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While the chilling resurrection of Voldemort has made Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire one of the most popular books in the series, few of the boy wizard’s fans are aware that it wasn’t, in fact, the first version of the fourth instalment.
Set in a chicken processing factory on the shores of the Great Lake, Harry Potter and the Giblets of Fire was J K Rowling’s attempt to introduce social realism to the stories – with Hermione undergoing gender reassignment to become Hismione, Ron Weasley being turned into vegan shoes by the malevolent Orpington Buff, and Harry forced to live as a battery hen that could only survive through continuous regeneration brought about by self-willed spontaneous combustion of its giblets.
Perhaps not surprisingly, this unexpected departure from the established Potter oeuvre caused considerable consternation when presented to the publishers, but it wasn’t until the first proofs had gone to press that Rowling had second thoughts and decided to rewrite the manuscript in its entirety. Unfortunately, the British Footwear Federation sought an injunction against Harry Potter and the Cobblers of Fear and this version was also consigned to history.