Children around the world spent the weekend asking their parents what “gay” means exactly and why a certain Harry Potter character doesn’t have a girlfriend while conservative parents began thinking that perhaps their pastors and priests had a point when they began pointing out the subversive elements in the magical series of books so many years ago now. But even many of the most die-hard fans didn’t see this one coming.

JK Rowling revealed at a book reading in front of over 2,000 fans at Carnegie Hall in New York that the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, is actually gay. The best selling British author made statement when a young fan asked her if the headmaster of the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ever fell in love.

“Dumbledore is gay,” the author, 42, responded. The audience fell silent, and then after a moment, Carnegie Hall exploded into applause. Rowling said that if she had known that her admission would get that type of response, she would’ve revealed her thoughts on Dumbledore earlier.

Rowling said Dumbledore was infatuated with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who was later offed in a battle between the good and bad wizards.

“Falling in love can blind us to an extent,” Rowling said of Dumbledore’s feelings, adding that Dumbledore was “horribly, terribly let down” and that his love was a “great tragedy.””