Harry Potter Book 7 Discussion - MAJOR SPOLIERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Geekyfanboy]

Okay... here is the thread for those of us who will be reading HP 7 this coming week. You can discuss anything you like here.  But you have been warned... spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers,spoilers

[wso32]

Ok, so I did a quick check on the net and if the site I'm reading is accurate (another spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)



Harry sacrifices himself at the end?  Can anyone else confirm this?  I've got to run some errands and won't have a chance to check back until tonight but I'm dying to know.

[Ktrek]

I have not read the book but in another thread I said that if Rowlings did not kill Potter she would not be true to the archetype she has established. Harry is the Christ figure in her book and she would have to kill him off in sacrificing himself to stay true to that archetype. I know someone who read the book last night and he told me that she indeed does kill him off and resurrects him. Much as I presumed she would do. So...there ya go!

Kevin

[darthcooley]

I can't beleave it I finished the book in 1 Day! I Picked up at midnight read till 4am & finfished it up a 1am on Sat. Great book & Yes she dose kill him but he is brought back due to his sacrifice & Voldermorts use of his blood to return....

[wso32]

Ok thanks darthcooley.  Nice work on finishing in 1 day.  Impressive.  Interesting about him being brought back.  Can you expand on that a little?

[darthcooley]

Ok it is alittle confusing but I will try. Back when Voldemort first tried to kill Harry & the spell back fired due to Lilly Potters protection. PArt of Voldemorts soul went into Harry. This is why Harry could speeak parsel toung & had the metal connection with Voldermort. So When Harry discovers he is also a Horcux. He sacrifices him self letting Voldemort kill him. Of course Voldemort ends up killing Harry & the part of his soul. Voldemort is still alive though with one last Horcrux left ( His Pet Snake ) Harry wakes up in what might be Wizard Heaven.Where he meets up with Dumbledore. Wh explains to him what happened. Now back when Voldemort returned to his body he used Hary's blood to break the protection left from Lilly Potter the kept Voldemort frmo touching Harry. Now his spell worked but had a side affect where part of Harry was enterd into Voldemort Kind of like a Horcrux. This along with the fact Harry sacrificed him self to save everyone he was given the option of staying in Wizard heaven or returning to finish off Volemort.  Now right before Harry wnet to sacrfice himself to  Voldemort he told Neville that if anything happened to himself or Ron & Herminie that he must kill the Snake Naggine. Which he dose & a big  battle takes place. Harry has one last face off with Voldemort where Harry defeats Voldemort. This really is a great book that is impossible to put down.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

WHY!!!!! WHY SO MANY DEATHS!!!!!!! POOR HEDWIG, MAD EYE, LUPIN!!!! WHY!!!!!

lol

But yea, I'm still conflicted whether I like this book better than 6 or not.  You know, I wonder, I may have missed it, but what was George's reaction to Fred's death?  Because I know that Twins share a bond.  I wonder if George will ever be the same.  Of course, being that there is no 8 we'll never know. 

Otherwise great book!!!

King Linksr

[Geekyfanboy]

I LOVE THIS BOOK.. ..I just finished it... WOW WOW WOW WOW is all I have say.

So many good people dead.

Snape was good, I always expected that and knew that he loved Lily

Such a fantastic story.. great wrap up to the entire series. It went places I never expected.

I just got the book on CD so I plan on listening to it while at Comic Con this weekend.  I can't wait!!!!!!!

[Geekyfanboy]

You know, I wonder, I may have missed it, but what was George's reaction to Fred's death?  Because I know that Twins share a bond.  I wonder if George will ever be the same.  Of course, being that there is no 8 we'll never know. 

King Linksr

Yes there was a scene with George next to Freds body and Mrs. Weasly laying over his chest.. but that was about it.

[Geekyfanboy]

This is great news, if it actually happens...

Stop your sobbing! More Potter to come
J.K. Rowling tells TODAY she will write an 'encyclopedia' on characters

By Jen Brown
TODAYShow.com contributor

Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story.

For the millions in the midst of the seven stages of mourning for the end of the Harry Potter era, take heart.
In her first tell-all interview since the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” J.K. Rowling told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira she "probably will" publish a Potter encyclopedia, promising many more details about her beloved characters and the fate of the wizarding world beyond the few clues provided in the seventh book’s epilogue.

“I suppose I have (started) because the raw material is all in my notes,” Rowling said.

The encyclopedia would include back stories of characters she has already written but had to cut for the sake of narrative arc (“I've said before that Dean Thomas had a much more interesting history than ever appeared in the books”), as well as details about the characters who survive “Deathly Hallows,” characters who continue to live on in Rowling’s mind in a clearly defined magical world.

Hogwarts, for example, has a new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”), and Rowling said she can see Harry going back to give the "odd talk" on Defense Against the Dark Arts. That class, by the way, is now led by a permanent professor since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx which didn’t allow a teacher to remain in the position for more than a year.
Rowling offered up these details freely to Vieira and the 14 fans who asked her questions at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland on Tuesday. In fact, now that she is now longer burdened with guarding the secrets of book seven, Rowling seemed to delight in discussing her plot choices and clearing up the mysteries that have previously surrounded the books.

The character Rowling couldn’t bear to kill
?One of the big stories that has been floating among fans for over a year is that one character gets a reprieve from death, while two others Rowling didn’t intend to kill end up dying in “Deathly Hallows.”

“Mr. Weasley, he was the person who got a reprieve,” Rowling said. “When I sketched out the books, Mr. Weasley was due to die in Book Five.”

Instead, another father dies in the end of Book Seven.

Though Rowling couldn’t bear to kill off Arthur Weasley, that didn't mean the other deaths in the book were easy to take.

