10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The Harry Potter Books

Writing a fantasy series is always going to be difficult, even if you’ve planned out the story beforehand. And it was during the ninth chapter of The Goblet of Fire that Rowling faced her toughest challenge.

This chapter centres around the Death Eaters’ attack at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry, Ron, and Hermione become separated from the others and witness the Dark Mark being fired into the sky by an unknown wizard.

For those who can’t recall the details of this chapter, it might be hard to comprehend why ‘The Dark Mark’ caused Rowling so much trouble. Simply put, the issue with this chapter – from a writer’s perspective – is the act of setting up vital plot points whilst maintaining plenty of mystery:

The Dark Mark had to be shown without revealing who conjured it. Winky had to be found with Harry’s wand without revealing the truth about where she’d got it. And Mr Crouch had to find his son wearing an Invisibility Cloak without anyone else – including the reader – knowing about this discovery.

It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that Rowling went through thirteen drafts before she was happy with this chapter.