Will Harry Potter Die?

Daniel Radcliffe, 18, who plays the lead character Harry Potter has always wanted to do a death scene, and thinks it would be great if Harry died, purely because of the dramatic possibilities it would offer him. "A heroic death for me has always been the most fitting way to conclude the series. I think it's a very conclusive way to end it."

Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger agrees. "I have a nasty feeling Harry might die. I think he might have to go with Voldemort."

Even director David Yates is not betting on Harry's survival. "I am like everybody else," says Yates. "I wonder if she's going to kill Harry off. That's my pet theory. I think she might."

But what does Jo Rowling herself tell us, in her own words? In interviews she always insists she will not comment on the issue of Harry's death. She's been asked a thousand times in hundreds of different ways, and she has thus far refused to give fans a clue. But fortunately for fans, there is another, rather abundant source of information straight from Jo Rowling's head: her books.

Harry's story is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story. Harry Potter is a baby when we first meet him, a pawn of fate and more powerful adults around him. He is taken away from the safety of his own family by Voldemort, and placed in the care of his nasty aunt and uncle in a well-meaning gesture by the most trustworthy character in the series. He grows up not knowing anything about himself: where he came from, who his parents were and what his destiny is. All that has changed now as he has made his way through Hogwarts and through his teenage years, growing into an astonishingly mature, confident and grounded young man.

What remain are a few final lessons to learn, and one final test of his already proven mettle. The questions we have about Harry's character in the final book are: can he learn not to shut out his friends, and allow them to help him? Can he learn to overcome some of his prejudices, and learn that unpleasant human beings can nevertheless be trustworthy? And most importantly, will he learn to use the power of love to triumph over hate?

These are not the sort of questions one asks about a character who going out to meet his death. When Achilles leads the band of soldiers smuggled in by the Trojan horse for what will be his final battle, his character has completed its arc of learning. His duel with Agamemnon has tested his combat skills to the hilt, and has taught him fair play. His meeting with Priam where he allows the bereaved father to take his son's body away proves that he has also learned the value of compassion. It is a complete and worthy man who goes into battle in Troy, and THAT is a hero who goes to his death.

Harry's journey into becoming a man is not complete. And until it is, the demands of the story will not let him die. As Stephen King says, "No story can be great without closure. There must be closure, because it's the human condition."