Here's a revelation that will have you poring over your stash of beloved children's books for the rest of the day. First, let's all take a moment to smack ourselves across the back of the head for not realizing this sooner.
We can thank former child actress Mara Wilson for drawing our attention to the similarities between two touchstones of our adolescence: Roald Dahl's Matilda, and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. They're both British, feature nasty parental figures, terrifying teachers, magic, and cute kiddie protagonists you can't help but root for. Like, duh.
Wilson, who played Matilda in the 1996 film version, pointed out the connection in a series of tweets, though she did cite Reddit and Tumblr for first raising the theory. Good work, internet.
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HA. "Matilda is the story of Hermione if she'd been raised by the Dursleys."
I can see it.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWritesStuff) September 29, 2015Matilda would have also been split between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, but ultimately go to the former.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWritesStuff) September 29, 2015She wouldn't have been in the clique, but they'd get along. She's older, and probably hung out with the teachers. https://t.co/4Rz2lPh7G7
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWritesStuff) September 29, 2015I imagine Matilda would, as a seventh year, see second year Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the restricted section, and smile to herself.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWritesStuff) September 29, 2015Yep, we're going to need to see some fan fiction about this. Dolores Umbridge and Miss Trunchbull totally would have been demonic besties, Snape would have made Matilda's life hell, and dare we say a Weasley/Matilda romance might have been in the cards? What say you, J.K.?