Will Harry meet his maker in final chapter?

The author, who sits down to write the final book next year, delivered a message to Harry Potter fans on her personal website which suggests that the bespectacled schoolboy wizard could be killed off.

She said: "I contemplate the task with mixed feelings of excitement and dread, because I can't wait to get started, to tell the final part of the story and, at last, to answer all the questions."

And, significantly, Rowling added: "I can't quite imagine life without Harry.

"However (clears throat in stern British manner) this is no time to get maudlin."

Although the author's words can be taken two ways, it has fuelled speculation that Rowling is preparing to kill off one of the most famous creations in literature.

And even if Harry does not die, her words appear to rule out the possibility of Harry Potter returning in another series of books.

Catherine Lockerbie, the director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: "She never drops hints unintentionally. If she wants to drop clues it will be to get people wondering because that's part of the joy of her stories.

"She is a master storyteller. The books are so successful because she is one of the best manipulators of narrative writing for young people today. The speculation proves her gift. Everybody wants to know and fans look for all sorts of clues in her books."

In the last book - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Rowling showed her ruthless side when she killed off one of the central characters, Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School.

A poll carried out on website HPANA, which was given a fan site award by Rowling, found 53 per cent of the voters believed Harry would die in the as-yet unnamed seventh book.

A spokesman for HPANA said: "The author has playfully hinted at her leading character's demise. About 10 per cent of fans agreed that if Rowling didn't kill him off, she'd be hounded for life to write more than the seven novels she has already promised."

The actor Jim Dale - the voice of the teenage wizard in the US audio books - said recently he believes the seventh and final instalment will spell the end for Harry.

"She's lived with Harry Potter so long she really wants to kill him off," he said after meeting with the writer to discuss his characterisation of the parts.

The website message also gave an insight into the planning work that has made Harry's adventures a worldwide phenomenon.

She said: "I have been fine-tuning the fine-tuned plan of seven [books] during the past few weeks so I can really get to work in January."

Rowling added: "Reading through the plan is like contemplating the map of an unknown country in which I will soon find myself."

The final book is expected to be published in early 2007 and Rowling has previously revealed that she has already written its final chapter.