The Epilogue -- What did you think?

[BoojumSnark]

I loved the ending, the epilogue, but it was a bit overkill. The idea was great, that they can still live and of course I love that they all got married and had kids but... I think it would have been better to leave it out. Almost too happy of an ending.

[Buckbeak2004]

I really didn't like the epilouge.

I was expecting a detailed explanation of what they did after hogwarts, what their jobs were e.t.c. and I was also expecting to hear about everybody else. Not just the trio and Neville.

All we found out was who married who and who had kids which was always obvious.

[gillikitty2000]

Originally Posted by oneinhufflepuff

What really irked me was the blatant favoritism Harry displayed to his children. First of all, he gets to name all three kids while Ginny doesn't get to name any of them something meaningful to her side of the the family. But second of all, Harry clearly favors one son over the other two children. And this is the son that "inherited Lily's eyes" but come on, that's hardly a reason to make him your favorite kid and saddle him with a really long and important name. The whole time I was just thinking, "WOW poor James and Lily!" lol.

I dont think it was to portray favortism. I just think it was because that one was going to Hogwarts so that is the one they were talking to because he was scared. We also dont know if James middle name was Fred or something although it could be Sirius. You also have to remember that Ginny knew both Albus Dumbledore and Serverus Snape sop maybe she agreed on that name. Also, she knew how much Harry's family ment to him and how much they helped him. It might have been her disicion for all we know to name them Lilly and James. Plus we dont know the middle name of either of these. We dont know it was her choice but we also dont know that it wasnt her choice. I bet that she did have a say in it seeing as they are her kids too.

I really liked the epiloge. Although it didnt tell us what happened to every character, it told us what each main character ended up with. Also, do we honestly need to know... though i know we would like to know what they all became. Harry had enough money to not work from the beginning and he probably got more for defeating Voldemort because he was the most wanted wizard ever. I wonder if he made it on a chocolate frog card.

[xambruzzix42]

i didn't expect that epilogue to be like it was. it was so weird. i thought it was going to be like a mini biography of all the living characters, from an author's point of view, and not an author through harry type thing.

i got confused too with all thsoe kids running around.
okay i get harry's were albus, james, and lily, and ron and hermione's were rose and hugo, and then draco's was scorpius [what a befitting name. don't you agree? it's perfect] but who was victoire, that girl teddy was snogging apparently? who else had kids? george, percy..? fleur and bill maybe? JKR should write another book lol. on the new generation.

[Pansy]

It wasn't enough for me. It was a nice little glimpse into the future, but really I was hoping for more of a little snipped of each and every character. Sorta like this, "Hagrid lived for many years and stayed on as Hogwards gamekeeper." or "Luna and Neville married and stayed on as teachers at Hogwarts" or something like that. Something more "matter of fact" letting you the full course of each and every character.

However, I've heard that JKR is considering drafting an enclycopedia, which would in effect do the same thing.

LOL at Harry and Ginny picking creepy names! Ron & Herminoe didn't do much better, except for Rose. LOL

[lepercaunman]

meh.. i didn't like it much.. for the last book, i was hoping the epilogue would tell what professions they took and what happened to everyone else

[Talenthief]

I thought it was a beautiful way to end the series. There was a desire to figure out what else happens to everyone else, but on the other hand it allows us to imagine for ourselves.

I have a feeling that there full names were:
James Arthur Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Molly Potter - so there could be some Weasley-ness in the names. Then again Ginny might have been a bit more sympathetic to Harry's naming suggestions simply because he never really had a family (and she had a big one).

Cheers,
Talen

[sapere_aude]

Originally Posted by rotsiepots

Honestly, I thought it was a little bit ... umm ... unnecessary? That's not the right word, I don't think, but I'm struggling to come up with a more appropriate one. I sort of felt it demystified too much, possibly. Or maybe I'm just too inarticulate at the moment to really describe how I feel? Anyone else?

Plus I thought Harry and Ginny's choice of names was slightly creepy!

That's about how I felt to a T. It reminded me of fanfiction (no offense to anyone of course) and I'd really have appreciated knowing what happened to the rest of the Weasley's, Luna and the rest of the bunch.

[Kadaj010]

Originally Posted by Dobby_Potter

I was just wondering...

For those that didn't like the Epilogue, like me...

Has it really bummed you out? Ever since I finished the book on Saturday, I've just been so depressed about it! Because she did say this was her last book, but who knows what the future holds. But assuming it is her last book, there is so much I really wanted to know... And I'm pretty upset with the way things ended It makes me dislike the book as a whole, although her writing in the rest of the book was of course brilliant for the most part (although there were some things I didn't like)... But overall I just feel depressed about it!

Yeah well, on the 18th of July she posted on her website that " In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING".

What a blatant lie that was. And the epilogue was a slap in the face.

[Pansy]

Originally Posted by xambruzzix42

ibut who was victoire, that girl teddy was snogging apparently?

I assumed she was Bill and Fleur's daughter - possibly conceived after the death of Voldemort!

[Mia_Potter]

Originally Posted by oneinhufflepuff

What really irked me was the blatant favoritism Harry displayed to his children. First of all, he gets to name all three kids while Ginny doesn't get to name any of them something meaningful to her side of the the family. But second of all, Harry clearly favors one son over the other two children. And this is the son that "inherited Lily's eyes" but come on, that's hardly a reason to make him your favorite kid and saddle him with a really long and important name. The whole time I was just thinking, "WOW poor James and Lily!" lol.

I didn't see it as Harry favoring Al at all. I saw it as Al was the one leaving home and he was the one who needed the attention right then. When James left for Hogwarts the first time I am sure Harry gave him the same kind of attention and he will do the same for Lily when it is her turn.

