Day 2 of Pottermore’s 12-day Christmas extravaganza reveals new writing from J.K. Rowling with very interesting details about Florean Fortescue and The Leaky Cauldron.

Hidden within the Chapter 6 moment of Half-Blood Prince on Pottermore, Rowling published two new entries.

First and foremost, the new information Rowling shares about Florean reveals that she originally had major plans for the character in Deathly Hallows. The author explains that Harry met Florean in Prisoner of Azkaban so that the two could re-connect in Deathly Hallows when Harry needed information about the Elder Wand and the diadem of Ravenclaw in the final book (we love hearing about this very forward-thinking planning!).

So why was he nowhere to be found in Deathly Hallows? Rowling writes, “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.”

Rowling goes on to say that she feels “guilty” about killing him because she never used the knowledge she gave him to benefit Harry. “All in all, I seemed to have had him kidnapped and killed for no reason. He is not the first wizard whom Voldemort murdered because he knew too much (or too little), but he is the only one I feel guilty about, because it was all my fault.”

Second: In talking about The Leaky Cauldron, Rowling provides new details about the history of the restaurant located in Diagon Alley. For example, the restaurant was there before Charring Cross Road was even planned for London, and wizards had to put up a big fight when the establishment was almost removed by Muggles. Her history of The Leaky Cauldron is incredibly detailed, making you wonder how long she’s had this in her head (and why the Encyclopedia still doesn’t exist when she has these troughs of information lying around).

Yesterday Rowling shared a couple of details about Snape and Lily’s hometown, Cokeworth.