As Dumbledor is already dead, if two of them have to die, there is a 40 per cent chance of

Harry dying.

And when asked about whether Harry and Hermione will be together, Rowling said we must not assume both of them survive. Rowling also once said that Harry Potter's death would be a good way to make sure no one can continue the Harry Potter series.

The Harry Potter series is not only for children - the idea that good will always triumph and the ending will be happy may not prevail. There is no guarantee that Harry would survive because of justice.

In almost every classic series of books, the main character dies in the end. The Sherlock Holmes series is a good example, as the detective dies in The Final Problem. The character is revived in later books, but only because the writer wanted to continue the series.

If Rowling really wants to end the Harry Potter series, there's no way she would let Harry live.

Remember Harry once told Dumbledore that if he cannot kill Voldemort, he will perish together with him. I don't believe Harry will be able to kill Voldemort after the death of Dumbledore - the only man Voldemort is afraid of. If Harry can read Voldemort's mind, he must contain part of Voldemort's spirit. He might have to kill himself to rid the world of Voldemort's evil.

Phoenix Lee Ching-kwan, 18

Tin Ka Ping Secondary School

No. For the sake of her young readers, I don't believe J.K. Rowling will kill Harry. As we come to the end of the series, some think it's time to let this young wizard go. After all, a tragic ending will probably make this series more legendary. But is killing Harry the only way out?

'Death is an extremely important theme throughout all seven books,' Rowling has said. But that doesn't mean Harry must be the one to die. The death of any of the main characters would bring the series to a climax. It could be Hagrid or anyone else.

Harry is the soul of the series. No one wishes for his demise even though it might make the book a masterpiece. Harry is neither Spiderman nor Superman. We have all shared his life as he has grown from a boy to a teenager. He is like a family member. It would be too painful to witness his death.

Besides, it is a children's series. There is no way a good wizard should die. Even if Harry perishes with Voldemort, it won't be a good ending as it means all his efforts were in vain.

Some say Harry can be used as an example to teach children about death. This is a ridiculous idea. Death is a serious topic - how could we use an imaginary character to explain such a solemn topic to children? Children need to distinguish between reality and fantasy - we can't mix them.

Rowling once said she might kill Harry so that no other author could write sequels. But this is not a convincing reason to kill him.

I don't think Rowling would be so ruthless.