Some Answers...

[NEW!] jessa asked: Will there be a sequel?

JK has said their would not be a sequel, but never say never.

[NEW!] nicoole kathleen asked: Severus was people whom killed dumbledore as his (dumbledore) command, doesn't he?

No, Severus killed Dumbledore. Draco defeated him, but did not kill him.

[NEW!] nicoole kathleen asked: What is draco's wife's name?

Unknown, JK has delibertly not stated Draco's wife's name. Rest assured she is a pureblood of impeccable lineage.

[NEW!] nicoole kathleen asked: How did Draco defeat Dumbledore?

Mostly by luck and good timing. He was at the right place at the right time when he disarmed Dumbledore.

[NEW!] Davina asked: Where is nurmengard?

Unknown... The details of Nurmengard, who runs the prison, another other prisoners is not known.

[NEW!] Sujata.k.nair asked: What is Prof. Snape birthdate?

9th January, 1960.

Died: June 1998.

[NEW!] pooja.k.nair asked: When is dumbledore's birthday and what is his zodiac sign?

Best estimates are that Dumbledore was born around 1840. The exact day is unknown

[NEW!] the half blood asked: On page 330 in book 7, Hermionie said that there was something in the bushes at Godric's Hollow by the graveyard. What was in there?

Nagini

[NEW!] Dark Lord asked: Did Dumbledore has son or daughter.

No, Dumbledore is gay and never fathered children.

[NEW!] jasmine asked: Victoire is Bill and Fleur's daughter,isn't she?

Yes

[NEW!] jasmine asked: How could Draco behave the elder wand?

You are confusing being master of the wand and physical possession of the wand. Draco was master of the wand, because he defeated Dumbledore,

Voldemort physically possessed the wand because he took it from Dumbledores casket. But he was not its master.

[NEW!] vikki asked: in the epilogue it says that "after 19 years". Then how come ted is still in hogwarts. Hogwarts provides only seven years of magical education. Ted was born when voldemort was killed.that means in the epilogue he is 19. Isn't that a mistake?

Only if he is going to school as a student? He can be a teacher or just wishing her off at the platform.

[NEW!] The heir of Gryffindor asked: What happened to the ressuruction stone? If it was found, does anyone ever conquer death?

Yes, Harry conquered death. By accepting death he was no longer a slave to the fear of death. Fear of something is often worse than the thing itself. Because of acceptance and the possession of the stone, Harry had the choice to return to the world of living when Voldemort "killed" him in the woods. Voldemort never understood that to make a choice, often times you have to met certain requirements.

[NEW!] The half-blood asked: Did all the remaining Deatheaters go to Azkaban except for the Malfoys?

Yes, those that survived the battle of Hogwarts, which there was only a few.

[NEW!] The half-blood asked: Who killed Rufus Srimgeor?

While JK doesn't specifically say, it was likely Voldemort himself. We know he was tortured to find Harry's location, I image Voldemort would not let anyone but himself have that pleasure.

[NEW!] Beka asked: Did Albus Dumbledor kill his sister Ariana?

JK has positioned her writing and responses to this question so that the truth will never be known. I would like to think that he did not and that Grindelwald was the actual killer. However, it is important to understand that Albus was responsible despite not having fired the killing spell himself.

[NEW!] Multiple asked: What happened to the LeStranges after Voldemort died?

The technical answer is nothing. They died before he did. Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix and Rodolphus died after/during the fight with Tonks and Lupin.

[NEW!] The half-blood asked: Who killed Colin Creavey?

It is unknown who killed Colin. I suspect based on the irony of death JK often used, that he would have been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.

[NEW!] The half-blood asked: Is Fenrir Greyback an Animagus or a true werewolf?

Fenrir is a true werewolf.

[NEW!] MARKO BG asked: Does Voldemort ever see his parents?

Yes and no. His mother died when he was born so technically he probably saw her, but wouldn't remember it. His father he met very briefly when he was killing him.

[NEW!] Multiple people asked: Is it true that Dumbledore is gay?

Yes. Jo has confirmed that he is in fact, gay.

[NEW!] Multiple people asked: How was Harry able to Kill Voldemort? How did he die?

