Harry losing his powers

[antoshachekhonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 121241


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eggplant9998" <eggplant9998 at y...> wrote:
> 
> "antoshachekhonte" <antoshachekhonte at y...> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > I would actually welcome a book 7 conclusion
> > in which Harry succeeded, lost his powers,  
> > but found a happy, peaceful, fulfilling life 
> > surrounded by people who loved him.
> 
> If you asked me to come up with the single most unsatisfying ending 
> possible that would be it, even worse than Harry waking up at he
> end of book 7 and finding it was all a dream. Ugg!  First of all 
> everybody living happily ever after would be so sappy, so sweet, so 
> very cute and adorable I think I'd phhrow up. Secondly, loosing his 
> powers would be a terrible cliché, in ever science fiction or 
> fantasy movie of the 50's the object of wonder must be destroyed or 
> rendered ordinary in the end, the forbidden planet blows up, the 
> amazing invention is lost, the incredible creature dies, and the 
> book that contains the secrets of the universe is burnt. Apparently 
> this was to reassure the viewer (or reader) that everything and 
> everyone would return to their previous humdrum existence after 
> their little adventure. Unfortunately doing this makes for a
> humdrum story.
> 
> Eggplant


Antosha:

Well, another way to look at this story form is that it implies that the hero, having 
succeeded in the quest/achieved the boon/saved the world, needs to lay down the tools 
proper to that endeavor and pick up those proper to the next. 

Neither your point of view nor mine is new. Homer ended the Odyssey with what passed, 
in those bloody days, as fluffy bunnies. And Tennyson, unwilling to let poor Odysseus 
remain happy being home, wrote "The Idylls of the King" in which the old guy gets to sit 
there and bitch about what fun he used to have.

I think the least satisfying ending for me--aside from some of those mentioned above--
would be one where the dust settles from Harry's final AK, Voldemort hits the ground... 
and Harry feels his scar go off again and realizes it's time to face the NEXT Dark Lord. 

I like stories about the daily grind of dealing with mundane evil on an ongoing basis--
stories like NYPD Blue and Homicide and every cop show since Hill Street Blues. 

But that's not what this story is about. When it's over, I want it to be over. I don't expect 
everyone to be happy--or alive. JKR has made it very clear that there will be fallout from 
this conflict. But I hope that Harry--and those around him who are still standing--will be 
allowed to reach some kind of fulfillment. Otherwise... :-p