Rowling Reveals
Revelations about the characters, book five, and more straight from J. K. Rowling herself!
Here we go. I've found a bunch of various interviews with J. K. Rowling and gathered the most interesting hints and clues and information I could find, which I've organized into related categories. This is purely about the books, though--if you're looking for info on Rowling herself, go to the interviews. The number at the end of each quote corresponds to what interview I found it on, and links to the sites are at the bottom. If you've seen an interview with some interesting info I haven't included, I'd be dilighted for you to e-mail me at dragonfyre52@hotmail.com and let me know. Thanks, and enjoy!
Book Five Promises
Is the book going to be as long as book four was?
Is there anything that you can tell us about book five? Any new characters?
Will the fifth book be based on a major event or will it get back to Quidditch games and magic lessons?
Hello, Ms Rowling. Just a little question: What's to become of poor old Percy? Will he side with Fudge or with his family?
Are there going to be anymore new characters?
Does Arabella Figg have an important role in the later books?
Also, Rowlings said, Ginny Weasley - little sister to Harry's best friend, Ron, who's been nursing a crush on Harry for the first four books - "will play more of a role in Book Five." (13)
But also there are places in the world that I've been planning for so long and thinking about for so long that we haven't yet explored, and it's great fun. That will happen in book 5, too; we go into a whole new area, physically, an area you've never seen before, a magical world. (10)
You'll Find Out!
Q: What is the meaning behind Harry's lightning bolt scar?
What was Professor Trelawney's first genuine prediction?
Have any of the Hogwarts professors had spouses?
Does Harry know that he is protected as long as he lives with his family?
Other hints of what's to come: Readers will learn why Harry returns to the home of the dreadful Dursleys every summer. "The Dursleys are in the next book, and there's stuff coming with them that people might not expect." (13)
We are wondering if Harry will continue to live with the Dursley's every summer.
Did Harry ever use magic on Dudley in the real world?
A question also surfaced surrounding Harry Potter's non-magical relatives, the Muggles who have always tortured or mistreated Harry, because of their fear of magic. For revenge, Harry has magically tortured his cousin, Dudley. "I like torturing them," said Rowling. "You should keep an eye on Dudley. It's probably too late for Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. I feel sorry for Dudley. I might joke about him, but I feel truly sorry for him because I see him as just as abused as Harry. Though, in possibly a less obvious way. What they are doing to him is inept, really. I think children recognize that. Poor Dudley. He's not being prepared for the world at all, in any reasonable or compassionate way (15)
Could Harry have a pet dragon?
If you could travel to Hogwarts for an hour, what would you do there?
What makes some witches/wizards become ghosts after they die and some not?
In an attempt to glean more tidbits on Harry's future, Rowling was asked if young Potter would become a Head Boy. "That's weird," responded Rowling. "My daughter is obsessed with that. I don't know why. She's seven and she keeps saying "He's going to be Head Boy, isn't he" And I'm saying, "Maybe he wouldn't want to be headboy..." "No, he would!" It's funny you should say that. I'm not going to tell you which." (15)
Now, can I ask you: are there any special wizarding powers in your world that depend on the wizard using their eyes to do something? Bit like--
I just vaguely wondered.
Well because everyone always goes on about how Harry's got Lilly Potter's eyes?
The significance of the place where Harry and his parents lived, the first name - Godrich Gryffindor.
Thank you.
Will Harry time-travel again?
Rumors Confirmed and Denied
Is it true that Harry and Draco will have to get together and fight evil?
Is Voldemort some sort of relative of Harry's? Possibly his mother's brother?
There is a girl named Susan Bones who was sorted in the first book, and there was a family called the Bones that Voldemort tried to destroy. Is this a coincidence, or will Harry meet her in future books?
Romance
Does Hermione like Ron as more than a friend?
(And, in case that wasn't clear enough for you...)
Is it just me, or was something going on between Ron and Hermione during the last half of Goblet of Fire?
Is Harry Potter ever going to fall in love with Hermione or is he going to fall in love with Ginny Weasley?
Will Harry ever notice the long-suffering Ginny Weasley?
Characters
Ron
When is Ron's Birthday?
Hagrid
In Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid is supposed to have raised werewolf cubs under his bed. Are these the same kind of werewolves as Professor Lupin?
What house was Hagrid in?
McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape
How old is old in the wizarding world, and how old is McGonagall?
Why does Professor Dumbledore allow Professor Snape to be so nasty to the students (especially to Harry, Hermione, and Neville)?
