Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is hinting that Harry could die in the forthcoming seventh and final volune in the series. If it does happen, many fans of the series are likely to be sad or outraged. When Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes, the outcry from fans was so great that the author eventually brought Holmes back. Perhaps the same thing will happen with Rowling if she does indeed end up killing Harry.

It is interesting that avid readers often identify so strongly with fictional characters that they seem more real \than most of the people we known in real life. Certainly, after reading the six previous Harry Potter books, I feel like I know Harry, Ron, and Hermione better than many of my real-world acquaintances.

In the article linked above, Rowling also suggests that at least two major characters that readers sympathize with will die in the seventh book. If you want to speculate on who they will be, comment away!

Meanwhile, see this website for some short forthcoming articles on "Harry Potter and the Law." And if you are a true law maven/Harry Potter fan, make sure to check out law professor Benjamin Barton's Michigan Law Review article on "Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy."