J.K. Rowling says that of all of the character deaths she arranged over her Harry Potter novels, she most regrets knocking off a character so minor that he never appeared in any of the movie versions of her series.
According to Us Weekly, Rowling said that she long regretted having Voldermort whack Diagon Alley ice cream parlor owner Florean Fortescue, but the author placed all the blame on herself instead of the "Dark Lord."
"I seemed to have him kidnapped and killed for no good reason," said Rowling. "He is not the first wizard whom Voldemort murdered because he knew too much (or too little), but he is the only one I feel guilty about, because it was all my fault."
Rowling said she had grander plans for Fortescue originally. She said she wanted to use the parlor owner as the person who would help the book's main characters discover the critical clues in the final book.
"The problem was that when I came to write the key parts of ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,"), I decided that Phineas Nigellus Black was a much more satisfactory means of conveying clues," said Rowling. "Florean's information on the diadem also felt redundant, as I could give the reader everything he or she needed by interviewing the Grey Lady."
That made the Fortescue character a dead man walking by the time he met his fate in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,"
according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Rowling has been using
Pottermore.com to share original Potter short stories online, noted the Reporter.
"Christmas is coming early to Pottermore," a the message on the website stated last week, as it promoted "a #PottermoreChristmas surprise every day," and "wonderful new writing by J.K. Rowling in Moments from 'Half-Blood Prince.'"
The author posted a new riddle on the website earlier this week, in a promised series of 12 pre-Christmas clues that will lead to the new material,
noted the Huffington Post.
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