More on Fates of Hagrid and Lupin from J. K. Rowling “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” DVD Interview

Nov 03, 2011

Posted by: EdwardTLC

JKR Interviews

As a followup to today’s earlier post, more information from author J. K. Rowling about the fates of characters from special material included on the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” DVD has been released care of MTV. This new information comes from a report on EW which details more from a conversation the Harry Potter author had with actor Dan Radcliffe for the DVD. Here, Ms. Rowling explains how she came to the decision of the fates of Hagrid and Lupin and how her thoughts on the characters were altered as she wrote the books. Quoteage:

Rowling tells Radcliffe that the image of Hagrid cradling “dead” Harry ” a bookend to the beginning of the series, when Hagrid brought infant Harry to the Dursleys ’ stuck with her the entire time she wrote the books and she never let it go. If she had, Rowling says Hagrid would have been a “natural” target for elimination. “That image kept him safe,” she says.

Rowling also reveals that in her original “sketch” (her word) of the series climax, one of the most beloved characters in the Potter canon survived: Remus Lupin ” tragic werewolf, former Defense Against The Dark Arts professor, and husband to the metamorphmagus and auror, Nymphadora Tonks… The seventh book tells us that before their deaths during the Battle of Hogwarts, Lupin and Tonks had a child. On the DVD, Rowling shares with Radcliffe that when she created Lupin’s character, she planned for him to survive the finale. While the author has said as much in other interviews, here, she elaborates, explaining that she changed her mind when she realized that her last Harry Potter story was really about war, and that “one of the most horrifying things about war is how it leaves children fatherless and motherless.” The most powerful way she could dramatize that idea, she says, was to kill a set of parents that were dear to readers. “I had no intention of killing [Lupin]’ says Rowling. “But then it dawned on me he had to die.”

The full interview is set to be included as part of the special features on the Blu-ray edition of the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” scheduled for release on November 11 in the US and December 2nd in the UK.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.