This is not as simple an question as it seems. While, Harry manages to kill Voldemort in Book 7, the real question is after trying multiple times, how was he able to succeed this time. The answer comes down to really two events, the first is Harry successfully becoming the master of all three Horcruxes. This happens when he opens the snitch on the way into the forbidden forest. He was already the master of the cloak (from his father), the wand (as he defeated the true master of the wand, Draco) and the ring (which was hidden in the snitch). The second event was his not fighting Voldemort in the forest. He was already master of death and willing to accept the necessity of his own death to win. Had he fought at this point, and lost, Voldemort would have become master of the wand. So he didn't Voldemort of course took the bait, and killed not Harry, but instead the Horcux (portion of his own soul) in Harry. This resulted in Harry ending up the "fake" Kings Cross station with Dumbledore. Because Harry was the master of death, he had the option that was not available to ordinary people, he could go back. Which he did.

Then his choices become tricky. While he alive and had willingly "died" for others, this only gave him protection against Voldemort, not the other death eaters. And the snake Horcux still existed. So Harry played dead. Once Neville had killed the snake Harry was able to start to act. By the time Voldemort stood alone, Harry could safely become visible again. Had he acted early, surely Bellitrix would have dueled him and probably won. In most respects, she was nearly Voldemorts equal.

With the dust settling, and only Voldemort remaining, Harry could safely emerge. But even then the situtation was in doubt. Voldemort had an out. Had he chosen the path of remorse, he would have succeeded. He did not, he chose power and vengence, to which Harry was immune. He was the master of death and of Voldemorts wand. And how did he defeat him, by a disarming spell. Not through killing him, hurting him, commanding him or any other show of strength, but instead by simply acting to take away Voldemorts source of strength. Note that Harry's spell worked and the wand flew out of Voldemort's hand, while Voldemort's own killing curse rebounded and he had no Horcrux to flee to.

Benjamin asked: Is Stan Shunpike a real Death Eater or is he just under the imperius curse?

Imperius curse. The "curiously blank face" that he had was often a symption seen by imperiused people.

anyamaene ifechukwu asked: What happened to Voldemort? How do we know he was vanquished?

While it is JK Rowlings perogative to bring him back. She has said (see answers below) that he is in fact dead.

Dragonrider asked: What were the seven horcruxes?

They were: 1) Tom Riddles diary (destroyed by Harry using basilisk fang), 2) Nagini the snake (beheaded by Neville), 3) Marvolo Gaunt's ring which had Cadmus Peverell's Resurrection Stone mounted on it (broken by Dumbledore), 4) Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem (destroyed by Fiendfyre) 5) Salazar Slytherin's locket (destroyed by Ron using sword of Gryffindor) 6) Helga Hufflepuff's cup (destroyed by Hermoine using basilisk fang) 7) Harry Potter (the horcux portion was destroyed by Voldemort's killing curse). By using Harry's blood in returning to his body, Voldemort couldn't kill Harry, the horcrux had no such protection.

lea dawn asked: How many children do Ron and Hermoine have?

Two, Rose and Hugo.

lea dawn asked: Who does Draco marry?

Jo has never indicated whom Draco marries, although all indications would be from an old pure blood family.

Ameya asked: When are the next two movies do to be released?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 21 November 2008
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: In 2010, the actual date is not yet decided.

Benjamin asked: As Harry was the desendant of the youngest Peveral and Tom Riddle was the desendant of the 2nd youngest,who was the desendant of the oldest,the one with the elder wand ?

While Jo has never publically stated, I would expect that the oldest brother who was more prone to fighting, managed to kill himself off before having any decendents. People who try to have the biggest, baddest weapon on the block tend to die young.

Benjamin asked: Was Peter Petigrew in Gryffindor? Ron said in the first book that only Slyterin house had all the dark wizards that came from Hogwarts. Is this true?

Peter was sorted into Gryffindor. Ron's statement was a blanket statement, just as Harry could have been in Slytherin so is true of Peter. Blanket statements made by people tend to have holes in them, both in real life and definitely in novels (as they tend to be plot devices to divert your attention).

Marko asked: Does Snape love Harry?

A question to be endlessly debated. I think the answer is both yes and no. Snapes sense of "love" and loyality is twisted. So in his own particular way and by his standards, he does love him to a degree. Is it more loyality than true selfless love? Probably. By Harry's standard's, no. I think that Harry see's Snape as devoted to him because of love of his mother and not, by his standards, love. But on the same token, Harry understands that loyality and after the Battle of Hogwart's, when he learns and understands Snape's true intent, his hidden feelings and the life he lived and death he died for Harry, learns to forgive and return the loyality to Snape.

