CHAPDISC: DH, EPILOGUE

[happyjoeysmiley]

No: HPFGUIDX 185353

>3. James and Albus have very low opinions of Slytherin House, 
despite their parents' attempt to teach them otherwise. They are 
firmly attached to Gryffindor. What, then, do you think has changed 
in the relations among houses and the reputations of the various 
houses in nineteen years? 

Joey: Nothing. Same old story. Gryffindor vs Slytherin and Hufflepuff 
vs Ravenclaw. :-)

>4. If there is no difference (at least officially) among houses, why 
is there still a Sorting Hat?

Joey: Was it officially announced that there is no difference? As one 
of the posts said, it was Voldemort who wanted to do away with the 
Hat. School houses are a common feature and competition is healthy as 
long it is not overdone. Sorting Hat just segregates students based 
on their actual or rather want-to-be personalities so that they can 
all be together in a single house. So, Sorting Hat is still kept.

>5. How do the Potter and Weasley children demonstrate JKR's belief 
that personality traits are hereditary?

Joey: James is like his grandpa in being mischievous while Rose is 
like her mom in being studious. Probably, Lily is like her mom.

>6. What is JKR suggesting by naming Draco's son Scorpius?

Joey: Probably that he has some venom in him that he would use when 
he feels he is in danger. Actually, it was this name that astonished 
me greatly – not Albus *Severus* Potter.

>7. How do you think Harry feels about Teddy Lupin? Does he see 
himself in Remus and Tonks's son?

Joey: Yes, I think so. He has ensured that Teddy does not undergo 
what he had underwent due to loss of parents.

>8. Do you agree with Harry's opinion of Snape?

Joey: Yes. What Snape did was brave and great, I think. He was not 
nice – he never nice to even people like Hermione and Neville for 
which I will never forgive him. Yet I think to do what Snape did 
requires an iron-like heart and goal-focused mind. Harry naming his 
child after Snape was a bit of a surprise for me, yes, but not a 
permanent shock. I think Harry fully appreciated how much Snape loved 
Lily and what that love drove Snape to do. After all, Snape too was 
actively involved in protecting Harry's life like James, Lily, 
Sirius, DD. And yes, Harry has this wonderful ability to forgive 
people. 

>9. In SS, the Sorting Hat considers putting Harry in Slytherin 
because, among his other traits, Harry has "a nice thirst to prove 
yourself" (SS 121). We know that when Voldemort attempted to curse 
Harry, he inadvertently created a connection between Harry and 
himself. Do you think that any of Harry's personality or behavior 
was influenced by this bit of Voldemort? If so, would Harry have 
changed after the piece of Voldemort's soul was gone from his own 
soul?

Joey: The "nice thirst to prove himself" was more due to the way he 
had led his life with Dursleys and at school till he was 11 – always 
uncared for and, worse still, abused. It is only natural for such a 
person to break the shackles and prove oneself. As a few others said, 
his flaws like rage and rashness stem from his own self than the soul 
bit. He was always himself for the most part. Even when he knew about 
the connection, he had consciously ensured that it did not influence 
him (in OOtP, especially). Only one trait of his, I feel, *could* 
have been from this soul bit and that was his tendency to extract 
information from reluctant people. I felt so in HBP when he gets the 
memory from Slughorn. Now that he is an auror, I don't think he would 
have changed. It would come in handy for his role, I think. :)

>10. What would Harry see if he looked once more into the Mirror of 
Erised?

Joey: Best question in this list, IMO. All his family members being 
happy and the WW being peaceful, I suppose.

P.S.: I think Ginny asked *James* (and not Albus) to give love to 
Neville.

Cheers,
~Joey, who thanks Laura for the nice summary and questions