Harry's world
Questions are sorted in chronological order.
Most recent ones are at the bottom.
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Any hints you could share about what to expect in future
Harry Potter books?
-
The theme running through all seven books is the fight
between good and evil, and I'm afraid there will be
casualties! Children usually beg me not to kill Ron whenever
I tell them this; they seem to think he is most vulnerable,
probably because he is the hero's best friend!
(Source:
Scholastic interview
-
00-00-1998
)
Question on Getting ideas
How did you get the idea for Harry Potter?
-
I was taking a long train journey from Manchester to London
in England and the idea for Harry just fell into my head.
At that point it was essentially the idea for a boy who
didn't know he was a wizard, and the wizard school he ended
up going to.
(Source:
Scholastic interview
-
00-00-1998
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Any clues about the next book?
-
I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that
the books are getting darker... Harry's going to have quite
a bit to deal with as he gets older. Sorry if they get too
scary!
(Source:
UKOLN
-
00-00-1999
)
Question on Getting ideas
Where did the ideas for the wizard classes and magic spells
come from?
-
I decided on the school subjects very early on. Most of the
spells are invented, but some of them have a basis in what
people used to believe worked. We owe a lot of our
scientific knowledge to the alchemists!
(Source:
Amazon.co.uk
-
00-00-1999
)
Question on Characters wizards/witches
In your first book, the witches and wizards stand out as
slightly odd when they're in the "muggle," or normal world
-- cloaked in capes with dozens of pockkets. Are they meant
to remind readers of homeless people?
-
Not necessarily of homeless people, although that image
isn't far off what I was trying to suggest. The wizards
represent all that the true "muggle" most fears: They are
plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is
more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed
misfit!
(Source:
Salon interview, Margaret Weir
-
31-03-1999
)
Question on Character Hermione Granger
One of the book's loveliest characters is Hermione Granger,
one of Harry's best friends and a bookworm whose research
invariably helps him unravel the mystery at hand. Hermione
makes erudition seem so juicy and worthwhile, yet she's very
real, prone to crushes on self-inflated types. How did you
dream her up?
-
Hermione was very easy to create because she is based almost
entirely on myself at the age of 11. She is really a
caricature of me. I wasn't as clever as she is, nor do I
think I was quite such a know-it-all, though former
classmates might disagree. Like Hermione, I was obsessed
with achieving academically, but this masked a huge
insecurity. I think it is very common for plain young girls
to feel this way. Similarly, her crushes on unsuitable men
... well, I've made my mistakes in that area. Just because
you've got a good brain doesn't mean you're any better than
the next person at keeping your hormones under control!
(Source:
Salon interview, Margaret Weir
-
31-03-1999
)
Question on Quidditch
How did you create Quidditch?
-
I love basketball, and I always wanted to see a game with
four balls in play, because it would be really funny to
watch. The chapter I'm writing now at the moment is called
the "Quidditch World Cup".
(Source:
Nickelodeon Magazine
-
00-00-2000
)
Question on Gift giving
Does Harry give Christmas gifts to his friends? The books
mention only gifts he receives. I am interested in knowing
whether he gives gifts and if they are appropriate for the
receiver.
-
Ron is very sensitive about his poverty, and Harry knows
that Ron might be offended if he tried to give him too much.
You will see in Book IV that Ron feels awkward accepting too
much from Harry.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Wizards that are muggle-born
How can two Muggles have a kid with magical powers? Also how
does the Ministry of Magic find out these kids have powers?
-
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.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Studying muggle subjects
How do students at Hogwarts get educated in Muggle subjects?
Do they even need to know other things besides magic?
-
They can choose to study Muggle subjects. In the third book,
Hermione takes the class Muggles Studies, and that's where
they learn about Muggles in school.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Hogwarts
How do you visualize Hogwarts in its entirety?
-
A huge, rambling, quite scary-looking castle, with a jumble
of towers and battlements. Like the Weasley's house, it
isn't a building that Muggles could build, because it is
supported by magic.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Albus Dumbledore
How old is Professor Dumbledore?
-
Wizards have a longer life expectancy than Muggles!
Dumbledore is a hundred and fifty.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Mistakes in the books
In the first book you said Slytherin house Quidditch captain
was sixth year Marcus Flint. If there are only seven years
of Hogwarts, why is he in the third book?
-
He had to do a year again! :-)
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Harry Potter
Is Harry Potter ever going to fall in love with Hermione or
is he going to fall in love with Ginny Weasley?
