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The Aftermath: We were all correct

by David Haber

Sometime a week before Book 7 came out, someone commented that Harry would die, but then come back. I think most everyone on the site thought it was a silly idea. But I told several people at that time that I thought that just might be the perfect solution, although I couldn't figure out how J.K. could make it work. J.K. did, of course! So, the half of the Harry Potter fans in the world who thought Harry would die were right! And the other half who thought he would live were also right!

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Reader Comments: (Page 78)

Fiona from Hong Kong:

About the mythical people, I was referring to Trelawney's FIRST name, Sibyll.

Anyway, my copy of SS is currently unavailable, so thank you for telling me that. The only thing I heard about Hufflepuff's main trait is the Sorting Hat's song in OotP. "Said Hufflepuff, I'll take the lot, and treat them all the same." So that's just what I thought.

Posted by C.J. from Utah on August 21, 2007 4:53 PM

I can barely imagine J.K.'s astonishing imagination. I can hardly comprehend how she invented something so huge. All the incantations, all the names, all the magical creatures. It's brilliant!

I have to say that I wasn't even sure that the tall white building on the back of the U.K. edition was Hogwarts. I would have been more prone to think of Gringotts even. I've never seen Hogwarts portrayed like that. Note the back of the U.K. edition of the CoS.

I also have to confess that so desperate was I for the story I didn't notice Griphook. I noticed the sword but I thought it was just part of the treasure. I looked hallows up in the dictionary and found that if something was hallowed it was sacred. I maybe thought that they had found a sacred treasure or something.

I have to admit that I was miserable after I read the book. I felt like that world was closed forever. Ah well. I'm thinking of re-reading the entire series all over again.

Posted by R.J.C. from Scotland on August 22, 2007 02:15 AM

C.J.
OK, I got it, you mean Sibyll? You know, in the U.K. editions, Trelawney's first name is Sybill, not Sibyll as in the U.S. editions. I've only go the U.K.'s so I never quite connected her name to the Sibylls.

Posted by Fiona from Hong Kong on August 22, 2007 08:56 AM

Regarding Harry's /life, I believed that it was safe to assume that Harry would live after the scene where he saw Tonks and Lupin in the Great Hall. Because parents and especially father figures have been such an important theme in all of the books (to name a few: Sirius, Dumbledore, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Hagrid), it would have been morally wrong for Rowling to Harry and leave Teddy without his god-father.

Posted by nightowl on August 22, 2007 7:03 PM

For the record, I was disappointed with ly Hallows and Half Blood Prince. JK Rowling started something fresh and could have written a mind-blowing conclusion, but instead she fell back on cliches.

Snape d for what amounted to puppy love?! Please!

Posted by Maggie Simpson from USA on August 23, 2007 04:15 AM

Maggie Simpson:

ly Hallows aren't exactly a fresh subject. The resurrection stone was presented to us in HBP while the invisibility clock was there all through the series. The Elder wand was revealing, yet it had been in Dumbledore's posession all along. JKR just put all the pieces together and revealed the true meaning of them and also Dumbledore's misguided youth. Don't forget the theme of the series is about love, choices and also facing/acknowledge and also, nobody's perfect, not even in the fictional world.

I believe in one of JK's interview, she said the books were also written to prepare children facing in their lives. To acknowledge them and so to deal with it.

About Snape's love for Lily, it's more than puppy love. Some people just can't let go of their past and kept clinging on. One love, one life. In fact, after the other one is , through time, the love inside would grow ever stronger because it would become idealised. Things would be frozen at the time which one remember best. Let alone the fact that Snape is also driven by guilt.

Posted by Fiona from Hong Kong on August 24, 2007 11:23 AM

Its true that he came back to life but i am somewhat suprised that people were suprised about that... i mean really its Harry Potter for goodness sake... what do you excpect? They use magic... so really anything can happen...

Posted by Bob on August 25, 2007 08:02 AM

if you think about it you were right with the symbol because for a while it was Dumbledores symbol as well as Grindelwalds, because he used that symbol to sign the letter A in Albus. so in a way you were right. and i also think that maybe JK was also thinking the way you were, thats why the greek way for them would have brought you to believe that they were for Dumbledore. i think she made that symbol and used it to say it was a symbol for Dumbledore and the hallows and very clever way to do so.

Posted by Kyle from Michigan on August 25, 2007 8:58 PM

I can't imagine a life without harry potter, i just can't believe it's over.

Posted by pamela from trelew, patagonia argentina on August 27, 2007 4:35 PM

The cool thing about books, and especially Harry Potter, is that they're never really "over". JK created such a rich and fascinating world, we can live in that world in our imaginations forever!

Posted by Dave Haber from Los Angeles, CA on August 27, 2007 4:48 PM

I thought that two of the most beautiful lines in DH are the lines of Albus Dumbledore, when he greets Harry in the Kings Cross chapter. "You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man!" I mean, these two lines just say everything!

I have a question however, maybe I am just trying to interpret meaning where there is none, but I was thinking about the prophecy of OOTP... neither can live, while the other survives... Harry and Dumbledore agree that it means that Harry has to (chooses to) confront Voldemort in the end and one of them . But wouldn't it be more reasonable to say that neither can DIE, while the other survives, since Harry cannot as long as LV lives (Lily's blood) and LV cannot as long as Harry lives (horcrux)?

So is this whole issue of the two-fold connection just not included in the prophecy?

One last question - did Harry survive only because of Lily's blood in Dumbledore, or also because he united the DH and is thus master of ? Because in the beginning of the King's Cross Chapter Dumbledore says to Harry that letting LV Harry without defending himself has MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Hail MadEye, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Dobby, and the nameless of Hogwarts

Posted by pigwidgeon28 from Austria on August 28, 2007 04:28 AM

If you are lucky like me, you have young children to read the stories with for the first time. My son is 6 and we are reading the first book at night. The first couple of chapters are boring for him but we reached the part with Hagrid knocking down the door. His eyes lit up. He wants to read more. It is incredible to see the story through someone else's eyes. I highly recommend it if you have the chance.

Posted by Brad from LakeZurich on August 28, 2007 05:00 AM

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