Marko asked: Why did Voldemort kill snape?

Good question. The simpliest answer is Voldemort believed that Snape was the master of the Elder wand, because he had killed Dumbledore. While it was true he had killed Dumbledore he had not defeated Dumbledore. Draco had. Therefore since Draco had defeated Dumbledore he was the true master. Voldemort killed Snape on the false assumption that killing someone was the same as defeating someone. While undoubtedly this is often true, it is not always true, especially when the death had been prearranged.

Dragonrider asked: Why did Dumbledore die?

A two part answer. First, JK had to make Voldemort defeatable by a 17 year old kid. He'd been the 2nd most powerful wizard for 20 years or more so it isn't likely that Harry, love him as we do, could have knocked him down in a real duel. To make him defeatable we had to equalize him with Harry, second Dumbledore would have ended up battling Voldemort instead of Harry, it was Harry's battle not anyone elses. Additionally, this type of story in fantasy literature always has the Hero fighting alone, friendless, mourning or preventing the death of an important supporting figure. This allows for drama. It allows the hero to call upon their inner strength (and not that provided by others) to accomplish the task at hand. Finally, by killing Dumbledore in book 6 Jo makes sure that the reader knows that no character, not even Harry is safe and the worry about his fate drives book 7.

Sonal asked: While JK has not definitively said that it is never found. Harry's conversation with Dumbledore's portrait would indicate that her belief is that it becomes lost to history.

Does anyone ever find the ressurection stone?

Kathleen N. asked: Why ginny have to become harry's wife?

Jo said, she always intended Ginny to be Harry's wife, the first time we see Ron's family it is on platform 9 3/4 and Ginny is given as much character development as Ron. Second, is that over the course of the books the Weasley family becomes Harry's adopted family, hence they are the "payback" for all the sacrificies Harry is required to make. Ginny of course being the ultimate tie to the family.

Kathleen N. asked: After the 7th book,will j.k.rowling continued the story?

No. Jo has said that she may (doubts still remain) write an encyclopedia of the wizarding world for charity. This would include the extensive background information and stories that were deleted from the books during editing or she never found a place to incorporate. Apparently, the back story on Dean Thomas is quite interesting (or so she has said). But ultimately, it will not be a continuation of the story, but rather simply closure on things left dangling.

Kathleen N. asked: Is hogwarts still open?

Yes, Hogwarts reopens. However, Jo does not give us an indication if it does so in time for the next school year. The extensive damage may take years to repair as much of the Castle is magical itself and may resist standard repairing spells. We hope that they leave parts of the castle fenced off and unrepaired as a monument to the people who gave their lives to preserve its ideals.

Anna F. asked: Is Dumbledore really dead?

Yes, he is dead. Dumbledore made a terrible error by placing a Resurrection Stone ring on his hand, sometime between the fifth and sixth book, forgetting the curses that must be on the ring. Dumbledore hoped to use the ring to allow him to apologise to his sister and parents. Snape saved Dumbledore by slowing the curse but could not remove the curse. At this point in the summer between books 5 and 6, Dumbledore knows he has little more than a year to live, but this particular curse will eventually spread and kill him. This is when Dumbledore asks Snape if he would, when the time comes, kill him, as it would be "less humiliating." Hence when Snape is on the tower with Draco and the death eaters and Dumbledore is unarmed, Snape truly kills Dumbledore. The next time we see him is in book 7 in the Kings Cross chapter, which we like to think takes place in a waypoint between life and death. Also note that in Harry Potter, being dead doesn't mean you are really gone. The characters have a tremendous ability to project themselves into the realm of the living long after death, in paintings, ghosts and via magic like the Mirror of Erised.

Is Snape good or bad?

Jo has said that Snape is not good or bad in the traditional sense of the world. He does things for selfish reasons, which would by definition make him "bad". However, one of those selfish reasons is to preserve the love and memory of Lilly Evans, Harry's mother, and as a result does things against Voldemort's cause. I find it best to understand him as neighter good nor bad, but rather to have rejected being bad, which is not the same thing as being good. Would he have aided Dumbledore had Voldemort not gone after Lilly? No. But he came to understand that Volemort's was in fact detrimental to him, and therefore chose to oppose it. Did this make him a good man? No. Did it prevent him from doing bad spiteful things? No. But he became a worthwhile, honorable man, even if he was unloved.

