Harry Potter....dead or alive?

[lynnzop[$]]

JP Rowling says he'll live to see the end of #7.

I'm still in the middle of reading #4. One of these days I'll get caught back up.

So how many HP books are there supposed to be? Remind me.

Lynn

[emeleel]

Seven total, one for each of his years at school. #6's title has been released - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". Nobody knows who the prince is, though. If I remember, I think she said it is not a current character.

Better finish #4 before the next movie comes out! (Don't worry, you have til late next year!)

[CurtisEdmonds]

Well, duh. I mean, not killing off the most popular kid's book character in the last 50 years would kind of be a no-brainer.

Now, I would love, absolutely love it, if Harry copped it in Book Six, and Book Seven was Hermione Granger and the Mudblood's Revenge or some such. But t'ain't gonna happen.

There are only supposed to be seven books (three for Harry's "middle school" years, four for his "high school" experience, in American terms).

[Redlass]

Don't you think there was a hint in book 5 that she might squeeze three or four more books out of the series? (I can't remember now which it was.)

When Harry was getting career advice, he was told that if he wanted to be an Auror, it meant 3-4 more years of school. I figured that was Rowling's way of opening up the series.

[Redlass]

She told the gathering they should be asking themselves "not 'why did Harry live' but 'why didn't Voldemort die?'"

The second question they should think about is: "Why didn't Dumbledore kill, or try to kill, Voldemort?" she added, referring to the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

So, since Rowling thinks we should be asking these questions, what do you think? Why did Voldemort live and why hasn't Dumbledore tried to kill him?

There is that whole prophecy thing--perhaps Harry and Voldemort are somehow linked and if one dies, the other must too. (though it doesn't seem to me that was how it was worded. Maybe I'd better put a spoiler alert on before saying more.)

[emeleel]

Well, I thought it was pretty obvious why Voldemort didn't die - he'd put so much anti-death magic into himself that even the power of the Avada Kedavra curse richoceting onto himself didn't kill him, just damaged *almost* beyond repair. Maybe there is some other little hint she's given that I haven't picked up on yet. As for Dumbledore not killing him, he's too good for that, even though he knows it would spare the world a lot of pain. He had his chance at the end of Book 5, but he was more incline to let him (Voldie) live with horrible consequences - the line about "There are things worse than death, Tom". Either Dumbledore wants to restore Voldemort to goodness (or least, get him out of being the Big Bad) or he wants to punish rather than kill.

Of course, if you re-read the opening paragraph of the story, it says that Harry will survive TO the 7th book, not that he will survive the WHOLE book. No - duh - I really don't think she's going to kill him.

She has said that the 7 books will be it, although she did at one point say that later on (I think after she has time to unwind from the Harry world and do other projects) that she *might* consider an 8th book of some kind. But it would not be tied in with the 7-book story arc, they are a complete story unto themselves.

[CurtisEdmonds]

Redlass said

So, since Rowling thinks we should be asking these questions, what do you think? Why did Voldemort live and why hasn't Dumbledore tried to kill him?

Because, that way, the sixth book would be Harry Potter and the Midterm Exam of Fire and the seventh book would be Harry Potter and the Raging Hormones. You can't kill a villain until the end of a series.

[emeleel]

[Redlass]

Well, no, you can't, but you also have to have some in-story reason too. Right?

[phoenixx]

CurtisEdmonds said

Because, that way, the sixth book would be Harry Potter and the Midterm Exam of Fire and the seventh book would be Harry Potter and the Raging Hormones. You can't kill a villain until the end of a series.

Actually you CAN kill a villian (or a hero) well before the end of a series. Read George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series sometime. Not only is it engaging and well written (though slow to arrive on the shelves of your local store), it is an educatio in how to properly kill off characters to move along a complex story line.

[Redlass]

Oh, no kidding. I get so frustrated though--I get to really like a character and then he/she dies. It's getting so there are few people left in the series that I care about.

[phoenixx]

I hear that - and it takes so LOOOOOOOONG for each book to come out - I get like a kid impatiently waiting for their treat sometimes.... lol

[Redlass]

Yup. And now I'm thinking I'll have to go back and re-read the whole series right before I get the next book.

But it is worth it, isn't it? Gah, I'm addicted.