Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has criticized a tour company for allegedly misinforming fans about her books.
Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was inspired by the city to write the Harry Potter series, took to social media to complain.
“Today I heard a tale of the guff claimed as fact on a ‘Potter tour’ of Edinburgh, and now I’m considering hiring a bus and auctioning places on it for charity and spending an afternoon debunking the nonsense and pointing out bits no-one knows and then we could all go to the pub,” Rowling wrote on X, formerly Twitter .
Guff, according to the Cambridge dictionary, is a colloquial word used in Britain meaning “speech or writing that is nonsense.”
Today I heard a tale of the guff claimed as fact on a ‘Potter tour’ of Edinburgh, and now I’m considering hiring a bus and auctioning places on it for charity and spending an afternoon debunking the nonsense and pointing out bits no-one knows and then we could all go to the pub.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 18, 2024
Rowling did not name a specific tour or company in her post, but many operate in the Scottish capital, taking Harry Potter fans to sites where the author got ideas for the books. All the tours are unofficial.
Newsweek contacted Rowling’s representatives by email for comment.
On X, the author’s fans responded positively to her idea of running her own Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh.
“Pls make a few seats on yr hypothetical bus trip raffled ones,” one wrote, to which Rowling replied, “Was just thinking that.”
“Brilliant idea. Could have a bar on the bus,” another added. Rowling told him, “Ah, now you’re talking.”
J.K. Rowling accepting an award during a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights event in New York on December 12. The writer recently criticized a “Harry Potter” tour in Edinburgh.
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
Other fans asked Rowling what kind of secrets and facts she would share on a tour she hosted.
“That’s an incredible idea! Bringing the real magic to life! But here’s a question: What’s one secret about the Potter universe or its creation that you’ve never shared but think fans would be shocked to learn?” a fan commented.
Rowling replied: “How to make a Horcrux. The secret will go with me to my grave.”
Some fans told Rowling about their experiences doing Harry Potter tours in Edinburgh.
“I’ve fallen for the odd bit of potter guff especially the one about Tom Riddle’s grave being in Greyfriers kirkyard. Still, it is fun to walk around a graveyard,” one wrote.
Rowling corrected the user: “It’s ‘Thomas Riddell’ and I’ve still never seen the grave and the anagram wouldn’t work (because ‘Tom Marvelo Riddle’ came after I’d invented Lord Voldemort. But I’ve never pointed out the church plaque I genuinely got the name Lockhart from.”
After writing the Harry Potter book series, Rowling went on to create the Cormoran Strike crime series under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
The author is working on the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series. In March, she announced on X that the book would be titled The Hallmarked Man, but a publication date has not been given.