Given the blood bath that is “Deathly Hallows,” the writing of it was bound to be an emotional roller coaster.

But nothing in the entire process of the series was more difficult than writing the scene when Harry, accompanied by his deceased lost loved ones â€" including his parents James and Lily and his godfather Sirius â€" walks into the forest with the intent of sacrificing his life in the name of defeating Voldemort, Rowling said, adding it is her favorite passage in all seven books.

“I didn't cry as I was writing (that chapter), but when I finished writing, I had enormous explosion of emotion and I cried and cried and cried,” Rowling said.

“That was partly because of the content â€" and partly because it had been planned for so long and been roughed out for so long. And to write the definitive version felt like a â€" a huge climax.”

“The Deathly Hallows” is the climax to the last 17 years of Rowling’s life, a time when she has gone from a single, divorced mother living on public assistance to a happily married mother of three and one richest women in the world.

It’s now time to sit back for a bit and enjoy the life that Harry has given her, Rowling said. And, when she’s ready, there’s always that encyclopedia waiting in the wings.

“I’m not going to do it tomorrow because I’d really like a break,” Rowling said, laughing. “So you may be waiting.”

[darthcooley]

This would be cool lets just hope we don't have to wait forever!!!

[Darth Gaos]

That is awesome news...I will definitely be picking that one up also

I finished the book yesterday and I must say I was blown away. The only thing that surprised me was that I was not surprised. The trio lives, Snape is good, Dumbledore is dead and the book was a bloodbath and Neville became the Herbology professor. I think that the movie for this book will be interesting to see because of all the detail. What can they cut and how will they do it will be a sight to see. The deaths of Fred and Dobby were by far the most emotional for me in the way they were written. I was surprised that Neville did not take care of Bellatrix but I was thrilled with how it was handled.  I also know there are fanboys all over the world who probably feel vindicated by guessing the fact that Harry WAS INDEED a Horcrux.  This is a theory that has been floating around the "PotterCast abnd Mugglecast World" now for a long time.

I would say my only, very slight, complaint was that certain aspects of the book felt.......rushed, I guess. Not forced, everything seemd to fit just fine but a few things seemed glossed over. Almost like JK ROwling thought "Oh yeah I have to reconcile this secondary storyline"....perfect example being the reconciliation of Percy and the rest of the Weasley's and George's reaction (or lack thereof) to Fred's death.

Other than that I felt it was a fantastic book and a great ending to the story. I know that JK said the story was at an end but I would love a book set in Hogwarts during Harry's quest in the 7th book. Basically a book about Neville and the "resistance"....I think that would be cool.

[Geekyfanboy]

Little bits of info are being released as JK Rowling is give interviews after the release of the book... she stated early on that there were three possible titles for book 7. She choose Deathly Hallows and in an interview she said another title that could have been the book titles but instead became the title of Chapter 32 (The Eldar Wand). Still hasn't said what the third title was.

She also revealed the character who was suppose to die (in book 5)  but didn't.. and that was Mr. Weasley.

Two characters that weren't suppose to die were Lupin and Tonks.. but she said since she didn't kill off Mr. Weasley she had to kill off Lupin and Tonks.

Cool stuff!!!!

[Geekyfanboy]

More info to fill in some of the gaps of what happen after the story ended.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/

Wild about Harry

Finished ‘Potter’? Rowling tells what happens next
Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book’s final epilogue
   
NBC News video
   
Exclusive: J.K. Rowling on final 'Potter'
July 26: J.K. Rowling talks to TODAY's Meredith Vieira about the final "Harry Potter" book and the aftermath of certain characters.

In her only television interview after the highly anticipated release of the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling will sit down with NBC's Meredith Vieira in Edinburgh, Scotland, to discuss the conclusion of her series for the first time.

Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story.

If you found the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” rather vague, then J.K. Rowling achieved her goal.

The author was shooting for “nebulous,” something “poetic.” She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not.

“I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it,” she told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book.
Ummm … yes, please!
Story continues below ↓advertisement

Rowling said her original epilogue was “a lot more detailed,” including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy â€" Lupin and Tonks’ son â€" is Bill and Fleur’s eldest.)

“But it didn’t work very well as a piece of writing,” Rowling said. “It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything.”

But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY’s interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now.

Harry, Ron and Hermione

We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.

As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.

“Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.”

Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.”

“I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.”

“They made a new world,” Rowling said.

The wizarding naturalist

Luna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum.

“I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures,” Rowling said. “She’s a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is.”

Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don’t exist.

“But I do think that she’s so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one’s ever seen before,” Rowling said.

Luna and Neville Longbottom?

It’s possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A.

When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling’s response was “Definitely not.” But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to “feel a bit of a pull” between the unlikely pair.

Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise “felt too neat.”

Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: “The damage is done.”

There is no chance, however, that Neville’s parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies.

“I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville’s parents is even worse than what happened to Harry’s parents,” Rowling said. “The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently.”

Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother’s acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts.

The fate of Hogwarts

Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”) as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year.

While Rowling didn’t clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

More details to come?

Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans.

“I’m dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents,” she said. Not that she’s discouraging the Potter devotion!

“I love it,” she said. “I’m all for that.”

[Jobydrone]

I really loved the seventh book.  I listened to the unabridged audiobook and found it very enjoyable.  It tied up everything very neatly, leaving very few loose ends.  I would have liked to have seen some closure with the horrible Rita Skeeter, who worte all those horrible things about Harry and Dumbledore over the years.  Some fitting humorous end for her would have been easy enough to pull off, seems like Rowling kind of forgot.  I'd like to know what became of Hagrid as well, he wasn't mentioned at all in the epilogue, was he?