What is the biggest mistake that J.K. Rowling made with Harry Potter?
Storywise?
J.K. made one giant mistake with the ending that has always bothered me.
Okay, so you mean to tell me, that following the defeat of Voldemort, Harry decided to follow through with his plans to become an Auror?
Let’s clear this up. So, for almost his entire life, Harry lived under the threat of Lord Voldemort and his followers. He lost his family and friends, witnessed his government fall to Death Eater control, and lives on the run for a whole year. By his own admission, Harry admits his own survival is based only on luck and the skill of others.
So following Voldemort’s final defeat, he decides, “hey, that was a blast! For a paycheck, I’ll go work for the government I don’t trust, hunting evil wizards, and also, if ever I am disarmed, the person that does it becomes the master of the Elder Wand!”
He even outright states that he intends to die undefeated to break the magic of the Elder Wand… so why choose a profession that is among the most dangerous available in the Wizarding World?
DUMB!
Harry should have become a teacher. He proved with the D.A. that his calling was education. He was an inspiring leader who found the best in others and fostered their growth. He helped mold Neville from a cowardly almost squib in to the hero that ran at Lord Voldemort with a sword when all hope seemed lost. Teaching would have allowed him to remain at his true home, Hogwarts, until the day he retired. He could have honoured the men he admired most, Dumbledore, Lupin, and (eventually) Snape, and not fallen in to the fate that befell his father and Sirius, who lived and died in a war they could never walk away from.
Look, I understand he wanted to be an Auror, and McGonagall famously swore he would become one. But his actions throughout the series demonstrated that Harry’s skill was in inspiring the best in others, not fighting Dark Wizards. Plus, after a lifetime of terror, Harry deserved a peaceful life. He could have eventually replaced McGonagall as Headmaster. Imagine Harry is his twilight years, in the office that used to be Dumbledore’s, watching over the school he loved, keeping an eye out for any future Dark Wizards in the making and steering them towards a better way.
Also, if we do need a character to become an Auror, why not Neville? He would be following in his parent’s footsteps, the path of his own hero, Mad Eye Moody (admittedly Barty Crouch in disguise, details) and facing facts, despite his character growth, Neville’s time at Hogwarts was not great.
But then, maybe I’m biased. Teachers rule!
EDIT
This information was not revealed through the books, but through interviews, Pottermore, and… The Cursed Child…
Also... please read the books. The Elder Wand was not destroyed, it was placed back in Dumbledore’s Tomb. Snapping it in two was a more logical choice, but by the book canon, not the one that was made.