[HPforGrownups] Re: What if Harry dies?

[Anne Geldermann]

No: HPFGUIDX 85233

>
>Carol wrote:
> > > <snip> Hardly anyone would buy the books once the word got out, so I
> > > don't think her publisher would allow her to do it. And she cried
> > > when she killed off Sirius, who barely qualifies as a major
> > > character, and she's made it fairly clear that she won't kill off
> > > Hagrid or Ron, so she probably feels even more strongly about killing
> > > Harry.
>
Madeline:
>I think she might kill Harry, since we know she doesn't want to write
>book 8.  If she kills him by having him fall through a veil, it
>wouldn't' be so bad.
>
I don't know if having him fall through a veil would work particularly well. 
  Either he would not finish whatever battle he was in, or he and his 
adversary (presumably Voldemort) would die simultaneously.  Since it's 
Harry's POV, it would be very hard to satisfactorily work this angle to a 
clear ending.  Or he could just walk through the veil, but I don't see Harry 
committing suicide after he wins.  Plus the veil's been used as a device to 
kill off a character already.

I think he may very well die from wounds sustained in The Final Battle, and 
fading from his friends to seeing his parents and Sirius and anyone else who 
bites it in the next two books.
>
>
> > Carol:
> > I work in publishing and the publishers I know of are interested in
> > making money. If they think that killing off a highly popular
> > character will interfere with sales, they will reject the book as
> > written. Yes, she can go to another publisher, but money counts with
> > all of them--or at least with all the ones I work with. Rowling may be
> > a special case, but I'm willing to bet that her current publishers
> > have been given her word that she won't do anything that will cause a
> > dropoff in readership. Publishers want books that sell. Period.
>
>Madeline:
Yes, but by the time Harry dies, the readers will be all grown up.
>They won't mind, so it won't kill off sales.
>
>
While I agree that JKR won't worry too much about the publishers, I 
guarantee that there will still be kids reading these.  Those that are a bit 
too young now will be able to read them by the time the seventh comes out.  
More readers pick these up with every book that comes out.  I don't think 
the fandom will stop growing by any means.

>Then Carol said:
>
>
> > P.S. I accidentally snipped the part about Hagrid. I read in an
> > interview, which I naturally can't find at the moment, that JKR had
> >no intention of killing him off. I didn't invent the idea, you can be
> >sure.
>
Madeline:
>JKR said something about this a few years back, but I don't remember
>much about it.  I thought she said it was more likely that she would
>kill him, though.
>

I don't see Hagrid dying, at least not in Book 6.  He's far too useful as a 
plot device.  The trio gets oodles of information out of him, instead of JKR 
having to come up with new ways for them to figure out what's going on.  I 
also consider him a bit of a bridge between the world of the adult faculty 
and the world of the students.  Granted, Dumbledore et. al. will probably 
keep Harry more in the loop now, but Hagrid is still important in this 
regard.  Besides, Hagrid provides a bit of comic relief.  The books are 
certainly going to get darker, especially with Fred and George now gone.  
But I'd like to think JKR lets us smile at least once or twice in 6 and 7.

Anne

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