I think Harry will live purely because I don't think JKR is a mature enough writer to pull off his death. And I say that with as much love as I can muster. (I've been disappointed in her writing since GoF -- I just don't think she's good at teens and adults the way she was at children, and the books have been suffering for it.)

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And who said anything about a meaningless death?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that, and I realize now I did with the 'everything is meaningless'. What I meant is, to me, the whole story would be meaningless, even were his death to be meaningful (for the greater good, in service to the noble cause), it would just negate his story for me.

Do we think that soldiers who died in World War II stopping Hitler had meaningless deaths? I don't.

Of course not. Really, David? What kind of question is that? How would I—how would anyone answer that? Sadly, Hitler is the kind of monster you meet in this world.

I just don't think Harry's death would serve the story, and I don't think one thing (finding some deaths too meaningful to ever express) has anything to do with the other (an abused orphan's coming of age story).

I would hate it if they had him go into some deadly situation without getting a scratch because he is The Hero.

Only I have to add "for the tenth time." to that sentence. At some point, his danger has to catch up to him because, while HP is kid-lit fantasy, it's not really a fairy tale.

I do agree with the above. I actually expect some scratches on his soul, as well.

I have no personal disconnect between coming of age and choosing to sacrifice for the greater good.

How would you make sense of the narrative? Not a challenge, I just really don't understand it. I'd need some big middle steps from JKR, that I don't expect I'll get.

I still don't know whether Rowling would really have Harry die at the end. Yes, the books have been getting darker, but as Cindy said, they're still kid-lit. I don't even know if she would kill Ron or Hermione.

I think Ron's a goner.

I actually thought there was a good chance Harry would die earlier in the series, and then come back though, so what do I know?

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Who's Godwin?

Godwin's Law.

I think Ron's a goner.

Maybe. If I were to choose, I would actually pick Hermione because Rowling loves her the most.

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Godwin's Law

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I could see the scar being a horcrux, though.

hee, Strega.

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So, Debet, by the end of the book, Harry would be... defaced ? Literally? Hee.

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I don't want to go the Godwin route. Gris and I are good.

I think Ron's a goner.

Maybe. If I were to choose, I would actually pick Hermione because Rowling loves her the most.

I haven't read many interviews. Is this from her, or how you feel from reading the series? I do know she'll have to deal with Julia if she kills Hermione, and man, Julia would win.

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I actually agree, Jessica (though I was still happy after GoF - it was the disappointing continuation of the war setup that made me lose faith). I was happy with HBP mostly because it was significantly better than I was resigned to it being, but it still had big, big problems. And I don't think Book 7 will be as great as I so want it to be.

But I just can't get my head out of the universe.

Really, though, Harry can't die if she can't write a convincing war. And I still think she can't. So Harry won't die, or, if he does, it will be bad, so in that sense I hope he doesn't. But I hope a really, really good fanfic author out ther takes it on. I tried (after an inspiring discussion about the flaws with JKR's world-building with AJ Hall) but I don't write very well, so I had to give up.

ETA: Also, the WWII question was meant to be rhetorical, and even over-the-top. On look-back, the italics make it seem more serious and, frankly, passionate than intended. As mentioned, that whole argument is more justification for me than actual feeling.

Also, yeah, it's the Harry is a Horcrux plot that I'm talking about. There's just too many hints for it NOT to make happen, for me. I never felt that the explanations for the Voldemort-Harry connections made any real sense - mostly, I thought Dumbledore was BSing a bit, because, though he's very wise, I don't think he always knows as much as he appears to know - but this explains it so nicely.

I re-read CoS with the plot point in mind, and it makes so much sense.

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I was thinking more that the scar would go "poof" , albeit likely more painfully than that.

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I recall from an interview, I think, or something, that she said Hermione was her favorite. It was many years ago.

The only kid she's killed so far is Cedric, right?

Debet, I think that could work really well and be very awesome in the context of the whole series and his character.

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