The book has been out a couple of weeks now and, based upon the comments I've read there are still some questions people want answered. Therefore I have collected together my thoughts, along with those of others (thanks to the commenters on the previous posts).
As an aside, for those who haven't seen it, there is also a transcript of an interview available where JK goes over the post Deathly Hallows stuff. She talks about the lead characters and what they do with their lives, clearing up a lot of the issues people had with the epilogue. Personally I think it would have been nice if more of this was mentioned in the book itself.
Answered
- What significance did the colour of Lily Potters eyes have? Snape cared for Harry - at least in an indirect way. The reason? Snape was in love with Harry's Mum, Lily. Shortly before Snape dies he asks Harry to look at him, presumably so that he can look into Harrys eyes - the eyes that famously look just like his Mums. Snape would do anything to protect Lily, and just as much to protect her last living relative.
- Why did Moody, and Fred (or was it George) have to die? These two characters needed to die. Moody had to go for a variety of reasons, firstly something was needed to increase bad feeling towards Voldermort and his cronies, and secondly, if he hadn't died then he would most likely have gone with Harry, Ron, and Hermione to hunt for the Horcruxes. Fred died because JK decided to save Arthur Weasly who was originally planned to pass away. Why did Fred (or Arthur) have to die? Simply because Molly needed the motivation/ incentive to lay the smack down on a certain Bellatrix Lestrange.
- How did Gryffindors sword appear in the final battle? Ok - this ones a guess, but I reckon it's a goodun. Dumbledore once said "Help will always be given at Hogwarts, to those who really need it", and Neville clearly needed help, and he was with the sorting hat at the time, the same place Harry got the hat in the Chamber of Secrets. (update : I wrote this before reading the Rowling interview linked at the start of the post - I'm correct
) - Who are Victoire, Ted and the other children mentioned in the Epilogue? Victoire is Bill and Fleurs daughter, Ted is Lupin and Tonks son. FWIW unlike his dad Ted isn't a werewolf but a Metamorphmagus like his Mum. Harry and Ginny have 3 children - James, Albus Severus and Lily, and Ron and Hermione have two, Rose and Hugo (not sure what significance those names have?).
- Why didn't Harry use the killing curse "Avada Kedavra"? I'd have thought this one was obvious. Harry is not a bad person, that's what differentiates him from Voldermort - even in their final duel Harry doesn't, instead trying to disarm the dark lord. Good Triumphed over Evil.
- What was the baby thing in Harrys "dream"? The baby was the part of Voldermorts soul that was living in Harrys scar.
- What was the solver stuff coming out of Snapes head? I'd have thought this one was obvious but I've seen it asked so thought I'd mention it. This silver stuff is Snapes memories and the reason Harry can look into Snapes past in the Pensieve.
Unanswered
Unfortunately I still have some questions that need answering and I have no answer to - so maybe someone out there does?
- Why did Ron have to disappear for a couple of chapters? I understand why he got upset but there didn't seem to be any big reason why he should have done what he did. All I can think is that Rowling wanted to have a use for the "putter outer" beyond putting stuff out.
- Why/ when did Lupin and Tonks die? Maybe I missed the bit where there deaths were mentioned but I could have sword they were fine one minute and dead the next. Nothing in between. I can understand Moody and Fred (as mentioned above) but Lupin and Tonks?
Any more for anymore?
Come on then... what have I missed?
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102 Responses to “Harry Potter – unanswered questions answered” Leave a reply ›
#46 Zabou- Also go to the top of this page in Ben's original post and click on thanks to previous posts. Read comments #104-112 about the elder wand.
I have a question RE: Goblet of Fire. If the Ministry can detect magic in "Muggle areas", why didn't they know that Voldemort murdered Frank in the Riddle home?
