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.