J.K. Rowling’s original plan for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows included a character that she regrets killing, and it’s one you might not even remember. Rowling shared the Wizarding World with readers everywhere through Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997, the first entry in what would become a successful series of seven books, which came to an end in 2007 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The books were later adapted to the big screen, with the final story split into two films, helping the Harry Potter fan base grow even more.
The world of Harry Potter is very rich, as Rowling introduced the audience to a number of characters – muggles, wizards, and some that were not entirely human – places, events, and creatures. With seven books and eight films, many characters have been forgotten for different reasons (some were minor characters, others were too horrible to be remembered) and some of them could have actually had more memorable roles in the story if Rowling’s initial plans hadn’t changed during her writing process.
Harry Potter’s quest for the hallows, for example, could have been different as it involved a character that up to that point had only been in the background, with just a couple of interactions with the boy who lived. However, Rowling realized that this character wouldn’t have worked as intended anymore, and decided to kill him, something that she still regrets.
Harry Potter: Florean Fortescue Had A Connection With The Deathly Hallows
Florean Fortescue was a wizard and the owner of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley. When Harry stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for three weeks in Harry Potter and the Prisoner Azkaban, he spent a lot of time at the Parlor doing his homework, with Florean giving him ice-cream sundaes every half-hour and helping him with his History of Magic homework, as he was an expert on the medieval witch-burnings. Sadly, Florean disappeared in 1996 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) when he was kidnapped by Death Eaters, and was tortured and killed by Lord Voldemort.
Originally, Florean had a more relevant role in the Harry Potter series, as he had information on the Elder Wand and the diadem of Ravenclaw, which was one of Voldemort’s horcruxes. Rowling has explained that Florean’s knowledge on the Elder Wand had passed down in the Fortescue family for generations. The idea, then, was for Florean to be kidnapped in an attempt to get information from him and to be found or rescued by Harry and his friends. However, when Rowling began to write the key parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she realized that having Phineas Nigellus Black giving Harry and company clues was more satisfying than having Florean doing it; as for the diadem, Rowling felt it was redundant, as the Grey Lady could have given that information.
As a result, Florean’s subplot was cut, and Rowling felt she had him kidnapped and killed for no reason, which is why he’s the character she would bring back if she could, as she feels guilty about it. Fans will never know exactly how important Florean’s knowledge was and if it would have impacted the story enough for it to be different than what readers ultimately got, but it might be interesting to have this in mind next time you revisit the Harry Potter books.
Next: How Harry Potter Survived The Killing Curse In The Deathly Hallows
