J.K. Rowling had to make many decisions while writing Harry Potter. Two of these she particularly regrets today, even though many fans of the books and films would probably disagree with her.
Attention Spoiler: This article discusses the relationship between two important characters from Harry Potter and the deaths of two others.
J.K. Rowling created the complex world of Harry Potter with all its different characters. Over the course of seven books, the characters experienced a lot and evolved. In doing so, there were numerous decisions to make while writing, which affected the characters more or less. One character had to suffer for years because the author did not want to help her.
The last book, “The Deathly Hallows”, was published in 2007, about 18 years ago. Since then, the author has had a lot of time to reflect on the story. In hindsight, she would change some things, but she particularly regrets two decisions.
A mistake that may not be one at all
What does Rowling regret? The first decision concerns the romance between Ron and Hermione. In the later books, a stronger romantic attraction develops between the two, leading to marriage.
Hermione and Ron complement each other wonderfully. While he is quite chaotic but brave, she is the sensible and clever one. The combination of Harry Potter and Hermione, which also could have been, would have been much duller, as the two are quite similar. With Ron, the contrast to Hermione is simply greater.
All good then? No, because Rowling is now unhappy that Hermione and Ron became a couple. She told The Sunday Times that it happened only for “personal reasons”. It was simply in the author’s interest because she wanted to bring the story to a conclusion as originally intended. Credibility did not play a major role for the author at that time.
Today she regrets that and would do it differently. Presumably, Harry and Hermione would get together, leading to a different ending of the story. And possibly to a less interesting couple.
I can understand the anger and fury this may cause among some fans, but to be honest, the distance has given me a new perspective. It was a decision I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility.
All in all, Rowling’s “mistake” is not so bad, and many fans are likely to see it that way. There is a deep friendship between Harry and Hermione, but nothing more. The chemistry between her and Ron is much stronger.
Rowling regrets a second decision: Even more dramatic is the fate of two characters who die at the end of part 7. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, who are themselves a couple, die during the Battle of Hogwarts. It is one of the saddest deaths in the book.
In hindsight, Rowling regrets the decision to let the two die, she writes on x.com. But for the dramatic ending, it was probably necessary – in addition, it makes the child of the two characters an orphan, just like Harry.
What do you think about the author’s opinion? Do you agree? Feel free to let us know in the comments and tell us whether you are more Team Ron-Hermione or Harry-Hermione. The author of the series also caused problems for a narrator of the audiobook: The author of Harry Potter included three words in almost every book that left an actor in despair
