[HPforGrownups] Happy endings/Death?

[Dave Hardenbrook]

No: HPFGUIDX 7902

At 03:10 AM 12/27/00 +0000, Charmian wrote:
>Where did people get the idea that Harry was going to die?

I think because this would be a way to save JKR from being oblidged
to write about Harry for the rest of her life!  Of course, this strategy
didn't work for Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock Holmes at
Reichenbach Falls, but then JKR,unlike Doyle, is making enough sums
from the books that she could end it after book VII if she chose.

On the other hand, these books have all along been touted as
"A Wizard's Coming of Age", and that would be undermined
by Harry dying at 17.

Or perhaps JKR could take the Louisa May Alcott route and
preclude any post-book VII sequels by writing a hasty and
distinctly tear-jerking epilogue finishing off Harry's life in summary,
along these lines (*Marginal* apologies to Alcott):

"Harry never married, but lived, bravely and usefully, among his
chosen people [Muggle-borns, werewolves, and half-giants], till
he was Avada Kedavra-ed while defending them, and at last lay
quietly asleep in the Wizard's wilderness he loved so well, with a
lock of Cho's hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face which
seemed to say that the greatest Auror of the century had fought his
last fight and was at peace.  And now, having endevored to suit
everyone by many weddings, few deaths, and as much
prosperity as the eternal ebbs and flows of magic will permit, let the
incantations stop, the wands die out, and the curtain fall FOREVER
[Got that, Time-Warner?] on the boy wizard with the remarkable scar."

But let's hope that by the end of the series JKR is not disgusted
enough to be tempted to embrace a conclusion *that* depressing!

>Same thing for Hermione and Ron.

I hope that the frequently touted scenario of Ron going over to the
Dark Side, trying to kill Harry, but getting instead killed by Wormtail
defending Harry is not played out.

>As for Voldemort, unless Rowling pulls an "evil behind the evil" plot
>on us, I don't see him dying until book VII, but he probably will
>perish in some fashion.

The only alternate scenario I see is if Voldy dies in book VI, and
then the Death Eaters try to avenge him in VII (the message to
the kiddies being: Evil forces die, but others still remain to be
fought).

>It would be exceedingly depressing if Rowling did kill off Sirius or
>Lupin. But there's not really much that makes me suspect she would.

My main anxiety about Sirius is his resemblance to Louisa May
Alcott's hero Dan -- wild, passionate, loving of those he loves,
ruthless to those he hates, and he even is unjustly thrown into prison
where he almost wastes away.  Alcott kills Dan off in the passage from
_Jo's Boys_ that I parodied above.  And I'm afraid of the same
happening to Sirius.

(I'm now waiting for someone to reassure me that Rowling is
  not Louisa May Alcott.)



                                                 -- Dave