10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The Harry Potter Books
5. Originally, The Ford Anglia Crashed Into The Lake, Not The Whomping Willow
Harry and Ron’s second year at Hogwarts doesn’t get off to a good start. After failing to catch the train, they are forced to steal Mr Weasley’s car and fly all the way to Hogwarts. When they finally reach the castle, they lose control of the car and smash into the Whomping Willow.
But this wasn’t always the case. In the original version, the Ford Anglia crashes into the lake and the mer-people have to rescue our heroes:
‘The mer-people were now binding thick, slimy ropes of lakeweed around the car and tying the ends around their own waists. Then, with Harry and Ron sitting in the front seats hardly daring to breathe, they pulled.’
At the top of this draft, Rowling’s editor questions the presence of the mer-people, arguing that it’s strange to include them as they don’t make an appearance in the rest of the book.
Whilst this is also true of the Whomping Willow, the tree does play a key part in The Prisoner of Azkaban, which is probably why Rowling chose to include it at the start of Harry’s second year.