# Harry Potter #7: (SPOILERS APLENTY): Now that you've read it... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2007, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249 "2007-07-18T11:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/681 "2007-07-30T00:40:12Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] but that doesn’t make sense. Harry went to face Voldemort, intending to die, his death would be a charm that protected his friends, right? And the stone gave him the courage he needed. But how could dumbledore have known this? [/QUOTE] I gave my book to a friend. What was the reason stated in the book that Dumbledor wanted Hermoine to read the story of the 3 brothers? My memory is that if anyone had all three hallows, that person would be the master of death. And wasn’t it implied that Harry was the mater of death because he had no fear of death? But he didn’t need the hallows to lose his fear of death just inner resolve. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/682 "2007-07-30T03:43:36Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] but that doesn’t make sense. Harry went to face Voldemort, intending to die, his death would be a charm that protected his friends, right? And the stone gave him the courage he needed. But how could dumbledore have known this? [/QUOTE] His death would be a charm to protect his friends? I’m not sure I understand your statement and question there. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/683 "2007-07-30T04:08:53Z")
[QUOTE=Sir Prize] I gave my book to a friend. What was the reason stated in the book that Dumbledor wanted Hermoine to read the story of the 3 brothers? [/QUOTE] Best as I can tell, to instigate a wild goose chase for the Deathly Hallows in order to slow down the quest for the Horcruxes so that Harry does not luanch himself into the final battle before he understands that he must willingly sacrifice himself in order to win. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/684 "2007-07-30T04:37:37Z")
[QUOTE=Speaker for the Dead] I’m not sure that an ordinary wand could break it. Just like it was the only wand capable of repairing a normal one, it seems like it would be immune to damage from those, “lesser,” others. [/QUOTE] It seems like a wand can be broken by entirely mundane means, though. In CoS, Ron’s wand got broken when the car crashed into the Whomping Willow. Why wouldn’t Harry do the same thing with the Elder wand? And putting it back in Dumbledore’s tomb? That’s already been proven to be an insecure hiding place - I don’t recall that Voldy had to do any particularly skilled magic to get at it once he figured out where it was. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/685 "2007-07-30T04:58:55Z")
[QUOTE=Mahaloth] His death would be a charm to protect his friends? I’m not sure I understand your statement and question there. [/QUOTE] Yes, this is explicitly stated in the book, page 591 > [@](#): > > “Accident was it, when my mother died to save me? … you wont be killing anyone else tonight” said Harry as they circled and stared into each other’s eyes, green into red. “You won’t be able to kill any of them, ever again. Don’t you get it? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people” > > “But you did not” > > "I meant to, and that’s what did it. I’ve done what my mother did. They’re protected from you. Haven’t you noticed how none of your spells are binding? you can’t torture them. You can’t touch them. See, that’s why Neville was able to escape when Voldie set him on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/686 "2007-07-30T05:58:36Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Zappa] It seems like a wand can be broken by entirely mundane means, though. In CoS, Ron’s wand got broken when the car crashed into the Whomping Willow. Why wouldn’t Harry do the same thing with the Elder wand? And putting it back in Dumbledore’s tomb? That’s already been proven to be an insecure hiding place - I don’t recall that Voldy had to do any particularly skilled magic to get at it once he figured out where it was. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that struck me as slightly stupid, as well. Dumbledore’s tomb will forever be a high-profile place, and it’s not hard to imagine unscrupulous wizards poking in at some point to see if there are any valuables or artifacts buried with one of the greatest wizards of all time. If I were Harry, I’d split the Elder Wand in 10+ pieces (if possible), then bury half of them in heavily guarded places (like Gringotts), and half of them in places with absolutely no significance whatsoever (say, the middle of the Pacific Ocean). If the Elder Wand couldn’t be broken or split, I’d choose a completely random, but somewhat secure place, like a random Muggle bank in Rio de Janeiro. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/687 "2007-07-30T13:22:55Z")
Pretty good book. However, Harry should have died. I was all ready for him to die nobly; everything after felt like a cheat. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/688 "2007-07-30T13:52:56Z")
[QUOTE=rocking chair] …the other wee fellow that could have been in the prophecy was neville. i do believe his grandmother would have been killed like james. don’t think that tommy-boy would have given her a chance to run. neville would not have had the same protection… [/QUOTE] Actually he might have. His parents weren’t destroyed (tortured into insanity) until _after_ Voldemort disappeared. The Lestranges went after Frank and Alice hoping the Longbottoms knew something about Voldemort’s whereabouts. So Alice might well have been on-hand to try to protect Neville, given the chance to run, and died. ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/689 "2007-07-30T14:53:21Z")