How old is Prof. Dumbledore and Prof. Snape?
The character of Professor Snape fascinates me. Will you reveal his back story further in the next Harry Potter book?
Why did you make Quirrell the bad guy instead of Snape?
Voldemort
Voldemort's a half-blood too!
How does the Dark Lord affect American wizards and witches?
Rita Skeeter and Ron's Lost Cousin
You said Ron's cousin was taken out of Book 4, and you developed Rita Skeeter more after that. Do you still think that it would have been more fun to keep her? Can you tell me anything about what she was going to be like?
And what exactly was that gaping hole [in book four] all about?
The Dursleys
Will there by any more Harry Potter books?
Will Harry ever get a break and not live with the Dursleys?
Harry's Parents
What did the Potter parents do for a living before Voldemort killed them?
What did James and Lily Potter do when they were alive?
Where did James get his Invisibility Cloak?
Which house was Lily Potter in, and what is her maiden name?
What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it seeker like Harry, or something different?
Do we find out more about James Potters' family history in the next books?
Does Harry have a middle name?
Hogwarts
Who is the head of Ravenclaw? Professor Sinistra perhaps?
How many students attend Hogwarts, and how many students per year per house?
How can two Muggles have a kid with magical powers? Also how does the Ministry of Magic find out these kids have powers?
Is Hogwarts possibly located in Scotland? I am an American and have never been to the United Kingdom, but from reading the first book and going by the train station Harry leaves from and how long the trip takes, I am guessing it may be Scotland? Thank you.
Wizarding World
Has Harry ever used the Internet?
Do wizards and witches have to go Muggle school before they go to Hogwarts?
Clues and Hints
In your first book there is a secret message on the Mirror of Erised. Are there any other secret messages throughout the book that we should be watching for?
Why would you use most of the names in the book written in Latin?
Where do you come up with the words that you use, the names of the classes and spells and games, etc.? For example, the Patronus Expectumous, was it?
Returning Characters
Will we be seeing Lupin anytime soon?
Now the future - Lupin comes back in Book Five…
Is the real Moody ever going to be in the books? And is he as cool as the impostor Moody?
Does sleazy Rita reflect how you feel about the media?
Will we ever see Scabbers again?
Will Aragog appear in any later books?
Will we ever hear from Mr. Weasley's car again?
What happened to Neville's Toad?
Now in an interview you said that Forenze, the Centaur, was based on a friend of yours--
but we've hardly seen anything of Forenze.
And the Centaurs Prophecy at the end of Philosophers Stone…
And Gilderoy Lockhart, one of my favourite characters!
Future Deaths
Characters take on their own lives, have their own stories. Writers often say, "I loved that character and the most tragic part of my year was having to kill him off."
Do you know already who is going to die in the next books?
Some of the characters we might love and you might love?
It opens with a murder and then there's one at the end. I won't say who it is. You cried then?
But in the future there's --
People love Ron, for example. Kids think you're going to knock off Ron because he's the best friend.
After Book Seven
The Last Chapter: "you do feel a sense of resolution. You find out what happens to the survivors, to those characters who live through all seven books. I know that sounds very ominous. You get a sense of what happens to them subsequently." (13)
Are you considering starting a series about any of the other characters at Hogwarts?
I love the Idea of Harry getting older, do you think you might be tempted to write books about Harry when he is working and has a family of his own?
* * * * * * * * *
Hope that was interesting. (Certainly took me all day, so I hope it was worthwhile!) Want to discuss anything here? E-mail me at dragonfyre52@hotmail.com! And make sure to check out my own Joke Rumors and Predictions About Books 5-7. And, if you're interested, go to my page of Questions I'd Like to Ask J. K. Rowling.
Sources:
(1) Barnes & Noble.com October 20th, 2000
(3) Comic Relief March 12, 2001
(4) Scholastic October 16, 2000
(5) Scholastic February 3, 2000
(6) Newsround September 19, 2002
(7) Houston Chronicle, March 20, 2001
(10) Entertainment Weekly, September 7, 2000
(12) CBC/Newsworld, July 18, 2000
(13) philly.com Article November 12, 2000
(14) Barnes and Noble Chat September 8, 1999
(15) CINESCAPE MAGAZINE (USA) 16 November 2000
* ~ * Back to Potter Storm * ~ *
Everything on this site is copyright 2002 by October. Y Y I M Y Y I B U C I M Y Y 4 Ye! To use something from this site, please ask the webmistress for permission first at dragonfyre52@hotmail.com. You MUST have permission to use information from this site!
