Posted on 06/26/2006 5:25:47 PM PDT by freepatriot32
4 hours ago
LONDON - Author J.K. Rowling said two characters will die in the last installment of her boy wizard series, and she hinted Harry Potter might not survive either.
"I have never been tempted to kill him off before the final because I've always planned seven books, and I want to finish on seven books," Rowling said on Monday's "Richard and Judy" television show.
"I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, `Well, I'm gonna kill them off because that means there can be no non-author written sequels. So it will end with me, and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character'."
Rowling declined to commit herself about Harry, saying she doesn't want to receive hate mail.
"The last book is not finished. But I'm well into it now. I wrote the final chapter in something like 1990, so I've known exactly how the series is going to end," she said.
Rowling said people are sometimes shocked to hear that she wrote the end of book seven before she had a publisher for the first book in the series.
"The final chapter is hidden away, although it's now changed very slightly. One character got a reprieve. But I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," she said. "A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil here. They don't target extras do they? They go for the main characters. Well, I do."
Rowling is the richest woman in Britain _ wealthier than even the queen _ with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine last year at more than $1 billion.
Whatever she writes next, Rowling is sure of one thing: It won't be as successful as Harry Potter.
"I don't think I'm ever going to have anything like Harry again. You just get one like Harry."
Oops! Mixing up scary creature legends again!! LOL
It's my guess that Voldy and Dumbledore and the rest are wrong, and that the 'chosen one' is, in fact, Neville.
But then again, I think the Cowboys will be in the Superbowl this year . . . :-)
She said she's written her last Quidditch match, which would indicate to me that much of the action will be away from Hogwarts. I thought the rubies falling from the Gryfinder hour glass was an elegant metaphore for Hogwarts being wounded, or killed.
I think Dumbledore is really dead. I don't think he comes back as a ghost. Snape was in love with Lily, which has created his love-hate relationship with Harry. Snape gave Voldemort the prophecy information that got Lily killed. Dumbledore was dying anyway, I think for two reasons:
1. The green liquid in the basin was most likely a slow-acting poison. Since Harry gave Dumbledore the green liquid, Snape wouldn't have been protecting Malfoy from being a killer, but Harry.
2. I think Dumbledore was much older than other people think. In the Sorcerer's Stone, he was noted for his work in alchemy with Nicholas Flamel. Flamel was in his 600s, and wasn't noted for any recent work, but he did invent an anti-aging potion. However, he would have had to have done that hundreds of years ago. The last Sorcerer's Stone was destroyed. If Dumbledore worked with Flamel on the anti-aging potion, how old must he have been? If the Stone was destroyed, he would not have any way of making more potion.
Thanks. That is great news and reason to hope for an early (in the book) takedown of Greyback.
Only one of them.....
FWIW, I'm probably saying this more out of personal reasons than anything else. My grandfather's identical twin was killed in WWI -- they were in the same regiment. It affected my grandfather, obviously, but also my mom's generation and mine. It's been what -- nearly 90 years now, and it's still a very powerful influence in my generation's outlook on life. I can see JKR writing along those same lines.
Not to mention that, from a purely literary point of view, it'd be a hugely effective plot device for uncovering the "absolute evil" that Voldemort represents.
I didn't know you were a historian! :o)
Indeed.... The book starts out like they all do: on or around Harry's birthday.
His blood protection expires when Harry turns 17, at the stroke of midnight, as Voldemort must know. Number 4 Privet drive is no doubt scheduled to become a smoking crater at 12:01 am on July 31. Harry survives, of course. But I suspect that one or more Dursleys don't.
For anyone who hasn't read it, here is a link to JKR's interview with Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron.
She gives A LOT of information and clears up many things. It is well worth the time to read all three parts.
The guy who played Dumbledore in GoF was just how I imagined him............if he were on crack.
Star Wars universe did it much, much better - When Lucan let OTHER writers expand characters and planets and story themes, as long as the main characters followed the original script, and nobody changed ANY part of a book or magazine or movie already issued.
Rowlings should follow that guide after this final book is out.
I guess we will see the truth of that prophecy before we see the truth of JKR's.
Who is greyback???
I guess I have to go re-read the books
that's one of the benfits of getting senile, you can re-read things you enjoyed and still be surprised
oh- and you can hide your own easter eggs.
That was my guess all the way up until Dumbledore explained the prophecy to Harry. Once she drew that parallel with Greek mythology basically Harry has to be the chosen one, though the loyalty of Neville could easily be part of Harry's "power the Dark Lord know not".
Greyback is Fenrir(sp) the werewolf that infected Lupin and showed up at the battle at Hogwarts. He is the one that infected Bill Weasley there. Apparently, he seems to be responsible for about 90% of the werewolves in existence to read the gossip.
He's a bad dude.
It'll be Voldemort and Harry. Harry's a horcrux. That's why Rowling said that, if she spoke more plainly about her faith, everyone would be able to guess the ending. Harry must die to kill Voldemort.
(Of course I don't know any more than anyone else; but we FReepers always speak as if we had The Ultimate Insight!)
and
Why The Half Blood Prince Is The Best Book
They are long reads but really good. John Granger has been excellent thoughts on the HP series - especially the section on "Stoppered Deaths". He also describes the alchemical keys to OotP, and THBP. OotP being the nigredo stage (Sirius's Death, THBP being the albedo stage (Dumbledore's death) and the last book being the rubedo stage (Hagrid's Death?)........
My bet is going to Hagrid or Neville. Voldemort is obviously one of them.
Okay, now back to real life.....
Oh - I remember now- wasn't he terribly disfigured and the mother thought the girlfriend would leave him, but she insisted on taking care of him and said his wounds would be proof of his bravery?
One of the most touching moments in the book.
No need to hide your own Easter eggs yet!! :)
I love John Granger! The "stoppered deaths" theory is very interesting.
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