10+ Questions JK Rowling Answered Personally About the World of Harry Potter That Really Surprised Fans

The last film about the boy who lived was released 10 years ago. But many fans are still not ready to say “goodbye” to our beloved characters. So, they do everything they can to find out what happened to the wizarding world after the defeat of Voldemort. And also, some people try to find mistakes in the books.

Honestly, we at Bright Side also can’t accept the fact that the Harry Potter saga ended and we are hungry for more details about the lives of the characters we love so deeply. This time, we’ve found J.K. Rowling’s answers to the questions that fans have been asking for a very long time. And in the bonus section, there’s a story about how the lead actors found out how the story would end.

Why did Dumbledore’s portrait not help Harry find the Horcruxes?

Albus Dumbledore gave wise advice even after he died — through the portrait hanging in his office. But why didn’t he help the main characters find the Horcruxes and destroy them?

The thing is, a portrait is not the exact copy of the wizard but only a projection. Dumbledore’s portrait only reflects what Hogwarts knew about him plus the knowledge and wisdom the principal shared with his portrait. So, if Albus told the painting nothing about his Horcruxes, it means the painting had no information about them and it couldn’t help Harry.

Did Neville Longbottom’s parents get better?

Frank and Alice Longbottom lost their minds after they were attacked by the Death Eaters that used the Cruciatus curse to find out where Voldemort was. The couple ended up in St Mungo’s Hospital when their son Neville was only 1. Many fans hoped the couple would be able to recover but J.K. Rowling decided that they wouldn’t.

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.”

How expensive is it to attend Hogwarts?

It was once calculated by a Mic article that attending Hogwarts costs more than $43,000 a year with the cloaks and cauldrons. So, according to these calculations, 7 years at the school would cost more than $300,000. It’s a large number. But on her Twitter, Joanne Rowling comforted the fans of the book that are still expecting their Hogwarts letter: attending Hogwarts is paid for by the Ministry of Magic.

If Voldemort met a boggart, what would it look like?

The Dark Lord made Horcruxes to defeat death. It was the thing he was scared of the most. And Voldemort’s boggart looks like his own dead body lying on the ground.

When you become an animagus, can you choose the animal to turn into?

Unfortunately, no. Rowling says, “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.”

By the way, learning this magic is really hard, and not every wizard can do it. But many wizards can find out what animal they would be. Usually, the animal an Animagus turns into is the same as their Patronus. For example, James Potter’s is a stag, and Minerva McGonagall’s is a cat.

Voldemort’s family had the Resurrection stone and Potter’s family had the Invisibility cloak. Aren’t the Dark Lord and Harry relatives?

They are. Quite distant, though. Harry is the descendant of Ignotus Peverell, who gave the cloak to his son. The son had a daughter that married Hardwin Potter. Then, the cloak was given to every first child in the Potter family and finally ended up in Harry’s great-grandfather’s possession.

“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 does the Hufflepuff common room look like?

Neither the books nor the movies have a description of the Hufflepuff common room. According to Rowling, she was planning on revealing what all the houses looked like but she never found a reason for Harry to visit the Hufflepuff common room. She says, “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 is a cozy round room with a low ceiling that looks like a burrow. The colors there are yellow and black with polished honey-colored wood used for the tables and the doors leading to the dormitories.

The common room has a lot of plants. Some of them wave their branches and dance in front of people that come in.

Did Snape have a chance to be with Lily?

From the books and movies, we know that Lily Evans kept Severus in the friend zone. But according to Rowling, they could have become a couple. The writer says that Lily loved Severus as a friend and this feeling could have become something bigger. If he hadn’t been so much into Dark Magic, terrible people, and terrible things.

Just like many insecure people, Severus wanted to become part of something bigger, more powerful, and impressive. He was so blinded by his thirst for Dark Magic that he thought he could impress Lily by becoming a true Death Eater.

Could Harry still speak Parseltongue after the Horcrux inside him was destroyed?

J.K Rowling says that Harry lost the ability to speak with snakes. And he was happy about it.

Why did Harry not fix his vision with magic?

Why didn’t Harry use magic to fix his vision? Some people think that his eyes were damaged by an Avada Kedavra the Dark Lord used against him. According to Rowling, the injuries inflicted by magic can’t be fully healed by wizards.

Did the muggles notice any changes in the world after the Dark Lord was defeated?

Rowling said in 2007, "Yes, the world seems a much sunnier place (literally — with the Dementors gone the weather gets better!).

Did Petunia really hate her nephew so much?

Once, journalists asked Rowling what Harry’s aunt wanted to tell him when he was leaving their home forever. The author said, “She was trying to say, “I know what you’re going to have to fight against and I hope it will be okay.”

Petunia really wanted to be a witch and she was really angry when she realized she couldn’t. And then she married Vernon, the biggest magic-hater ever. But deep down, she loved Harry and she wanted him to be alright. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She tried really hard to believe that she didn’t care about him.

Also, until the day she died, she kept the blanket Harry was brought to her in.

How could kind and caring Molly Weasley deal with the cruel Bellatrix Lestrange?

According to Joanne Rowling, many people thought it would be Neville that would have to deal with Bellatrix and avenge his parents. But the writer says, “Without any hesitation, I chose Molly. I’ve always known she was a very good witch. And I wanted to let readers know that if a woman raises children, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any other talents.” By the way, Joanne wanted to show the difference between the sick love of Bellatrix for Voldemort and Molly’s love as a mother.

Bonus: Did the lead actors know how the story would end?

Rowling revealed in one of her interviews, “They were afraid of asking me anything. I once came to the set and started talking to Daniel Radcliffe and I said, ‘I’m writing the 7th book and I’m having a hard time with Dumbledore.’ And he says, ‘But he’s dead!’ And then right away he yells, ‘Don’t say anything! Don’t say!’ I told the story to all the actors in small bits. Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione, knew the most. She almost fell off the chair when she found out who she would kiss in the final book.”

Do you have questions for J.K. Rowling?