A lot comes to mind when you think of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren: Harvard Law School professor, possible future candidate for US president, champion for accountability in the financial industry. And now, Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling:
.@HotmHayles @lankytwat Moaning Myrtle's full name was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 11, 2015
Rowling revealed on Monday that her ghostly character Myrtle has a middle name: Elizabeth. Her full name is Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. Rowling wrote that Elizabeth is a “good middle name of the period” and has no explicit connection to the senator:
Nothing to do with the United States Elizabeth Warren I hasten to add! 'Elizabeth' is just one of those classic British middle names.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 11, 2015
.@pableshiff @HotmHayles @lankytwat 'What's a good middle name of the period?' Then, the moment I'd committed myself, I thought: uh oh :)
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 11, 2015
We don’t trust Rowling’s lighthearted dismissal enough to move on without further inspection. Rowling is known for hiding narrative clues in every part of her writing, including names. Myrtle’s initials, for example, now spell out M.E.W. Mew is a high-pitched cry, a perfect nod to the character’s woeful state, in which she weeps in a women’s bathroom for much of the series.
All of this leaves us to believe there may be other Harry Potter characters carrying political ties. Are there other #HarryPotterPoliticians yet to be revealed? Which middle names will we learn of tomorrow? Some possible options include:
- Harry James Madison Potter
- Ron Paul Weasley
- Newton Gingrich Scamander
- Chester A. Arthur Weasley
- Neville Chamberlain Longbottom
- Ted Tonks Cruz
Since Rowling is famous for her dedication to story arcs, we’re watching what else she leaks on her active Twitter feed. I’d like to believe Myrtle’s revealed name implies that Rowling is writing a new Harry Potter book about the 2016 US presidential race, in which Myrtle is asked a dozen times if she’s gunning to be the new headmaster of Hogwarts.
