Fans Gather at Phoenix Rising for “Harry’s Last Dance”

May 27, 2007

Posted by: EdwardTLC

Uncategorized

The St. Petersburg Times has an extensive piece about Phoenix Rising, the Harry Potter conference that took place last week in New Orleans. They are reporting that the event “drew about 1,000 participants to New Orleans” and throughout the weekend, people dressed in wizard attire took part in Quidditch games, wizard rock concerts and “discussed the psychology, symbolism and structure of Rowling’s novels.” According to the article, no discussion seemed to draw as many people or as much interest, as panels on Severus Snape.

The plenary session, the biggest discussion of the conference, is “Snape: Friend or Foe?” Hundreds fill the ballroom to hear a six-person panel talk about Severus Snape, Hogwarts’ mysterious professor of Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Snape’s real motives in the fate of Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince are as hotly debated as his own destiny in Deathly Hallows. The final question to the panel: Will Snape — not Harry — live or die?

The three Snape devotees all believe he will die, probably sacrificing himself to save Harry.

The Snape haters all say he will live.

One participant from the panel was quoted as saying: “J.K. Rowling is all about love. Harry Potter is white, Voldemort is black, and Snape is the eternal gray.” However, the debate over whether Harry Potter lives or dies, concludes in fewer shades of gray when the question is asked.

“Whether educated guess or wish, it’s almost always: He lives.”

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