2008 Woodie Awards
Fans speculate on Harry Potter's fate
Jessi Wyse
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: A&E
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"Of course Harry's going to die," freshman Claire Mason said.
"It's sad, but it needs to happen. He's the final Horcrux. How else could Voldemort be defeated?"
Speculations like these have been floating around ever since eager fans completed the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," back in July 2005. And ever since author J. K. Rowling announced the July 21 release date of the next and final novel of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows," discussions of how Harry's tale will finally draw to a close have only intensified.
The story of Harry Potter, an orphaned teenage wizard who combats various dark magic on top of normal adolescent problems, began in 1997 when Rowling published the series' first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." (Or, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," if you read the original British version.) The series' popularity quickly skyrocketed, and has only continued to grow over the ten years it has taken to complete it. Harry Potter fandom has spawned thousands of websites, late night release parties for new installments at bookstores across the world, plenty of fan-fiction, some podcasts on iTunes, and even real life role-playing games in which Potter enthusiasts play human chess on giant boards, or even attempt to reenact the wizardly sport of Quiddich.
Over the course of the series, the loose ends Rowling has intentionally left have caused fans to build up countless questions on both the past and future of Harry Potter's world. And the intense finale of "Half Blood Prince," in which Dumbledore, pillar of the wizarding community and Harry's longtime mentor, met his death and the future of Hogwart's Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry was put in limbo, certainly only helped to increase the suspense. Now that the tale's conclusion is due to hit the shelves, Potter lovers everywhere are hoping that Rowling managed to resolve all the issues she created - and many are certain they know exactly how she is going to do it.
"It's sad, but it needs to happen. He's the final Horcrux. How else could Voldemort be defeated?"
Speculations like these have been floating around ever since eager fans completed the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," back in July 2005. And ever since author J. K. Rowling announced the July 21 release date of the next and final novel of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows," discussions of how Harry's tale will finally draw to a close have only intensified.
The story of Harry Potter, an orphaned teenage wizard who combats various dark magic on top of normal adolescent problems, began in 1997 when Rowling published the series' first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." (Or, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," if you read the original British version.) The series' popularity quickly skyrocketed, and has only continued to grow over the ten years it has taken to complete it. Harry Potter fandom has spawned thousands of websites, late night release parties for new installments at bookstores across the world, plenty of fan-fiction, some podcasts on iTunes, and even real life role-playing games in which Potter enthusiasts play human chess on giant boards, or even attempt to reenact the wizardly sport of Quiddich.
Over the course of the series, the loose ends Rowling has intentionally left have caused fans to build up countless questions on both the past and future of Harry Potter's world. And the intense finale of "Half Blood Prince," in which Dumbledore, pillar of the wizarding community and Harry's longtime mentor, met his death and the future of Hogwart's Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry was put in limbo, certainly only helped to increase the suspense. Now that the tale's conclusion is due to hit the shelves, Potter lovers everywhere are hoping that Rowling managed to resolve all the issues she created - and many are certain they know exactly how she is going to do it.
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