Friday, June 22, 2007

Die, Harry, Die!

Only less than a month to go for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the wait will be finally over. Whenever I think about it, I have this strange sensation in the pit of my stomach: a mixture of excitement, happiness, uncertainty, sadness. (yeah, yeah, I’m acting weird again. I’m always like that so deal with it, okay?)

Anyway, by this time, a lot of speculations, predictions and guesses have been made about the final outcome of the series. Even the minutest details are being digested and analyzed that it’s getting a bit overwhelming. Me? I don’t expect JKR to tie up every loose ends and to answer all the burning questions of the fans. Where’s the fun in knowing everything, right? I want the talks and the discussions to continue even if the series has ended!

But anyway, I have some points in my mind that I want to be addressed by DH – and it all boil down to these:

  • The million dollar question: will Harry Potter die? Of course he will! (unless he managed to create his own Horcrux). BUT, I don’t think it will happen in Book 7 – or specifically, he won’t die as a result of his mission to find and destroy the Horcruxes and his inevitable battle with Voldie.

    I guess JKR’s vague and rather intriguing interviews of late made every fan consider that Harry might.just.die. (it sort of hurts to say it out loud). I seriously contemplated on that possibility, too. Harry is a Gryffindor through and through. He is brave enough to die for some stupid, noble reason. So why do I think that Harry won’t?

    My biggest reason is that, I don’t want him to die. (Right. Like my opinion even matters.) Him dying would be taking the easy way out. If he dies, he didn’t have to feel anymore the pain of losing so many people in his life. He didn’t have to deal with the consequence of his actions assuming he managed to kill Voldemort. Dying for some stupid, noble reason is a very brave thing to do, but so is choosing to live in spite of the tragedies in one’s life.

    But more importantly, he deserved to live a life without having to worry about a prophecy, about some madman trying to kill him, about saving the Wizard world. He deserves a chance to start again and to look forward to a future that is his own.

    (Also: on a story-telling point of view, I wonder how JKR would tell the story if Harry dies? Except for the first chapter of Sorcerer’s Stone and Goblet of Fire and the first two chapters of Half Blood Prince, the series has been told from the point of view of Harry.)

  • So if Harry will not die, then who will? My top 4 guesses would be Neville Longbottom, Voldie (neither can live while the other survives, remember?), Wormtail and Hagrid.

  • Professor Severus Snape is a slimy, slimy git, but he’s not evil – at least, that’s what I want to believe. I want to see him redeemed, at least in the eyes of Harry. Oh, I don’t think they would be pals ever, nor would Harry truly forgive him for his role in the deaths of his parents, Sirius and most especially Dumbledore. But I don’t want Dumbledore’s death be associated with him being wrong in trusting Snape.

    Aside from Snape, I hope Malfoy also get his redemption. I like what JKR did to Malfoy’s character in the last book, and I like that the contrast between him and Harry is Mafoy’s mastery in Occlumency.

  • The locket… the cup… the snake… something of Gryffindor’s or Ravenclaw’s… We do know this mantra by heart already, don’t we? But how sure are we that we all got it right? I wouldn’t be surprise if one of these turn out to be wrong, and that would make Harry’s quest more daunting and perilous. Is Harry one of the Horcrux? Your guess is as good as mine.

  • I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the Department of Mysteries, particular that room with the mysterious veil and the room that they weren’t able to open. Maybe it contains the “power he knows not”?

Over at Scholastic, they’re running a vote on each of the seven things want answers to in Book 7. Right now they’re on the fifth question and the last two will be posted in the following weeks before the release date. Check it out here.

So I still have about 3 weeks to reread the 6 books!!! (as if I haven’t been reading the same for the past two years!) I’m way, way too excited!!!

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