Slowly Going Mad

An aside before I begin my proper post: Google has whole texts of books online! I may be very late to the game on this.

My Proper Post:
I saw Karen today, so she already knows this, but my happiness and emotional well-being is currently completely wrapped up in the fate of Harry Potter. This is not a healthy state to be in. I read an article that explains how Harry Potter will die, and the world goes dark. I read another article that explains how he will live, and all is well again. A huge part of me does not want to read the seventh book. In my world, Harry and Hermione and Ron are alive and surviving, if not thriving, and Voldemort is not exactly an immediate threat, although he looms on the edges. If Harry is going to die, especially, I just don't want to, don't need to, know. Of course, I'm going to read the book, because how can I not?
I was skeptical of Harry from the beginning. I didn't start reading until after Book 4, and even then it was only because I ran out of reading material and needed something for a plane ride. I read HP1 and HP2, twice, within three days. The world is so engrossing (much like His Dark Materials, Karen), and the characters so real and relevant that it was hard not to get hooked. So, of course, I did. This time it matters more, though, what happens. Because it's the last, yes, and because it is a cultural phenomenon. I think a lot of the hype is overdrawn and the whole "it's our generation" thing is a bit ridiculous, but when kids come into Kepler's to buy the book, there's real passion and enthusiasm. We don't see that much, at a bookstore.
I think this is what really gets me about these books. Harry, et al, are characters that kids have always been able to relate to. That's why Book 5 was so annoying--because we knew, we were, those kids with bad tempers and hormones. And when it comes down to it, killing Harry would betray that familiarity. Because, really, we don't know kids who die, especially not if we're actually the generation that grew up with Harry. 18 year olds, who started reading these books 10 years ago, are not in a world that is dangerous. So, yes, Harry Potter's world is now the world that we all live in, with threats of terrorism, and it is a fantasy novel, in which terrible awful things happen, but it's still a world that we should be able to recognize for the potential for good. If Harry dies, what does that tell kids about their role in life? Martyrdom is not a viable life plan, and it's exactly that sort of idea that's gotten us into a lot of trouble in the Middle East. This is heavy stuff for a blog, so I'll stop here, but maybe I've just convinced myself that Harry can't die, because JK Rowling's not stupid enough to make a whole generation of children believe they can't do good without death coming along for the ride. Even if I believe this now, though, someone will convince me that, actually, Harry's been a ghost the whole time, and that he has to finally move onto the next world--behind the veil, a la HP5--for peace to reign. Or something like that. Hopefully, at the very least, I can stop having dreams about Harry Potter. Hopefully.