J. K. Rowling’s U. S. book tour ended on a surprise note for both author and fans, as she revealed that the brilliant white-haired wizard Albus Dumbledore is gay.

British author J. K. Rowling embarked on her first U.S. book tour in seven years last week, with an initial stop in Los Angeles, at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater. She signed books, gave autographs and read excerpts form the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and answered questions from her young readers.

The recipe was repeated in New Orleans, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Auditorium and then again in New York City at Carnegie Hall. Her New York visit was extra-special as Rowling made some unexpected revelations.

When a young fan asked whether Dumbledore finds “true love,” the author answered that the Headmaster was gay and in love with childhood best friend Gellert Grindelwald, whom he later defeated in a life or death, good against evil battle.

She explained that “Falling in love can blind us to an extent.” After he was “horribly, terribly let down” by Grindelwald’s turning to the Dark side, Dumbledore later found himself face to face with the wizard, once his boyhood friend and companion, now his enemy, and destroyed him.

The audience, initially silent, burst into applause as Rowling said this love had been Dumbledore’s “great tragedy.”

“If I had known this would have made you so happy, I would have told you years ago,” Rowling added.

Reactions to Dumbledore’s outing as gay have been mixed, but Rowling’s loyal fans seem to embrace this new facet of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster.

“Jo Rowling calling any Harry Potter character gay would make wonderful strides in tolerance toward homosexuality,” Melissa Anelli, webmaster of the fan site TheLeakyCauldron.org, told the Associated Press.

British human rights activist Pete Tatchell has also reacted, showing appreciation for Rowling’s choice while at the same time expressing disappointment that she had waited so long to reveal a homosexual character.

“It is great that J. K. Rowling wants to make her books inclusive of gay people,” Peter Tatchell said. “My disappointment is that she did not make it more explicit. Maybe she feared a hostile reaction.”

It is not known yet how or if this will affect Sir Michael Gambon’s character in the final two Potter movies, scheduled for release in 2008 and 2010, respectively. The 67-year-old actor has portrayed Dumbledore in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

Rowling also revealed Friday that she had intervened to change the script during the making of the sixth film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” E! Online reports. She had noticed a reference to a girl who was once of interest to Dumbledore so she corrected the passage by scrawling “Dumbledore is gay” over it.