The second teaser trailer forHBO’s forthcoming Harry Potter series has dropped, and it quickly hits upon one of the saga’s earliest, anticipated moments. Young actors Daniel Radcliffe’sHarry Potter, Ruper Grint’s Ron Weasley and Emma Watson’s Hermione Granger’s names were drawn, and one by one they join the merry ranks of Gryffindor House. We haven’t seen the faces of the three lead actors in more than a brief clip until this trailer, and with a Christmas debut around the corner, one might believe the production is getting close.

The teaser moves with deliberate pace, opening with quiet shots of the Hogwarts corridors, candles casting flickering shadows that spill through the hallways. Soon enough we see the Great Hall, a familiar and timeless sight, but then, we glimpse the new students who will become our new heroes. On each head sits the worn and magical Sorting Hat, the colors of red and gold Gryffindor blinking beneath its crown.

Most, if not all of us, had expected this from the trio at the heart of the Hogwarts years. The sequence shows the sorting ceremony, the great hall filled with food, and several quick-flash images of some of the other Hogwarts professors, all before any dialogue can be seen spoken. But what’s more interesting is the glimpses it offers of not just Potter, but the supporting cast (Ron and Hermione) and their relationship with Hagrid, as well as the feel of the sets (Hogwarts looks like it should) and design of the costumes.

All that being said, the idea of a holiday release for this series still feels like its strongest advantage. The window is what gets it back in front of families, a crucial angle I keep returning to.

The brand already thrives on that sentimental, seasonal resonance and there are now generations ready to experience the story for the very first time. I knew with certainty there would be debate. The casting of the main three was going to be scrutinized rightly so, there was a large burden to bear on those shoulders. But I’m happy to report that after seeing the teaser, there has been a subtle sea change in public reaction to the newcomers. They look appropriately like what they are: children scared at the sorting ceremony.

So you have what looks like a really well-funded picture in the works, not to mention the kind of atmosphere the scene implies the lighting, the texture of the costumes, the detail of the actual Gryffindor house setup so it’s probably safe to say that what they’ve given us is a significant investment. And then they went and revealed the sorting. Of course, not everything about the new show has been met with unrestrained glee.

I still have a very serious fan who is skeptical of the adaptation, as is always the case when beloved books make the leap to another medium. But, the people who grew up on the books seem glad that the stories of her adolescence can now unfold at their proper length.