TBAY: Death, and Hagrid vs. Lupin

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 54571

Marina strolls through the quiet nocturnal streets of Theory bay, 
taking what may be her last chance to enjoy the scenery before 
Hurricane Jo tears it all to bits.  As she turns a corner, she hears 
voices drifting out through the half-open door of the Royal George.  
Curious, she stops to peer in through the window.  The glare from 
the neon pink flamingo on the sill mades it hard to see, but she 
does spot a number of familiar faces.  More to the point, she spots 
George handing out drinks.  Never one to turn down a chance at some 
booze, Marina steps into the tavern, just in time to hear Abigail 
make a shocking pronouncement.

> "Exactly.  I don't think Hagrid is going to die at all.  I think 
it's going to be Lupin."
> 
> The entire table breaks out in cries of "Not Lupin!"
> 
> "I know, I know."  Abigail sighs.  "I love him too, and so does 
JKR.  But when you think about it, it's obvious that only one of the 
two - Hagrid or Lupin - can die.  Think about it, there's a curious 
duality when it comes to their functions.  They both represent 
marginalized, discriminated-against minorities - werewolves and 
giants.  Why two of them?  It can only be because JKR is planning to 
kill one of them, but still wants to be able to finish the series 
with a minority group being accepted into wizarding society."
> 
> "Why Lupin then?"  Asks Cindy.  "Why not Hagrid, if all we need is 
a representative of a discriminated minority?"
> 
> "For several reasons."  Abigail answers.  "First, unlike Lupin's 
lycanthropy, no plot-point hinged on the fact that Hagrid is part 
giant in GoF.  Lupin's being a werewolf is the reason the Peter 
escaped in PoA and partly the reason that he was suspected of being 
a traitor 15 years ago.  The fact that Hagrid is a part giant has no 
such importance, which leads me to believe that it will be the root 
of a new story arc in OotP and beyond.  Also, Hagrid has quite a lot 
of growth coming.  He has a girlfriend and may be reunited with his 
mother.  Are we supposed to believe that all of these plots will be 
resolved before the end of OotP?  <<

Marina listens to the conversation with interest and a certain 
amount of dismay, as she is very fond Lupin.  Finally, she can no 
longer contain herself.

"Wait a minute," she says.  "I have a few problems with Abigail's 
line of reasoning here.

"Marina!" George immediately produces his most charming 
smile.  "Long time no see!  Here, have one on the house."  He pours 
a couple of fingers of Lagavulin into a tumbler and hands it over.  

"Thanks, gorgeous."  Marina pulls up a chair and sits down.  The 
other patrons murmur their greetings and shift over to make room.

"All right," says Abigail.  "So what's wrong with my line of 
reasoning?"

"Well..." Marina sips her Scotch thoughfully. "First of all, you 
seem to be forgetting just how damn long OotP is supposed to be.  A 
third longer than GoF, we're told.  Over 900 pages, we're told.  
Plenty of room to wrap up Hagrid's storyline.  After all, aren't you 
claiming that Lupin's storyline has been sufficiently resolved -- 
and that was done in a much shorter book."

"But look at all the changes happening in Hagrid's life!" Abigal 
says excitedly.  "He's got a new girlfriend, a new mission, he has 
finally gotten the hang of his teaching job; he may even be reunited 
with his mother! Do you really think JKR would give him all these 
things just to kill him off?"

"Darn tootin!" says Marina (that Lagavulin is really kicking in).  
In fact, all these positive developments in Hagrid's life are 
exactly what convinces me that he's toast.  Think back to every 
action movie you've ever seen.  How can you tell when a character is 
going to die?"

There's a long silence while everyone ponders the question.  

"When something good is about to happen to them?" ventures Cindy 
after a while.

"Exactly!"  Marina bangs the table so hard that everyone's glasses 
jump.  "When that veteran cop talks about retiring at the end of the 
case; when the baby-faced rookie soldier reads that letter from his 
pretty fiance back in Iowa; when that hard-bitten commando waxes 
poetic about the Montana ranch where he's going to settle down once 
the mission is over -- that's when you stamp 'Dead Meat' on the 
character's forehead.  Hagrid life is about to get good, therefore 
he's doomed.  Lupin's life, on the other hand, sucks.  And there's 
been no reason to think that it'll stup sucking in the foreseeable 
future.  Now, if he shows up in the opening chapters of OotP to 
announcce that he's hooked up with a lovely lady werewolf and 
they're buying a cottage in the Cotswolds together, all bets are 
off.  But until then, I figure he's safe."

"Well, maybe," Says Abigail.  "But if Lupin lives, what the heck is 
he going to do?  After all, as I said earlier: unlike Lupin, 
Hagrid's roles haven't been entirely usurped by other characters.  
I've already mentioned that Hagrid took over Lupin's role as a 
minority representative, but at the end of PoA, his role as one of 
Harry's fathers - the father as guardian and teacher - was usurped 
by Sirius.  Lupin no longer has a function in the books.  Add to 
that the fact that he's showing up in OotP and I'm afraid it's bye-
bye Remus."
> 

"I don't know about that," says Marina.  "First of all, if Hagrid 
dies, then he'll no longer be usurping Lupin's function, will he?  
Second of all, the end of GoF opens up new possibilites for Lupin.  
Dumbledore names him as part of the "Old Crowd," and send Sirius to 
join him.  This suggest that Lupin will have a role in the upcoming 
fight, a role that can't be filled by Hagrid, who is a)busy with the 
giants and b)too conspicuous.  What this role will be, I don't know 
exactly.  But if OotP is large enough to wrap up Hagrid's story 
line, it's also large enough to establish a new one for Lupin.

"You know what I think?" says Abigail, "I think you just don't like 
the idea of Lupin dying, so you're flailing around looking for 
reasons why he won't."

"Well, yeah," says Marina.  "But they're good reasons, aren't they?"

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com