Lily and James at the end of GoF

[chocedric.livejournal.com]

Hello all,

I just had someone review a fanfic I am writing, and one of their comments prompted me to pose this question on the journal here. I would really appreciate your opinions!

My fic is a rewrite of GoF through DH. The Priori Incantatem scene in the graveyard is included, and I portrayed Lily and James a little differently than in canon. In my fic, I had them tell Harry they loved him.

When I read GoF for the first time back in 2000, I was only 14. Even then, I wondered why they didn't tell him that. These were the two people who lay down their lives for him because they loved him so much. But yet, after not seeing him for so many years, there was not even a simple "we love you, Harry," said by either of them. I do understand that Harry was in a situation where he needed to get out super fast, but it would have literally taken all of two seconds to have either Lily or James say that. I understand why JKR didn't have Cedric tell Harry messages to send back to his loved ones, because the two boys weren't at all close in canon. I think his simple "take my body back to my parents" was sufficient enough for him. But Lily and James? That was the one thing I didn't like about that scene. At least in the movie, Lily calls him "sweetheart," as he's about to break the connection, and I admit I got a little choked up over that. But I was expecting an "I love you" from Lily or James in the book.

Of course, we did have the forest scene where Harry was walking to his death, when they told him how proud they were of him. But I really did wish for something more in GoF.

What do you guys think?

 

 

Comments

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Weeeell, I don't see how the parents from GoF are compatible with the suicide cheer squad from DH. I mean. They died to save him, y'know, and suddenly it's all 'you go, Harry, go die, awesome!' *shrug* That weirds me out. I know they're Gryffindors and value heroics, but this is their son, I can't work out that scene. Unless the Stone just provides closure and whatever the user wants to believe.

Anyway. So in the reviewer, did they have a problem with Lily and James saying they loved Harry? 'coz I don't see a problem with that at all. If I were dead and speaking to a loved one, that'd be something I'd want to say. Especially since he doesn't even remember them!

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

Unless the Stone just provides closure and whatever the user wants to believe.

Have you read terri_testing's theory that the Stone persuades its users to commit suicide?
http://terri-testing.livejournal.com/15216.html

Suicide squad

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

My own speculation is that the Stone causes to appear, not one's real dear-departeds, but phantasm-demons that seduce the victim to join them (suicide) at the earliest opportunity.

So the James-and-Lily trying to help their son escape, and the James-Sirius-Remus-Lily urging Harry to die as soon as possible, had nothing in common except being clothed in the same illusion of flesh.


http://terri-testing.livejournal.com/15216.html#cutid1

[the-bitter-word.livejournal.com]

Remember, Harry's parents are crack Order fighters. They only have time to issue orders. They don't have time to shoot the breeze with embarrassing feelings, not to mention potentially confuse their learning-challenged son with non-Gryffindor-like emotion.

Why, yes, I am being sarcastic!

Now you have me thinking about wand mastery and Priori Incantatem.

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

I think love might be something of an abstract concept for Rowling. On an intellectual level, she knows that love is important, but I'm not sure how much she has experienced it emotionally or spiritually. She seems to really struggle to show genuine love between any of her characters.