J.K. Rowling announces a new Harry Potter. Fans can't cope.

She says it’s not a prequel to the Harry Potter novels, but rather focuses on a part of Harry’s story that has yet to be told.

Eighteen years after the first Harry Potter book was published, the creator of the famous boy wizard took to Twitter on Friday to announce the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be showing at the Palace theatre in London’s West End at the end of 2016.

Today is a very special day for two reasons. Firstly, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in the UK 18 years ago!

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

I’m also very excited to confirm today that a new play called Harry Potter and the #CursedChild will be opening in London next year. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

It will tell a new story, which is the result of a collaboration between writer Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and myself. #CursedChild — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

Related: J.K. Rowling finally addresses four major plot holes.

Rowling then teased fans in a series of tweets about the play, which is a collaboration between herself and theatre legends Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

She says that staging a play was the only way that this story could be told:

I don’t want to say too much more, because I don’t want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans. #CursedChild — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

However, I can say that it is not a prequel! #CursedChild — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

To answer one inevitable (and reasonable!) question – why isn’t #CursedChild a new novel? – I am confident that when audiences see the play — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

they will agree that it was the only proper medium for the story. #CursedChild — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

Rowling continued to say that while she had had a heap of offers to continue Harry’s story, she believed she finally found the right team for the job.

I’ve had countless offers to extend Harry’s story over the years, but Jack, John and Sonia Friedman are a dream team! #CursedChild

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

It has been a huge pleasure to share with them (and soon, with you!) this untold part of Harry’s story. #CursedChild — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

Naturally, fans reacted to the news in a calm and dignified manner.

@jk_rowling WAIT WHAT WHAT IS LIFE I CANNOT CONTAIN MY FEELINGS. — Wild Bear (@WildBearElena) June 26, 2015

@jk_rowling AREH YOU GFUCING SHERIOUS — ravenclaw!gracee (@sevourus) June 26, 2015

@jk_rowling brb saving all of my money for the next twelve months so I can go to another continent to see a play — Katie (@kaytiegrace) June 26, 2015

@jk_rowling OH MYNGOD I NEEDA GO TO LONDON RN — ⠀ (@NICKRBlNSON) June 26, 2015

@jk_rowling how does it feel to know that you have an army of crazy hardcore fans in your hands who would go to battle for you?

— aymina (@potterhead95) June 26, 2015

But the news is not all good for the millions of Harry Potter die-hards, with the RadioTimes working out exactly how long the play would need to run so that all fans could see it.

Related: Sorry, J.K. Rowling but we cannot accept your apology.

Apparently, if you assumed the 71 million people following the official Harry Potter Facebook account all wanted to get their #CursedChild fix, the play would need to screen at the 1400-seat Palace theatre for roughly 120 years:

Seventy-one million divided by the number of seats in the house gives us a figure of 51,000 performances. The Palace usually puts on one performance a day, with an extra matinee on Saturday and Sundays and Mondays off. 51,000 divided by 8 gives us the 6,375 weeks the play would need to run for to fulfil that quota. Divide by the number of weeks in a year, 52, and the play would have to be on for 122.59 years – let’s call it 122 because those guys are going to need a break at some point.

Crushed? Heartbroken? Curled up in a foetal position in the corner crying your eyes out?

Yeah, us too.

More information about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child can be found here.