So to answer the question, neither and both.

Who is R.A.B.?

It is revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that R.A.B. was in fact Regulus Arcturus Black (brother of Sirius Black). The Blacks' house-elf, Kreacher, relates to Harry Potter and his friends that he was ordered by Regulus to assist Voldemort in hiding the locket.†

Why couldn't Voldemort break his soul into nine pieces?

Jo has stated that seven was the limit of how far you could break your soul without losing your humanity. Voldemort broke his into eight pieces and that is part of the reason he was far more evil and far less human than he ought to be. You see him acting more and more manically and more and more obsessively as he degenerates.

Why is the epilogue set 19 years in the future and why does it skip the years in between?

This answer really has two parts. First, JK has stated that the story ended at the point where Harry went to bed after the battle of Hogwarts. The series was really about the relationship/conflict between Harry and Voldemort. Hence, the story didn't start until they came into conflict (when Voldemort killed his parents) and ended when Harry returned the favor. The second part was why 19 years later. JK said she didn't want the main characters to run off and start procreating right away (no teenage pregancies), so she had to give a time lapse between the end of the story and when they'd be sending their kids off to school. Part of the epilogue was to show the world as a better place and to show that Harry finally had a happy family. Part of it was to also show that in the end, Harry forgave Snape and even revered his self sacrifice.

When Harry uses Voldermort's name in Grimauld place, why don't the protective charms break?

They do, sort of. Voldemort's name had been cursed in such a way as to act as a homing beacon, pointing to whomever had spoken the name, and as a jinx to disarm all enchantments. It was unable to deactivate the Fidelius charms defenses at 12 Grimauld Place, probably due to the house itself not being directly involved in the speaking of the name. Death Eaters continued to appear in increasing numbers as the pull of the location (due to the continued use of the name) intensified.

Why didn't Jo kill Harry?

The simple answer is, until she actually finished the book, Jo had considered both killing Harry and letting him live. She, as the author, ultimately couldn't let him die. History was on Harry's side, In this type of story telling typically the hero lives if he stays true to himself (and his cause) and is willing to sacrifice for his fate.

What is the baby like creature in the other worldly King Cross?

Jo has implied during an interview that he baby-like creature at King's Cross was in fact Voldemort's soul. While Harry and Dumbledore's souls were whole and hence they appeared in death the same as in life, Voldemort's soul was been successively torn (and parts destroyed) until it is no more than that of a newborn.

In the chapter of kings cross, are they behind the veil or in some world between the real world and the veil?

J.K. Rowling: "You can make up your own mind on this, but I think that Harry entered a kind of limbo between life and death."

From reading about the original owners of the deathly hallows, the peverell brothers, i'm wondering if harry and voldermort are distantly related voldermorts grandfather ended up with the resurrection stone ring?

Harry and Voldemort are distantly related through the Peverells. Of course, nearly all wizarding families are related if you trace them back through the centuries. As was made clear in 'Deathly hallows', Peverell blood would run through many wizarding families.

Why is it that albus dumbledore can see harry under his invisibility cloak at certain moments?

Dumbledore, who could perform magic without needing to say the incantation aloud, was using 'homenum revelio' the human-presence-revealing spell Hermione makes use of in Deathly Hallows.

What or who is peeves exactly, is he linked with the blood barons story?

No, Peeves is not linked to the bloody Baron's story. He is a spirit of chaos that entered the building long ago and has proved impossible to eradicate!

Were the deathly hallows based on any realworld myth or faerie tale

Perhaps 'the Pardoner's Tale', by Chaucer.

What does in essence divided mean?

Dumbledore suspected that the snake's essence was divided - that it contained part of Voldemort's soul, and that was why it was so very adept at doing his bidding. This also explained why Harry, the last and unintended Horcrux, could see so clearly through the snake's eyes, just as he regularly sees through Voldemort's.

What was duldeys worst memory?

J.K. Rowling: I think that when Dudley was attacked by the Dementors he saw himself, for the first time, as he really was. This was an extremely painful, but ultimately salutory lesson, and began the transformation in him.

Was the absence of snapes portrait in the headmasters office in the last scene innocent or deliberate?