-
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. ;-)
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Book The Prisoner of Azkaban
Is the island that Azkaban is on located at the southern end
of the U.K. since Black had to pass the Dursley's place on
his way to Hogwarts?
-
No, he didn't have to pass the Dursley's place. He just
wanted to.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Petunia Dursley
Since Harry Potter's parents were sorcerers and Petunia was
Harry's mother's sister. Shouldn't Petunia be a witch or
wizard?
-
No. As Hagrid explains in Book I, sometimes a witch or a
wizard occurs in an otherwise Muggle family, just as a Squib
is a non-magic person who occurs in an otherwise magic
family.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character James/Lily Potter
What did the Potter parents do for a living before Voldemort
killed them?
-
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!
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Ghosts
What makes some witches/wizards become ghosts after they die
and some not?
-
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!
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Sirius Black
Where did Sirius Black and Buckbeack go after they went into
hiding?
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Book The Prisoner of Azkaban
Where is Azkaban?
-
In the north of the North Sea. A very cold sea.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character gnomes
Why are the gnomes bad? What do they do?
-
Gnomes eat the roots of your plants, and make little heaps
of earth, like moles do. They are also a bit of a giveaway
that wizards live in a house.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Harry Potter
Why did you choose the lightning bolt as a trademark for
Harry Potter?
-
Just because I decided that it would be an interesting and
distinctive mark.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Albus Dumbledore
Why does Professor Dumbledore like sherbet lemons?
-
Because I like sherbet lemons! And he's got good taste. :-)
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Will Harry ever get a break and not live with the Dursleys?
-
I'm not going to tell you! ;-)
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Sirius Black
Will Harry ever get to go with his godfather (Cornelius
Black)?
-
He is in contact with Sirius Black in Book IV, but as Sirius
is on the run, it's difficult for them to be together at the
moment.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Will we ever get a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who
lasts more than a year?
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Character Scabbers
Will we ever see Scabbers again?
-
Yes. You will see Scabbers again.
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Will we see the Marauders map in a future book?
-
Yes, you'll see it in Book IV. :-)
(Source:
Chat session
-
03-02-2000
)
Question on Book The goblet of fire
This is the keystone book, in terms of the plot?
-
Yes, it's totally pivotal in terms of the plot.
(Source:
Newsweek, Malcolm Jones
-
10-07-2000
)
Question on Book The goblet of fire
Book four is the crucial book, because after this book,
everything changes. The whole world seems to go through a
radical transformation.
-
Well, it's the end of an era. Book Four is the end of an era
for Harry. He's been very protected until now.
(Source:
CBC's Evan Solomon
-
13-07-2000
)
Question on Killing characters off
Do you know already who is going to die in the next books?
-
I know all of them who are goin to die.
(Source:
CBC's Evan Solomon
-
13-07-2000
)
Question on Killing characters off
People love Ron, for example. Kids think you're going to
knock off Ron because he's the best friend.
-
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.
(Source:
CBC's Evan Solomon
-
13-07-2000
)
Question on Killing characters off
Some of the characters we might love and you might love
might be killed off?
-
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.
(Source:
CBC's Evan Solomon
-
13-07-2000
)
Question on Book The Prisoner of Azkaban
Can you explain how Lupin turns into a werewolf, since he
didn't turn in the Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban,
but instead he turned only when the full moonlight hit him
outside the tunnel? If he only turned into a wolf in the
moonlight, why didn't he just stay inside? Did it have to do
with the potion? Or was the moon not up yet?
-
The moon wasn't up when he entered the Shrieking Shack.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Wizard attending muggle school
Do wizards and witches have to go Muggle school before they
go to Hogwarts?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Harry Potter
Does Harry have a middle name?
-
Yep, James after his dad.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Mistakes in the books
Harry Potter for grownups again! Is Voldemort the last
remaining ancestor of Slytherin, or the last remaining
descendent of Slytherin?
-
Ah, you spotted the deliberate error. Yes, it should read
"descendent." That's been changed in subsequent editions.
(Keep hold of the "ancestor" one, maybe it'll be valuable
one day!)
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Dudley Dursley
How did the Dursleys explain away the tail when Dudley had
to have it removed at the hospital?
-
They went to a private hospital where the staff was very
discreet, and said that a wart had got out of control.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Voldemort
How does the Dark Lord affect American wizards and witches?
