It’s been 15 years since J.K. Rowling finished the 7th and final novel in the Harry Potter series in room 552 of The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. On January 11, 2007, the author strolled out of the hotel, having finished the Harry Potter series, the conclusion of 17 years of work.

Choosing The Perfect Writing Place

Rowling stated that there were too many distractions at home and that she wanted a quiet place to write the conclusion to her book. In an interview with Oprah in 2010, she stated that she had gone to a café, sat amid a different type of noise, and worked there for years and years and years. As a result, she decided to go to the magnificent Balmoral Hotel for peace and quiet, even though she hadn’t planned on staying. Because writers can be a little superstitious, and the first day of writing went well, she returned to this hotel and wrote the last two Harry Potter books there. Very few people knew she was staying in this hotel, and she was able to finish the last book in the popular series there.

An Ode To A Series

After completing the book, she graffitied a bust of the god Hermes made of marble. She wrote on the statue, “J.K. Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on January 11, 2007.”

Unsurprisingly, Rowling was not punished for her act of vandalism, and the phrase is now prominently displayed in this hotel suite under glass. Eventually, the suite was dubbed the J.K. Rowling Suite.