'Harry Potter' Returns in a J.K. Rowling Short Story

The 1,500-word story is presented as an item in the Daily Prophet by gossip correspondent Rita Skeeter, who notes, "About to turn 34, there are a couple of threads of silver in the famous Auror's black hair, but he continues to wear the distinctive round glasses that some might say are better suited to a style-deficient twelve-year-old."

The setting is the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, which Harry is attending with friends including Ron and Hermione. Also in attendance is Ron's sister Ginny, who is now Mrs. Potter. Skeeter informs the reader that Ron is not aging all that gracefully, and the "famous ginger hair appears to be thinning slightly." Harry now sports a mysterious scar on his right cheekbone.

According to The Guardian, the story is part of a series of pieces written by Rowling about the 2014 Quidditch Cup for the site, which features all things "Potter"-related.

It's not the first time Rowling has whetted the appetite of "Potter" fans since the publication of the final novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," in 2007.

In 2013 it was announced that the author would be making her screenwriting debut with a movie centered around one of Harry Potter's textbooks, "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them," and the adventures of its author, Newt Scamander. Rowling also stirred conversation among "Potter" devotees in February 2014 when she revealed she believed Hermione should have married Harry instead of Ron.