-
He affects everyone, but his plan is European domination
first.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Using apparation for stealing
How does the wizarding world protect Muggle banks and
vaults, etc. from wizards apparating into them and stealing
the contents?
-
Well, the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on people apparating.
That's why you have to have a license to do it, and the
moment you abuse it you can find yourself in serious trouble
(or Azkaban!).
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Number of students at Hogwarts
How many students attend Hogwarts, and how many students per
year per house?
-
There are about a thousand students at Hogwarts.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Minerva McGonagall
How old is old in the wizarding world, and how old are
Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall?
-
Dumbledore is a hundred and fifty, and Professor McGonagall
is a sprightly seventy. Wizards have a much longer life
expectancy than Muggles. (Harry hasn't found out about that
yet.)
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Parallels with muggle world
How would you describe the relationship between the wizard
world and the Muggle world?
-
Uneasy co-existence! Harry discovers that life in the
magical world mirrors, to a great extent, life in the Muggle
world. We are all human. There's still bigotry and
small-mindedness (unfortunately).
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Book The goblet of fire
In the fourth book, when Harry tells Dumbledore about his
fight with Voldemort and how Voldemort could touch him after
he took Harry's blood, Harry thinks he sees Dumbledore smile
slightly. Why? Is Dumbledore really on Voldemort's side
after all?
-
Hmmmm....like all the best questions I get asked, I can't
answer that one. But you are obviously reading carefully. I
promise you'll find out!
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Minerva McGonagall
In the second book, Harry and Ron went to the girls' toilet
and met McGonagall. They told her that they were going to
visit Hermione, and she started crying. Why?
-
She found it very touching that Harry and Ron were missing
Hermione so badly (or so she thought). Under that gruff
exterior, Professor McGonagall is a bit of an old softy,
really.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
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?
-
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!
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Voldemort
Is it true that since Voldemort took Harry's blood by force,
that Harry can kill Voldemort, but Voldemort can't kill
Harry?
-
It's an interesting theory, but I wouldn't trust it too
much!
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Arabella Figg
Is the Mrs. Figg with all the cats in the Dursleys'
neighborhood the same Arabella Figg that Dumbledore
mentioned at the end of book 4?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Cat motif in the books
Is there something more to the cats appearing in the books
than first meets the eye? (i.e. Mrs. Figg's cats,
Crookshanks, Prof. McGonagall as a cat, etc.)
-
Ooooo, another good question. Let's see what I can tell you
without giving anything away....erm....no, can't do it,
sorry.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Voldemort
Is Voldemort some sort of relative of Harry's? Possibly his
mother's brother?
-
I'm laughing...that would be a bit Star Wars, wouldn't it?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Names that start with H
There are an extraordinary number of names that start with
"H" (Harry, Hermione, Hedwig, Hogwarts, Hagrid, Hufflepuff).
Is there any reason for that?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character James/Lily Potter
What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch
team? Was it seeker like Harry, or something different?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character James/Lily Potter
Which house was Lily Potter in, and what is her maiden name?
-
Her maiden name was Evans, and she was in Gryffindor
(naturally).
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character owls
Why did Harry have a pet owl instead of something else?
-
Because owls are easily the coolest!
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character owls
Why did you choose the owl as the animal messenger in your
books?
-
Owls are traditionally associated with magic, and I like
them.
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Quidditch
Why did you choose to make the sport Quidditch so important
to life at Hogwarts?
-
Because sport is such an important part of life at school. I
am terrible at all sports, but I gave my hero a talent I'd
love to have had. Who wouldn't want to fly?
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Character Ron Weasley's 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?
-
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!
(Source:
Chat session
-
16-10-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Can you say ANYTHING about the next book?
-
Yes... it probably won't be as long as book four. It will be
scary. Harry finds out a lot of things he hasn't stumbled
across so far.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Magic
Does everyone have a little magic in them? Even if they are
Muggles? And if not, how did magic start?
-
I think we do (outside the books), but within my books -- do
you really think there's any magic in Uncle Vernon? Magic is
one of those odd talents which some have and some don't.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Favorite animal
Does the animal one turns into as an Animagi reflect your
personality?
-
Very well deduced, Narri! I personally would like to think
that I would transform into an otter, which is my favorite
animal. Imagine how horrible it would be if I turned out to
be a cockroach!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Hogwarts
Have you ever made a map or blueprint of the school?
-
No, because all those staircases keep shifting around and
rooms pop out of nowhere, and stuff just moves too much. But
I have got a notebook that reminds me what floor everything
is on, just to keep track. Of course, if anything moves, I
can blame it on magic, not my mistakes.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
I think the color of Harry's eyes will matter in the books
to come. Yes?
