Mugglenet.com's Harry Potter Should Have Died - Emerson Spartz [30]
Of course, she’s not perfect. She has no love for any children but her own and gives Harry a tongue-lashing about his chances of survival. She also tricks Snape into making an Unbreakable Vow to finish off Dumbledore, which is not nice considering he was so chivalrous to her. But, in the end, she wants to save Draco’s life so much in DH that she lies to the Dark Lord, telling him that Harry is dead when she knows he is alive. Her only goal is to get back to Hogwarts and see Draco again. Narcissa shows unexpected strength and courage under torture from Voldemort, and she has the right family values to bring down the Dark Lord. Like her cousins Regulus and Sirius, and her sister Andromeda, Narcissa symbolizes all the good things about the Noble and Most Ancient house of Black. She turns out to be semilikable—who would have expected that?
Dudley Dursley
No one expected any changes in Harry’s cousin Dudley Dursley, since he’s been beating up on Harry all his life while growing up on Privet Drive. He is the classic big bully and kids like him don’t change, right? Well, think again. Whether Dudley changes because the Dementor nearly sucks out his soul in OotP, or just because he is growing up, we find out in DH that he actually cares about Harry. How can this be true?
Hasn’t the Big D always put himself first? He is the essence of selfish stupidity and gluttony and the biggest juvenile delinquent on the playground. Wouldn’t he be glad to know that his rival cousin Harry is out of his life forever? Apparently not. When Aunt Petunia is ready to walk away from Harry in DH without a backward glance, Dudley actually shows some decency and waits to say goodbye to his cousin, plus he thanks him for saving his life a few years before in OotP. It is one of the most touching scenes in the books, and it’s a complete surprise. Harry can’t believe what he is hearing—Dudley has a heart after all. It’s a jaw-dropping moment—who would have thought it was possible?
Verdict
Mad-Eye Moody surprises even his old friend Dumbledore when he turns out to be Barty Jr. in disguise. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, and his mother Narcissa are those rare Slytherins who chose love over power. Dudley Dursley is the idiotic bully who suddenly seems sorry for his cousin Harry in a rare display of emotion. Who surprised readers the most? Most believe there is some good in everybody, so Draco, Narcissa, and Dudley are out of the running. Many people—us included—predicted Snape’s true mission. So Snape is out, too. While each of these characters teach Harry not to judge someone by outward appearances, Barty Crouch Jr. surprises even Dumbledore. Verdict: Nobody could have predicted Barty Crouch Jr.’s identity; he is the most surprising character in the books.
Should the love potion Amortentia be illegal?
Yes!
The powerful elixir of love known as Amortentia should be banned from the wizarding world for a very good reason—the only thing it does is make someone fall in love against their will. That’s why the Merope Riddle story in HBP is so pathetically sick: She used Amortentia to trick her Muggle boyfriend, Tom, into marrying her, and then kept him drugged up for the entire time they were together. Dumbledore refers to the relationship as a form of enslavement. No one knows exactly where Merope got the idea. It’s possible that Amortentia had been used for arranged pureblood marriages through the centuries. Otherwise, how would nasty people such as her father, Marvolo Gaunt, ever find a wife? But that doesn’t make it right, and it should not be legal.
Merope’s love is one-sided, and Tom Riddle Sr. has no choice in the matter—the potion completely takes over his mind. That’s not very different from the Imperius Curse, which Harry learns in GoF is an illegal spell that gives a wizard total control over another person. Similarly, Amortentia takes away a person’s free will and ability to make decisions. It’s true that Merope tries to give Tom his freedom when she finds