Search icon

Entertainment

22nd Sep 2016

JK Rowling forced into confirming on Twitter that Harambe is NOT a Patronus

Wands out for Harambe

Matt Tate

We should have seen it coming.

Harry Potter fans were whipped into a frenzy today after Pottermore, the digital hub of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World announced that by answering just a few quick fire questions they could determine your Patronus.

In case you need reminding – in which case, shame on you – a Patronus is a defensive charm summoned by the power of a happy memory. It’s an incredibly difficult spell to pull off, but there’s no more effective shield against the soul-sapping Dementors.

Famously Harry’s Patronus took the form of a stag, just like his father’s, and wannabe wizards all over the world have spent years wondering what their own might be.

Thanks to the new Pottermore feature – designed by Rowling herself – they can finally find out.

People naturally took to social media to discuss their results.

And then this happened.

Yes, the late gorilla Harambe, 2016’s most sensational meme, was never going to be left out of the latest online fad.

The much-celebrated primate – who was sadly shot dead earlier this year after a child climbed into his enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo – has already had people campaigning for his induction into the Pokemon universe, and here he is at the heart of another pop culture phenomenon.

J.K. Rowling retweeted the Harambe Patronus, which got his legion of loyal supporters very excited indeed that it was genuine.

But it wasn’t long before the author had to come out and publicly clarify the truth.

Shame, but the whole affair did spawn a decidedly more family-friendly version of the famous “dicks out for Harambe” role call.

https://twitter.com/pottrshorcrux/status/778999330472652800

You heard him, wizards.

FFL Promo Endboard (Full Date)