# Which plotlines did Rowling devise years in advance? And which were later additions?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 3, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119 "2010-05-03T04:51:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/21 "2010-05-04T00:43:31Z")
> [@Lamia](#):
>
> Anne Rice rather notoriously decided she wasn’t going to be edited anymore after the success of her first three vampire books. Rowling doesn’t strike me as the same sort of literary diva type, but she’s sold a lot more books than Anne Rice and thus has more weight to throw around.
Right. I think by book 5, Rowling got a little overbloated, but she really pulled it back in book 6 and 7 and delivered lean books.
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### Author:  [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/22 "2010-05-04T01:05:03Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> Right. I think by book 5, Rowling got a little overbloated, but she really pulled it back in book 6 and 7 and delivered lean books.
😕 Is that a joke? Wasn’t book 7 the kids wandering around in the woods book?
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### Author:  [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/23 "2010-05-04T02:15:37Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> I would also think that not only was Gawp not planned, the whole sub plot was horrid beyond belief.
> [@TruCelt](#):
>
> ETA: Yeah, what was the point of poor Grawp?
My (perhaps overly charitable) assumption has been that she planned to do something with that whole weird Grawp subplot, then abandoned it when she realized there was enough going on in the last couple of books. Planned or unplanned, it really did seem pointless, and the character could easily have been cut altogether. On her [website](http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff.cfm?ref=cutscenes) Rowling mentions a couple of supporting characters she did drop from the books before the final draft, so it’s not like she’s unwilling to ever give up on a character. I doubt Mopsy the eccentric dog lady could have been any worse than Grawp.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/24 "2010-05-04T03:27:16Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> I thought it was obvious that Ron would marry Hermione and Harry would marry Ginny, mainly because it takes Harry’s friends and makes them truly family, something he hadn’t had.
Thanks for putting it this way. It makes a sappy epilogue much more palatable-- I mean, doesn’t Harry deserve a family (well, one that doesn’t make him sleep under the stairs)? So now I like the epilogue–thanks!
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/25 "2010-05-04T03:35:02Z")
Ok, even if Harry Ginny and Ron Hermione was planned, I think she set it up with the intention that it could be changed if needed.
I do remember that Hermione kissed Harry at the end of GoF IIRC.That made many think that it was going to be that way.
As for the cloak, it gains sudden magical powers in book 7 which it did not enjoy earlier, it could be defeated as said above by Moody’s eye and Harry was twice hit by adverse spells when under it. OTH in book 7, it can’t be summoned by the Apprentice Death Eaters patrolling Hogsmead.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/26 "2010-05-04T03:39:32Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#):
>
> 😕 Is that a joke? Wasn’t book 7 the kids wandering around in the woods book?
Reread book 7 recently and no/
In book 7 after they eascape from Grimmuald Place, they shortly thereafter discover news about Ginny and the rest which leads to Ron’s departure, and they then go to Godrics Hollow and get ambushed by Voldie, and then come back read the book about Dumbledore and then Ron comes back, they discover the Sword, go the the Lovegood House and get ambushed again, escape and then a few pages later get captured.
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### Author:  [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/27 "2010-05-04T14:54:03Z")
FWIW, I first read HP shortly after the fourth book came out. I was really impressed by the way some plotlines carried through multiple books- Harry being able to talk to snakes in book 1, and Ron’s lovable pet rat turning out to be a shapeshifting bad guy in book 3.
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### Author:  [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/28 "2010-05-04T16:35:22Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> Reread book 7 recently and no/
Maybe not ‘wandering around the woods’, but most certainly ‘moping endlessly in the woods’.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/29 "2010-05-05T11:42:17Z")
Contarary to popular opinion, I also think she made up Sirius for the 3rd book, granted she had mentioned him in the first book, but the situation don’t really add up. Hagrid tells Dumbledore that he will be taking Sirius’s bike back to him, and Dumbledore makes no comment, of course
knowing (incorrectly as it turned out) that Sirius had betrayed the Potters he would be unlikely to allow Hagrid to do so.
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### Author:  [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/30 "2010-05-05T12:58:52Z")
Huh? Do we know that Dumbledore had identified Sirius as the Potters’ Secret-Keeper **before** Pettigrew publicly accused him of it in his staged confrontation?
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/31 "2010-05-05T13:37:53Z")
Dumbledore
knew that the Potters were going to hide using the Fiduciary whatever Spell. He knew Balck was the secret keeper. What he did not know was the it was changed at the last moment to Wormtail.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/32 "2010-05-05T14:08:11Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> **Years in advance**
> Horcruxes. I believe initially Dumbledore was supposed to tell Harry in Book 2.
Yes, the explanation of Tom Riddle’s diary was supposed to have some of the Horcrux mythology explained, but she realised it was unnecessary, and was more dramatic to hold it over until later.
Something like that.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/33 "2010-08-30T06:49:40Z")
She also made a big deal about House unity and abandoned it in the final book as the Slytherin students _without exception_ refuse to fight for their school.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/34 "2010-08-30T16:38:57Z")
I really think she should have had the Marauders be one from each house, too. Whatever happened to “All of the ones who went bad were Slytherins”? Well, except for Sirius; he was a Griffindor.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/35 "2010-08-30T16:52:40Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> She also made a big deal about House unity and abandoned it in the final book as the Slytherin students _without exception_ refuse to fight for their school.
This was a poor decision on her part. Some Slytherin are good.
I think Slughorn did fight with them, though. Reluctantly, but he did help them. Snape, too, of course.
But, yeah, the entire house of kids abandoned them, which is ridiculous.
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/36 "2010-08-30T17:30:29Z")
Mahaloth:
> [@](#):
>
> But, yeah, the entire house of kids abandoned them, which is ridiculous.
Not really. Pansy Parkinson indicated she wanted them to give up and hand over Harry, so McGonagall sent all the Slytherins away. They were all sent away for the outspokenness of one.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/37 "2010-08-30T17:43:13Z")
> [@cmkeller](#):
>
> Mahaloth:
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > But, yeah, the entire house of kids abandoned them, which is ridiculous.
>
> Not really. Pansy Parkinson indicated she wanted them to give up and hand over Harry, so McGonagall sent all the Slytherins away. They were all sent away for the outspokenness of one.
I thought McGonagall said(paraphrasing), “Every Slytherin who wants to fight with us and is of age, stay and fight. The rest of you, just leave!”
And they all left. Shoot, now I have to go get the book and look it up. I will later. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/38 "2010-08-30T17:50:33Z")
Huh.
You are write. McGonagall dismisses the whole table after Parkinson says “grab him!”.
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/39 "2010-08-30T17:58:14Z")
Still, I think it would have been a good decision on Rowling’s part to show a few faceless Sly kids defending the school. I mean, she seems to go to great lengths to show that not all Slytherin are bad. And I don’t think Slughorn was reluctant to resist Voldy, I think that was just nervousness in the face of what probably seemed like certain death. He was pretty selflessly battling He Who in the end.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/40 "2010-08-30T18:00:11Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#):
>
> Still, I think it would have been a good decision on Rowling’s part to show a few faceless Sly kids defending the school. I mean, she seems to go to great lengths to show that not all Slytherin are bad. And I don’t think Slughorn was reluctant to resist Voldy, I think that was just nervousness in the face of what probably seemed like certain death. He was pretty selflessly battling He Who in the end.
I agree. What Slytherin do we meet, aside from Snape and Slughorn, who are not bad. Do any kids appear that aren’t bad. I mean, Draco isn’t totally evil, but it seems like they are an evil house.
What professors were Slytherin aside from Snape and Slughorn?
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