“For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That’s a basilisk, listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that’s glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it’s safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that’s still likely to be the last thing you ever do.”

British author, philanthropist, producer, and screenwriter

J. K. Rowling, born Joanne Rowling, is a British author, philanthropist, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for creating the Harry Potter series, and she was born under her full name before becoming widely known by her pen name. Her Harry Potter books follow a young wizard across seven volumes and became the best-selling book series in history, with more than 600 million copies sold. She also writes the ongoing Cormoran Strike crime fiction series under the name Robert Galbraith.