What's Harry gonna do when he graduates?

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 57535

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Dan Delaney <Dionysos at D...> 
wrote:
<Snip>
> 
> And what sort of career path is Harry likely to follow? 
Politition? 
> Auror? Teacher? Quidditch star?

and Pip!Squeak replies:

Quidditch star.

I know we're all trained to think of 'sports star' as a rather self-
centred role, unsuited to someone like Harry, but consider the 
following canon:

'in a rush of fierce joy he realised he'd found something he could 
do without being taught - this was easy, this was *wonderful* [PS/SS 
Ch. 9, p.111 UK paperback]

'he had left not only the ground behind, but also his fear ... he 
was back where he belonged ... [GoF Ch. 20. p310, UK paperback]

In the air is where Harry feels he belongs. Quidditch is the only 
thing he feels he's good at.

Harry's life has been hugely affected by Voldemort. He is orphaned, 
Voldemort may have transferred some of his powers to him. Quite 
possibly almost every part of his personality and powers are in some 
way touched by Voldemort and the murder of Harry's parents.

[Psychologically quite credible, btw. ]

There is *one* area of his life where he instinctively feels 
Voldemort has not touched him. His flying skill. His father played 
Quidditch, his mother (judging by JKR's drawing) had the small, 
light build a good seeker needs. Even if Voldemort had never 
happened, and he was the much loved son of living parents, little 
Harry Potter would probably *still* be Gryffindor's star Seeker, 
with professional players commenting on his rare ability.

Quidditch is the world where Harry's free. Quidditch is the way 
Harry relaxes.

'[Hermione]: "Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch right now ... 
he's worried, and he's tired ..."

"Yeah, I want to play Quidditch," said Harry suddenly ... [GoF Ch. 
10 p.134, slightly edited].

I don't want Harry feeling that he has to grow up to more of the 
same. He's spent his childhood from 11 onwards fighting Voldemort. 
To become an Auror, or an Unspeakable is to say that there will 
never be any end for Harry. 'Congratulations, you've defeated 
Voldemort. Well, now there's this Banshee down the road ...'

I hope someone will tell him, 'you've defeated Voldemort. That's 
enough for anyone in one lifetime. Go play Quidditch for England, 
the way you dreamt of.'

I want Harry to do more than just survive his childhood. I want him 
to find a world where he is finally happy. So far, in the books, 
that world has been Quidditch. Harry as a professional Quidditch 
player would be someone doing something he's good at, something he 
loves, and *not* something he's being shoved into because he's the 
Boy Who Lived.

Is there any hope for this?

Possibly. One of the things I noticed about JKR's choice of timing 
for the Quidditch World Cup is that the next World Cup takes place 
the summer *after* Harry's Seventh Year at Hogwarts. Another pointer 
is that she already has one school-age player at National Team level 
(Krum).

It would be a terrific climax to the series, if Harry survives. If 
Voldemort is defeated at terrible cost, but Harry feels he must 
continue playing, because England has no hope without their star 
seeker (theme's come up before...).  If he plays on without feeling 
any joy because of grief for those lost. Then, during the final 
itself, the 'fierce joy' returns and he realises that he has this 
one place where he truly belongs ...

... and catches the Snitch. The Seeker has found what he sought. The 
crowd is cheering. The World is won.

Come on, folks. It'd be a great ending.

Pip!Squeak