Harry (technically) dying?

[jmgarciaiii]

No: HPFGUIDX 127509


I'm sitting here once more wrapping up the series with Book 5, 
pondering Harry Potter-ness and I was ruminating further on my 
hypothesis Harry might go across the veil (after Sirius?) in Book 6 
(or maybe Book 7...I'm not fussy). 

It's apparent what lies beyond the veil apparently "kills" anyone 
who crosses it is an underworld of sorts, a backdoor death, if you 
will. In Greco-Roman mythology several characters died this way, by 
going directly to the underworld, instead of dying of some sickness 
or accident, etc. It is generally assumed those who pass to the 
underworld are irretrievably dead...BUT, if classical mythology is 
anything to go by, that has some (but ver-r-r-r-ry few) notable 
exceptions.

Some tidbits:

Fluffy is a three headed dog Hagrid got from a "Greek chappie" down 
at the pub and in mythology the gate to the underworld was guarded 
by Cerberus, a three headed dog. It was Hercules (or Herakles) who 
went down to the underworld and got past the dog.

Orpheus was a mythical Greek poet and musician, son of Apollo and a 
muse (Calliope, if I remember what the good Jesuit fathers tried to 
bop into my head 25 years ago). Orpheus married Eurydice, who died 
from the bite of a snake(!). Orpheus went down to Hades to bring her 
back and her return to life was granted IF he could walk ahead of 
her without looking back. That's right, he looked back and Eurydice 
was irretrievably lost.

In the Odyssey, Circe tells Odysseus he must go to the house of 
Hades and Persephone* to seek out the prophet, Teiresias. Much 
wackiness happens to Odysseus down there. Also Aeneas left Troy and 
while in the process of settling down in Italy and becoming the 
ancestor of Romulus and Remus(!) who were the founders of Rome after 
being nursed by a wolf (!), had to meander down to the Underworld 
and Theseus** (whom Hercules was meant to fetch, IIRC) did as well.

Discuss.

-J.

*Persephone wound up as a resident of the underworld because she ate 
pomegranate seeds Hades gave her. In Book 5, Harry ruins his 
Strengthening Solution by adding--you guessed it--pomegranate to it, 
when he wasn't supposed to add pomegranate ANYTHING to that potion.

** The seat in the trial room that seizes the sitter is very 
reminiscent of the seat Hades had which bound Theseus.