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Nor did Rowling. Many of her references are all but too obvious.
The werewolf named Remus (who, sadly, has no twin Romulus).
The werewolf Fenrir. Does that sound familiar?
Sirius Black who turns into a dog.
Her playful use of words and names is no crime. Did you know that Dumbledore's name was chosen because she imagines him walking down the halls humming? The humming reminded her of bumblebees.
That said, you cannot have a fantasy story without ripping off something that's already done. How many times have we seen the underdog become the hero (don't forget he's got dad issues), learn that he's got some sort of interesting abilities, and go on to attempt to vanquish his greatest enemy? Want me to name some of these heros? Harry Potter. Luke Skywalker. Frodo Baggins. Jesus. Are any of their stories less wonderful, just because you've seen the theme repeated over and over? No. So J.K. Rowling taking a few words or concepts from Tolkien (that he'd taken before) shouldn't bother people the way it does.
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