8 Harry Potter Edits JK Rowling Made From Earlier Book Drafts
5. Florean Fortescue Was Going To Live
Florean who? You'd be forgiven for not remembering poor old Florean, who used to give Harry free ice creams but was later dragged off by Death Eaters and killed. Florean owned an ice-cream parlour in Diagon Alley and was an expert in the field of medieval witch-burnings.
According to Rowling, Florean was set to pass information to Harry about the Elder Wand and Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. After his kidnap by the Death Eaters, Harry and the gang were set to enact a daring rescue. In the end, however, this information-feeding role was given to two other people, Phineas Black and Helena Ravenclaw.
But that doesn't mean Rowling didn't feel bad for offing him:I seemed to have him kidnapped and killed for no good reason. He is not the first wizard whom Voldemort murdered because he knew too much (or too little), but he is the only one I feel guilty about, because it was all my fault.