It’s the million-dollar question: Will Harry die?
Since “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” book four in J.K. Rowling’s series of stupendously popular children’s fantasy novels, a large part of the suspense for fans and nonfans has been in guessing whom the author will kill off next. With the arrival of book seven, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” speculation rages across the Potterverse. Based on remarks made by Rowling, fans are expecting two important characters to die, but it could be more. Here is a rundown on Harry and other main characters, along with the odds on their demise.
HARRY POTTER
Played in the movies by: Daniel Radcliffe
Now 17, Harry is ever ready to question authority and conventional wisdom and to follow his own sense of right and wrong. Not an egghead — glasses aside — he’s a talented athlete and a gifted sorcerer, and, of course, a child of destiny, linked via prophecy and his famous scar to the fate of his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. Many fans fear/expect/hope Harry will die, but that seems unlikely. Neither Frodo nor Luke Skywalker die at the end of their sagas, plus the death of Harry might hurt future sales of the popular books.
Odds of croaking: 500-1
RON WEASLEY
Played in the movies by: Rupert Grint
Harry’s best friend throughout the series, Ron is loyal, courageous, insecure and has a bit of a temper. His large clan of siblings and loving parents serve as surrogate family to Harry, an orphan. Still, Ron chafes under the knowledge that he’s little more than a sidekick, which could inspire him to take dangerous risks. Plus, Ron’s loss would have great dramatic punch.
Odds of croaking: 20-1
HERMIONE GRANGER
Played in the movies by: Emma Watson
Brainy, bossy, independent, Hermione is the third member of the trinity at the center of the Harry Potter books. For several years, she clashed with Ron, who found her annoying, but la tely they’ve become — surprise! — a romantic item. She has a much deeper knowledge of magic than either of her friends, but she lacks Harry’s natural gifts. She seems unlikely to die, unless Rowling wants to deflect criticism from feminists by giving Hermione some fatal act of bravery at the climax.
Odds of croaking: 20-1
And what about the others?
RUBEUS HAGRID
Played in the movies by: Robbie Coltrane
The prototypical jolly giant, Hagrid started out as Hogwarts’ groundskeeper. Through the patronage of Dumbledore, he has steadily risen, first to gamekeeper and then to a teaching position for the care of magical creatures. Hagrid has survived several opportunities to get himself killed. He doesn’t seem like the kind of player who would have enough magic to be of much use to Harry in the final confrontation, but his devotion to Dumbledore is boundless, and he may be spoiling for a fight.
Odds of croaking: 5-1
REMUS LUPIN
Played in the movies by: David Thewlis
A friend and classmate of Harry’s murdered parents, Lupin has led a sad life with grace and pluck. Afflicted with lycanthropy as a child, he turns into a werewolf during each full moon, and remains pale and sickly the rest of the time. His kindness and patience extend not only to Harry and his friends, but also to disagreeable adversaries such as Snape. Lupin might leap at the chance to redeem his disappointments in combat.
Odds of croaking: 3-1
DRACO MALFOY
Played in the movies by: Tom Felton
Harry’s chief rival, and a sniveling, arrogant twit with a sense of entitlement, Draco Malfoy is the scion of a family that prides itself on its pure magical blood. A bully and a coward, Draco has goons to help pick on weaker students, but he’s under enormous pressure to carry on the Malfoy heritage. His true capacity for evil is in doubt; he was unable to obey Voldemort’s order to kill Dumbledore, forcing Snape to step in to do the deed. He could find a moral compass somewhere in his sour little heart — which would almost certainly doom him to a noble end.
Odds of croaking: 10-1
SEVERUS SNAPE
Played in the movies by: Alan Rickman
Ah, yes, Snape, the renegade Death Eater and erstwhile Hogwarts professor who showed his true colors at the end of the sixth book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” by killing Dumbledore. Foul-tempered Snape was resentful of Harry and his renown all along, but he also defended the boy on more than one occasion. Plus, Snape had a very unhappy upbringing, bullied by other students, including Harry’s father. The smart money here says Snape’s not really evil, but is acting on Dumbledore’s orders. Or he could be as wicked as he seems. Either way, he’s toast, whether from Harry’s vengeance or by sacrificing himself to defeat Voldemort. Or both.
Odds of croaking: 2-1
MINERVA MCGONAGALL
Played in the movies by: Maggie Smith
Stern, proper, but with a keen sense of fair play, Professor McGonagall became acting headmistress after Dumbledore’s murder in book six. She’s intelligent to a fault and a witch of rare talent. Indeed, she’s one of only seven registered Animagi, able to take the form of a tabby cat at will. A member of the Order of the Phoenix, she’s demonstrated physical courage on more than one occasion, and sometimes she’s suffered serious injury for her trouble. Likely to be in the thick of things at the end.
Odds of croaking: 3-1
GINNY WEASLEY
Played in the movies by: Bonnie Wright
The youngest of Ron’s siblings, and the only daughter in the family, Ginny long nursed a girlish crush on Harry. She became a pawn in Voldemort’s schemes when she was a first-year student, and Harry rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets, after which she was even more awkward around him. But she’s grown to be a capable teenager, and in “Half-Blood Prince” Harry finally realized he reciprocated her romantic interest. She already has stood up bravely to Death Eaters and could figure in the ultimate battle.
Odds of croaking: 3-1
NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM
Played in the movies by: Matthew Lewis
Timid, forgetful and clumsy, Neville is the kind of boy who can’t seem to do much right, despite the best of intentions. Neville’s already shown his mettle by standing next to Harry against the Death Eaters in the fight that killed Sirius Black. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if Neville, not Harry, turned out to be the boy of destiny?
Odds of croaking: 2-1
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POTTER BY THE NUMBERS
$18,000
Amount paid last month for a first edition of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (the original British title of book one), a book that’s only 10 years old.
1,000
Size of the first U.S. printing for book one, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
12 million
Size of U.S. printing for “Deathly Hallows”; it’s the biggest first-print run in publishing history.
6.9 million
Number of copies book six, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” sold in the first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling book in history.
325 million
Number of Harry Potter books already sold worldwide.
1,500
Amount of the advance, in British pounds, that publisher Bloomsbury paid J.K. Rowling for the first book in 1997, or about $2,456.
2
Rowling’s current rank on Forbes’ list of the 20 richest women in entertainment (with a net worth of more than $1 billion, she’s second only to Oprah Winfrey).
— FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
