# 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:** 13
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/41 "2010-08-30T18:05:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> What professors were Slytherin aside from Snape and Slughorn?
Phineas Black was a Slytherin and his portrait, presumably with a copy of his personality, did its part to help defeat Voldy and seemed delighted when he was killed.
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/42 "2010-08-30T18:27:46Z")
Mahaloth:
> [@](#):
>
> I agree. What Slytherin do we meet, aside from Snape and Slughorn, who are not bad.
Regulus Black.
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### Author:  [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/43 "2010-08-30T18:46:09Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> 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.
Yeah, and Leia kissed Luke too… 😉
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/44 "2010-08-30T18:57:01Z")
It’s not explicit, but I always got the impression that Ollivander (the wand merchant) was a Slytherin, too. The whole “Great things. Terrible things, but great” just seems so in line with the Slytherin ethos.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/45 "2010-08-30T19:59:45Z")
The only problem I have with the whole Horcrux thing being from the get-go is…
Where does Professor Quirrell fit in this process? Where did he get the bit of V’s soul? Why isn’t this ever considered in the later discussions of Horcruxes?
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/46 "2010-08-30T20:02:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> 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.
IIRC, that statement was modified a few lines later to “Slytherin has produced more dark wizards than any other house.” Not that every Slytherin is evil. Not that every evil wizard is Slytherin. Just a larger proportion of them than other houses.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/47 "2010-08-30T20:07:11Z")
> [@Chimera](#):
>
> The only problem I have with the whole Horcrux thing being from the get-go is…
>
> Where does Professor Quirrell fit in this process? Where did he get the bit of V’s soul? Why isn’t this ever considered in the later discussions of Horcruxes?
He didn’t. He got what was left of Voldy after he’d made the Horcruxes.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/48 "2010-08-30T22:39:44Z")
> [@cmkeller](#):
>
> Mahaloth:
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > I agree. What Slytherin do we meet, aside from Snape and Slughorn, who are not bad.
>
> Regulus Black.
Well, he WAS bad, but he got better. Briefly.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/49 "2010-08-31T04:44:22Z")
I know a writer who actually believes that outlining creates boring stories, and quotes something from Stephen King to prove it. Now I have a rebuttal. Thanks guys.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/50 "2010-08-31T05:02:58Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> I know a writer who actually believes that outlining creates boring stories, and quotes something from Stephen King to prove it. Now I have a rebuttal. Thanks guys.
Lock them in a room with Sandman and don’t let them come out till they say they’re sorry.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/51 "2010-08-31T05:45:33Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> > [@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.
Slughorn dueled Voldy at the end. He also went and rounded up reinforcements, a very Slytherin thing to do incidentally. And bright, won the battle.
She did try to cover herself by saying that the Slytherin’s were part of the reinforcements, but why was it not mentioned?
Could have been a throwaway line, there were many in the battle something like"…saw Zabini locked in a duel with a masked death eater".
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### Author:  [@myriad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myriad)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/52 "2010-09-01T21:04:27Z")
I always felt she originally intended to do more with Hermoine’s cat, Crookshanks. In the 4th book-CS is mentioned a lot and seems to know which (people/animals) are good while everybody else still thinks they are evil…i.e CS was hanging out with Sirius (while in dog form), and was always trying to attack scabbers (above and beyond the typical cat/rat rivalry)
Also CS knew how to open the entrance to the shrieking shack via the knob at the base of the tree…
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### Author:  [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-plotlines-did-rowling-devise-years-in-advance-and-which-were-later-additions/538119/53 "2010-09-01T21:15:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> > [@AClockworkMelon](#):
> >
> > Yeah. I, for one, predicted Ginny would wind up with Harry when they first met.
> >
> > But when it comes to small stuff like this I hardly see **why** it had to be planned out.
>
> 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.
Wow. You just completely altered my view of a series of books I haven’t read for a LONG time. I sure missed THAT aspect!
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