Expecto... meme?
No, the gorilla Harambe is not an official, J.K.-Rowling-approved Patronus option.
On Thursday, Harry Potter fans went into a frenzy with the launch of the Patronus “experience” on the all-things-Potter Pottermore site, in which Muggles can discover the corporeal animal form that their spirit shields would take — if we were able to perform the advanced-level magic of the beloved Patronus Charm, of course.
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As users have shared across social media, the results are exceptionally diverse and specific: all kinds of creatures have been produced, from tortoiseshell cats to run-of-the-mill rats to even mythical fire-dwelling salamanders. But in the seemingly-endless universe of Patronus options, there’s one animal that’s definitely not going to appear at the end of the quiz, and that’s the deceased, meme-ified mountain gorilla Harambe, who once called the Cincinnati Zoo home and has since become a running viral joke.
Rowling retweeted a comedy account that shared a Harambe-as-Patronus joke image — but then tweeted again to clear everything up.
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Now, carry on practicing your pronunciation of “Expecto patronum,” wizard wannabes!
Wow @pottermore @jk_rowling too soon pic.twitter.com/zPMFM4Ch6R
— theCHIVE (@theCHIVE) September 22, 2016
I thought it was very funny, btw.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
