Sherlock/Harry, Chapter Endings

[mjollner]

No: HPFGUIDX 35830

Andrew observed about the popularity of literary characters 
occasionally haunting their creators:

> >Do you recall how hard Conan Doyle tried to kill off Holmes, after 
CD 
> >became very unhappy about the Holmes canon being his only popular 
> >work? I suspect that Rowling is trying to avoid the same fate, but 
I 
> >also think it is far too late for her to get 'out from under' HP 
and 
> >establish another character. Perhaps not; time will, after all, 
> >provide us with actual evidence.

Yes, yes!  Following your theory, then, we now know what the title 
of Book 7 will be: "Harry Potter and the Final Problem." :P  The story 
will be told from Hermione's or Ron's point of view (or perhaps both), 
in an attempt to defend Harry's heroic reputation from those remaining 
DEs who are attempting to besmirch his name, as s/he relates how 
his/her beloved friend killed Voldemort and (seemingly) himself in the 
process. 

However, this will be done in such a way that wiggle room remains for 
JKR to resurrect him a la Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls when her 
future literary efforts founder and her ravenous fans clamor for more 
additions to the Potterverse...

...and we will find out that Harry is really alive and has just been 
travelling the world, in disguise, of course, to experience life as 
someone other than The Famous Harry Potter.  It will prove to have 
been necessary for everyone to *believe* him dead so the remaining 
DEs would grow overconfident again and come out of hiding. He will 
return to England to help put away the remaining baddies, and he'll 
eventually retire to a Sussex farmhouse at a ripe old age, with or 
without Ginny/Hermione/Cho/Draco/take your pick at his side, although 
to complete the Holmes comparison, he would be alone.

cindysphynx opined:
>JKR writes great chapter endings, IMO.  I don't know what a creative 
>writing expert would say.  But for me, great chapter endings are 
>those that make it impossible to put the book down and go to 
>sleep.   

<snip>

>I think the very best HP chapter ending might be the conclusion 
>of "Cat, Rat and Dog" in PoA in the Shrieking Shack scene.

<snip>

>Cindy (who thought there were some great chapter endings in GoF, but 
>isn't so sure about PS/SS and CoS)

Gotta agree with you that ol' JKR seems to have the chapter ending 
thing down to a science.  I'll have to flip through CoS to find one 
better than the PoA chapter ending you cited...I just looked through 
PS/SS, and nothing came close for sheer "what the...?" thrills.  

In reviewing PS/SS, however, I noticed that there were a couple that I 
loved for other reasons.  For example, the ending of "Hallowe'en" or 
"Halloween" (depending on your version), after Harry and Ron had just 
knocked out the troll to save Hermione, and the three of them have 
muttered an embarrased "thanks" to each other in the Gryffindor common 
room:

"But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.  There 
are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, 
and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."  

How on earth could the Trio have a better startup than that?  You just 
know this is no ordinary friendship...

And of course, any afficionado of Big Bang's ToadKeeper corollary has 
to get all fuzzy at the end of "The Journey from Platform Nine and 
Three-Quarters," when Hagrid finds Trevor, gives him to Neville and 
checks in yet one more time that the slippery, soul-bearing amphibian 
hasn't gotten away.  This just as the first years approach the front 
door of Hogwarts, and Hagrid knocks three times.  Portentous, anyone? 
:)

Mjollner, who really, *really* must get studying for her Master's 
comps exam, which is little more than two weeks away!  yikes!  
procrastinate much?