It's a little late for an elaborate Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them promotional stunt, so what is that creature up in the sky? Pictures have emerged of what appeared to be an 100-foot-long menacing apparition in the clouds that looked exactly like one of author JK Rowling's dementors. But it can't be...right?
Dementors are magical, soul-sucking creatures that consist of a billowing black robe and a gaping, soul-hungry mouth. They're large, grim-reaper type characters who turn their surroundings cold and cause wizards and Muggles alike to relive their worst memories.
"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth," Rowling writes in The Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry first spots one on the Hogwarts Express. "They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them."
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They're also — according to these Twitter sightings — on vacation in Zambia.
Just when you thought muggles can't see magical creatures, a “Dementor” was spotted up in the clouds at Zambia! ??? https://t.co/J3n9BDRnvm pic.twitter.com/kyv4uSYaHT
— InqPOP! (@InqPOP) March 6, 2017
Dementor is real guys ? pic.twitter.com/PDAjH8CovZ
— Breathless (@earneditbyme97) March 6, 2017
Scared residents are taking to social media to spread the word of a mysterious figure floating above the Mukuba Mall in the city of Kitwe, but Potterheads were quick to point out its resemblance to the magical villain.
Looks like a Dementor to me. Where's Harry Potter when you need him ??⚡️ pic.twitter.com/4aI4OCBPxr
— Connor McLaughlin (@_ConnorM) March 4, 2017
Some people took a more logical approach, guessing that it was probably a kite or some large flag. Others guess it was just an odd cloud formation or the work of some pretty convincing Photoshop.
THE DEMENTOR ON ZAMBIA IS A FROKKIN KITE IM DISAPPOINTED I THOUGHT IT WAS REAL :(((((((((((((( pic.twitter.com/FXsR5QSwx2
— Chii ??? (@_chiisama) March 6, 2017
No matter what, it seriously freaked people out.
‘We were shocked to see images that looked like a human in the clouds for close to 30 minutes,’ an eyewitness said, according to Metro. "Some started worshipping but others ran away. It was so strange."
The major flaw in the dementor theory? Muggles aren't supposed to be able to see them. So either it's a much more boring explanation, or we're all secretly wizards. Let's just pretend it's the latter.