King's Cross railway station dream

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 176241

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "allthecoolnamesgone" 
<allthecoolnamesgone at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ddamian1" <ddamian1@> wrote:
> >
> > I am having trouble understanding in Bk 7 what the train station was
> > all about.  I would appreciate if someone could give me some insight
> > into that.  Was it a dream?

allthecoolnamesgone:
> I think that JK left this fairly vague so as to allow the widest 
> possible interpretations for fans. 
> 
> Personally I find it more satisfying to think of as a 'real place'. 
> Not necessarily a physical 'real place' but nonetheless a place where 
> Dumbledore was present rather than this whole scene just being in 
> Harry's mind and Harry reinterpreting information he already had. A 
> departure lounge for the hereafter perhaps. But if it was solely in 
> Harry's mind ( a dream or a vision)  then how was Dumbledore able to 
> give Harry information which he had not previously known?
> 
> My interpretation leans towards it being a place of waiting, of 
> departure and for Harry this resolved itself into Kings Cross Station 
> which was a real place that for him had had that function in life. 

Geoff:
I certainly visualise it as a real place. So does canon:

'"Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been 
happening insdie my head?"
Dumbledore beamed at him and his voice sounded loud and strong 
in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again,
obscuring his figure.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth 
should that mean that it is not real?"'
(DH "King's Cross" p.579 UK edition)

I have twice drawn a comparison with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
Here, the station commander, Ben Sisko, is told by the Bajoran 
people, in whose territory the space station lies, that he is their 
prophesied Emissary. On a number of occasions, he meets with the 
Prophets, the spiritual beings whom the Bajorans worship and the 
meeting place is an undefined place out of space and time consisting 
largely of white mist (does that sound vaguely familiar?).

It is certainly a Near Death Experience or something analagous to one. 
Dumbledore makes it clear twice that Harry is not dead:
''But you're dead," said Harry.
"Oh yes," said Dumbledore matter-of-factly.
"Then... I'm dead too?"
"Ah," said Dumbledore, smiling still more broadly. "That is the question, 
isn't it? On the whole, dear boy, I think not."
They looked at each other, the old man still beaming. 
"Not?" repeated Harry.
"Not," said Dumbledore.'
(ibid. p.567)

'Harry sat in thought for a long time, or perhaps seconds. It was very 
hard to be sure of things like time, here.
"He killed me with your wand."
"He failed to kill you with my wand," Dumbledore corrected Harry. "I 
think we can agree that you are not dead..."
(ibid. p.570)

This doesn't entirely help the analysis, except that it rules out purgatory 
- which I wouldn't expect from JKR since she is a Protestant and not a 
Catholic. The oddity is that it is a place where Harry can decide to go on 
or go back...

I think I shall have to cop out and fall back on Shakespeare:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of 
in your philosophy."
(Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5)

Perhaps JKR is a Star Trek fan like me. :-)