'Harry Potter' fan goes viral for mistaking fan fiction for 'Order of the Phoenix'

For those who read it at the time, the Harry Potter series was a once-in-a-generation experience. The magic of Hogwarts expanded outward, inspiring tons of readers to dream up their own stories featuring Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Of course, not everyone rode that initial wave, and not everyone is well-versed in the plot details of later installments like the series’ fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Some new readers might even mistake J.K. Rowling’s original novels for the fan fiction they inspired — as was recently relayed in a hilarious viral Twitter thread.

Twitter user Shelley Zhang began a thread earlier this week by posting screenshots of a text conversation with a friend, who appeared to have read a fan fiction instead of the actual Order of the Phoenix book. The realization was prompted by Zhang’s friend asking if Dudley Dursley really did die by jumping off his school roof in the fifth book. He does not, but as Zhang’s follow-up screenshots demonstrate, that was only the beginning.

The fan fiction in question is actually a relatively famous one in the community. Titled “Harry Potter and the Psychic Serpent,” it was originally written by a user known as “Barb” (no, not that Barb) and features, among other things, Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy staging a fake rape scene, Harry transforming into a griffin, and way more sex ed (and, er, sex itself) than children’s books typically entail.

Check out Zhang’s tweets below to see more from this amazing conversation (warning: strong language).