Red Herrings and Reconciliation

[Annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 173613


Estelle:
>    It seems that what has left me unsatisfied is lack of 
> reconciliation in many areas of the book.
<snip>
>  will Lily forgive Snape in the afterlife, is there reconciliation 
between them? Is 
> there reconciliation and forgiveness between he and the mauraders?
<snip> 

>    The Slytherin's don't seem to experience a huge change- and 
> you're left wondering, will this whole messy situation just occur 
> again in 50 or 60 years time when people have started to forget
 
(is 
> that what we're supposed to think?)
>  
>  Considering G.Gryffindor and S. Slytherin used to be so close, it 
> would have been nice to see some strong reconciliation between the 
> two of them symbolically in the present
 
<snip>

Annemehr:
Yes, and there are other great rifts: Dumbledore/Grindelwald (which 
seems to parallel Godric/Salazar), Lily/Petunia, Wormtail/Marauders, 
Crouch Jr./Sr. (even though they lived together for years), Wizarding 
World/Muggle World ("That rift is permanent," according to JKR), and 
Tom Riddle/everyone else.  All together, they seem like quite a lot, 
even considering the length of the series.

There are comparitively fewer instances of reconciliation that I can 
bring to mind: Ron/Harry and Hermione (well, the boy's got a hot 
head, but a good heart!), Harry/Cho, Percy/Weasley family, 
Harry/Dudley (a biggie!). (I don't think I'll count Sirius/Remus, as 
they didn't reconcile differences, they got new information.)

Harry and Draco occupy a sort of middle ground here, but I am content 
that it's enough to be going on with. ;)

I have the feeling that JKR has a sense that once a certain line is 
crossed, reconciliation becomes all but impossible.  And though each 
instance of a permanent break seems to have a definite "good" 
and "bad" side, those for which we are given details become much less 
black-and-white.

I wish I were competent to explore the issues of free will (or lack 
of it) involved among the personalities and situations people find 
themselves saddled with, but I wonder if anyone else feels any sense 
of inevitability in some of these situations?  Our choices *show* who 
we are, but how much choice do we have in *being* who we are?  How 
much is nature, how much nurture, and how much does that leave left 
over to be actually in our control?

Annemehr