Q: "Do you believe that good always overcomes evil?"
A: "That depends on what you mean by 'overcomes.' But as long as people are prepared to keep fighting ... it's amazing how small acts of kindness can add up, just living in a moral way, treating other people kindly."
Article about Rowling’s visit with schoolchildren in New Orleans, Louisiana:
Writer J.K. Rowling held 1,600 New Orleans public school students in a state of rapt attention Thursday as she read and signed copies of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” during a promotional appearance at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center …
The decision to include New Orleans in her three-city U.S. tour is part of an ongoing commitment by her publisher, Scholastic Inc., to help fund the Gulf Coast Recovery effort for schools and libraries. In addition to providing books for the students in attendance, Scholastic donated 10,000 copies to area public schools and 100 sets of the books to the New Orleans Public Library.
Interesting facts and notes
"I very consciously wanted to show what is one of the great evils of war, which is that totally innocent people are slaughtered," Rowling told the children. "Another great evil of war is that children lose their families."
Students also asked about the fate of favorite characters. Rowling told them that she thought Luna Lovegood, one of her favorites, became a great naturalist, "though I don't knew whether she ever found any Crumple-horned Snorkacks."
Cho Chang? "Cho married a Muggle."
[One child] asked what advice Rowling could give students who wanted to write, especially if their grades weren't the best.
"If you'd seen my grades in chemistry..." Rowling said. "That's why Snape teaches Potions."
Then, after the audience groaned, she said, "Don't say awwww! He deserved it! We can all think of teachers we'd like revenge on."
New Orleans students give Rowling a rousing welcome