Dept of Mysteries Veil Room

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 114260

> --<snip>
> > Kim now (also, forgive me if this is a rehash of previous posts):
> > 
> > Also, I too hope the Veil is a teaser, because I'm convinced on 
> some level that Sirius isn't really dead... Else how do you 
explain 
> still hearing people's voices if they're dead and gone for good?  
> Should we take Dumbledore's word for it that Sirius is dead? 
> 
> Angie agrees:
> Sirius is the focus of the entire third book.  It just makes no 
sense 
> to me to write an entire book in the series around Sirius and then 
> just kill him off.  It also seems cruel (I realize life can be 
cruel, 
> but Harry has suffered enough loss in my opinion) to allow Harry 
to 
> discover Sirius and then lose him that way.  And to leave him 
still 
> without a parent/guardian at the end of the series?  That just 
> doesn't work for me, either.
> 
> I think the veil is a teaser because of what Luna said to Harry 
about 
> hearing the voices.  What other reason would there be for her to 
say 
> that, unless she's just off her rocker, and I don't think she is.  
I 
> guess it could be a red herring, but I would hope JKR would be 
above 
> that with regard to this particular subject. 
> 
> It's true that DD plainly said, "It's my fault that Sirius died,"  
> but I think DD wants everyone, especially Harry and Voldemort, to 
> believe that Sirius is dead, so that Voldemort can't use Sirius 
> against Harry (and maybe he could also work for the Order).  
> Remember, DD doesn't know for sure how much of Harry's thoughts 
> Voldemort has access to.  So, Harry must be made to think that 
Sirius 
> is dead.
> 
> Just had a thought:  I wonder if Harry could use the "Reparo" 
spell 
> to fix the broken mirror?  We don't know if Sirius had it on him 
when 
> he went through the veil.
> 
Hannah: If Sirius turns out to be alive after all, or comes back 
from the dead, I will be very, very disappointed in JKR.  Not 
because I don't like Sirius; I think he's a good character and cried 
when he died, but because it would undermine the power of the books 
for me.  

JKR has made much of the fact that she is unafraid to write about 
death, and hopes to help children confront and deal with death.  
Many people have said that the stories have helped their children 
deal with the death of a loved one.  If she then turns round and 
says 'it's OK, he's not dead after all!' it would be such a let down 
for all those children whose RL dead relative *isn't* going to 
suddenly pop back from behind the veil.  

I don't belive JKR will do that.  I think when we 'see Sirius again' 
it will be as a memory, either in a retrospective scene not from 
Harry's pov, or in a pensieve.  As for Harry dying, I'm not sure 
whether he will or not.  If all his friends are dead, maybe a long 
life wouldn't be such a great thing in his opinion?  I think it's 
pretty obvious he will defeat LV, but that doesn't mean he will 
survive.

Hannah, who felt LoR was rather undermined by the treatment of the 
death (or implausible survival/ return) of certain characters.