Harry Potter is back in new Rowling story
Harry Potter is back – mysterious, married, and going gray.
J.K. Rowling has given fans a glimpse of the grown-up boy wizard in a new story posted Tuesday on her Pottermore website.
It’s the first update since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was published in 2007, but Rowling spokesman Mark Hutchinson said there are “no plans” for a new Potter novel.
The 1,500-word story describes Harry, about to turn 34, attending the final of the Quidditch World Cup with his family and old friends Ron and Hermione.
Harry now has “threads of silver” in his hair and a mysterious cut on his cheekbone, related to his “top secret” work as an evil-battling Auror.
The story is written in the style of a gossip column for the Daily Prophet by reporter Rita Skeeter, a minor character in the novels.
Skeeter observes that Harry and friends are “no longer the fresh-faced teenagers they were in their heyday” and speculates about the state of Harry’s marriage to Ginny Weasley. She says Ron Weasley’s red hair “appears to be thinning slightly,” and notes witheringly that Harry still wears “the distinctive round glasses that some might say are better suited to a style-deficient 12-year-old.” The story discloses that Ron now runs the family joke shop, while Hermione is a – literally – high-flying civil servant, Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
‘Real Housewives’ husband sentenced
The husband of a “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that 35-year-old Apollo Nida was also ordered to pay restitution to victims of a $2.3 million scheme during his sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. Nida is the husband of Phaedra Parks, one of the reality show’s stars. He pleaded guilty May 6 to conspiring to commit mail, wire and bank fraud.
Prosecutors say Nida and co-conspirators since 2009 had stolen checks and used victims’ stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns and fraudulent claims against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Authorities say the group laundered money by opening bank accounts in its victims’ names.
Fleetwood Mac singer joins ‘The Voice’
Stevie Nicks is joining “The Voice” as an adviser to Adam Levine’s team for the upcoming season.
Filming is currently underway on the show’s seventh season. Nicks, the 66-year-old Fleetwood Mac singer, has been working with Levine and his 12 team members as they assign songs and rehearse with the contestants in preparation for the show’s battle rounds. Levine and Blake Shelton will be joined by Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams as coaches when the NBC show returns on Sept. 22.
The birthday bunch
Actor Brian Dennehy is 76. Actor Richard Roundtree is 72. Actor Jimmy Smits is 59. Actor Tom Hanks is 58. Actress Kelly McGillis is 57. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 50. Actor-director Fred Savage is 38.