Yes, it is looking that way - it's already passed Azkaban, so I think yes, we are looking at Goblet of Fire length. (6)
Well, we've obviously got a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher because Professor Moody wouldn't want the job again having been locked in a trunk for a year! It's a woman this time. You may see a little more of Mundungus and there's a new sorting hat song. (6)
Normal life is kind of reviewed. Magic lessons will be back, but as usual there is a lot more going on than that. (7)
Good question! You'll find out in book five! (1)
Yes, there are going to be new characters in book five. (1)
You'll be seeing Mrs. Figg in book five, and you'll find out all about her. (1)
A: There are some things I can tell you about it and some things I can't. I chose the lightning bolt because it was the most plausible shape for a distinctive scar. As you know, the scar has certain powers, and it gives Harry warnings. I can't say more than that, but there is more to say. (7)
You'll find out! The best questions - the ones from really attentive and thoughtful readers-- are always the ones I can't answer-- they give too much away!.. (8)
Good question-- yes, a few of them, but that information is sort of restricted-- you'll find out why.. (8)
He sort of knows now, but he won't know the whole truth about that for a little while. (1)
Well, you have to decide whether you want to give up the fun of seeing Harry getting the better of the Dursley's or whether you'd rather see Harry happy. I've made my choice, but I can't tell you what it is because it will ruin future plots. (14)
Not so far (hint). (1)
You can't domesticate a dragon whatever Hagrid thinks. That's simply impossible. So no. He's got more sense. He might get a different pet at some point but I'm saying no more at this moment. (3)
Go straight into a certain room, mentioned in book four, which has certain magical properties Harry hasn't discovered yet!.. (8)
You don't really find that out until Book VII, but I can say that the happiest people do not become ghosts. As you might guess, Moaning Myrtle! (5)
Why do you want to know this?
Why?
Aren't you smart? There is something, maybe, coming about that. I'm going to say no more. Very clever. (11)
Very good, you're a bit good you are, aren't you?
I'm impressed. My editor didn't notice , I said to her haven't you noticed any connection between where Harry's parents were born, not born, where they lived and, one of the Hogwarts houses and she's sitting there going erm, I'm not being rude about Emma she's brilliant editor, the best I've ever. But know she didn't pick that up either. You're a bit good you are. (11)
Not telling! (9)
Don't believe everything you read on the Net! I saw that rumor too, but it is just a rumor. (1)
I'm laughing...that would be a bit Star Wars, wouldn't it? (4)
Susan Bones's grandparents were killed by Voldemort! (1)
The answer to that is in Goblet of Fire! (8)
Yes, something's "going on," but Ron doesn't realize it yet. Typical boy. (1)
In Book IV Harry does decide he likes a girl, but it's not Hermione or Ginny. However, he's only 14, so there's plenty of time for him to change his mind. ;-) (5)
You'll see... poor Ginny, eh?.. (8)
First of March, in case you're thinking of sending him a card, and Hermione is the nineteenth of September.. (8)
No. Riddle was telling lies about Hagrid, just slandering him. (1)
Hagrid was in Gryffindor, naturally! (1)
Professor McGonagall is a sprightly seventy. Wizards have a much longer life expectancy than Muggles. (Harry hasn't found out about that yet.) (4)
Dumbledore believes there are all sorts of lessons in life; horrible teachers like Snape are one of them! (1)
Dumbledore's about 150 years old... Wizards have a longer life expectancy than us Muggles. Snape's 35 or 36 (8)
You will find out more about Snape in future books. Keep an eye on him! (1)
Because I know all about Snape, and he wasn't about to put on a turban. (9)
Like Hitler! See! I think it's the case that the biggest bully takes their own defects and they put them on someone else, and they try to destroy them. And that's what he [Voldemort] does. That was very conscious - I wanted to create a villain where you could understand the workings of his mind, not just have a 2-D baddie, dressed up in black, and I wanted to explore that and see where that came from. Harry in Book Four is starting to come to terms with what makes a person turn that way. Because they took wrong choices and he [Voldemort] took wrong choices from an early age. (11)
He affects everyone, but his plan is European domination first. (4)
Well, maybe I will use her in another book, so I don't want to talk about her too much. I had never "killed" a character before (in either sense) until Goblet of Fire, so that made writing the book a little more stressful! (4)
