deathtocapslock | Lily and James at the end of GoF (Reply)

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?