The co-protagonists and minor characters in Book 7

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 142702

 
Carol wrote:

We all know that the plot of Book 7 will require  Harry (presumably
with some help) to find and destroy four Horcruxes (locket,  cup,
Nagini, and something from Ravenclaw) and, ultimately, to confront  and
defeat Voldemort. Most of us assume that Snape will perform  some
crucial role and that Pettigrew's silver hand will come into  play.

 
Julie:
I've been trying to remember other things JKR has mentioned will
be in Book 7. So far I have:
 
1. We'll learn something very important about Lily, which might 
happen in conjunction with Harry's visit to Godric's Hollow.
 
2. Depending on how one interprets that particular interview, JKR
said in regards to Snape that something will happen relating to
a) a redemptive pattern, or b) someone loving him. Or maybe it
will be both. Certainly Snape will have a role to play on several 
fronts. 
 
3. We will find out the importance of Dumbledore's defeat of 
Grindenwald. (Probably relating to the horcruxes)
 
4. We will see the two-way mirror again, and we will see Sirius
again (dead or alive). 
 
5. A character will use magic late in life. (I'm putting this here
because I don't think Merope is that character, though  technically
she could be.)
 
6. We will find out the significance of Voldemort's fetal form in  GoF.
 
7. We will meet an Order member we haven't fully met yet. (Or some
wording like that)
 
And I'm sure there are more. Someone previously mentioned  Umbridge
would appear again (*very* briefly, I hope!). And I assume we'll  get
an explanation of why DD had that gleam in his eye when  Voldemort
took Harry's blood, as well as what really happened on the Tower  in
HBP. 
 
Carol:
But what about the other (not so minor) characters, especially  Ron and
Hermione? What will Hermione do if she doesn't have the  Hogwarts
library at hand to do her research? And what about Ron's skills  at
chess, and for that matter, his fear of spiders?  (I'm
oversimplifying--of course there's more to the two characters  than
these few traits.)
 
Julie:
I still think Harry may return to Hogwarts, at least briefly. And I 
think Ron and Hermoine will still attend their seventh year. I'm 
sure Ginny will attend her sixth year. Either way, they will  have
a solid role to play (Ron's chess skills may well come into it,  as
well as Hermoine's logical abilities). 
 
As for Ron's fear of spiders (just because you mentioned it!), I  think
he's stuck with it. It would be interesting if some event cured him  of
the fear, but that probably won't happen. But it's normal for people 
to retain phobias, and I consider Ron's milder than he may think  (as
he has been able to face it and function when necessary). He'll  just
learn to live with it, and leave Hermoine to do the gardening ;-)

Carol wrote:
I think that Ginny will be the Trio's contact at  Hogwarts via the
two-way mirror (Harry will find Sirius Black's mirror at 12  GP and use
a simple Reparo charm to fix his own). Maybe Hagrid will take care  of
Hedwig, who's too conspicuous for Harry to use as a means  of
communication, so maybe Harry will use his Patronus to communicate
with  Lupin, who (IMO) will need to remain at 12 GP as he can no longer
spy on the  werewolves (his cover is blown--the DEs saw him fighting as
an Order member  at Hogwarts).
 
Julie:
I don't know if I see Ron and Hermoine with Harry the whole time. I 
rather expect Harry to go to Godric's Hollow alone. And he'll no  doubt
fact Voldemort alone at the pivotal moment (if anyone else is present
and helps him, I actually think it will be Snape and/or Wormtail).
 
Good point about Hedwig, and your theory about the two-way mirror
sounds about right. I agree Lupin blew his cover, so I'd assume he'll
be holed up with the Order, or with Tonks ;-) Grimmald Place  seems 
likely. I suspect the two of them will join in a battle against DEs  at
some point though. 


