Lily (was gender-spiked musings); structure

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 33234

Julie aka Viola wrote:

> We know practically everything to know about James Potter, but next 
to nothing about Lily Evans.

I believe that this shows that Lily is a *more* important character 
than James.  We can see the books like this:

PS: about Harry;
COS: about Voldemort;
POA: about James (& friends); after POA I was unimaginative enough to 
assume the next book would be about Lily.
GOF: about the Wizarding World.

Each of these is associated with a period of wizard history, which is 
partly revealed in the book. PS: Godric's Hollow; COS early 1940s; 
POA mid 70s; GOF early 80s (the Crouch years).

In each book a different device is used to bring the past into the 
present: PS it just happens at the beginning and Dumbledore remembers 
at the end; COS the diary; POA Harry's own memories/inner self, both 
via the Dementors and in the Patronus (also Lupin, Sirius & 
Pettigrew); GOF the Pensieve.

After the 28 December interview I'm prepared to hazard a rare 
prediction: OOP will be about Lily, since she is the biggest question 
we might have expected Harry to ask.  The period of history will be 
the same as POA (the animagi period) or a little later, but before 
Harry was born.

Of the other two books, the last will be about Harry, and will return 
with full revelation to Godric's Hollow plus his first year.  No 6, 
possibly about Voldemort's early rise to power, perhaps involving 
Grindelwald.  In which case it would also be Dumbledore's 
revelation.  Or perhaps it will be Snape's book, paralleling POA.  
No, I think Snape will only really appear as he is in Book 7 - that 
would fit nicely with Harry's first year.  Oh, and the Dursleys' true 
importance will be revealed then. (Why do people focus on Petunia-as-
squib when the interesting backstory is Vernon's?  Where did *he* 
learn to fear magic?)

But I digress.  Lily is being saved up *because* she is important, 
and her appearance will to some extent restore the gender balance.  
It would be nice if her old girl friends, corresponding to Sirius and 
Lupin, were to pop up, but that seems too easy - note that the 'old 
crowd' characters named were men except for the (apparently) much 
older Mrs Figg.  I suspect this question is linked to the way that 
the past will be revealed this time around.

I love the way the grand climax of the whole series will be, not a 
big showdown with Voldemort (though that may happen), but the 
retelling of an event which occurred a few hours before the first 
line of the first chapter of the first book.

David