Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - POTENTIAL SPOILERS

[Ambrus]

and I'm really tempted to get a tattoo that can be described as thus:

At least, I think that's the right description.

The symbol actually appears on the top of the spine of the children's edition.

 

[Loincloth of Armour]

All we know is that Neville, arguably the second greatest wizarding hero of the modern age, goes onto be Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts.

[raised eyebrow]

Second greatest wizarding hero? All he did was run (with help) a resistance in Hogwarts, and cut the head off a snake at the critical moment. He showed he was a Gryffindor, true, but the second greatest is a bit much.

That title I think goes to the person who kept Harry alive for 7 years despite his best efforts to get himself killed.

And for accomplishing the even bigger task of getting the slackers Harry and Ron to pass nearly all of their classes. That, I think, had to be a struggle of mythic proportions.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

[raised eyebrow]

Second greatest wizarding hero? All he did was run (with help) a resistance in Hogwarts, and cut the head off a snake at the critical moment. He showed he was a Gryffindor, true, but the second greatest is a bit much.

That title I think goes to the person who kept Harry alive for 7 years despite his best efforts to get himself killed.

And for accomplishing the even bigger task of getting the slackers Harry and Ron to pass nearly all of their classes. That, I think, had to be a struggle of mythic proportions.

Well, she's already got the title of "brightest witch of our age" or somesuch, so she's all set. Ron's the one who's actually lacking in the title department.

 

[Ilium]

I can see your point, but after Draco did succeed, and Voldermort learnt of the successful Death-Eater surge through the Room of Requirement why wouldn't he, being the great mastermind he claims to be, take note that pretty much anyone present at Hogwarts during the attack was then after aware of the Room's existence? A little sidetrip following the attack for Voldermort to pick and move the diadem would have been advisable I'd think.

For that matter, why was Malfoy's cabinet still in the room a year after the attack when Harry entered it?!? Shouldn't it have likewise been moved, destroyed or at least secured somehow?

A good question. If it's still there, why haven't Death Eaters been using it to come and go from Hogwarts at will? Isn't the other one still at Borgin and Burke's (or wherever they had it)?

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

A good question. If it's still there, why haven't Death Eaters been using it to come and go from Hogwarts at will? Isn't the other one still at Borgin and Burke's (or wherever they had it)?

Well, because they could walk in the front door once Dumbledore was gone and Snape put in charge. The cabinet was no longer of any use; Death Eaters didn't need to sneak into Hogwarts until the very end of the story - and it would be a dangerous thing to try - it would be the equivalent of coming down a narrow hall into a (possibly defended) location. For a small strike force like in Book 6, its great, but for a large attacking force, its probably not ideal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

[raised eyebrow]

Second greatest wizarding hero? All he did was run (with help) a resistance in Hogwarts, and cut the head off a snake at the critical moment. He showed he was a Gryffindor, true, but the second greatest is a bit much.

The wizard the world will remember as fighting an active resistance to Voldemort's regime, despite attacks on him and his family, and despite still being a student, and who was only the second person to ever pull the Sword of Gryffindor out of the flaming Sorting Hat and who destroyed Nagini during the heat of battle ... was Neville.

Ron and Hermione will be remembered as Harry Potter's shieldbearers.

That title I think goes to the person who kept Harry alive for 7 years despite his best efforts to get himself killed.

Madam Pomfrey?

 

[Desdichado]

It's never stated what happens to them.

Yes, I realize that.

The Auror and DADA stuff are things that people guessed, but until the next charity books come out (and even after, if they don't cover famous wizards or anything), it's in the realm of fanfic.

Not exactly; Rowling herself had Auror as Harry's career aspirations all through book 5 and 6.

All we know is that Neville, arguably the second greatest wizarding hero of the modern age, goes onto be Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts.

Yes, I know, that's why I pointed out that I thought it was disappointing that none of that was resolved. What'm I missing here? You've just restated exactly what I was already saying.

Neville as second greatest wizarding hero of the modern age? I was glad to see him finally come into his own, but... uh... no.

I actually had a discussion with someone who thought that the epilogue and whatnot was too pat, which made the book seem like a children's fairy tale. I pointed out that 1) the entire series has always been written and published with an eye towards youngsters being the primary market, 2) plenty of "adult" books have happy, even "pat" endings. Jane Austen was infamous for it, in fact.

That led me along a train of thought that I'd actually have liked the book to end in a Jane Austen type ending to be honest with you, which caused my wife to laugh out loud and call me a "closet romantic." I would really have loved to actually see the resolution of the Ginny and Harry romance, and the epilogue would have been better set only a year or two later, not nineteen, and been the big double wedding of Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny. It could be a big reunion, where we see all kinds of other characters talking about what they've been up to career-wise, we could have found out that Neville was engaged to Luna or something, Seamus and Dean could be planning a double wedding with the Patil twins (Dean did mention that he thought they were the best-looking girls in their year, IIRC, in Goblet of Fire, etc.

Yes, even more cheesy, but hot damn! I would have liked it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not exactly; Rowling herself had Auror as Harry's career aspirations all through book 5 and 6.

Except that now, he's explicitly stated he can't ever let himself be defeated again, so that the Elder Wand's power dies with him. Auror looks like a pretty bad career choice now. I suspect he's doing something very calm and quiet.

Neville as second greatest wizarding hero of the modern age? I was glad to see him finally come into his own, but... uh... no.

In the next edition of A History of Magic, who is going to come close to Harry Potter in the way the historians and public view them? Snape? Harry's sidekicks? A lot of the stuff that the readers were privy to -- and that Harry will no doubt tell historians -- aren't things that will resonate with the public the way Neville leading the resistance in Harry's absence and his part in destroying Voldemort did.

Snape, in particular, is going to be a figure that people will argue over, but few but Slytherins are likely to embrace as a hero, no matter what Harry says.

I'm not disputing there's a big gap between #1 and #2, but most of the other contenders for #2 will be seen as Harry's aides, not as people who stepped up on their own. The Order of the Phoenix are relegated to that role -- even though the reader knows that Dumbledore was directing most of that -- which just leaves Dumbledore's Army after Harry doesn't return to Hogwarts. And then, everyone becomes Neville's aides.

 

[Ilium]

Well, because they could walk in the front door once Dumbledore was gone and Snape put in charge. The cabinet was no longer of any use; Death Eaters didn't need to sneak into Hogwarts until the very end of the story - and it would be a dangerous thing to try - it would be the equivalent of coming down a narrow hall into a (possibly defended) location. For a small strike force like in Book 6, its great, but for a large attacking force, its probably not ideal.

Good point. Somehow I was thinking quite a bit of time had passed, but really Snape must have become headmaster pretty quickly after Dumbledore's death.

 

[Desdichado]

Snape was appointed Headmaster some time after Voldemort took effective control of the Ministry of Magic. That's even specifically spelled out in one of the earlier chapters, IIRC.