The Harry Potter Question J.K. Rowling Really Wants People To Stop Asking

Harry Potter fans have a lot of questions for author J.K. Rowling, and she's always been generous with her answers, offering explanations and insights into her characters and books. But there’s one question in particular that Rowling has politely (or pleadingly) requested people stop asking. It relates to the Horcrux in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

By the hashtag included in J.K. Rowling’s recent Tweet, apparently, fans have frequently asked her why the Horcrux in Harry wasn’t destroyed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets…

Why wasn’t the Horcrux in Harry destroyed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Because Harry didn't die.

I’m assuming the question stems from the fact that Harry is bitten by the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and since Basilisk venom is one of the rare magical substances that can destroy a Horcrux, perhaps fans wondered why the Horcrux in Harry’s head remained intact after he was bitten and nearly killed by the creature. Thanks to Fawkes’ tears, Harry survived the bite. And from what Rowling says, Harry would have needed to die in order for the Horcrux in his head to be destroyed.

It’s not on my personal list of questions related to the Harry Potter series, but apparently it’s come up enough that Rowling never wants to hear it again. She put two pleases in that hashtag, so she clearly means business. In general, the author doesn’t seem to mind answering questions about her books to her fans, but it sounds like she’s ready to hear some new ones.

J.K. Rowling’s Tweet was in response to someone suggesting that she put #NotAPrequel in her Twitter bio, to avoid having to answer the same questions over and over. #NotAPrequel is a reference to the misconception that the upcoming stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is to be a prequel to the Harry Potter series. It’s not. It’s more of a sequel, serving as a followup to the Harry Potter books, and centering on Harry in his adult years, and his son, Severus Albus Potter.

J.K. Rowling’s been doing a fair amount of clarifying on her Twitter page of late. Following word, this week, that the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would be published as a book, the author took to Twitter to make it clear to her fans that the book was not a novel, but a published version of the play’s script…

Pottermore’s initial announcement of the script book states that the anticipated West End stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is “officially the eighth story in Harry Potter canon.” The site also notes that the book being published later this year is the previews version of the stage production’s script. There are also plans to publish the final version of the script at a later date. So it’s not a novel, but it will give fans who can’t get to London to see the play the opportunity to experience the story as it was written.