Deathly Hallows Epilogue

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This is it! The end of the book. Thank you all for bearing with it. It was a long, hard road.

Looking forward to Sistermagpie's sporking of Prisoner of Azkaban!

Nineteen Years Later

There isn’t all that much to say about this epilogue that hasn’t been said before, but there is a definite change in tone as it starts with an idyllic autumn day as “crisp and golden as an apple.” People have called this epilogue treacle-y, but the sweetness is good after all that action and angst.

Either JKR did write this long before the tortured prose of the earlier chapters, or her relief at reaching the end was so strong that pours out on the page.

We are introduced gradually to the unnamed family. Harry speaks, so we know it’s him. The first child who speaks is Lily, who is whinging about wanting to go to school, too. It’s a bit of a shout out to Ginny’s first appearance in the books, and it’s absolutely bizarre how every single child in this series can’t wait to leave home for several months. There is not one of them who ever experiences the slightest bit of homesickness.

Albus is the second one named. And he’s whinging about the possibility of being placed in Slytherin House.

Ginny then tells James to give it a rest, which is slightly confusing because it makes it seem like James is the one complaining.

But then James cuts in to defend himself. “I only said he might be. There’s nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth—“

And then he stops at the look in Ginny’s eyes.

So, right away, we know a few things about this family: 1) They’re all whiners. 2) James is a bully. 3) Ginny is not to be trifled with.

And 4) Calling someone a Slytherin is such an effective insult that even the possibility of being sorted there is enough to cause tears.

James runs ahead like the minature alpha male he is, and Albus worries that his parents won’t write, or that they will write more than the once a month that James says is proper.

Harry tells Albus not to believe his older brother because James “likes a laugh.” Teasing brothers, lying to them, playing practical jokes on them—that’s all a laugh. It’s also a laugh to do that to other students. Unless it’s doing it to Slytherins—which is justice (pre-emptive or otherwise), or Slytherins doing it to anyone else, in which case it’s bullying. Got it. Only took me seven books!

They pass through the barrier and the steam from the Hogwarts express is so incredibly dense that Harry and his family are unable to distinguish any faces at all in the crowd. Harry hears Percy Weasley talking and is thankful that he can’t see him and therefore doesn’t have to talk to him.

I guess Percy hasn’t been completely forgiven after all.

The only people they are glad to see are Ron and Hermione and their kids. We find out their names are Rose and Hugo, and at least they aren’t named Arthur and Molly. I guess because Ron doesn’t feel the need to replicate his parents in his kids.

But I can’t help noticing that Rose and Hugo have the same initials as Ron and Hermione—and that they fit nicely with Ron and Hermione’s first dates: (Viktor) Hugo and (Lavender) Rose. I’m sure that’s all in my own head, because it’s so weird and random a thing to do with names. But there it is.

So, Ron tells Harry that Hermione didn’t think he could pass a simple driving test—which Hermione denies, but even I don’t believe her. Then Ron admits to Harry that he didn’t pass the test and used magic to cheat. So, we know that the wizard contempt for Muggle customs hasn’t changed. I find it kind of weird that Ron waited until his late thirties to get his driving license. Is that a British thing?

Oops. And here’s Ron threatening to disinherit his daughter if she doesn’t get into Gryffindor. Reinforcing the competition between Houses.

And right after that, we get Ron warily pointing out Draco Malfoy, his wife and child. Draco nods curtly after noticing all four Weasley/Potter adults staring at him. That’s pretty rude of them when you think about it. Has Draco been off in Portugal for nineteen years or something?

Also, Ron knows the name of Draco’s kid and demands that Rose beat the kid in every test. So… is this the weird Weasley/Malfoy feud continuing? Why the hell is Ron being so hostile to some kid he never saw before?

Could he be--gasp!--prejudging a child based on his feelings towards the kid’s father? Nonsense. Only bitter, twisted semi-evil old virgins professors do that sort of thing, right?

Of course, I’ve read posts from readers who contend that Scorpius must be evil, like his father, because he’s named Scorpius. I don’t really understand that logic, although I guess there’s some evil character named Scorpius in some television show or something? Or is it a video game? Anyway, I doubt JKR had that character in mind when she wrote this chapter seventeen years ago.

And Scorpius Malfoy doesn’t strike me as any more inherently evil as a name than Sirius Black or Remus Lupin.

I can’t help noticing, also, that Ron gets to embody all this wizard prejudice towards Slytherin and the Malfoys so that we get to know that it’s still there—but Harry can be above it. And Hermione, who tells Ron not to start turning the kids against each other before they even start school—even though she just finds his attitude amusing.

And she’s right. There’s no need for that Ron. I’m sure that the school will do a perfectly fine job in turning them against each other through the course of the school year.

Then Ron tells Rose that Arthur will never forgive her if she ends up marrying a pureblood wizard. So, while we can hope that prejudice against Muggleborn is fading away, prejudice against pureblood is going strong!

Let’s see. Percy supposedly married Penelope Clearwater (Muggleborn) and Ron married Hermione (Muggleborn). Charlie didn’t marry anyone. Bill married a French quarter-Veela. Is Angelina Johnson pureblood or not? Did George get blasted off the family clock if she was? (Note: Most of this information comes from the documentary on JKR, not from canon.)

