Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling considered killing off the boy wizard's best pal Ron Weasley during a bleak time in her life.
The children's writer made a pact with herself that Potter, Weasley and Hermione Granger would survive all the stories in the book franchise - but she admits red-haired Ron almost lost his life.
She says, "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'."