It was deliberate. Snape had effectively abandoned his post before dying, so he had not merited inclusion in these august circles. However, I like to think that Harry would be instrumental in ensuring that Snape's portrait would appear there in due course.

If the wand chooses the wizard, then why do wands work when passed down from father to son eg neville had his fathers wand?

As established by Ollivander, a wizard can use almost any wand, it is simply that a wand that chooses him/her will work best. Where there is a family connection, a wand will work a little better than a wand chosen at random, I think.

How did umbridge manage to conjure a patronus while wearing the locket when harry wasnt able to?

Because she is a very nasty piece of work. She has an affinity for this horrible object, which would help rather than hinder her.

How did neville get the gryfindor sword, is there a link to the hat?

Yes, there is very definitely a link to the hat! Neville, most worthy Gryffindor, asked for help just as Harry did in the Chamber of secrets, and Gryffindor's sword was transported into Gryffindor's old hat. The Sorting Hat was Gryffindor's initially, as you know. Griphook was wrong - Gryffindor did not 'steal' the sword, not unless you are a goblin fanatic and believe that all goblin-made objects really belong to the maker.

[NEW!] Did hagrid have to be able to see thestrals in order to train them if so, whose death did hagrid witness?

Hagrid has seen many deaths in quite a long life, so yes, he can see Thestrals.

What did dumbledore truly see in the mirror of erised?

He saw his family alive, whole and happy - Ariana, Percival and Kendra all returned to him, and Aberforth reconciled to him.

How did voldemort get his wand back after he was in was exile?

J.K. Rowling: Wormtail, desperate to curry favour, salvaged it from the place it had fallen and carried it to him. I admit that would have been a bit of a feat for a rat, but they are highly intelligent creatures!

[NEW!] Did any of the characters change in any unexpected ways as they grew up?

J.K. Rowling: They all became pretty much what I expected/planned them to become. Of course they changed as I wrote, but nobody surprised me very much!

Voldemort never told anyone about his horcruxes, so how on earth did regulus black discover his secret?

Horcrux magic was not Voldemort's own invention; as is established in the story, other wizards had done it, though never gone as far as to make six. Voldemort dropped oblique hints; in his arrogance, he did not believe anybody would be clever enough to understand them. (He does so in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, in front of Harry). He did this before Regulus and Regulus guessed, correctly, what it was that made Voldemort so convinced he could not die.

Did lily ever have feelings back for snape?

Yes. She might even have grown to love him romantically (she certainly loved him as a friend) if he had not loved Dark Magic so much, and been drawn to such loathesome people and acts.

Why didnt fawkes come back to help harry I would have thought that since harry was so loyal to dumbledore, fawkes would have been harrys new pet?

J.K. Rowling: Something had to leave the school for good when Dumbledore died, and I decided that would be Fawkes. Dumbledore was a very great and irreplacable man, and the loss of Fawkes (and the fact that he was 'non-transferable'!) expresses this symbolically

Why was colin creavey still a student at hogwarts when he was muggleborn surely he would have been locked up and interogated, not allowed back to school therefore, he shouldn't have died?

Colin wasn't a student. He sneaked back with the rest of the DA, along with Fred, George and the rest. He ought not to have stayed behind when McGonagall told him to leave, but alas - he did.

How does dumbledore understand parseltongue?

Dumbledore understood Mermish, Gobbledegook and Parseltongue. The man was brilliant.

Whose murders did Voldemort use to create each of the horcruxes?

The diary - Moaning Myrtle. The cup - Hepzibah Smith, the previous owner. The locket - a Muggle tramp. Nagini - Bertha Jorkins (Voldemort could use a wand once he regained a rudimentary body, as long as the victim was subdued). The diadem - an Albanian peasant. The ring - Tom Riddle snr.

Do dementors have souls?

No, that's what makes them frightening!

What does it mean to be the master of death?

As Dumbledore explains, the real master of Death accepts that he must die, and that there are much worse things in the world of the living. It is not about striving for immortality, but about accepting mortality.

What did petunia wanted to say to Harry at the end of the dursleys departing?

J.K. Rowling: I think that for one moment she trembled on the verge of wishing Harry luck; that she almost acknowledged that her loathing of his world, and of him, was born out of jealousy. But she couldn't do it; years of pretending that 'normal' was best had hardened her too much.

Is auntie muriels tiara important?

