Seeing Fluffy
THE ORIGINAL HAND-DRAWN illustration by J.K. Rowling on the following page shows Neville, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Gary (later renamed Dean, who was actually cut from this scene) coming face-to-face with a huge three-headed dog which is guarding the Philosopher's Stone.
J.K. Rowling has included details in the illustration to highlight each student's character: Neville's bunny pyjamas, Ron's freckles and Hermione's large front teeth. This drawing provides an exciting insight into how J.K. Rowling initially imagined her characters to look.
They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog which filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
DID you know?
This scene was originally intended to be part of Chapter Seven,‘Draco's Duel’. However, during the editorial process the scene became Chapter Nine and was renamed
‘The Midnight Duel’.
Pen-and-ink drawing of Harry and his friends by J.K. Rowling (1991) J.K. ROWLING