Then we get about a page of dialogue to inform us about the fortunes of various characters. Teddy Lupin is through with school and “snogging” the daughter of Bill and Fleur. Plus, he’s close to the family already through being Harry’s godson.

Neville Longbottom is the Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts (no mention of his barkeeping wife, though.)

James aims a kick at his little brother, teases him by mentioning thestrals, kisses his mother, hugs his dad, and runs off into the train. What a charming lad he is! Why, he reminds me of a young Dudley Dursley!

Poor little Albus is now about to throw up at the thought of invisible skeletal horses. Obviously this kid is not Gryffindor material.

Harry comforts Albus by telling him that thestrals are sweet and not scarey and that he won’t have to encounter then this year. Then he tells him that he actually knew a brave Slytherin once, that he and Ginny won’t stop loving him if he is sorted into Slytherin, and that he can just tell the Hat to put him somewhere else.

And that’s the moral of the story, I guess. Maybe you were born into that quarter of the population naturally inclined to evil—but you have the choice to ask the Hat not to condemn you immediately.

And maybe—just maybe—the Hat will listen.

Finally, we get everyone staring at Harry because he’s famous and Ron making a joke about it. The joke being that anyone might possibly be staring at Ron. Lest we were worried about it, we’re reassured that Harry is still the prettiest one!

And then the train leaves and Harry suffers a pang of separation anxiety. Ginny comforts him by saying that the boys will be fine. Harry touches his scar and tells her knows that—because the scar no longer hurts, which means that Voldemort is still dead.

And, since there couldn’t possibly ever be another Dark Wizard, all is well.

Fan Service:
Harry names his children just like a fanfic author!


Fan Slappage:
Draco is prematurely balding. Take that fan girls!
Harry named a kid after Albus Dumbledore. Ewww!

DVD Extras:

EXT: DAY – KING’S CROSS STATION PLATFORM

As the train pulls away, Harry and Ginny’s hands abruptly stop waving and drop to their sides. Ron and Hermione each grab onto one of Hugo’s hands.

HARRY
See you.

GINNY
I thought you were going to take Lily out for an ice cream.

HARRY
I have to get to work.

Ginny sighs. A tall young man with blue hair emerges from the steam clouds left by the train. It’s obviously Teddy Lupin.

TEDDY
I can take the kids, Aunt Ginny. I was hoping we could make it a holiday.

LILY
Teddy!

He hugs Lily, who runs over to him. Hugo follows, climbing familiarly onto Teddy’s back.

HERMIONE
You don’t mind?

TEDDY
Nah. Shall we go to Diagon Alley?

HUGO
Diagon! Diagon!

He gathers up the two kids and they all disappear into the steam. Ginny turns to leave as well.

GINNY
See you at home then.

Left together, Harry, Ron and Hermione smile at each other.

RON
Been awhile, Harry.

HARRY
It’s summer. There’s always more obliviating to do in summer.

They start strolling toward the parking lot. As they pass onto the street, Ginny can be glimpsed in the background crossing the street. She pauses at the doorway to a dark bar, looks around furtively, and then darts inside.

Harry slaps himself in the forehead.

HARRY
Sorry—I forgot something.

He turns back into the station. Ron and Hermione shrug at each other.

CUT TO:

Harry, walking through the steam clouds of the station. He is anxiously looking around for something. He passes a pillar, barely noticing that Draco Malfoy is lounging against it.

Harry stops and does a double-take.

DRACO
Potter.

HARRY
Where’d your wife go?

DRACO
She had a thing. Noticed you staring earlier.

HARRY
Shut up. (There is an awkward silence.) So… Leaky Cauldron?

DRACO
I already booked a room.

Harry nods curtly and turns to go. Draco draws his wand and points it at Harry’s back.

DRACO
Expelliarmus!

Harry’s wand flies out of his hand and clatters to the platform. Draco scoops it up.

HARRY
Draco! Goddamnit! Stop that!

DRACO
(grinning) I’m the Master of the Elder Wand! I’m the Master of the Elder Wand!

HARRY
(rolling his eyes)
Please. You are not. That’s been over forever.

DRACO
(handing Harry the wand) Then who is?

HARRY
Some vagrant in Knockturn Alley, I think. Happened my first day as an auror.

DRACO
Doesn’t that worry you? Maybe he’ll go steal the wand.

HARRY
Like he remembers. He was dead drunk at the time.

They grin and walk away side by side into the mist, knocking their shoulders together.

CUT TO:

PARKING LOT – KING’S CROSS STATION

Ron and Hermione get into their car. Hermione immediately sticks a magical device (which is most definitely not a Bluetooth headset) into her ear and pulls a pile of papers out of her briefcase.

HERMIONE
Don’t forget to check your mirrors.

RON
(annoyed)
I was going to!

HERMIONE
You always forget. (She touches her device in her ear:) Thickness? Did you get that brief about Elvish welfare I sent you?... That’s the one…. No, it isn’t a step backward… Let me explain.

Ron frowns and throws the car into reverse to back out of the parking spot—without checking the mirrors.

Ginny appears briefly in the back window, weaving slightly as she walks.

With a THUD, the car stops and Ginny abruptly drops out of sight.

Ron and Hermione glance at each other puzzled.

HERMIONE
What was that?

RON
Speed bump.

He pulls forward and speeds away, as a crowd of Muggles gasp and run to Ginny’s body, which is lying on the pavement.

FADE OUT