As for naming them we don't know who's idea it was to name each of them, for all we know Ginny suggested all the names and Harry agreed with her. I do hope someone named a child after Fred but IMO that name should have been reserved for George to use on a child of his so maybe Ginny didn't want to use any names on her side of the family? Plus if Bill, Charlie, Percy and George all had children before Ginny (and Ron) and they all used family names maybe there were no Weasley family names left that Ginny wanted to use? Plus Ginny's family is always there and around them while Harry's isn't and this was probably her way of giving Harry his family back to him.

[Talenthief]

Originally Posted by FaceofBoe

I quite liked it, personally. Rather than giving us a big list of occupations ("Luna's job was this, Charlie did this, blah blah blah"), she gave it emotional closure by showing Harry with his family. All the way back in PS, Harry longed more than anything for a family, to bring James and Lily and all their relatives back. But the dead are dead, and the epilogue focuses on the family Harry has built over the course of the series instead.

I also liked the line about Snape being the "bravest person Harry had ever met". Perfect closure for that relationship, too.

The style was indeed very different, but I liked that - it brought back memories of that innocence that PS had, the excitement of going to Hogwarts rather than the dread of what they're going to face.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with it. It was a nice little snippet of Harry's later life, but leaving lots of room to speculate on other characters, and what else happened during those 19 years.



Perhaps because he'd fallen out of love with Cho by the end of OotP?

I concur. That's all I can say. But then again I am a sap so the epilogue was glorius for me.

Cheers,
Talen

[oneinhufflepuff]

Originally Posted by Mia_Potter

I didn't see it as Harry favoring Al at all. I saw it as Al was the one leaving home and he was the one who needed the attention right then. When James left for Hogwarts the first time I am sure Harry gave him the same kind of attention and he will do the same for Lily when it is her turn.

As for naming them we don't know who's idea it was to name each of them, for all we know Ginny suggested all the names and Harry agreed with her. I do hope someone named a child after Fred but IMO that name should have been reserved for George to use on a child of his so maybe Ginny didn't want to use any names on her side of the family? Plus if Bill, Charlie, Percy and George all had children before Ginny (and Ron) and they all used family names maybe there were no Weasley family names left that Ginny wanted to use? Plus Ginny's family is always there and around them while Harry's isn't and this was probably her way of giving Harry his family back to him.

Okay, guys, but you have to admit Albus Severus is clearly set up as the "most important, most magical kid" if for nothing else because "he alone inherited Lily's eyes" and because we know about his middle name and he's named something along different lines than Lily and James.

And we just don't know about Ginny, but I suspect JKR just wanted to name the kids after Harry and didn't think about it too much. I don't think we were supposed to think about it, just assume that Harry naming his kids after his side was normal.

[62442al_Man]

I wasnt crazy about it. The names actually got a tad confusing, not enough to not understand, but still. I like the sincerity of it all, though, and it explains a ton:

Ginny and Harry get back together
Ginny and Harry get married
Ginny and Harry have three kids
Their kids are named after Albus, James, and Lily
James acts just like Harry's father, James
Lily got her hair but not her eyes
Albus got Lily's eyes, and looks most like Harry, and even acts like him too in the beginning
Harry is fulfilling his godfather duties to Teddy, Remus' and Tonks' child.

Hermione and Ron get together, finally, even more so...
Hermione and Ron got married
Hermione and Ron had two children
Ron learns to drive, and it seems they might be living amongst muggles

And a bit more.

Like some before may have said, it was very fan-fictiony. Perhaps a salute to the hundreds of thousands of fan fiction stories :P.

[The Obsesser]

My main feeling right now: I cannot believe that this is the chapter that Jo hid away for so long. Yes, it contains a lot of information about who lives, but we all knew that if they all lived, they'd end up with those people and have kids and stuff.

I cannot believe that Jo actually wrote this chapter years ago.

[bmephisto]

One more note on epilogue: I just realized we never heard of Dursleys after the beginning. This is horribly horribly wrong. I am actually quite ****** at this now. They were such a huge part of Harry's life out of Hogwarts... what was the point of Dudley repenting? I was hoping Voldemort would imprison them and then Harry would put his life on the line to save them, as much as they made his life a living hell, they DID let him stay in their house, and I feel like the fact that they just disappeared is inexcusable.

[Defyeverything]

I agree that it just sort of ENDED. It was like Voldemort fell to the ground and...nothing for 19 years. After all we been though with these characters I would have like to celebrate with them after it was all over. I agree that the names Harry choose..I liked Albus I thought it was fitting..but all the other one were a bit unrealistic because I don't know any wife that would let their husband name every child she had. I mean you carry the baby in your tummy for 9 months and then have to push it out every time and you don't get to pick at lest one name? I doubt that very much. I would have liked to see Teddy since we did meet him before any the new kids. I want to know what happened with the Dursleys because "Big D" seemed to be changing for the better at last. I'm dieing to know how George did after his twin died and the fact that he also had to live without an ear...that might be a big turn off to some girls. I'm upset that there was a lot of things we never got to find out about when Jo said we would.

[Infinity9999x]

Originally Posted by The Obsesser

I cannot believe that Jo actually wrote this chapter years ago.

I can, I think it shows. She's become a much better writer over the years, and you can tell that the epilogue is not one of her more recent pieces. It doesn't have the same polish that her more recent work does.

[lepercaunman]

yea.. not one mention of the dursleys.. you think there would be something there about harry and dudley
and agree with def, it sort of just ended...

[ID824]

ICK!!! Great concept, but what was with those kid's names? What happened to Grimmauld Place?