Not My Canon!

WTF: Harry

Harry Potter

This is the last post because it was, by far, the most difficult to write. Harry Potter represented someone all of us could aspire to become. Harry was far from perfect, but he was what the story needed. Most Potterheads would agree that, although there were details we may have wanted to change about him in the end, Harry's story was finished. And finished well. Bringing him back was a risk. Telling an eighth story was a perilous challenge. The potential... There was SO much potential.

The overture of the seven books was wonderful. The curtain was rising again, and the finale of the eighth could have been spectacular.

It wasn't.

8th Story

I've said this before.

It bears repeating.

JKR and Co. made Harry Potter a minor character in his own damn finale. You can't be a minor character when your damn name is in the damn title. Off the bat, you lost me.

Harry's Skills

Giving him a wand doesn't make him a wizard. This play offered up a cheap imitation of Harry. He was a joke during the fight against Draco, and then a pathetic doormat when he had to face Delphi.

He moves to attack her again. But she is far stronger. HARRY's wand ascends upwards towards her. He is disarmed. He is helpless.

DELPHI: You think you're stronger than me?

HARRY: No. I'm not.

This is Harry we're talking about. Able to master the Patronus Charm at 14, leader of Dumbledore's Army, youngest winner of the Triwizard Tournament, vanquisher of the Basilisk, destroyer of Lord Voldemort on multiple occasions, Auror and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. But, nah...he's weaker than that one girl who never went to magic school. Because reasons.

Screw. You.

Emasculation and Reduction

He's gonna bring up the blanket, isn't he?

Yep.

The baby blanket is tangible proof that JKR phoned a bunch of this in. The fact that Harry used to hug the baby blanket anytime he was worried and needed good luck...? What? First of all, that never happened all the times he was worried during seven long novels and eight movies. Second, Harry is an adult man...hugging his baby blanket? COME ON! You just made Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the one who took down numerous enemies, stared down Aunt Marge and Dolores Umbridge... You just retconned him to be a freaking weakling most of his life, weeping into a baby blanket!!

Forget about that vault of gold coins, no all Harry wanted from Mom and Dad was his bwankie.

It never mattered. The blanket NEVER MATTERED. Aunt Petunia would've tossed it in the trash at her earliest opportunity. It's mentioned in the 2nd chapter of book 1. Then, it's never mentioned again. Ever! I could see... maybe... an eleven-year-old still caring about his baby blanket and holding it on Halloween for comfort. Maybe. But not an adult! What is your damage, Thorne? Like, Harry didn't give it to his firstborn when James was younger. Which means what? Was it too hawd for Hairwee to give up Bwankie?

I understand wanting to put your hero through challenges they've never experienced, even to drastically alter established characteristics for the sake of developing them further, but why in the name of all that is Weasley would a writer choose to emasculate their hero? So...are we to assume that Harry rushed up to the dormitories to suck his thumb and cuddle with Bwankie after he took down Voldemort? Hahaha