Lupin and Tonks - What about the baby?

[Kim]

No: HPFGUIDX 172849

Ali wrote:
> I felt like killing Lupin AND Tonks was unnecessary

Mike replied:
> Lupin was worried about his son growing up under the shadow of his
fathers curse. Instead he grew up the son of heroes who died in the
final battle against Voldemort. I think she was trying to make his
life easier, and kill off a couple more important people at the same
time.

Carol responded:
>Poor Andromeda loses her husband, her daughter, and her daughter's new husband, but little Teddy, in contrast to Harry, has a loving
grandmother and a godfather (and he seems to spend a lot of time at
the Potters as he grows older). At the end, we glimpse a seemingly
well-adjusted young man (with turquoise hair, IIRC) who seems to have
found love with the presumably beautiful Victoire--1/8 Veela. How
could she not be?)


Kim responds:
I found the killing of both of Teddy's parents unnecessary.  While I think Carol's response was very well thought out (e.g., Lupin would have suffered without the Wolfsbane potion, Teddy likely grew up happy with wonderful tales of his heroic parents, their deaths were
foreshadowed throughout the book), their deaths in an unidentified manner in the thick of battle seemed...well, easy.  We know Tonks arrived at Hogwarts and went looking for Lupin right away, so they were likely with each other when they died.  But I was invested as a
reader, and I felt cheated that I wasn't offered a chance to mourn.  I would have, too, because every time I read about either of them, I thought of Teddy.  And Teddy's godfather possibly wouldn't survive either.  In fact, there was a lot on the line for poor little Teddy since everyone except his widowed grandmother was out of direct danger.

Even if Lupin and Tonks knew that their child would have a good life without them because he'd have his grandmother, godfather, and friends, why would they choose to let someone else raise him?  This is the opposite of what Harry's parents did.  In fact, Harry was
specifically protected by the sacrifice that Lily made.  It seemed more like Tonks was sacrificing more for "the cause" than for Teddy.  She was absent for the better part of the story, and we don't see her until just before she dies.   You could argue that she was in agony confined to her home during her pregnancy because she wanted to be out fighting.  Speaking as the parent of a 1 year old, I could not imagine leaving with my husband unsure of whether we'd return.  It was a choice; she didn't have to go fight.

The more I think about it, the more I doubt that Lupin and Tonks were unplanned deaths.  Rather, Teddy was an unplanned baby.  Lupin was scared at the thought of what his child would be.  And Tonks was a fighter until the end.  I just wonder if JKR meant to contrast the life of an orphan who grew up in a good environment (friends and family) to his predecessors (i.e., Harry, Neville, Snape, Voldemort) who grew up in pain and isolation, which resulted in so much agony for the world?  Was she trying to accomplish more than just killing off a main character?

Kim