Kill Harry?

[Bente13 at peoplepc.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24833

I don't think Harry will die in the books. Partly because I seem to 
remember JKR saying something to that effect once (although I could 
be wrong) but more importantly because it doesn't go along with the 
tenor and theme of the books. They are childrens books, whether JKR 
intended them as such when she wrote them or not (and I'm sure she 
did, in one sense of the word at least; they're *about* children). 
The fact that they appeal so strongly to adults too, is a fluke and a 
result of good writing, but they're published and written for kids. 
Kids reading these books want and expect Harry to triumph over 
evil/Voldemort, not to die fighting him, even if Voldemort dies, too. 
Where's the triumph in that? As adults, we can rationalize that 
sometimes such a sacrifice is necessary (as indeed does Harry), but 
in a child's mind, having him actually die is cheating. It would 
violate the first rule of writing: give the reader the payoff. If 
Harry isn't left standing at the end, so to speak, I for one will 
feel that the whole series has been for naught.

Bente