J.K. Rowling: No, sorry... except to illustrate what an old bat she is.

What is dumbledores boggart?

The corpse of his sister.

How exactly do muggleborns receive magical ability

Muggle-borns will have a witch or wizard somewhere on their family tree, in some cases many, many generations back. The gene re-surfaces in some unexpected places.

Why was snape so badly groomed?

J.K. Rowling: I think it more likely that he valued other qualities in himself!

Is Narcissa Malfoy really a death eater?

No, she never had the Dark Mark and was never a fully paid-up member. However, her views were identical to those of her husband until Voldemort planned the death of her son.

Do you think dumbledore was a little more fond of ron than either Ron or Harry believed?

J.K. Rowling: Yes, I do. Through Harry's account of Ron, and from reports of the professors who taught Ron, Dumbledore understood Ron better than Ron ever knew, and liked him, too.

Was firenze ever welcomed back into the herd?

Yes, the rest of the herd was forced to acknowledge that Firenze's pro-human leanings were not shameful, but honourable.

James patronus is a stag and lilys a doe is that a coincidence?

No, the Patronus often mutates to take the image of the love of one's life (because they so often become the 'happy thought' that generates a Patronus).

Since voldemort was afraid of death, did he choose to be a ghost if so where does he haunt or is this not possible due to his horcruxes?

No, he is not a ghost. He is forced to exist in the stunted form we witnessed in King's Cross.

Were there seven horcruxes not six as dumbledore intimated to harry if so, does this mean that voldemort had an 8 part soul not a 7?

Yes, Voldemort accidentally broke his soul into eight parts, not seven.

Did hermione really put a memory charm on her parents she says she did but then about 50 pages later tells ron shes never done a memory charm?

They are two different charms. She has not wiped her parents' memories (as she later does to Dolohov and Rowle); she has bewitched them to make them believe that they are different people.

How come voldemort was no longer employing occlumency against harry, as he was in the 6th book?

He is losing control, and unable to prevent Harry seeing into his mind. The connection between them is never fully understood by Voldemort, who does not know that Harry is a Horcrux.

Why did you feel that hedwigs death was necessary

The loss of Hedwig represented a loss of innocence and security. She has been almost like a cuddly toy to Harry at times. Voldemort killing her marked the end of childhood. I'm sorry... I know that death upset a LOT of people!

Was snape the only death eater who could produce a full patronus

Yes, because a Patronus is used against things that the Death Eaters generally generate, or fight alongside. They would not need Patronuses.

How did nagini could see harry and hermione if they were under the invisibility cloak

Snakes' sense are very different from human ones. They can detect heat and movement in a way that we can't.

Have you had another alternatives as book title apart from deathly hallows

J.K. Rowling: The two other possibilities were 'the Elder Wand' (used instead as a chapter title) and 'the Peverell Quest', which I decided against quite quickly. I think the word 'Quest' is a bit corny!

Why is it that voldemort is unaware that the gaunt ring is a hallow, when he has worn it (such as in the memory the diary shows harry in book 2)

Wearing the ring would not make the stone work. The stone existed outside the ring originally, and to use it you had to turn it three times in your hand.

Did bellatrix ever love her husband, or did she have love only for voldemort

She took a pureblood husband, because that was what was expected of her, but her true love was always Voldemort.

How did snape keep his patronus secret from the rest of the order?

He was careful not to use the talking Patronus means of communication with them. This was not difficult, as his particular job within the Order, ie, as spy, meant that sending a Patronus to any of them might have given away his true allegiance.

Did voldemort ever love a girl?

No, he loved only power, and himself. He valued people whom he could use to advance his own objectives.

How did snape get into grimmauld place to get the second half of the letter, if there were protection spells on the house stopping snape getting in?

Snape entered the house immediately after Dumbledore's death, before Moody put up the spells against him.

Why is the scar on harrys forehead lightning shaped?

J.K. Rowling: To be honest, because it's a cool shape. I couldn't have my hero sport a doughnut-shaped scar.

Why was kings cross the place harry went to when he died?

For many reasons. The name works rather well, and it has been established in the books as the gateway between two worlds, and Harry would associate it with moving on between two worlds (don't forget that it is Harry's image we see, not necessarily what is really there.

* Portions of this text are derived from Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator (hpana.com)
† Portions of this answer were derived from Wikipedia articles.