Harry Potter author JK Rowling has confirmed what fans have long suspected - the principal of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, is indeed gay.
Rowling outed the headmaster at a sell-out appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York. After a brief reading from the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowling took questions from the audience.
When a young fan asked if Dumbledore would find "true love", Rowling answered: "Dumbledore is gay".
The outing was greeted with gasps, then applause from the crowd, the Associated Press has reported.
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Rowling revealed that Dumbledore was still smitten with evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated in battle.
"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling explained, defending Dumbledore's taste in men.
She said Dumbledore had been "horribly, terribly let down" and that his doomed love for Grindelwald was his "great tragedy".