JK Rowling has revealed that she was mocked by Harry Potter readers after secretly joining a fans' forum.
The 57-year-old controversial author of the wizarding franchise entered a chatroom anonymously while she was writing the fourth book in the series: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Rowling spoke to Megan Phelps-Roper - the host of The Witch Trials of JK Rowling podcast - which examines the criticism of the Edinburgh-based author's beliefs on gender identity.
Speaking about the internet frenzy surrounding her beloved books in Chapter 3: New Pyre, the writer revealed that she entered a forum and "chose a random name that was not a Potter-related name".
"I was almost scared that I would somehow self-reveal," she continued, claiming that when she shared a "very bland" opinion about Harry Potter, she "got rounded on by users who told me in no uncertain terms to get out".
The author said she was told that she wasn’t "familiar in that room," and was described as "an idiot who doesn’t know anything," so she left.
"And I was thinking, I’ve written three and a half books where bullying is such a theme from the very first page, where bullying - and authoritarian behavior - is held to be one of the worst of human ills, and look what just happened, from these people who call themselves such fans of this franchise," she said.
"I didn’t care. I’m a pretty robust person. But what if I’d been some 12-year-old who was excited to go into this room, and was immediately, caustically chastised for not belonging?" Rowling continued.
"They just kicked someone out because they were new. I thought that was so interesting, that you’re passionate about these books and yet, in the course of living, you are behaving in a way that I depict as one of the worst and most stupid human behaviors," she added.
In recent years, the British novelist has come under fire for several comments made that have resulted in people branding her transphobic - which she has denied.
She first angered social media users in 2020 when she mocked the trans-inclusive term "people who menstruate" on her Twitter account.
The idea behind the term is that not all women have periods, for instance, trans women. And some trans men, as well as non-binary people, can have periods too.
Rowling told the podcast host that as a result of her alleged transphobic remarks, she has been subjected to "direct death threats," as well as people "coming to my house where my kids live," and has had her address posted online.
"I've had what the police regard as credible threats," she continued. "The pushback is often 'You are wealthy. You can afford security. You haven't been silenced.' All of that is true but that misses the point. The attempt to intimidate and silence me is meant to serve as a warning to other women."