Monthly roundup of news from The Daily Prophet

[Dumbledore]

THE DAILY PROPHET

1 September 2026 | Back to Hogwarts Edition

 

 

Dear witches, wizards and Muggles,

September has arrived, Hogwarts is calling, and there has been quite a lot happening in the Wizarding World over the last couple of months.

 

So, before you board the Hogwarts Express, here's your latest Potter roundup…

 

Hogwarts is coming back to our screens. 
The new Harry Potter TV series is getting closer, with production continuing at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, where the original films were made.nThe first season will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone across eight episodes, giving the story considerably more room to breathe than the original film.

And that is probably what I'm most interested in. The films were fantastic, but there was always going to be stuff that had to be cut. The TV series has the chance to bring back more of the Dursleys, more Hogwarts life, more characters and plenty of those little book details fans have been waiting to see. The series is currently scheduled to arrive on Christmas Day 2026.

Yes… Harry Potter on Christmas Day. Not a bad present. And Hogwarts itself is being rebuilt. The production is creating new Hogwarts sets, including a recreation of the Great Hall.

That has already got fans debating whether the new series should recreate the look of the original films or give Hogwarts a completely fresh identity. Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle. Keep the magic. Keep the atmosphere. But give us the things the books described that we never got to see properly.

 

And please, for the love of Merlin…

Give us Peeves.

 

The cast keeps growing

We've had plenty of casting news over the summer, including Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

John Lithgow is Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu is Snape, Janet McTeer is McGonagall and Nick Frost is Hagrid. And there's another interesting casting change coming for season two. Kit Harington is set to play Gilderoy Lockhart, after Nicholas Hoult had to leave the role because of scheduling conflicts. The funny part? Harington has already voiced Lockhart in the full cast Chamber of Secrets audiobook. So technically, he's already played him once. Now he gets the robes.

 

Rupert Grint is returning as Ron

And this might be the biggest nostalgia hit of the lot. Rupert Grint is returning as Ron Weasley. He's not joining the new TV series. Instead, he'll return to the role in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The run will last just 17 weeks, with performances beginning on 2 February 2027. Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the original story, so this gives us something we've never really had before… Rupert Grint playing an adult Ron. Harry, Ron and Hermione have grown up, their children are now at Hogwarts and the next generation is dealing with the consequences of their parents' past. If you've grown up with the original films, seeing Rupert walk back onto a stage as Ron is going to be one serious nostalgia trip.

 

Back to Hogwarts is changing

If you're heading to London for Back to Hogwarts today, there's an important change. There is no official Harry Potter event or countdown at King's Cross Station this year.

Instead, the main London celebration is taking place at Old Billingsgate, near Tower Bridge. The HBO Max Platform 9¾ Fan Experience is bringing activities, photo opportunities, giveaways and other Wizarding World experiences to the capital. So if you're dressed as a Hogwarts student and heading for King's Cross today… Check the location first.

Otherwise, that could be a slightly awkward commute.

 

25 years of Harry Potter

2026 also marks 25 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone arrived in cinemas. Twenty five years. That's a frightening number when you think about it. Some fans who watched the first film as children are now watching Harry Potter with their own children. The story has genuinely become something passed from one generation to another. And Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is celebrating another milestone too, marking 10 years since it opened in London's West End. Not bad for a story that started with one boy discovering he was a wizard.

 

Dobby somehow gets involved in a £430 million project

Now for the strangest story. Freshwater West in Wales was used as the location for Shell Cottage in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's also home to the Dobby memorial created by fans. The site attracts Potter fans from around the world. A proposed £430 million electricity project has now altered part of its route near the area, with the memorial and wider environmental and archaeological considerations forming part of the discussions around the site. Which means we have somehow reached the point where Dobby is involved in conversations about major infrastructure.

 

Honestly…

He would probably just ask for a sock.

 

And finally… welcome back

Whatever house you're in, wherever you're celebrating and however long you've been a Harry Potter fan, September still has that little bit of magic about it.

The books are still being read.

The films are still being watched.

New stories are still being created.

And millions of people are still waiting for that Hogwarts letter.

 

So from all of us here…

Happy Back to Hogwarts 2026.

Now grab your robes, find your platform and try not to be late.

And if you see a red steam train disappearing into the distance…

Well, you know what to do.

 

All aboard.

The Hogwarts Express awaits.

 

Yours in magic,
The Wizarding World Team