Because the Riddle home belonged to a family of wizards which therefore means that it is a magical area and spels cannot be detected
i was dreading lupin and tonks' death the whole book, i knew that people were going to die and i thought that they were the most likely. Because they are characters we have grown close to, but aren't really that important to the story anymore. Also, there's teh whole 'romeo and juliet tragic lovers' thing. When they died i wasn't shocked or anything, i was just sad!
but it was dobby's death that shocked me- how could she? I hated Jk rowling after that!
I don't know if this has been answered, but Ron had to leave Harry & Hermione because of the Put-Outer. Dumbledore gave him that little silver lighter thingie because he knew that Ron would leave Harry & Hermione. Ron gave up on Harry when he thought that Harry entered the Triwizard Tourney alone - remember? Hermione was the one that stuck by him. Ron came round in the end, returned to Harry & Hermione, I guess you can say. Anyway. What would the point of a) leaving one of harry's good friends out of Dumbledore's will? and b) giving Ron an object that leads you to your destination...I guess you can say...if there was no intention of him either leaving or coming back.
Does that make sense? It does in my head.
Hello, I've never done this before, so please excuse any errors or stumbles!! Just had one quick thought on the unspoken identity of the unmagical person suddenly able to do magicks~~~~~~could it possibly have meant to be Dudley, Harry's cousin? He DID try at the very end to do right by wanting Harry to come to safety, too.
rowling said we would find out what dudley's worse moment was when the dementor attacked him- but I've re-read DH and can't find itanywhere
never said
Septimus - I seem to remember Rowling answering this in an interview somewhere. She said something like when Dudley met the Dementor he saw himself exactly as others saw him (a spoilt bully) and decided that wasn't a way to live, which is why he was nice(r than normal) to Harry before they parted ways.
I Think the idea of Ron backing out of the plan was that he brings news about the outside world and and if he wouldn't have left they would not know what the "DELUMINATOR" actually did and also he came back with full energy and bought up enthusiasm amongst all the 3 of them!!
Totally agree. I was thinking about answering that. Nevertheless, Hermione was really upset when Ron came back. He also brought (if I'm not mistaken) the news of that radio station, in which Lee Jordan, Fred Weasley,Lupin and I dont remember who else, were present. (sorry about mistakes. I'm not a native speaker. I read the books in spanish and the radio station was called "Pottervigilancia").But then everything was the same. Great answer Phenom
well like everyone else says i beleive that lupin and tonks had to die because if they didnt it would be "HOGWARTS had one the battle with only a hand full of deaths but the fact that people say that lupin and tonks were the only people they cared about shame what about Collin Creavey he was important and beleived in Harry all the way
The reason Lupin and Tonks died to create a scene.
Harry is an orphan
Teddy is an Orphan
Harry lost his parents in A war against Voldermort
Teddy lost his parents in A war against Voldermort
Harry was supposed to be taken care of by his god father Sirius
Teddy is being taken care of by his God father.
I was so sad when Fred died. I still think it was really unneccesary to kill him. I hate it, i keep thinking about poor Georgie trying to deal with it.
Ahhhwell
how come harry sees aberforth in the mirror when he needs help and why does dobby die??
some more answered questions
Kingsley was appointed Minister of Magic and Mcgonagall is the headmistress of Hogwarts. The death eaters were tracked down and sent to azkaban (which no longer is guarded by dementors. Fawkes flew of since he was now a free bird.
Hermione was the only one who went back to finish her 7th year at hogwarts and later worked in the ministry to carry on SPEW, later giving all house elves rights.
What does Harry become in the future?
Head of Auror Office
to lupin & tonks death: think. it's a battle. if you kill only the less important people then theres no edge. theres no saddness & momentum that we need to feel to be embraced & involved in the battle. i wish they would of all lived too but to make the book as great as it was she had to kill off people we & harry felt connected too.
Also I agree with Emily on the purpose of Ron leaving & also Ron did save Harry from the freezing pond when he was trying to get the Gryffindor Sword.
