Whatever you do, don’t piss off grande dame of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling. If you do, she will use her wizardry—and her pen—to get even. Just ask actor/comedian Stephen Fry.
Some of you may know Fry from his roles on Blackadder, V for Vendetta, and Jeeves and Wooster, while others may be familiar with his bon vivant-ness on Twitter. But when Fry met the famed writer, he didn’t recognize her at all. That’s because the mistress of the Wizarding World was only two books in to her famed seven-book series, and although she had won major book awards, she wasn’t yet a household name.
According to UK newspaper, The Independent, “all he knew about the first book was that it was a children’s novel that had sold well enough to get a sequel. ‘Good for you,’ he apparently told her….”
Fry must have sounded condescending to Rowling, who likely filed the encounter away in her mind under, “Revenge.” It’s because she served it up nice and cold to Fry.
Years later, when the silver-tongued speaker was narrating the audiobook of The Prisoner of Azkaban when he encountered a phrase that made him stumble: “Harry pocketed it.” No matter how he tried, Fry could only say “pocketeded.”
The Independent wrote,
“Eventually, he called up JK and asked if he could say ‘Harry put it in his pocket’ instead. She thought for a moment, then said ‘no’, and hung up.”
It gets better. After that, she included the phrase “Harry pocketed it” in her next four Potter books.
So if you ever encounter Rowling, show some respect. After all, she was sorted into whatever house is the most hilariously vengeful.
Via TheIndependent.
Feature Image Credit: Warner Bros.