Potter Spoiler post

[dvandom]

After giving it some thought, I think I've managed to crystallize what bothered me about the "19 years later" epilogue to Deadly Hallows.

In terms of the Big Three, it says next to nothing about their actual accomplishments in life after the war, focusing instead on their children. The only non-kid-based accomplishments we get to hear about is that Ron just got his drivers license, with the implication Harry got his already. While a fair amount about Wizard/Muggle relations can be read into that fact, it's still not a lot. Even an off-hand remark like, "How's life in the Ministry?" or "Ginny still keeping up with (area of study)?" would have been nice. We know none of the Big Three are currently teaching at Hogwarts (and that Neville is Professor of Herbology) because they're not going to see the kids until the holidays, but not if they did a stint earlier, or have aspirations to do so later.

The implication it that the only things they've done since the war worth noting were marry and have kids. Yes, yes, you can make the philosophical point that on the scale of "defeating Voldemort," that bringing new life to the world is the only other thing they could do that even wiggles the needle, but it's a 800 page book! Surely there was enough room to add a few lines here and there without straining the credibility of natural dialogue or smooth narrative. Give some idea what Harry, Ron and Hermione do for a living (Ginny, we can safely assume, is a homemaker in the mold of her mother). Maybe a hint at whether Draco has been trying to redeem the family name, or just hiding in the corners hoping no one will hit him. Throw a bone to some of the other second tier characters like Luna or Hagrid, who we can only make inferences about based on their lack of mention (i.e. why ask the kid to give their love to Neville and not Hagrid, unless Hagrid's no longer at Hogwarts? Is Luna absent because she simply didn't have kids until a few years later, or is she a spinster, or did she leave the country, etc.? That sort of thing). The final "all was well" implies none of the left-out characters met horrible fates post-war, at least. Or that if they did, it was after they lost touch with Harry.

All said, it really didn't put much of a bow on the story unless you think that there really isn't anything important they could have done afterward aside from have kids, a sort of FOOBy ending. In fact, it really reads more like a prelude to Albus Potter and the Sequel of Moneymaking. Which I wouldn't mind so much if it were a little more up front about it, instead of pretending to be an epilogue rather than a prelude.

(Aside: we did get one amusing character moment off-screen, at least. Teddy "not Ruxpin" Lupin clearly takes after his father in terms of preferring younger women, since he's 19-20 years old and snogging Bill and Fleur's still-attending-Hogwarts daughter. Heh.)