The One Harry Potter Book That Fans Want J.K. Rowling To Write With A Twist

Eight core movies, a series of spin-off films, an unofficial musical adaptation, a handful of theme parks, and three Grindelwalds later, it can be difficult to keep track of the entire Harry Potter universe. Harder still: trying to wrap your head around the idea that a scant few decades ago, entries in the series were still thin on the ground. Back in 2001, any self-respecting Hogwarts fan spent the weeks following the first film's release in anxious anticipation, waiting for the debut of a 128-page ancillary book called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, basically a pamphlet compared to 2000's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but better than nothing.

And you know what? It was a good time. Rowling's stopgap guide to the creatures of the Wizarding World, the proceeds from which went to Comic Relief, was a fun side addition to the universe. It helped that Fantastic Beasts was published as Harry's own copy of the book, complete with liner notes and doodles courtesy of Ron Weasley.

Today, some fans of the series are expressing a desire to return to the good old days. Discussing what sort of continuation of the franchise they'd like to see on Reddit's /r/harrypotter forum, Potterheads brought up the idea of a new Hogwarts textbook, this time with a more studious character holding their hands through the experience. If they had things their way, you'd be able to read about it in Hogwarts: A History.

Hogwarts: A History. Those three words were burned into the brains of a generation of fans back in 2001 thanks to the distinctive cadence of 10-year-old Emma Watson. Together, they constitute the title of an in-universe book, perpetually favored by first-year magic students that are struggling to fit in socially.

Fans of the Harry Potter mythos took to Reddit to express their desire for a copy of the book, following in the footsteps of the Fantastic Beasts publication from 2001. This time, however, some readers would prefer to get Hermione Granger's take on things, preferably via the same sorts of notes written in the margins.

Within the Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts: A History was the definitive guide to Scotland's most iconic school of witchcraft and wizardry. A favorite of Hermione and ... no, that's mostly it. The book was a deep dive into all things Hogwarts, from the enchantments used on the Great Hall's ceiling to the reason that pagers didn't work at the school. Some Reddit users thought that a copy of the publication with Ms. Granger's notes would be a bang-up idea, while others pointed out that "Literally nobody besides Hermione can stand [the book]," indicating that it wouldn't, in all likelihood, make for light reading. Inevitably, the conversation then turned to the whole Hogwarts bathroom reveal from Pottermore, and everything sort of devolved from there. 

Still, the idea of an in-real-life copy of Hogwarts: A History has legs — not as many as The Monster Book of Monsters, but that might not be a fair standard.