Two Harry Potter characters will die in the seventh and final book of the boy wizard series, author JK Rowling has revealed.

With the sixth book out for a while now and the film adaptation of the fifth book in production, "Potterheads" have been left without a Rowling fix until Monday's interview on the UK's "Richard and Judy" show.

Rowling hinted that Harry himself might not survive.

The author said: "I have never been tempted to kill him off before the final because I've always planned seven books, and I want to finish on seven books."

Even before finding a publisher for the first book in the series, Rowling had the final chapter of Harry's adventures written.

"I wrote the final chapter in something like 1990, so I've known exactly how the series is going to end," she said, adding, "The last book is not finished. But I'm well into it now."

Rowling said she "still writes in cafes" and based the character of Hermione on a combination of herself and her sister when they were young.

Editor: Donald