Rowling to kill off Harry?

[Vestrit]

This was in the Scotsman today

I've attached the link here but as it's a subscription website you might not be able to get in, so I've copied and pasted the story below.

Haven't read any of the HP books myself, just thought you fans might like to see this. Brought to you by Vestrit Public Service Broadcasting

The author JK Rowling yesterday gave the clearest signal yet that she might kill off Harry Potter in the seventh and final book of the series.

Speaking on Richard and Judy on Channel 4, she said: "There are two characters that I didn't intend to die who do."

When asked by presenter Richard Madeley if Harry was going to be killed off, Rowling said she had only ever intended to write seven books and did not want the boy wizard to be reborn by another author.

She said she wanted Harry Potter to end with her, adding that she didn't want to see "non -original author sequels".

Rowling said the seventh book - which does not yet have a release date or confirmed title - was locked away in a safe to stop any leaks getting out. She was still writing it but had already completed the ending.

The 40-year-old Edinburgh author admitted she has made changes to the final chapter, saving one of the characters from death, but was tight-lipped about Harry's fate.

"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 expect to die.

"A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil - they do not target the extras; they go for the main characters," she said.

Rowling also revealed young fans had badgered her daughter Jessica, 11, to try to squeeze snippets of information from her.

She said: "I remember [her] being, metaphorically speaking, up against the school railings being asked what the title of the next book is."

[dingosatemybaby]

There's a scifi wire piece that says essentially the same thing:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?c...=5&id=36784

./D

[Doppelganger]

Hrmmm, I reckon either Ron or Hermione will bite the dust. Harry aswell.

I just hope Hagrid doesn't get killed. I love that guy

[Mentat]

I have always thought there are only two ways in which the series would end which would be satisfactory to me.

One is that Harry and Voldemort slay each other. The other is that Harry kills Voldemort, only to suplant him as the new evil overlord (this one is my personal favourite, though I don't see it happening...). Harry and Voldemort's fates are so intertwined it would make no sense whatsover that Harry survived Voldemort's death and went to live a merry life as an Auror married with Ginny (or any other soppy end you can think of).

On Hermione, I think Rowling once mentioned the last word of the last book would be "scar" and it would be said by Hermione, though she may have changed her mind since.

mentat

[Mercury Poisoning]

Ron and Harry have to kick it so that Hermione can end up with Filch.

That said, I hate Harry Potter. Rowling makes David Eddings look like a master of internal consistency.

[Lyanna Stark]

Well, Rowling has less idiotic characters in her books than Eddings does and far less misogyny, so......

I think the fact that Harry may die is really interesting. However, I doubt that he will. I think Snape, The Weasleys, Hagrid and Remus Lupin are more in danger, but that is just me. I sincerely doubt JKR would kill off Hermione.

[Mercury Poisoning]

Well, Rowling has less idiotic characters in her books than Eddings...

You're kidding me, right? I don't have that much time, but Dumbledore is an idiot in Sorcerer's Stone.

--Dumbledore stores most precious object in the world in Hogwarts.

--Evil killer dark lord of doom wants said precious object.

--Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Britain.

--Therefore, Hogwarts is the future of the UK wizarding community.

--It would really suck if dark lord came and murdered all those kids, wouldn't it?

--Well, at least the precious object is guarded fairly decently.

--Oh, wait.

--A three-headed dog. Luckily for Dumbledore and company, the killing curse hasn't been introduced into the plot yet.

--A plant that slowly strangles you to death if you sit on it too long. Big pointy spikes might have been a bit more effective.

--A chess set. A fucking chess set.

--A key that's flying around a room, WITH the necessary means to get to it. It doesn't even matter that "accio" hasn't been introduced to the plot yet, this is just retarded.

--A magic fire that can only be safely traversed if one has the right potion. And there's a riddle right there telling you how to get said potion. Look, Dumbledore, you don't leave out the antidote. You can leave the riddle if you want, but then what you do is fill every goddamn bottle with poison.

Dumbledore is retarded.

[Maester Cressan]

Duh, I saw that coming after the fourth book.

[Lyanna Stark]

You're kidding me, right? I don't have that much time, but Dumbledore is an idiot in Sorcerer's Stone.

--Dumbledore stores most precious object in the world in Hogwarts.

--Evil killer dark lord of doom wants said precious object.

--Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Britain.

--Therefore, Hogwarts is the future of the UK wizarding community.

--It would really suck if dark lord came and murdered all those kids, wouldn't it?

--Well, at least the precious object is guarded fairly decently.

--Oh, wait.

--A three-headed dog. Luckily for Dumbledore and company, the killing curse hasn't been introduced into the plot yet.

--A plant that slowly strangles you to death if you sit on it too long. Big pointy spikes might have been a bit more effective.

--A chess set. A fucking chess set.

--A key that's flying around a room, WITH the necessary means to get to it. It doesn't even matter that "accio" hasn't been introduced to the plot yet, this is just retarded.

