Missing characters and Portrait!DD (was: Why I am 98.6% certain that...)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 134050

> SSSusan:
> I think, whether in the first chapter or not, there will have to 
> be.  *IF* Harry does not talk to portrait!DD, how is he going to 
> figure out that Snape killed DD on DD's **orders** [if, in fact, I'm 
> right about that ;-)]?  And if Harry DOESN'T hear that from DD, I 
> can't imagine he would ever discover that information on his own nor 
> believe it if anyone else (least of all Snape himself!) tried to 
> explain it to him.
> 
> I mean, does anyone doubt at this moment, that the next time Harry 
> encounters Snape, he isn't going to try to curse him, perhaps even 
> take him out?  I can't imagine him LISTENING to Snape... nor, 
> really, Snape even trying very hard to explain to Harry, given their 
> history, and given how Snape reacted to Harry at the end with 
> that "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!" thing.
> 
> No, if Harry's going to figure out Snape's still "okay," (as okay as 
> a major prick can be, that is), then I think it's going to have to 
> come from a talk w/ portrait!DD.

Carol responds:
Hi, SSS. I half-expected you to be Siriusly "Lupy" Susan and am glad
to see that I'm wrong. And you're certainly right that *if* Snape was
committing murder (and an Unforgiveable Curse to boot) on Dumbledore's
orders, Harry will have to talk to the portrait to find it out.
(Unless the protrait tells McGonagall and she tells the other Order
members.) But I got the distinct impression that Harry (and Ron and
Hermione) won't be at Hogwarts in Book 7 even if it still exists.
They'll be out searching for Horcruxes. No quidditch, no prefect
duties, no Head Girl for Hermione (I never had any Head Boy hopes for
Harry)--and very little contact with any Order members who are still
teaching. (We may well see more of Lupin if Harry's *not* in school.)

I really hope you're right, both for Snape's sake and for my opinion
of JKR's sophistication as a writer, but Harry did say he won't be
back and RH said they'd go with him. 

Maybe she'll slither out of that one somehow.

Carol