These days when people think about J.K. Rowling they often think about all of the changes she has made to Harry Potter canon after the fact. With Pottermore, the Fantastic Beasts movies, and her Twitter, Rowling just can’t stop talking about the franchise and adding and changing things about the canon. However, there were some things that Rowling almost included in the books but ended up cutting out. These moments could have changed the books significantly, but instead, they were put in the bin.
Here are 10 things that J.K. Rowling almost included in Harry Potter but didn’t.
10. ARTHUR WEASLEY DYING
One major thing Rowling almost included was having Arthur Weasley die. When Arthur was attacked by Nagini in Order of the Phoenix, he almost died but ended up fully recovering. However, things could have gone very differently. Arthur was originally going to die in this book, but Rowling scrapped this idea because she was too attached to the character and felt he was the only good father figure left in the books. Instead, she killed both Lupin and Tonks at the end of the series. Luckily, Arthur Weasley survived since he’s such a good character and great father.
9. HERMIONE’S DAD SAVING HARRY
Hermione’s parents aren’t really a big part of the books. She does talk about them sometimes, but they are Muggles and live a very separate life from Hermione’s. However, Hermione’s dad almost played a more important role in the books.
When Rowling was first writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, she had the Grangers and the Potters know each other. She had the Potters living out an on island and the Grangers go out to help them after they hear an explosion from where they lived on the mainland. Hermione’s dad was originally the one who saved Harry and brought him to the Dursley’s, but she instead gave that role to Hagrid.
8. THEODORE NOTT WAS ALMOST A BULLY TO RIVAL MALFOY
Draco Malfoy is Harry’s rival and an overall bully in the books. But, he originally wasn’t the only one. Rowling almost had Theodore Nott play a bigger role in the books as another son of a Death Eater. The two would have been equals as well as rivals, and Nott was meant to be more clever than Malfoy was. However, this character was mostly cut out. This was probably for the best as dealing with Malfoy was more than enough and having two rival bullies for Harry Would have been too much.
7. WEASLEYS ALMOST HAD A SLYTHERIN COUSIN
The Weasleys are known for being a family that always gets sorted into Gryffindor. They are known for being good and brave wizards, but they almost had a distant cousin who was a Slytherin.
Their second cousin, Mafalda Weasley, was almost included in the Goblet of Fire to be Hermione’s rival. This character was going to be used to divulge secrets about Harry during the tournament. Instead of Mafalda, Rita Skeeter was used instead, and the Weasley’s didn’t have to deal with having her around either.
6. A CHARACTER NAMED MOPSY (WHO LOVED DOGS) WAS CUT
While Mrs. Figg was a cat lady, and even Dolores Umbridge had a weird obsession with cats, we never see a character completely obsessed with dogs. Hagrid loved animals of all kinds, including dogs, but he was mostly focused on magical creatures. Rowling almost included a character in Goblet of Fire named Mopsy who was an old witch who loved dogs. This character was going to see Sirius in his Padfoot form and take him in to take care of him. She was taken out of the story because an editor said she didn’t really add to the plot.
5. HERMIONE ALMOST HAD A SISTER
Hermione and Harry are both only children, whereas Ron comes from a big family. However, Hermione wasn’t always going to be an only child. Rowling almost gave her a younger sister who was a Muggle. This could have added an interesting dynamic.
But, it probably wouldn’t have added too much to the plot given that Hermione’s family is rarely talked about at all. Rowling ended up not including this character, but it’s interesting to think about how Hermione’s life and personality might have been slightly changed if she had been an older sister.
4. THE LAST WORDS OF THE SERIES COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT
The last words of the books have become pretty iconic and well known. “All was well” is a phrase that all big Potter fans know, and it’s popular in art and even tattoos. However, this phrase wasn’t always going to be the last words in the books. For a long time, Rowling had said that the last word of the series would be “scar.” The change to focus more on a positive note was likely a good choice.
3. DUDLEY ALMOST HAD A SON WHO WAS A WIZARD
Dudley and Harry were never friends growing up, and Dudley was quite the bully. But, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dudley seems to have turned over a new leaf and isn’t as mean to Harry. Rowling almost ended up giving Dudley a magical child.
The family was going to be at King’s Cross with Harry and the rest in the epilogue. This idea was scrapped as Rowling didn’t think any wizarding genes would survive when mixed with Vernon’s DNA. Luckily, however, Harry and Dudley are still on “Christmas card” level of affection according to Rowling.
2. AN EXPERT IN DIVINATION WAS CUT OUT
Trelawney wasn’t a very good divination teacher, although she did give those two real prophecies. Another character who was a skilled seer was cut from the books early on, however. In Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling almost had a character named Mopsus who was blind and able to predict the future.
Rowling cut the character because it made the plot to0 complicated. Rowling said that the character’s existence would have lowered the drama in the story and was unnecessary.
1. RON WEASLEY DYING
The biggest change Rowling cut from the books was Ron Weasley dying. She said that she considered having Ron die sometime in the middle of the series, but never revealed exactly when or how it would have happened. Luckily, this didn’t happen as this would have changed the books dramatically. We can’t imagine half of the series without Ron, and this would have seemed like one trauma too many for Harry to have to endure.
