JK Rowling pens new Harry Potter story on Pottermore: Introducing 'Singing Sorceress' Celestina Warbuck
Celestina's name was mentioned three times in the hit wizarding book series
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Your support makes all the difference.JK Rowling has introduced a new character into the Harry Potter world, known as “the Singing Sorceress”.
The British author released Celestina Warbeck’s 500-word biography on official fan website Pottermore yesterday, presenting her for the first time after she failed to appear properly in any of the past seven wizard books.
Celestina was first heard singing in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (in chapter 16, to be precise), with lyrics including “Oh, come and stir my cauldron/ And if you do it right/ I’ll boil you up some hot, strong love/ To keep you warm tonight”. It’s saucy stuff.
Celestina is Ron Weasley’s mum’s singer of choice, and one of Rowling’s favourite “off-stage characters”. She is of half-blood origin, is in Gryffindor, and enjoys breeding rough-coated Crups.
Readers see her name, which Rowling “stole” from a former Amnesty International colleague, mentioned another two times in the series. “’Celestina’ was simply begging to be scooped up and attached to a glamourous witch,” the writer said.
You can read Celestina’s story in full in the ‘Floo Room’ on Pottermore, but here’s an extract:
“Celestina’s extraordinary voice was apparent from an early age. Disappointed to learn that there was no such thing as a wizarding stage school, Mrs Warbeck reluctantly consented to her daughter's enrollment at Hogwarts, but subsequently bombarded the school with letters urging the creation of a choir, theatre club and dancing class to showcase her daughter's talents.”
For the more dedicated Potter fans among us, you can listen to Celestina’s Shirley Bassey-esque single “You Stole My Cauldron But You Can’t Have My Heart” on the site, but you have to be a member and you have to “unlock” it by playing interactive games.
Rowling published another Harry Potter story in early July, about "greying" Harry’s life in his mid-30s.
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