I've always wondered what does Dudley hear when he claims to hear voices in his head when he is attacked by the Dementors.
it was never mentioned
I though the most unnecessary death of them all was Colin Creevy. Dobby died a hero to inspire Harry, Lupin and Tonks could never be fully happy in the wizarding world due to Lupin being a werewolf, but Colin was a 16 year old brave kid who wanted to defend his school and hero against the death eaters. And he was give a one sentence death. Poor form, JK.
Colin Died Because he was always a supporter for harry and most of harry's supporterss were willing to die for him so i believe tht JK Did this to show how much everyone believed in harry and how much they cared tht they were willing to die for him.
I have a question?
What was Harry's, Ginny's, Ron's, and Hermoines Job was????????//
No idea about Ginny and Ron's, but Hermione's job was already explained in syoaran's comment, I've heard Harry becomes Auror
I have a question in general that always bothered me. I never remember JKR discussing what happened to the Potter family and Lily's family. Who was Harry's grandparents? Did he have other aunts or uncles? My guess is that the Potter family were taken out during the first war with Voldemort, but what about the Evanses? I understand that the absence of them is more powerful for the book, but it seems odd that his family background is never mentioned.
Melissa- I would guess that Voldemort hunted down their families. His Death Eaters probably found their family and killed them because they couldn't find Lily and James. That is a complete guess, but it makes sense
it was mentioned i think on harry potter lexicon that harry's grandparents were at a good age even for wizarding standards, and if anyone has a question about where harry and his dad got the money. Harry got the money from his dad, because his dad and grandparents were extremely wealthy. Plus Sirius gave Harry gold in his will
Throughout the books they say Lily died to save Harry. But why, when James yelled "Lily, its him. Take Harry and run.", didn't she grab Harry and Apparate out?
it was mentioned i think on harry potter lexicon that harry's grandparents were at a good age even for wizarding standards, and if anyone has a question about where harry and his dad got the money. Harry got the money from his dad, because his dad and grandparents were extremely wealthy. Plus Sirius gave Harry gold in his will, b/c she hadn't a wand when she had harry w/ her, it was downstairs by her dead husband james
antara- Harry sees Aberforth in the mirror because the mirrors power is to see the person who has the other mirror. James and Sirius used them to talk. Aberforth said he would watch over Harry so he is checking up on him through the mirror therefore Hary sees Aberforth when he looks into the mirror. As for Dobby dying, it shows that Dobby was so comitted to Harry he would, and did, die for him. He died a heroic death and it was painful for him to die, but he would have wanted to die to save Harry Potter's life. And it just increases Harrys hatred toward Bellatrix Lestrange.
****This is just what I am guessing****
I thought the reason to why Lupin & Tonks died was pretty obvious. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at Fleur and Bill's house, Lupin came to announce the arrival of the baby, and that Harry was the Godfather of him. When the Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook left the cottage early in the morning to break into Gringotts, Harry thought to himself that he was being just as reckless Godfather to Teddy as Sirius had been to him. I think that Teddy was left an orphan so as to recreate the situation that had been with Harry, Sirius, and Harry's parents. I am just guessing. And I think that you can just infer that Lupin and Tonks died during battle, but Harry was not there at the moment. You find out that Lupin and Tonks died on page 661 in the hard-cover copy.
This is an absolutely 1 in a trillion guess.
let's first start with the "why did Ron leave" problem. he may have possibly been under the possession or nearly under the possession of the horcrux. because from what what JK wrote, it really gives the idea that Ron was with the horcrux for most of the time.Maybe the power of the horcrux forced him to leave the FRIENDSHIP and LOVE, and go to the loneliness of the outer world. JK also mentions that Ron regretted his decision as soon as he left the tent. but he could not return #1: there were snatchers around and #2: because of all the protection. as for lupin and tonks, well i think they died only to make the battle more natural and dramatic. but on the whole i think all the "strategies" or "theories" that are here are truly marvellous
Julia - Lily didn't have her wand so she couldn't apparate, as far as im aware.
that is kind of stupid b/c james and lily could have grabbed their wands ran upstairs and disapparated before voldemort could kill them. plus the reason Dumbledore knew about the attack ASAP was b/c there was an alarm spell on the potters' home
jake- do you need a wand to apparate? i didn't think you did.
