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J.K. Rowling 'loves black Hermione,' defends casting in 'Harry Potter' play

When writing the "Harry Potter" books, J.K. Rowling described Hermione as a clever girl with brown eyes and frizzy hair. She never described her race.
/ Source: TODAY

When "Harry Potter" fans on social media expressed mixed reactions to the news that a black actress will soon take on the role of Hermione Granger for an upcoming London production of a play penned by J.K. Rowling, the author herself chimed in about the casting news.

Noma Dumezweni, a noted British theater and television star, will star as Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," a story that revisits Rowling's beloved characters later in their lives.

Actress Emma Watson brought young Hermione to life on the big screen, but some fans who knew the character best from the texts always thought of Hermione as black — a point Rowling illustrated by tweeting a collection of Hermione fan art.

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And it's not as though characters aren't open to revision and reinterpretation anyway — as Matthew Lewis, who played a not-by-the-book Neville Longbottom in the film franchise, mentioned in a good-luck tweet to Dumezweni.

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This isn't the first time Rowling has taken to Twitter to clear up any confusion in the Potterverse.

She's taken down rumors:

Corrected misconceptions:

And she even had the perfect response to one fan who just didn’t think Dumbledore "looked gay":

After all, when it comes to the Wizarding World, Rowling is definitely the ultimate authority!

Follow Ree Hines on Twitter.