HP parallels: A Meta Discussion

c-is-for-circinate:

So, I was watching Order of the Phoenix on cable while reading Deathly Hallows the other day, because it was just that sort of a weekend, and it got me thinking about a particular bit of meta I’d heard around: that the HP books don’t do parallels as a cycle so much as a parabola.  IE, Book 1 parallels Book 7, and 2 with 6, etc, with 4 as the turning point, where Voldemort comes back and everything changes.

The more I look at it, the more parallels I find to support the idea, both big thematic ones and little ones.  I know I’m missing a bunch, though, so I thought I’d throw this imcomplete list out there for general discussion and see what pops up!

Philosopher’s Stone and Deathly Hallows

• Beginnings/endings (obviously)
• Life/death/immortality are enormous themes
• There’s a rock that can defeat death in some way
• Somebody robs Gringotts/there is a thing with dragons
• Anything else that can’t just be attributed to first-and-last-ing?

Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince

• Who is the Heir of Slytherin vs. who is the Half-Blood Prince
• Lockhart vs Slughorn, vanity, self-service
• Meet the first horcrux (diary)/learn what horcruxes are

Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix

• Themes of newspapers, reports, what you’re told vs what’s true
• Dementors/dementor attacks
• Harry uses underage magic before school starts
• The Marauders running around Hogwarts in secret vs the DA
• Protect The Children

I know there’s more, especially between CoS and HBP.  It’s also interesting to me how many of these things can be found in GoF but not other books–dragons, for instance, show up in PS, GoF, and DH, but don’t really have a presence anywhere else, do they?  And Rita Skeeter fits right in with the propaganda machines of PoA and OotP.