http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19935372/
Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final
Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K.
Rowling asks that you not read this story.
For the millions in the midst of the seven stages of mourning for the
end of the Harry Potter era, take heart.
In her first tell-all interview since the release of "Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows," J.K. Rowling told TODAY's Meredith Vieira she
"probably will" publish a Potter encyclopedia, promising many more
details about her beloved characters and the fate of the wizarding
world beyond the few clues provided in the seventh book's epilogue.
"I suppose I have (started) because the raw material is all in my
notes," Rowling said.
The encyclopedia would include back stories of characters she has
already written but had to cut for the sake of narrative arc ("I've
said before that Dean Thomas had a much more interesting history than
ever appeared in the books"), as well as details about the characters
who survive "Deathly Hallows," characters who continue to live on in
Rowling's mind in a clearly defined magical world.
Hogwarts, for example, would have a new headmaster ("McGonagle was
really getting on a bit"), and Rowling said she can see Harry going
back to "give lectures on Defense Against the Dark Arts." That class,
by the way, would be led by a permanent professor since Voldemort's
death broke the jinx he placed on the position which didn't allow a
teacher to stay for more than a year.
Rowling offered up these details freely to Vieira and the 14 fans who
asked her questions at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland on Tuesday. In
fact, now that she is now longer burdened with having to guard the
secrets of book seven, Rowling seemed to delight in discussing her
plot choices and clearing up the mysteries that have previously
surrounded the books.
The character Rowling couldn't bear to kill
One of the big stories that has been floating among fans for over a
year is that one character gets a reprieve from death, while two
others Rowling didn't intend to kill end up dying in "Deathly
Hallows."
"Mr. Weasley, he was the person who got a reprieve," Rowling said.
"When I sketched out the books, Mr. Weasley was due to die in Book
Five."
Instead, another father in the book dies in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Even though Rowling couldn't bear to kill off Arthur Weasley, Rowling
said every character was extremely difficult for her. Given the blood
bath that is "Deathly Hallows," the writing of it was bound to be an
emotional roller coaster.
But nothing in the entire process of the series was more difficult
than writing the scene when Harry, accompanied by his deceased lost
loved ones - including his parents James and Lily and his godfather
Sirius - walks into the forest with the intent of sacrificing his life
in the name of defeating Voldemort, Rowling said, adding it is her
favorite passage in all seven books.
"I didn't cry as I was writing (that chapter), but when I finished
writing, I had enormous explosion of emotion and I cried and cried and
cried," Rowling said.
"That was partly because of the content - and partly because it had
been planned for so long and been roughed out for so long. And to
write the definitive version felt like a - a huge climax."
"The Deathly Hallows" is a climax to the last 17 years of Rowling's
life, a time when she has gone from a single divorced mother living on
public assistance to a married mother of three and one richest women
in the world.
It's now time to sit back for a bit and enjoy the life that Harry has
given her, Rowling said. And, when she's ready, there's always that
encyclopedia waiting in the wings.
"I'm not going to do it tomorrow because I'd really like a break,"
Rowling said, laughing. "So you may be waiting."
TODAY will air the exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling on Thursday
and Friday. Portions are scheduled to air Sunday on "Dateline NBC."
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