That sound you hear? It’s the gasps of a million Harry Potter fans who saw snake-slayer Neville Longbottom in his skimpiest wizard robes on the cover of the UK’s Attitude magazine this morning. The audible inhalation was offset only by the audible cringe that followed from Harry Potter quill-wielder J.K. Rowling, and then the internet exploded at the hilarity. In case you missed the exchange, let me catch you up:
.@Mattdavelewis Not as bad as watching Dan in Equus, but close. Warn me next time, for God’s sake. https://t.co/r8EUd1GKqT
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 21, 2015
Well, this is awkward. Sorry, Jo… https://t.co/ASSy3vo4d3 — Matthew Lewis (@Mattdavelewis) May 21, 2015
Feeling her cherubic young friend felt sorry enough for her traumatizing, Rowling did not hold it over his head for too long.
.@Mattdavelewis I will always support you whatever you want to do, Matthew. Now go put some clothes on.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 21, 2015
Not to be kept out of the fun, that rascal Lucius Malfoy also got in on the fun:
Surely Neville Pertbottom now? @Mattdavelewis @jk_rowling https://t.co/P5ZMOTXwlH — Jason Isaacs (@jasonsfolly) May 21, 2015
Since we last saw him pick up the Sword of Gryffindor in 2011, Matthew Lewis has cast more than one spell on the witches and wizards of the internet. All allusions to swords and wands aside, Lewis has been hard at work filming Bluestone 42 and other projects since his time at Hogwarts. Fans of his Instagram also know he’s been on set for Jojo Myle’s adaptation of her novel Me Before You alongside Game of Thrones‘s Emilia Clarke. All this hard work has exercised his acting abilities and turned his physique into the chiseled cover model that was unveiled this morning. While Rowling may not be ready to see her boys grow up (though I would imagine seeing any person you watched grow up strip on stage as a young man would be at least marginally uncomfortable for anyone), the rest of the internet has been gleefully right-click-saving Lewis’s photos all day. Judge for yourself by perusing some of the images over at Attitude.
Attitude has been one of the UK’s top gay magazines since it began publishing in 1994. Matthew Lewis is one of two featured cover models for this month’s special swimsuit and underwear editions. The alternate cover is a math teacher turned model who recently had viral internet success. Here’s hoping the gleeful reaction to Lewis’ cover spread doesn’t drive him under an invisibility cloak anytime soon. We’re all for wizards who are proud of their wands.
Images via Attitude
