The Death of Cedric

[harry_potter00 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11181

In re-reading the canon I found that I had several thoughts/questions 
about the death of Cedric. I know that Jo has stated in past 
interviews that it was very difficult for her to write Cedric's death 
and that she cried. My question is did we as readers find Cedric's 
death that emotional? I personally didn't. It is not that I've never 
or don't find books emotionally moving, and it's certainly not that 
I've never cried. It's just that Cedric's death didn't really do 
that.  He was alive and then he was dead. I have to agree that it's 
unsettling the way AK works, but doesn't make for a good literary 
death scene. 

Another question I had is whether Cedric's death is extraneous to the 
plot, or will later become central? Did he HAVE to die? Not exactly, 
at least IMO. I mean his death shows the reality of evil, and that 
Voldemort doesn't care who he kills. It also, as Peg once eloquently 
pointed out, took Harry's noblest decision and made it the greatest 
tragedy (in the canon so far, or will someone go against this?).

Cedric is also (argubly-sp?) the first person to be killed in the 
Second Voldemort War (SVW or VWII as we've dubbed it). He's not a 
martyr (as he didn't even know what was happening) but perhaps his 
death will serve as an inspiration for others to fight in the future.

In the long run Jo Rowling IS more invested in the characters than we 
are, like it or not! (She is the one to breath life into them after 
all.) That, when it boils down to it, is most likely why she was so 
affected. Maybe I'm not invested in the characters enough to me moved 
to tears by the death of Cedric.  

Would anyone like to point out why the death of Cedric was or was not 
needed to forward the plot?

Scott