The CW butted heads over the lack of offering full seasons. “From Hulu’s perspective […] the CW in-season rights were not worth the pricetag to renew unless it came with stacking rights to all episodes — something that surely would have been a non-starter for CW and Netflix. From Hulu’s perspective, sources said, the vast majority of viewing was delivered by CW’s two highest-rated shows: The Flash and Arrow. Moreover, fans of those two shows frequently lodge complaints with Hulu about the limited five-episode selection.”

Better set those DVRs or learn how to use the ad-heavy CWTV.com!

This Independence Day is the perfect time to revisit moments when American historical fiction, both on the page and on the screen, made us swoon, brought to you by the authors of America’s First Daughter.

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie are the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter. They share with us 10 times history made them swoon!

1. Eliza and Alexander meeting in Hamilton: An American Musical. Amidst the boisterous musical that has taken the nation by storm is a romance — not just between America and its first treasury secretary, but between Alexander Hamilton and his extraordinary wife. One of the signature moments of Hamiltonian charm happens in the first-act number, “Winter’s Ball,” when Hamilton kisses the hand of his bride-to-be and says, “If it took fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it.”

2. John Andre pulling Peggy Shippen into a passionate kiss on TURN: Washington’s Spies. What could stand in the way of the love between a British spymaster, and the daughter of a loyalist in Philadelphia? Why, the American Revolution and Benedict Arnold, that’s what. But before this delicious love affair stumbles, viewers are treated to a heart-stopping kiss.

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3. Jamie Fraser losing his virginity to Claire Beauchamp in Outlander. The wedding was romantic, but the wedding night, with its sexual education of the young, heroic Highlander, had all of us sighing in delight. While this technically happened in Scotland, there’s a reason Jamie and Claire are on a list of American historicals. You just have to read further into the books!

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4. William Short and Patsy Jefferson stealing a kiss in a Parisian carriage house in America’s First Daughter. Watching Patsy experience first love while the winds of revolution whip all around is a heady thing, which makes the impassioned kiss she and William Short, a forgotten American Founding Father you must learn more about, share in a stolen moment especially intense and satisfying. Totally swoonworthy history.
5. John hugging Abigail against a winter’s frost in John Adams. HBO’s wonderful mini-series about John Adams not only helped Americans realize the debt we owe to him, but also helped us fall headlong in love with his wonderful wife. Abigail was a devoted, witty, proto-feminist who is portrayed brilliantly by Laura Linney. Abigail was never shy of advising her husband or criticizing his faults, and he cherished her for it. One might not immediately think of Paul Giamatti as a hunk of a hero, but when he’s infused with the gravitas of the second American president, he will make your heart grow two sizes.

6. Gabriel and Anne’s wartime wedding in The Patriot. Having survived raids, their plantation burning, and the flight to a Gullah camp, Gabriel and Anne’s union is a sweet, hopeful celebration we all needed. And Heath Ledger smiling? A thing of bittersweet beauty, even after all these years.

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7. Rhett Butler confesses his love to a furious Scarlett with a sunset kiss in Gone with the Wind. Whatever else may be wrong with this movie, it’s not Clark Gable. Hauling a protesting Scarlett out of the wagon as she says she’ll never forgive him for leaving her, Rhett says, “There’s one thing I do know, and that’s that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you.”

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8. When Noah helps Rosalee bathe in WGN’s Underground. One might not expect to find romance in a drama about a deadly plantation escape planned and executed by enslaved men and women, but in this savvy historical show that puts African Americans at the center of their own story, a beautiful romance unfolds between the blacksmith and a housemaid who must depend on each other to survive and make their way to freedom. Somehow they find moments of tenderness, and when Noah comes in with towels for Rosalee in the bath, he tries to be a gentleman, but she says not to go. And what follows will make your heart thump unless it’s a lump of coal.

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9. Hawkeye and Cora making love in Last of the Mohicans. In a sequence of beautiful scenes, Hawkeye admits to admiring Cora before they give in to the intense attraction between them that results in one of the best first-kiss scenes ever. And the fact that it happens at Fort William Henry just before the French attack makes it all the more intriguing to us history lovers.

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10. When Lt. Dunbar pulls Stands With a Fist behind a tree in Dances with Wolves. The beautiful Stands with a Fist isn’t supposed to kiss Lt. Dunbar; she’s in mourning. Which is exactly what she says to him, hip deep in a creek, as they meet in a passionate kiss. As their make-out session moves from the stream, to the bushes, she tells him that no one can know. That they have to be careful. But when they rise up out of that field of grass, we don’t want them to be careful. And neither does Lt. Dunbar because as she tries to sneak back into camp as if nothing has happened, he can’t let her go, and pulls her behind a tree for several more kisses. Swoon!

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About ‘America’s First Daughter’

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph — a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.

It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that 15-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love — with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.

Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father’s reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

About Stephanie Dray

Stephanie Dray is an award-winning, bestselling and two-time RITA award nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her critically acclaimed series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into eight different languages and won NJRW’s Golden Leaf. As Stephanie Draven, she is a national bestselling author of genre fiction and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

About Laura Kamoie

Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America’s First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.