JK Rowling reveals Moaning Myrtle's full name on Twitter and it instantly backfires

Fans connect Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren to the beloved character

The power JK Rowling wields on Twitter is unfathomable. In just 140 characters she has caused almost as much political controversy as Ed Milliband going to Ibiza. Amongst Harry Potter fans, at least.

The author was innocently messaged by a fan, @HotmHayles, on Twitter, who asked “What was Moaning Myrtle's full name? My Dad asked me and I have no idea- I did some research but couldn't find anything”.

In response to Hayles - and Twitter user @LankyTwat for some reason - Rowling confirmed that “Moaning Myrtle's full name was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren”, not thinking twice about it.

However, fans were quick to notice the similarity between Myrtle's new name and that of US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s.

The tweet soon went viral, with Rowling resorting to more tweeting in order to clarify that she had not named the beloved character after the Massachusetts senator, but instead chosen a “classic British middle name”.

While the multimillionaire author may have strong political ties elsewhere, it seems that her naming of the unfortunate ghost was only coincidently similar to Warren's.

In recent days, Rowling’s often sparse Twitter account has been very active: she's been putting down ‘bullies’ left, right and centre, as well as tweeting at herself.