I had to pull a character. There you go: "the phantom character of 'Harry Potter."' She was a Weasley cousin [related to Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend]. She served the same function that Rita Skeeter [a sleazy investigative journalist] now serves. Rita was always going to be in the book, but I built her up, because I needed a kind of conduit for information outside the school. Originally, this girl fulfilled this purpose. (10)
Yes, even back on that train I saw it as a series which would follow Harry to the end of his schooldays at Hogwarts (seven years). So in the final book, Harry will have come of age in the wizarding world, and ready to leave the Dursleys at last. (2)
I'm not going to tell you! ;-) (5)
I'm sorry to keep saying this, but I can't tell you because it's important to a later plot. But you will find out later! (5)
Well, I can't go into too much detail, because you're going to find out in future books. But James inherited plenty of money, so he didn't need a well-paid profession. You'll find out more about both Harry's parents later. (9)
That was inherited from his own father-- a family heirloom! (9)
Her maiden name was Evans, and she was in Gryffindor (naturally). (4)
James was Chaser. (4)
Yes, you do... (8)
Yep, James after his dad. (4)
No, the head of Ravenclaw is good old Professor Flitwick! (1)
There are about a thousand students at Hogwarts. (4)
It's the same as two black-haired people producing a redheaded child. Sometimes these things just happen, and no one really knows why! The Ministry of Magic doesn't find out which children are magic. In Hogwarts there's a magical quill which detects the birth of a magical child, and writes his or her name down in a large parchment book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, and sends owls to the people who are turning 11. (5)
You are absolutely right. If you travel north from King's Cross, you do indeed arrive in Scotland. (14)
No. He's not allowed near Dudley's computer and Dudley's the only one who's got a computer. He gets beaten up if he goes too near the keyboard. So no, he's never used the Internet. I use it a lot but not Harry. Wizards don't really need to use the Internet butthat's something that you'll find out later on in the series. They have a means of finding out what goes on in the outside world that I think is more fun than the Internet. Could anything be more fun than the Internet? Yes! (3)
No, they don't have to. (4)
Not secret messages of that type, but if you read carefully, you'll get hints about what's coming. And that's all I'm saying! (4)
I like to think that the wizards use this dead language as a living language, and it also gives readers a chance to work out clues along the way! (1)
Expecto Patronum -- you were close! That's Latin. Go and look it up -- a little investigation is good for a person! Mostly I invent spells, but some of them have particular meanings. Like "avada kedavra" -- I bet someone out there knows what that means. (1)
Yes, Harry will be seeing Lupin again. He's another of my favourite characters. (9)
You see Lupin in Book Five. Do you like him? (Lizo: Yes, he's one of my favourites.) And me. I always looked forward to writing Book Three because of Professor Lupin. I love him. Yes you see a lot of old characters in Book Five. Yes. I'm not even going to tell you what happens in Book Five! I'm just recovering from the stress of Book Four!! (11)
The real Moody is even cooler! Yes, Harry will see him again. (1)
No, but when I got to the point in the writing where I had to introduce Rita, I did hesitate, because I thought, People will think this is my response to what's happened to me. But I had a lot more fun writing Rita then I think I would have done if it hadn't happened to me. Rita will be back. (10)
Yes. You will see Scabbers again (5)
Yes. But I'm not telling you anymore than that! (14)
Yes, you will hear from Mr. Weasley's car again, but yet again, I'm not telling you how. (14)
He's still lurking.. (8)
Well, just keep your eyes open.
He'll come back-- enough said. Not everyone has read book four. (11)
Gilderoy, bless him, is still in Saint Mungo's hospital for magical ailments and injuries, ‘cos his memory's just gone. So I'm making no promises about Gilderoy (11)
That's coming.
I know all of them who are going to die.
I'm definitely killing people I love, yeah. It's horrible, isn't it? I cried during the writing of that one [Book Four] for the first time ever. It really upset me.
Yeah.
There's worse coming.
Kids do, because they're sharp and they've seen so many films where the hero's best friend gets it. So they think I'm going to make it personal by killing Ron. But maybe that's a double bluff… It's not that I sat down with a list and decided to write, "you're going, you're going, you're going." There are reasons for the deaths in each case, in terms of the story. So that's why I'm doing it. (12)
No, I think when I've finished the seven Harry Potter books I will be finished with the world. It will make me very sad to say goodbye, but it must be done! (1)
Hmmmmmm... yet another person who is convinced I'm not going to kill him off! Were you people get the idea I'm soft-hearted I don't know. I'm joking. Or am I?.. (8)
