10+ Harry Potter Questions Joanne Rowling Answered Herself, and Her Responses Surprised Fans

The last film about the Boy Who Lived was released 10 years ago. But many people are still not ready to say goodbye to their favorite characters. That’s why they keep trying to find out what happened in the wizarding world after Voldemort was defeated and find all the plot holes. So this time, we have uncovered Joanne Rowling’s answers to questions that have been bothering fans for a long time.

Why Dumbledore’s portrait didn’t help Harry find the Horcruxes

Albus Dumbledore gave good pieces of advice, even after he died — he did it through the portrait in his office. But why didn’t he help the trio find the Horcruxes and destroy them?

The thing is, a painting is a projection of a wizard. Dumbledore’s portrait only reflected what Hogwarts knew about him. So if Albus didn’t tell the portrait anything about the Horcruxes, the picture had no information about them and couldn’t help Harry.

If Neville Longbottom’s parents ever got better

Frank and Alice Longbottom lost their minds when they were attacked by Death Eaters, who used Cruciatus to find out where Voldemort was. The Longbottoms ended up in St. Mungo’s Hospital when Neville was only 1 year old. Many fans hoped the couple would be able to beat the illness, but Joanne Rowling decided otherwise.

She explained, “I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville’s parents is even worse than what happened to Harry’s parents. The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently.”

How much it costs to attend Hogwarts

Mic once counted that 7 years at Hogwarts would cost quite a lot of money. But Joanne Rowling explained that the parents don’t have to worry about the money: the Ministry of Magic pays for the studies.

What Voldemort would see if he met a boggart

The Dark Lord made Horcruxes cheat death. According to Rowling, it was the thing he feared the most. And Voldermort’s boggart would be his own lifeless body on the ground.

If Animagi can choose their animals

Unfortunately, they cannot. Rowling explained, “If we could choose our Animagus, you can rest assured we’d all be lions, adorable puppies, or magnificent eagles. But realistically, an Animagus is closely linked to your personality. For example, the brave and rebellious James Potter is famously a stag, whereas the conniving journalist Rita Skeeter is a beetle.”

Not every wizard can learn to turn into an animal, but they still have a chance to find out what animal they would be. Usually, the animal would be the same as their Patronus. For example, Minerva McGonagall’s Animagus form is a cat.

If the Voldemort family’s Resurrection Stone was related to the Potter family’s Invisibility Cloak

Harry was related to Ignotus, who passed his Invisibility Cloak on to his son, who then had a daughter, Iolanthe Peverell, who married Hardwin Potter. The cloak was then passed down to each firstborn Potter before it was given to Henry Potter, Harry’s great-grandfather.

Rowling said, “Of course, nearly all wizarding families are related if you trace them back through the centuries. As was made clear in Deathly Hallows, Peverell’s blood would run through many wizarding families.”

What the Hufflepuff common room looks like

Neither the books nor the movies have a description of the Hufflepuff common room. But according to Rowling, she was planning to describe all the common rooms but never found a reason to visit the Hufflepuff one. “Nevertheless, it is quite as real to me as the other 3, and I always knew exactly where those Hufflepuffs were going when they headed off toward the kitchens after lessons.”

The Hufflepuff common room looks a bit like the place where hobbits live. A sloping, earthy passage inside the barrel travels a little upward until a cozy, round, low-ceilinged room is revealed, reminiscent of a badger’s sett. The room is decorated in the cheerful, bee-like colors of yellow and black, emphasized by the use of highly polished, honey-colored wood for the tables and the round doors which lead to the boys’ and girls’ dormitories (furnished with comfortable wooden bedsteads, all covered in patchwork quilts).

There are lots of plants in the common room. Many of them wave their branches, dance at the people entering, and brush your hair as you pass under them.

If Snape ever had the chance to date Lily

The books and movies explain that Lily Evans kept Severus in the friend zone. But according to Rowling, they could have become a couple. She loved Snape as a friend, and it could’ve developed into something bigger if he hadn’t been so into dark magic.

Like many other insecure people, Severus wanted to become part of something bigger and more impressive. He was blinded by his interest in dark powers and thought he could impress Lily if he became a Death Eater.

If Harry could still speak with snakes after he destroyed the Horcrux inside of him

Rowling said that Harry lost the ability to speak with snakes and was incredibly happy.

Why Harry didn’t fix his vision with magic

Some think his vision was impaired due to the Avada Kedavra curse. And according to Rowling, injuries of magic nature can’t be treated with magic.

If muggles noticed any changes after the defeat over Voldemort

In 2007, the author said, “Yes, the world seems a much sunnier place (literally — with the Dementors gone, the weather gets better).”

If Petunia really hated her nephew so much

Once, journalists asked Rowling what Aunt Petunia wanted to tell Harry when he was leaving the Dursleys’ house for the last time. Rowling replied that she wanted to say she knew what he was going to fight against and hoped everything would be okay. Petunia wanted to become a witch and was angry when she realized she couldn’t, unlike her sister. And then she married Vernon, the biggest magic hater in the world.

But she still loved Harry deep down and wished him well. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She spent too much time convincing herself and others that she didn’t care about Harry. And Petunia also kept the blanket Harry was wrapped in when he was left on her doorstep.

How a kind and caring Molly Weasley could deal with the cruel Bellatrix Lestrange with such ease

Rowling says that many people thought it would be Neville who killed Bellatrix. The writer said, “I always knew Molly was going to finish her off. I always saw Molly as a very good witch. I wanted Molly to have her moment and to show that because a woman had dedicated herself to her family does not mean that she doesn’t have a lot of other talents.”

Rowling also wanted 2 kinds of love to meet: Bellatrix’s obsession with Voldemort and Molly’s love for her children.

Do you have any questions for Joanne Rowling?