Did Lavender die?

[birdsofshore]

This has been puzzling me lately.

In Deathly Hallows it says:

"Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground a grey blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen. "NO!" shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown. He hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet. Then, with a bright white flash and a crack, a crystal ball fell on top of his head, and he crumpled to the ground and did not move."

So, "feebly stirring" to me, meant that she was injured, perhaps seriously injured, but not dead. When I read it, I expected her to get medical treatment after the Battle was over, and that she would survive.

Then, when I saw the film version of Deathly Hallows, I noticed that it looks as if Lavender is killed by Greyback during the attack. You could argue she is unconscious, or paralysed, but she does look dead. However I just passed it off as either a) making her look more seriously injured to be dramatic, or b) one of those things where the films differ from the books. I don't count film canon as superceding book canon, in any case.

However, when I went to Harry Potter Wiki to check something, (yes, yes, I know it's not exactly the most pre-eminent source, but where else do I look?) they are quite certain that Lav is dead:

"Immediately after the attack, she was seen feebly stirring, but later died from her injuries."

They cite Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey as the source for this. I do actually own this book, and it's lovely, but it's freaking massive and I am not trawling through it at the moment to see on whose say-so Lavender allegedly died.

Now, I've seen Lavender alive and kicking in several fanfics lately. I don't want her to be dead. For one thing, I really quite like her, and also, I want to put her in my fic. I know it doesn't matter what Harry Potter Wiki says. If Snape can be resurrected in fic, I am sure Lavender can. But it's annoying me. Hands up who thinks Lavender is still alive at the end of Deathly Hallows? I mean, if you think that's what JKR intended, not just your own personal head canon.

Also, if she's alive, then she's a werewolf, I presume? Or did I get that wrong? Where are all the Were!Lav fics? Probably in those dark and scary comms I never go to. Or is being a werewolf now just one of those annoying little things that we don't mention in polite company, like having a verruca or something?

Come and tell me all the things about Lavender, I beg you!

Comments

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Somehow I totally missed that scene from the movie! I always thought she survived - I kinda liked Lavender ♥

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

I have seen a variety of fics where Lavender is in all sorts of states of existence. She dies, she lives (I've seen her paired with George and Seamus), and where she has some sort of affect from Greyback's attack, bet it full-on were or more Bill-esque effects. There seems to be a decent amount of Hermione and Lavender make-up scenes.

Off the top of my head, here is a partial-Were!Lav fic (written by the fabulous Pinky Brown): Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Author’s summary: This story follows immediately on from the events of Pub Crawl and my first fic to focus on someone other than Ron. In the aftermath of the war, Seamus and Lavender find that a friend makes all the difference, especially when they come with benefits.

ETA: Personally, I feel that the books are vague enough so that she could either have lived or died.

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

I was definitely not in any doubt about her surviving until I saw the film, and then I thought "OH, you think THAT...? Did I read it wrong, or....?" THIS.

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

I rarely let little details like supposed 'canon death' interfere with what I want to write. *shrugs* Hehe.

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

After all, we are writing fanFICTION, not fan historically proven facts. ♥

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

I like your take on secondary canon. For me, the books are the books are canon. Period. JK's statements are more like "This is how I imagine things turn out. Play with it as you will." When writing, I tend to stick to canon, or veer from a specific point, all while keeping this particular view of canon in my head. There is just so much wiggle room to play in; it's wonderful. For Lavender, her death is ambiguous and I feel like it's a "Do with this as you will situation." Severus...I'm mixed. His 'death' is something I just literally cannot accept, so even less-plausibly-drawn-out scenarios will get my OK. But he just fucking lives.

Edited to make my quotations match.

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

This moment has the same significance for me. However (hypothetically, of course :P), wouldn't it be interesting to explore Hermione's grief if she wasn't able to save Lavender? O_o

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Oooh... ♥ I'd never thought of that before. What a beautiful point.

[dannyfranx.livejournal.com]

I think if you want her to be alive for her story put her in you story. I was struggling with this myself the other day. I wanted to write something set immediately after the war, but any way i cut it it was way more angsty than I wanted it to be because of Fred and because of the destruction of Andromeda's family. In the end Nat encouraged me to say fuck it. So now Fred and Tonks are alive and I am unrepentant. If I can do that to Fred and Tonks who are not even slightly ambiguous then you can definitely use Lavender.

[birdsofshore]

Hahaha, Lego canon!

I found the discussion you referenced, torino, in case anyone else would like to read it: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Lavender_Brown
Many people basically saying what we've said. And wiki saying, uh uh, we don't care.

[birdsofshore]

I'm just sneaking her into a fic at the moment, but I'd love to try writing more about her at some point. I agree she is interesting and I have a lot of admiration for her!

[birdsofshore]

Ah, that's a really sad reading of it. It's very bleak to think of her dying in pain and untended.

I don't think JKR has ever commented on it, because interview canon usually gets quoted widely, and that isn't happening here.

I think Harry would have noticed ALL of the dead, I really do. Even if his focus was on his close friends.

[birdsofshore]

LOL!

We all have our foibles, can't argue with that!

[birdsofshore]

I'm glad you brought the full moon into it. I don't think Greyback had transformed, but again canon reads slightly ambiguously.

[birdsofshore]

YES! Wonderfully expressed!

[birdsofshore]

Don't worry, it's only the movie! Book!Lavender lives!

[birdsofshore]

Yes to all the above. "To me, the films are just a fan work". This expresses it very well!

"I imagine Poppy was rushing casting healing spells instead of Curses. Someone had the time to line up the dead, so surely they were dealing with the wounded."

yes, yes, of course!

[birdsofshore]

auuugh. Oh no.

[birdsofshore]

Yes! I'm always happy to read stories with resurrected characters myself. I don't really have any qualms about writing Lavender as alive. It just rankled with me that it was a definitive statement she was dead, when it's open to interpretation.

[birdsofshore]

You're right, it would be quite feasible to show her either dead or alive after the battle. You could explain what happened after we see her attacked by Greyback, and it wouldn't be at all unbelievable to show her dying later from her injuries. What annoys me are the wesbites stating this definitely happened.

Thank you for the Were!Lav rec! Partial-were!Lav sounds very intriguing.

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

I just love that she's this hyper-feminine, very girly GRYFFINDOR who fights just as fiercely as anyone else.

[nenne.livejournal.com]

I always thought she survived. The movies have had so many changes and rewrites that I don't count them as canon.

[drarryxlover.livejournal.com]

It is sad, and I acknowledge that but I just don't know how she could have survived. And this may sound odd but I like the idea that not every death was easy, and as painless as AK implies. Like Fred and Sirius died, kindly (for want of a better word)and I think that gives the impression that death, like magic, is easy. And in that sense, for me, Lavender's death is something messy, and bloody and difficult.

Ah, then god only knows where I read it!

What I meant was I think he would have noticed the dead, but because the books are from his POV and his focus was on Lupin, Tonks and Fred we, readers, didn't get to see her body. Does that make more sense?

[birdsofshore]

Yes, that does make sense. And I understand what you are saying about some deaths not being easy, and that it's emotionally satisfying.

[birdsofshore]

I know just what you mean. It's good to hear a lot of people agree that Lavender survived!