New characters in Book 6 (Was: JKR says no, and she's no Dobby)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 104926

Asian_lovr2 (Steve) wrote:
<snip>
The point is, given the fact that we are running out of books, it's
time to start wrapping things up. It's time to resolve Tom Riddle's
backstory, it's time to resolve the night of Godric's Hollow, it's
time to expand the story for the purpose of wrapping things up, not
wasting countless pages on new Lockhart/Umbridge-type characters, or
wasting it on secondary character who have no potential to resolve the
overal story.
<snip> with Snape as DADA teacher and
Tom Riddle as the Half Blood Prince, we open the door for a great deal
of important story to be told. Without that, or with new characters,
we are bogged down with 'cannon fodder' characters and wasted pages.
<snip>

Carol:
If the pattern of the DADA teacher dying or losing his/her job at the
end of the book holds true, Snape can't be the DADA teacher in Book 6,
as JKR has stated in an interview that he'll play a key role in Book
7. (If he becomes DADA teacher in Book 7, I'll worry about his
survival. As it is, we have what amounts to a promise that he'll
survive past the end of Book 6.)

I know you haven't forgotten this exchange, but others may not be
familiar with it:

Q: "There's an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape."
JKR: "He, um, there's so much I wish I could say to you, and I can't
because it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that question, can
I just say to you that I'm slightly stunned that you've said that and
you'll find out why I'm so stunned if you read Book 7. That's all I'm
going to say."

Complete interview at
http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/articles/1999/1099-connectiontransc.html

So for good or for ill, Snape will be around in Book 7 and there's no
good reason to make him the DADA teacher now (unless Harry isn't
taking NEWT Potions and I don't think that will happen, but I won't
get sidetracked on that here).

That said, I think the pattern of a new DADA teacher for each book
will also hold true, leaving open the possibility that the DADA
teacher is the HBP. Admittedly, it's hard to make a connection between
a new character in HBP and the content of CoS, which originally had
that title, but here's a wild bit of speculation (I won't dignify it
by calling it a theory):

Maybe Gilderoy ("gilded king") Lockhart was originally intended as the
name of the HBP, who was originally written as the DADA teacher in CoS
and that character (with a different name) is now the DADA teacher for
Book 6?

I don't really think that's the case. I just think that we're still
going to have a new character or two in Book 6, and one of them will
be the DADA teacher. 

I do agree that Riddle's backstory and the events at Godric's Hollow
need to be revealed (as well as some of Snape's backstory and numerous
other details), but I don't think a new DADA teacher will prevent that
from happening. With the right character, it could even somehow
expedite the process.

Carol