--A magic fire that can only be safely traversed if one has the right potion. And there's a riddle right there telling you how to get said potion. Look, Dumbledore, you don't leave out the antidote. You can leave the riddle if you want, but then what you do is fill every goddamn bottle with poison.

Dumbledore is retarded.

LOL

You base your entire judgement of the current six existing Harry Potter books on the first book alone.

Well done.

Not.

You also labour under the false assumption that Dumbledore is all knowing and omnipotent. I shan't spoil you, but eventually it's rather obvious he is not.

Whereas Eddings has one dimensional characters where the evil ones have no chance of redemption, the women are stereotypes who can't think of anything else than getting married and having babies. Even mighty Polgara, the only thing she really cares about is having a family, cooking, getting compliments and looking pretty!

Garion is the stereotypical farmboy who can move objects with his mind and upset the physical laws of the earth, yet he has to ride around in the countryside with his fellow henchmen and kill ZEE EVILS!!

Farmboy goes on a quest and gets princess. Kind of old intrigue, no?

Not to mention that Garion is borderline descended from the gods, too.

Im the Elenium, the grizzled old fighter marries the 25 years younger pretty pretty princess and the wife and the mistress of the trusted guardian make peace as soon as they meet, to live happily ever after. Not to mention the thieves' guild!!!

[Angalin]

If she offs Fred, I hope she offs George too... can't imagine one without the other.

[Mercury Poisoning]

I have read all six, and if anything, they get worse. I wasn't going to read the last one, but I sacrificed myself in the name of better literature and told a friend that I'd read HBP if she'd read AGoT. If you want, I'll tear apart the rest. I'm starting to wonder if you actually read my post--I made several references to the other books.

I'm not laboring under any false assumption that Dumbledore is all-knowing or omnipotent, and I know what happen to him. It's just that anyone with an IQ over 80 could come up with a better defense. Keep in mind, Dumbledore is supposed to be one of the most brilliant wizards ever.

[denstorebog]

Cowduck - give it up. Eddings owns all in character stupidity. It's indisputable.

Let's see, our one sole hope, the Child of Light (whose name "Belgarion" is forewritten in the stars and is mentioned in every roadside Codex in existence) needs to be kept hidden until he's ready. I know, let's put him on a farm under the name GARION (that's really sneaky: We'll remove the first three letters), with his caretaker, the legendary sorceress Polgara who is UNIQUELY RECOGNISABLE IN ALL THE WORLD by the white stripe in her black hair, and let's hide *her* under the name POL (this time, for confusion, we'll remove the last four!) with no thought of hiding the streak of white hair that identifies her from half a continent away.

Also, in the follow-up to the Belgariad, let's have a really dumb villain. Let's have her evil plan be to go to a remote island where some doofus is going to make a CHOICE between the heroes and the villain. Let's have the villain believe she is certainly going to win this 'choice' .. even though the chooser has for some reason decided to become CAMP BUDDIES with the heroes. Furthermore, let's, during the climax scene, have the villain constantly NAG AND BULLY the ONE PERSON who's going to choose whether the villain gains ultimate supremacy or a life as a kitchen rag between the stars.

Dumbledore may be as dumb as his name suggests, I dunno, but it certainly doesn't beat THAT.

[Mercury Poisoning]

Cowduck - give it up. Eddings owns all in character stupidity. It's indisputable.

*snip*

Dumbledore may be as dumb as his name suggests, I dunno, but it certainly doesn't beat THAT.

You win.

[Asa]

If she kills of every main character then she'll earn my respect. Partially.

[Mich]

Its definitely interesting. I've been hoping she would end it with Harry dying. Nothing beats a having dead main character at the end of the series Much more preferrable to the happy happy endings most books of this genre seem to have.

[Filippa Eilhart]

evil mich.

[SonOfJaqen]

I don't think she is killing Harry.

If you read the second article (linked above), she says she understands why authors might kill off the main character. It sounds to me, she is saying logically she should do this because it will stop the storyline and protect the work. So in fact, by saying she should probably do this, it means that she isn't.

-SoJ

[Elgernon]

i've long believed that Harry must die. He is too intertwined with Voldemort not to die IMHO.

that said i dont think that this new "revelation" has anything to do with Harry. no matter how you look at it you probably know the fate of the main character for a long time, otherwise you really dont know where the story is going, I find it far more likely that some other major supporting cast members are getting killed to make the story work

[Faceless Dude]

I haven't read the series, nor do I intend to. But I have heard interviews and other musings from JKR that indicates that Harry (or most of the other major players) won't survive the end of the series.

She may be doing this so that the storyline isn't killed by being lisenced to other authors (Like Kevin Anderson) who think that just because they've read the books, they can write fiction in the same "world"

[Maltaran]

Two deaths of main characters, eh? I've been saying all along that Harry and Voldemort will kill each other, there is that prophecy that says "neither can live while the other survives"