Monday marks 20 years since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was published, but J.K. Rowling talks about the series more than ever thanks to social media. The author has revealed plenty of extra information about the beloved characters, and she has also revealed several plots that could have looked very different. Over the course of 17 years (she started writing in 1990 and finished in 2007), plans can change. Rowling revealed she considered serious changes to the plotlines below. Sometimes she made the changes, but in some cases she decided to stick to her original outline. Check out the fun facts below:

Hermione’s Love — J.K. Rowling revealed that she isn’t so sure Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are the best couple. She told Wonderland magazine (via the Leaky Cauldron) that she had written the relationship as a form of “wish fulfillment” and started to see a spark between Hermione and Harry in the final book. “In some ways Hermione and Harry are a better fit and I’ll tell you something very strange. When I wrote ‘Hallows,’ I felt this quite strongly when I had Hermione and Harry together in the tent!”

However, she stuck to her original plan, and she also added some marriage counseling might be all Hermione and Ron would need to survive. “He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical,” she explained.

Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling, who published “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” 20 years ago, admits that she had strong feelings about Harry and Hermione as a couple at one point, but she decided not to change Ron and Hermione’s storyline. Warner Bros.

Arthur Weasley Was Supposed To Die — Another father figure for Harry could have died in the books. Rowling revealed that Ron’s father was at one point set to die in “Order of the Phoenix,” but the writer grew too attached to him.

READ: J.K. Rowling Apologizes For Killing Snape

Remus Lupin Was Supposed To Survive — Were you heartbroken to learn that Teddy Lupin would be an orphan just as Harry was? So was the British author. Rowling revealed that she knew one of Harry’s father figures had to go, and if it wasn’t Arthur, it had to be Remus.

In May 2016, Rowling apologized (as she does every year on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts) for killing Lupin. “In the interests of total honesty I’d also like to confess that I didn’t decide to kill Lupin until I wrote ‘Order of the Phoenix,’” she tweeted. “Arthur lived, so Lupin had to die. I’m sorry. I didn’t enjoy doing it. The only time my editor ever saw me cry was over the fate of Teddy.”

Ron Nearly Died — Rowling revealed that about halfway through the series, she considered deviating from her original plot again. She decided that Harry Potter’s best friend might bite the dust. Luckily, Rowling stuck to her initial plan to let the Golden Trio survive.

“Funnily enough, I planned from the start that none of them would die. Then midway through, which I think is a reflection of the fact that I wasn’t in a very happy place, I started thinking I might polish one of them off. Out of sheer spite. ‘There, now you definitely can’t have him any more.’ But I think in my absolute heart of heart of hearts, although I did seriously consider killing Ron, [I wouldn’t have done it],” Rowling said in a special feature on the “Deathly Hallows” Blu-ray.

READ: Who Was Harry Potter Named After?

Florean Fortescue Was Going To Be Important — You don’t recognize the name Florean? You might’ve if Rowling had stuck to her initial plans. The easily forgettable Diagon Alley ice cream parlor owner was killed by Voldemort, but he was set to be a vital figure at one point. However, once Rowling was writing her final “Harry Potter” book, she realized that he wasn’t needed to convey important information.

“I originally planned Florean to be the conduit for clues that I needed to give Harry during his quest for the Hallows, which is why I established an acquaintance fairly early on,” she revealed on Pottermore in 2014. “The problem was that when I came to write the key parts of ‘Deathly Hallows,’ I decided that Phineas Nigellus Black was a much more satisfactory means of conveying clues. Florean’s information on the diadem also felt redundant, as I could give the reader everything he or she needed by interviewing the Grey Lady.”

Twenty years after the release of her first novel, and fans are still getting interesting new tidbits from Rowling all the time. Keep up with her on Twitter or Pottermore for the latest trivia.

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