Just verifying, on the deaths of Lupin and Tonks…when Harry mentions them in the same breath as Fred (as having died at the hands of the Death Eaters), I was surprised. I’d missed this happening in the text. I even went back skimmed the previous 100 pages or so for mention of their death, but didn’t find anything (apart from a mention of two bodies falling from a great height). I’ve seen people say in this forum that they died “off-screen,” but had no way of knowing that…and the way Harry mentioned it made it seem like it was something I should have remember reading. Help? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/690 "2007-07-30T15:06:03Z")
The first time you know they are dead or even close to it is when Harry sees them lying with the rest of the dead. There is no part of the book that tells you it. I like it. It quite realistic and true to life. A battle that size would have lots of things happening and only afterwards could you even begin to find out what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/691 "2007-07-30T15:12:41Z")
Finally finished the book and thought it was outstanding. But there is one thing that I didn’t like. One key piece of information that Harry, Ron and Hermoine acquired was about the Gryffindor Sword. What bugged me was that it seemed so fortuitous that they got the information from the Goblins who just happened to be discussing the fact it was a fake near Harry wwho just happee nd to apparate to that general area at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/692 "2007-07-30T15:33:46Z")
Don’t know if this was mentioned upthread, but I thought it was appropriate that each horcrux was destroyed by a different person: [ol] [_] Diary by Harry [_] Ring / Rock Hallow by Dumbledore [_] Slytherin’s Locket by Ron [_] Hufflepuff’s Cup by Hermione [_] Ravenclaw’s Diadem by Crabbe [_] Nagini by Neville Harry by Voldemort [/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/693 "2007-07-30T15:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=Pleonast] Don’t know if this was mentioned upthread, but I thought it was appropriate that each horcrux was destroyed by a different person: [ol] [li] Diary by Harry [_] Ring / Rock Hallow by Dumbledore [_] Slytherin’s Locket by Ron [_] Hufflepuff’s Cup by Hermione [_] Ravenclaw’s Diadem by Crabbe [_] Nagini by Neville [_] Harry by Voldemort [/ol][/li][/QUOTE] Yes, I also thought that was cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/694 "2007-07-30T15:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] The first time you know they are dead or even close to it is when Harry sees them lying with the rest of the dead. There is no part of the book that tells you it. I like it. It quite realistic and true to life. A battle that size would have lots of things happening and only afterwards could you even begin to find out what happens. [/QUOTE] Could you point me to where in the book it says this, prior to 693? It would greatly ease my sanity. Or is the excerpt below where we first hear of it? [QUOTE=Deathly Hallows, p. 693] The images of Fred, Lupin and Tonks lying dead in the Great Hall forced their way back into his mind’s eye, and for a moment he could hardly breathe, [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/695 "2007-07-30T16:03:56Z")
I’m sitting in work so don’t have the book with me. There is a mention of seeing them laid out dead just after the battle before the one you mention though. It’s only a sentence or two though. ---
**Author:** ![Shera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Shera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shera)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/696 "2007-07-30T16:21:28Z")
“Harry had a clear view of their bodies, Remus and Tonks, pale and still peaceful looking, apparently asleep beneth the dark, enchanted ceiling.” p.661 towards the bottom of the page. ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/697 "2007-07-30T16:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=Shera] “Harry had a clear view of their bodies, Remus and Tonks, pale and still peaceful looking, apparently asleep beneth the dark, enchanted ceiling.” p.661 towards the bottom of the page. [/QUOTE] Thank you thank you thank you! Exactly what I was looking for…I nominate Shera for Golden Snitch patrol on the SDBoard Quidditch team. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/698 "2007-07-30T18:50:35Z")
J. K. Rowling answers a whole bunch of fan questions in a chat at [this link](http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/1156). I cannot help but be impressed by how accessible she has made herself to her fans. I mean, this woman is worth more than four times A-Rod’s entire contract, but she doesn’t seem to make a point of separating herself. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/699 "2007-07-30T19:04:59Z")
Thank you for the link, which did answer a bunch of remaining questions. Except I hated the format, with the oldest stuff on the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249/700 "2007-07-30T20:02:25Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] [QUOTE=Penchan] One thing REALLY bothered me with the epilogue. Why is it that Harry gets to name his and Ginny’s kids after his parents and his mentor/protectors? Why isn’t one of the kids named Fred after Ginny’s brother who passed away? Ginny doesn’t seem like the type of person to step back and let Harry name all three of their kids. [/QUOTE] WAG: There’s already another Little Weasley (i.e. Ginny’s nephew) named after Fred. [/QUOTE] Ooh! Ooh! I was right! [QUOTE=J.K. Rowling] Well, I don’t think that George would ever get over losing Fred, which makes me feel so sad. However, he names his first child and son Fred, and he goes on to have a very successful career, helped by good old Ron. [/QUOTE] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-7-spoilers-aplenty-now-that-youve-read-it/412249.md?page=36)