All deaths in the books are really sad. Dobby's one was the one which made me cry most. I mean, he was such a good elve! And his last words were: "Harry Potter"...:( It's really sad. Fred's death is also very sad. But anyway, I have a question. Does someone know who was that girl Ginny was talking to when Harry was going to meet Voldemort in the forbidden forest?
I had another question but I've just forgotten. If it comes back to my mind I'll write it here.
The little girl was no one important. She was just a symbol of how the battle with Voldemort was getting worse. Also, its showing Ginny being kind and makes Harry love her more but it causes a sadness because Harry believes he will soon be dead and he won't ever see Ginny again
Dobby, Lupin, and Tonks had sad deaths. But it needed to happen. J.K. Rowling is still amazing. I wish i could meet her
i have a question, and maybe its been answered before, but i can't seem to find anything......why is it that the last battle is at hogwarts, and it is only a handful of people. what about the rest of the world? it really bothers me....why did no one else come to help?
I don't get a few things. First off, if grindlewald had the elder wand, how did he lose to dumbledore? Also, when dumbledore was fighting voldemort at the end of the order of the pheonix, if he had the elder wand, why couldn't he kill voldemort? In the end of the half blood prince, Why didn't snape and the other death eaters take harry to voldemort. Snape said he belonged to the dark lord but couldn't they have just took him along and brang him to voldemort? I am really confused about that last one.
the reason dumbledor could win the duel against grindlewald was because grindlewald had stolen it, not forceably taken it. so he was never its true master. the reason dumbledor didnt kill voldemor at the ind of hbp is because he wouldnt kill anyone. and he already knew about the horcracsis and knew itwouldnt matter. lastly snape didnt take harry with him when he left twards the end of hbp is because snape is actually good and was protecting harry
Dumbledore couldn't have killed Voldemort in Order of the Pheonix because he knew that Harry was the only that could due to the prophecy 'Neither can live while the other survives'
The reason that when the prophecy was made for Voldemort and Harry, the reason Snape went to his master was because he heard the first part and not the whole thing. If ANY of you avid Potter fans read Books 5 and possibly 7, it distinctly had dumbledore say that Voldemort would want to kill the biggest threat to him, as Voldemort, revealed in the 6th book, said he was half-blood, and thus the biggest threat was Harry
The reason Tonks and Lupin died is, I think, so it went in like a cycle...
Ted then was like Harry, an orphan, but unlike Harry he had people around to look after him, like it should've been for Harry
I don't agree with your reason on why Moody had to die. He had to die because Umbride stole his eye and put it in the door of her office in the Ministry of Magic. If she didn't have the eye, then she wouldn't know what was going around M.O.M. and Harry would of never taken it, he would of succesfully made it out of the ministry thus changing like, THE WHOLE PLOT LINE.
•Why/ when did Lupin and Tonks die?
I read somewhere that their death was a comparison to James and Lily's death. They both left a baby in the world, but the difference is that whilst Harry was neglected, Teddy had lots of people who loved him to bring him up. It shows the difference between the two situations.
They were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, presumably after Tonks went to find Remus. Remus was killed by Dolohov and Tonks by Bellatrix.
What about Umbridge's fate in the end? she wasnt the death eater to be locked up in azkaban..
Umbridge admitted, or was forced to admit, that she intended to use the Cruciatus curse on the members of the DA. As it is one of the Unforgivable Curses, the usage of it earns the caster a cell in Azkaban Prison
Did it say anything about what happenned to Umbridge in the 7th book? Im pretty sure the last time she was mentioned was when they went to the Ministry.