#hp question

Anyone having meta or ideas on why Severus had specifically been killed by a snake? Why would Voldemort, despite admitting that Severus had been a loyal servant to him and showing no signs of suspicion in his loyalty, decide to kill him in such a cruel way? And why Nagini, of all snakes?

Hi there!

Thank you! 🥰!

This is an interesting question. I'm quite sure that the wizarding world without Voldemort is at least not intended  as a dystopian world.

JKR states it clearly at the end. "All was well". It doesn’t matter that not everything is well not as I see it (cue the elves, cue Ron confunding a muggle, cue no evidence in canon about Hermione’s parents etc.) for JKR the wizarding world after Voldemort is good.

So, I think, if you look at it from the perspective of authorial intent it is clear that the wizarding world with Voldemort is a dictatorship with suprematist classist ideas carried to an extreme: Muggles and muggleborns are the inferior beings that can be enslaved. You could call this a dystopian society, or a dystopian mirror to society. I personally think that it is rather an allegory than a dystopia. Voldemort (and Grindelwald for that matter) and their ideas are ultimately rather based in classism than racism but their whole reign of terror clearly is inspired by racist and fascist regimes.

The thing is, it could have been better: JKR could have made more of the fact that the prejudides against muggles and muggleborns are inherent in the society, that other wizards and witches also believe that muggles are inferior even if they don’t think they should be enslaved or killed. If this would have been made clear, if the extremist blood supremacy ideas were clearly connected to the general prejudice and discrimination it would have been an excellent cautionary tale about how a society can slip into fascism.

Wizarding society without Voldemort can hardly be called a dystopia imho, and not because JKR did intend it to be just fine (when it isn’t). If you look beyond the authorial intent and look at what JKR described wizarding society after Voldemort is a still classist society that only got rid of the extremists, a deeply flawed society but not a dystopian one.

I think, if you look just at what JKR describes and not what she wants us to see it is actually a pretty good mirror for society: The inherent prejudices in wizarding society enable a fascist extremist group to come to power for a while and after they are defeated the society is back to a point where they all agree that killing muggles is a bit extreme. But the prejudices against elves, goblins, muggles, magical creatures etc. have not vanished over night with Voldemort and there is still a lot to do. My issue is with the fact that it is never addressed, that all is not in fact “well”.

I mean, I cut her some slack, it’s a children’s book and it can end with the big baddie being defeated. But would it have killed JKR to hint at the fact that the trio or others for that matter do something with the issues in their world twenty years later? In the books not just in some interviews. Let us meet Luna as magical creature activist in the epilogue with Hermione covering the legal aspects, let Dean teach muggle studies pre-Hogwarts, let Ron teach muggleborns how to fly pre-Hogwarts. Let Ron overcome some of his set opinions. Leave Harry alone, he has done enough (Head Auror is such a bad choice....). But show us that society changes. Instead she shows us that all is the same.... That is of course ultimately because classes are good as long as the better people are nice and king (this is JKR’s opinion, not mine). That everyone is with their school sweetheart is only a symptom of that lack of change. How I wish she had never written an epilogue.... This is the part of the book I really hate with a passion. I mean without the epilogue I could at least pretend that the issues in the wizarding world are addressed.

So, tldr: HP verse with Voldemort is rather an allegory for a fascist dictatorship than a dystopia. Without Voldemort it’s a deeply flawed society, but there is zero awareness of that fact, not on the characters’ side nor on the author’s. That is a mirror, not a dystopia as I understand the meaning of dystopia. And it’s a mirror that is not even intended as such.

like do they know you’re close to the school so they’re like hippity hoppity another soul a tragedy

or like they check where you’re from?? and if they do, and lets say your mix french and american, do they like have a battle between each other to see who keeps the student? okay im getting off topic.

or do you submit a letter? or check your age? what happens if you dont want to go to one school but to another?

if you’re born in britain they write your name directly, so they send at specific time when wizards/witches are ready, but what if you’rs living far

And who were Head Girl and Boy in 1998 (during 8th year/the year where everyone had a chance to re-do their last year)? 

During the trio’s actual 7th year (which they did not attend), I believe Draco would be Head Boy, considering that Snape was headmaster and that he actually was quite a good student and stuff, but Head Girl? Maybe Pansy? I feel like it would probably be like, Padma Patil if someone else (McGonagall) was Headmaster, but I can’t really see Snape choose someone in another house if there is an adequate canditate in his own house... 

I mean obviously Hermione would be Head Girl when returning to hogwarts for 8th/7th year, but who would be Head Boy? I guess it could have been Harry, but he didn’t actually go back to finish his education, so that doesn’t work... Could it be Neville? 

Holy sh!t I just of something. what happens if your an animagius bug and get smashed ?? So you just stay died in that form or do turn back human after death? If you change back what if you were on someone face or shoulder? What would that smashed body look like? Would it be murder or just accidental man slauter? 😮😮 so many questions