Rowling toys with her fans, gives hints for new books...

[theDespiser]

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling offered up hints to future novels while answering children's questions at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Aug. 15, her official Web site reported. "Well, I don't think it is giving too much away to say that [Harry] will survive to book seven, mainly because I do not want to be strangled by you lot, but I am not going to say whether he grows any older than that, because I have never said that. You are good at putting me on the spot!"

Rowling, who is currently writing the sixth volume in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, talked about the new books in an elliptical way. "I thought that I would give you something though, rather than get to the end of today and think that I have not given you a lot. There are two questions that I have never been asked, but that I should have been asked, if you know what I mean. If you want to speculate on anything, you should speculate on these two things, which will point you in the right direction. The first question that I have never been asked—it has probably been asked in a chatroom, but no one has ever asked me—is, 'Why didn't Voldemort die?' Not 'Why did Harry live?' but, 'Why didn't Voldemort die?' The killing curse rebounded, so he should have died. Why didn't he? At the end of Goblet of Fire he says that one or more of the steps that he took enabled him to survive. You should be wondering what he did to make sure that he did not die. I will put it that way. I don't think that it is guessable. It may be—someone could guess it—but you should be asking yourself that question, particularly now that you know about the prophecy. I'd better stop there, or I will really incriminate myself."

Rowling added, "The other question that I am surprised no one has asked me since [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] came out—I thought that people would—is why Dumbledore did not kill or try to kill Voldemort in the scene in the ministry? I know that I am giving a lot away to people who have not read the book. Although Dumbledore gives a kind of reason to Voldemort, it is not the real reason. When I mentioned that question to my husband—I told Neil [Murray] that I was going to mention it to you—he said that it was because Voldemort knows that there are two more books to come. As you can see, we are on the same literary wavelength. [Laughs.] That is not the answer; Dumbledore knows something slightly more profound than that. If you want to wonder about anything, I would advise you to concentrate on those two questions. That might take you a little bit further."



from scifi.com

[Furls Fire]

If she kills off Harry in Book 7. She's going to have alot of crying kids on her hands...

including mine.

[theDespiser]

i would too, but im not a kid...heheh


this is one of those stories that you can really get into, because of the continuity, and the fact that your there while the characters get older...you kinda get attached to em...

i know im gonna REALLY be pissed when harry and hermione dont get together..my mom told me that it most likely would be ron and hermione, but she and harry have been through so much more together!!! screw ron!!! he can have Loony!!!!!

[The Leper Fairy]

Wow... so Harry's not gonna die? Hmmm... I kinda wish she didn't say that... There's no suspense now. Well, less suspense.

Edit: Ahhhh, she said survive to book 7, not through book 7! That's better. Not that I want him to die or anything it just helps the story to not know.

[CovenantJr]

Not that I want him to die or anything

I do - the little git

[The Leper Fairy]

Meanie!

[duchess of malfi]

If she kills off Harry in Book 7. She's going to have alot of crying kids on her hands...

including mine.

I dunno. I think it would depend on how he would die, and why... A noble self sacrifice ending an evil threat would resonate better than a senseless death in a car accident, for instance.

[theDespiser]

i want more potter books after he graduates from hogwarts


theres gotta be other dark wizards besides Voldedork

[The Leper Fairy]

I dunno... I can just see the quality declining after 7 books... I'd rather she quit while she was ahead.

[variol son]

Why didn't Voldemort die? Well harry didn't die because his mother died to protect him even though Voldemort offered to spare her. So maybe Someone once died to protect Voldemort?

Sum sui generis
Vs

[hierachy]

Why didn't Voldemort die? Well harry didn't die because his mother died to protect him even though Voldemort offered to spare her. So maybe Someone once died to protect Voldemort?

Sum sui generis
Vs

Nah.. I don't think that would constitute him taking "steps" to insure that he couldn't die.

[CovenantJr]

Indeed. And if that was the case, I think there would have been more chance of him expecting one of the Potters to survive.

[theDespiser]

yeah, he would have seen it coming...id say it was those steps that he took that kept him from dying..i mean...he said it himself...he took some potion or did some ritual that always kept him alive just enough to be able to survive and revive himself...

the books said that the killing curse couldnt be countered, but voldemort obviously found a way to counteract its effects...meaning..his body died, but his essence lived on, which is why he was a mist pretty much in the first movie...and was Voldemort the snake-like person he came back as before he attacked baby harry? or was the snake form an outcome of the ritual? he was a baby apparently when wormtail put him in the cauldron, or whatever it was...and he was brought back to life...

did Voldemort, in some way, find a way to counteract the protection that Harry had by doing the same thing himself, by inhabiting the body of a baby whose parents died to save it from Voldemort, therebye giving Voldemort, in essence, the same protection that harry had, rendering it harmless to him?

Magic can be tricky, especially when your coming up with your own rules to follow

[dlbpharmd]

As to why Dumbledore didn't kill Voldemort:

When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, a part of Voldy went into Harry, explaining some of his traits, such as his ability to speak parstletongue. Is it possible that a part of Harry went into Voldy as well? Thus, Dumbledore did not try to kill Voldy because to do so would harm Harry as well?

[hierachy]

Or perhaps if voldemort can't be killed (in the normal way, at least), and if a failed killing curse imprints some of the casters power onto the target, perhaps Dumbledore didn't want to give Voldemort some of his own powers (and who knows the extent of Dumbledore's power?), even if it made Voldie go away for another 15 years...

[CovenantJr]

The revived Voldemort is merely a figment of Harry's imagination, a la Tyler Durden.............possibly

[theDespiser]

IIIII dont think thats it

[A Gunslinger]

Wow... so Harry's not gonna die? Hmmm... I kinda wish she didn't say that... There's no suspense now. Well, less suspense.

Edit: Ahhhh, she said survive to book 7, not through book 7! That's better. Not that I want him to die or anything it just helps the story to not know.

I don't think you can glean ANYTHING out of her statement. She said so many words without saying ANYTHING, that I am guessing she might have the stuff to make a run for a seat in the House of Lords.

HArry will live...killing him would make her go from most loved to most hated author of all time.

[The Leper Fairy]

HArry will live...killing him would make her go from most loved to most hated author of all time.

I'm not sure that would bother her though...

Although she did say she had a really hard time after

Spoiler

she killed Sirius

[CovenantJr]

IIIII dont think thats it

Oh well, it was worth a try