Quick Questionnaire v1.1

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 168595

> > Dungrollin:
> > I'd feel it was a bit of a cheat if Harry and/or Sirius have an 
> > escape clause. I wouldn't mind if the help from beyond the grave 
were somewhat figurative, but literally? Not so much my cup of tea. 
Which, of course, rules out nothing at all.
> 
> zgirnius:
> If Sirius stays dead, it is not really an escape clause. I would also 
feel cheated if Sirius at the end of DH was back in the land of the 
living for the rest of his natural life. But in a fantasy series where 
there is magic, where dead people can leave behind imprints in 
> portraits and ghosts, where their shades can return under special 
> cirsumstances and affect reality, and where an evil wizard can avoid 
> death by magical means, I guess I would not mind learning yet another 
> way the dead can help the living. It is not as though we have never 
> seen such a thing before.
>


Dungrollin:

Yeah, I know. I think... I think what doesn't irritate me about the 
ways we've seen of interacting with the dead so far (except for the 
ghosts – I'll come back to them later) is that the portraits, the 
Marauder's Map, the Mirror of Erised etc all have (kind of) parallels 
in our world. Like watching a home video of a lost loved one, or 
listening to an answerphone message they left on your machine that you 
can't bring yourself to erase. It's still them, but not *them*. 

I do find the Ghosts a little out of place, they feel strange to me 
within the books, like an old idea she's somewhat lost interest in, but 
doesn't want to let go of. I'm almost certain JKR doesn't believe in 
ghosts in the real world (like she doesn't believe in magic), yet I 
can't quite see what function they perform in the Potterverse. They're 
not satirical, they're not even metaphorical. I know we're supposedly 
going to find out why some people become ghosts and why others don't, 
and I really hope that she's got something interesting to say there. 

I suppose I veer away from the idea of Harry going through the veil and 
seeing Sirius again because of this quote:

---------------------------
DR: Harry *sees* his parents -

JKR: Yes. For the first time. He can not remember what they looked 
like. They died when he was one year old.

DR: - as perhaps you long to see your own mo-

JKR: I think we all do. I think that's very common. I've met many many 
many people now who've said that that chapter moved them, because you 
do have this appalling thirst just to see them again. And it would 
never be enough, but that point is made in the book. You know, Harry 
has this obsession with returning to the mirror, to keep staring at his 
parents. Ultimately it's not healthy. You do have to let go. And they 
would want you to let go. You know, this is a very important point.
---------------------------
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1999/1299-wamu-rehm.htm

I dunno. I'm probably rationalising. I can't shake the feeling that 
she'd be undermining herself by allowing Harry to see Sirius again 
before he dies.

Dungrollin