Carol:
And surely the Percy arc will have to be completed. He's not  exactly
reconciled with his family despite having been forgiven (and  hugged)
by his mother. I keep remembering Molly's Boggart in OoP, which  I
think foreshadows the actual as opposed to near death of at least  one
member of the Weasley family. And I don't think it will be  Ginny,
Arthur, or Bill, all of whom have had their turns, or Molly  herself,
who is not part of the Boggart vision. (The fact that Ginny  and
Charlie aren't shown isn't irrelevant, IMO--either they "died"  before
Harry entered or the Boggart hadn't got to them yet.)
 
Julie:
I hope Ginny doesn't die, because Harry's lost enough people he 
loves. I'm not sure Charlie's death would have much impact, since
we've seen him so rarely. I think Percy is the most likely candidate,
as he can die redeeming himself (saving someone in his family). 
 
On a side note, if Percy dies redeeming himself to his family, and
Wormtail dies during repayment of his life debt to Harry (and  there
is absolutely no point to him living), then maybe JKR will avoid 
killing Snape and overdoing the redemption-by-death theme ;-)


Carol:
I'm disappointed, BTW, that all the hands on Molly's clock  are
*already* pointing to mortal peril. What good is that? If one of  her
children is in genuine danger, threatened by a dragon (Charlie)  or
kidnapped from their Diagon Alley shop by DEs (the Twins), how will
she  know that their "peril" is more "mortal" than that of the rest of
the family  sitting in relative safety in the Burrow?
 
Julie:
I hadn't thought of it that way. I just assumed they're all in mortal
peril because of Voldemort's return and their obvious loyalties. I
wonder if there is another indicator on the  clock, maybe "Mortal
Peril--Really, We Mean It This Time!" Or maybe the Mortal Peril 
starts flashing red if a family member is facing impeding death.


Carol:
So, what side plots (aside from Snape and RAB, which have  been
thoroughly discussed) really, really need to be resolved and what  role
will the sidekicks, subordinate heroes, and other minor  characters
(Luna, Neville, Dobby, Percy, Umbridge, Scrimgeour, Slughorn . . .  . )
play in resolving them? (Well, okay, we can include Snape here  in
relation to future actions as opposed to past motivations and  events.)
 
Julie:
I don't know that JKR has to take a lot of time to resolve some of
the plots. It could take just a page or two to give Umbridge her just
desserts, for instance ;-) I do hope to see the DA club resurrected
at Hogwarts, perhaps as a way of assisting Harry in his quest. If
Bill becomes the DADA teacher, he could also have a hand in that 
resurrection. And that would give Neville, Luna, and some others
a role to play and some final development. 
 
If there is a subplot along side Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, I  do
think it will be Hogwarts under attack. This gives another  opportunity
for the DA club to be addressed, as well as Hogwarts unity (we must
all hang together, or assuredly we will hang--er, be  AKed--separately).


Carol:
What themes other than choice and Love and where Snape's  loyalties lie
(house unity? wizards' attitudes toward other magical beings?)  can and
should be woven into the plot without extending the book to 800  pages?
 
Julie:
I think it can be done. Harry's quest for the horcruxes will obviously  be
an important part of the book, but it doesn't have to take up *most* of 
the book. Especially if he gets assistance, say if the locket  is destroyed
by an RAB co-conspirator, Snape destroys one or two of them, etc.
It could take a while to get to the first one, but Harry could also  figure
out a shortcut to get to the others. And Nagini (assuming she is  one)
may go at nearly the same time as Voldemort. And multiple issues can
be addressed during certain main plots, e.g., Harry figuring out  Snape
during the Horcrux hunt or the final Voldemort confrontation, house
unity developing while Hogwarts is being attacked, etc. 
 
Carol:
Carol, hoping we've at least seen the last of S.P.E.W.
 
Julie:
I hope JKR at least wraps it up in some manner, as it took up a 
lot of space in Books 4 and 5 (and, IMO, wasn't as wasteful of
space as Grawp and the Giants). But it could be mentioned briefly,
with the house elves being given the freedom to choose servitude
if they wish (and most of them probably would choose it), and
with Dobby leading by example for those few who wish to follow
him. 


Julie
(who realizes she didn't mention the Malfoys, but is sure they will
play some part, especially Draco).




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