The Original Forty

• Type: Foundational Document, Character List
• Owners: J.K. Rowling
• Maker: J.K. Rowling

The Original Forty is a single sheet of handwritten notes created by J.K. Rowling during the initial planning stages of the Harry Potter series. The document is organized in a grid format, listing forty potential students for Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The list is divided into columns indicating the student's assigned number (from one to forty), their surname and first name, and their intended House. Beside some names, Rowling included small, hand-drawn symbols to denote specific traits, such as blood status or importance to the plot. For example, a star is noted next to Harry Potter's name. (Harry Potter: A History of Magic)

As a planning document, the Original Forty possesses no inherent magical properties. Its primary purpose was to serve as a world-building blueprint for the author, allowing her to conceptualize and track the student body in Harry Potter's cohort. It established a balanced population of ten students per house, creating a full and believable environment for the story. The list includes early versions of many familiar characters and several who were later cut or significantly altered. The forty students listed are (Harry Potter: A History of Magic):

• Gryffindor:
  1. Brown, Lavender
  2. Finnigan, Seamus
  3. Granger, Hermione (listed as Puckle)
  4. Longbottom, Neville (listed as Puff)
  5. Patil, Madhari
  6. Patil, Mati
  7. Potter, Harry
  8. Thomas, Gary
  9. Weasley, Ron
  10. A student named Weasley (gender not specified, likely a placeholder)
• Slytherin:
  1. Bletchley, Miles (Bletchley is a Chaser in the books, but is older than Harry)
  2. Bulstrode, Millicent
  3. Crabbe, Vincent
  4. Goyle, Gregory
  5. Greengrass, Queenie
  6. Malfoy, Draco (listed as Spungen)
  7. Moon
  8. Nott, Theodore
  9. Parkinson, Pansy
  10. Zabini, Blaise (listed as female)
• Ravenclaw:
  1. Boot, Terry
  2. Brocklehurst, Mandy
  3. Corner, Michael
  4. Goldstein, Anthony
  5. Patel, a name crossed out
  6. Roper, Sophie
  7. Runcorn
  8. Spinks
  9. Turpin, Lisa
  10. A student named Quirrel. It is noted this character is related to Professor Quirrell.
• Hufflepuff:
  1. Abbott, Hannah
  2. Bones, Susan
  3. Branstone, Eleanor
  4. Cadwallader
  5. Finch-Fletchley, Justin
  6. Jones, Megan
  7. Li, Su
  8. Macmillan, Ernest
  9. Perks, Sally-Anne
  10. A student named Wayne

The Original Forty list was drafted by J.K. Rowling in the early 1990s while she was outlining the plot and characters for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It remained part of her private collection of notes for over two decades. The document was first revealed to the public in 2017 as a central exhibit in the “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” exhibition hosted by the British Library in London. It was also featured prominently in the official companion book of the same name, giving fans their first detailed look into the early character development process.

While not an object that exists within the fictional universe, the Original Forty was instrumental in shaping the cast of characters that populate the series. Many names on the list evolved into the final versions of beloved and despised characters, and its existence demonstrates the depth of planning involved in creating Harry's world. Key changes from this list to the final novels include:

• Hermione Granger was originally named Hermione Puckle. Rowling later decided the surname did not suit the character's personality. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Neville Longbottom was first conceived as Neville Puff. The final surname is more evocative of his initially timid but ultimately resilient nature.
• Draco Malfoy's prototype name was Draco Spungen. The change to “Malfoy” carries a more sinister etymological weight, from the Old French for “bad faith.”
• Dean Thomas was initially named Gary Thomas.
• Blaise Zabini was first listed as a girl but appears as a male student in the books.
• Characters like Queenie Greengrass, Moon, Spinks, and Runcorn were either cut entirely or their names were used for other, minor characters in later books (e.g., Albert Runcorn).
• The Patil twins, listed as Madhari and Mati, became Parvati and Padma Patil, and their House placements (Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively) were established from this early stage.
• Su Li and Michael Corner were originally placed in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectively, but both appear as Ravenclaws in the final text.

The Original Forty provides an invaluable insight into J.K. Rowling's creative process. It confirms the long-held fan assumption that there are approximately forty students in Harry Potter's year, a number that allows for a diverse yet manageable cast of background characters. The symbols Rowling used on the list are also significant. Annotations next to names like Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley mark them as central to the plot from the very beginning. Other symbols are believed to denote Pure-blood, Half-blood, and Muggle-born status, showing that the theme of blood purity was a core concept from the earliest stages of writing. (Harry Potter: A History of Magic)