Dead and Gone (WAS Lily's "indisposition")

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 29834

Heather wrote:

> 
> So there's dead, so to speak, and then there's Gone - so to speak. 
Perhaps a better way to put this is that Lily might be Dead, but not 
entirely Gone.   
> 

Hi, Heather!  Very nice observations.

Let's not forget "sorta dead," which happens when a dementor kisses a 
wizard and sucks out his soul.  We haven't been told much about this 
form of death, except that it is worse than death.  I wonder where 
these people minus their souls actually go physically?  Is there a 
giant wing at St. Mungos for them, adjacent to the wing that houses 
Lockhart?  Are they euthanized?

For what it is worth, this whole idea of people not being Dead and 
Gone is, I fear, going to get controversial.  So far, to the extent 
certain religious people have objected to HP, they have objected 
mostly that teaching kids about witchcraft does . . . um, something 
to them that I can't understand or articulate.  They are a vocal but 
small minority of religious people, I think.

But once JKR gets deeper into the idea of what happens to a wizard's 
soul, watch out!  The idea that a character's soul doesn't go to a 
place consistent with one's religious beliefs and for reasons 
consistent with one's religious beliefs will *really* rile some 
people, and I don't think they will be the least bit quiet about it.

Tally this up as another of my wacky predictions.  :-)

Cindy