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Is there ever going to be female Defense Against The Dark
Arts teacher?
-
I can exclusively reveal (because I'm feeling guilty I'm
not answering so many good questions) that there WILL be.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Gift giving
Ron and Hermione give Harry gifts... does he ever give them
birthday presents?
-
Yes, Harry does buy presents back! But I've never focused on
their birthdays yet -- there hasn't been room!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character James/Lily Potter
What did James and Lily Potter do when they were alive?
-
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.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character Hermione Granger
When is Hermione's birthday?
-
Hermione's birthday is September 19th.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character goblins
When people trade in Muggle money for Wizard money, what
does Gringotts do with the Muggle money?
-
Those goblins are sneaky people. They manage to put the
Muggle money back into circulation. They are like "fences"
-- British slang, do you understand it??
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character James/Lily Potter
Where did James get his Invisibility Cloak?
-
That was inherited from his own father -- a family heirloom!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Book The goblet of fire
Why did Dumbledore have a look of triumph in his eyes at the
end of book four?
-
Good question... excellent question, in fact, and like all
the best questions I get asked, I can't answer it! Because
it would give too much away. However, well-spotted. Have fun
guessing... someone's bound to get it right!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character Quirrell
Why did you make Quirrell the bad guy instead of Snape?
-
Because I know all about Snape, and he wasn't about to put
on a turban.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Ghosts
Why do some wizards/witches become ghosts and others don't?
-
Another superb question, and this time I can tell you that
you will find out much more about that in book five.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Finishing with book seven
Why stop at seven books when you could make up Harry's whole
life?
-
I notice you're very confident that he's not going to die!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Hints about upcoming plots
Will Harry time-travel again?
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character Voldemort
Will Voldemort ever die?
-
Do you really, really think I will answer that?!
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character Voldemort
Will Voldemort's evil ways rise again, such as Muggle
killings?
-
Well, his temper hasn't exactly improved while he's been
away, has it? So I think we can safely say, yes.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Character Remus J. Lupin
Will we be seeing Lupin anytime soon?
-
Yes, Harry will be seeing Lupin again. He's another of my
favourite characters.
(Source:
AOL Chat hosted by Jesse Kornbluth
-
19-10-2000
)
Question on Book The Order of the Phoenix
In the Order of the Phoenix Harry and Ron and Hermione are
all going to be older. How are they going to change?
-
Quite a lot because I find it quite sinister, the way that,
looking back at the Famous Five books for example, I think
21 adventures or 20 or something, they never had a hormonal
impulse - except that Anne was sometimes told that she would
make someone a good little wife whenever she unlaid the
picnic things. And it reaches its apotheosis in Peter Pan
obviously, where it is quite explicit, and I find that very
sinister. I had a very forthright letter from a woman who
had heard me say that Harry was going to have his first date
or something and she said "Please don't do that, that's
awful. I want these books to be a world where my children
can escape to." She literally said "free from hurt and fear"
and I'm thinking "Have you read the books? What are you
talking about free from hurt and fear? Harry goes through
absolute hell every time he returns to school." So I think
that a bit of snogging would alleviate matters.
(Source:
Newsnight interview, Jeremy Paxton
-
19-06-2003
)
Question on Book The Order of the Phoenix
Is Harry going to become a bolshy teenager in The Order of
the Phoenix?
-
He's a lot, lot, lot angrier in this book. He really is
quite angry a lot of the time and I think justifiably so,
look at what he has gone through. It is about time he
started feeling a little bit miffed at the hand life has
dealt him.
(Source:
Newsnight interview, Jeremy Paxton
-
19-06-2003
)
Question on Killing characters off
Is there going to be a death in the Order of the Phoenix?
-
Yes. A horrible, horrible death of a significant figure. I
went into the kitchen having done it... I had re-written the
death, re-written it and that was it. It was definitive. And
the person was definitely dead. And I walked into the
kitchen crying and Neil said to me, "What on earth is
wrong?" and I said, "Well, I've just killed the person".
Neil doesn't know who the person is. But I said, "I've just
killed the person. And he said, "Well, don't do it then." I
thought, a doctor you know... and I said "Well it just
doesn't work like that. You are writing children's books,
you need to be a ruthless killer."
(Source:
Newsnight interview, Jeremy Paxton
-
19-06-2003
)
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