More on the Deathly Hallows

[rabidsamfan]

Onward...

I loved Ron coming back. I didn't have a clue who cast the silver doe, and at that point of the narrative I didn't care. That Harry handed Ron the job of destroying the Horcrux was wonderful. I've seen a comment somewhere about each Horcrux being destroyed by a different person and it enchanted me so much that I just sat and stared at it and said "ooh, shiny". It's right for Ron to destroy this one, since it nearly destroyed him first.

I adored Xenophilius. Everything from his name to his desperation and his deep abiding misunderstanding of the world around him. Luna gets it more right, in a Zenlike way. (The painting with the chains of gold!) I loved it that Dumbledore's gift of a book of folktales turned out to be so important, and that the story was, in the main, a true one. Harry's sudden obsession with Hallows made perfectly good sense to me, although I know some people don't like it. He's been quick, throughout the series, to latch onto an idea that he thinks is going to solve everything, especially when he's been floundering. And given Dumbledore's history of Super Sekrit Messages You Have to Decipher, Harry's got some excuse for thinking that he can switch quests midstream.

Malfoy Manor... Ouch! That was incredibly harsh, really, and I'm not looking forward to seeing it on a screen. I did, however, cheer when Dobby turned up! And then came close to weeping when he died. That, of all the deaths in the book, was the one which hit me hardest. I'd figured that every character had a target painted on his or her head, but somehow "every" didn't include Dobby.

Ollivander was good to have back. Griphook was fascinating too. The goblin idea of ownership was also truly wonderful, and explains so much about why the antagonism continues. I'm glad Bill was around to explain. The assault on Gringotts was exciting, the escape marvelous. But you can see the slippage happening. The ends are starting to justify the means and Harry uses the Imperius Curse almost casually.

Aberforth... *does the happy dance* Oh, do I love Aberforth Dumbledore. I love his crotchetyness, I love his patronus, and I love it that he's been helping Dumbledore's Army (and doesn't tell Harry until he decides to trust him.) Neville's arrival made my day.

(I fangirl Neville lots and lots and always have. I love it that he's the one who takes out Nagini.)

As we got into Hogwarts again I was reading so fast that I know I missed details. Harry throwing the Crucio didn't bother me, although I know it bothers lots of people. I figured then (and now) that Rowling was reminding us that you had to mean it. (Meaning that all those kids in detention, being crucioed by their friends, weren't suffering nearly as much as they would have been if the Carrows had been doing it themselves. And given Crabbe and Goyle's general incompetence, if they were best at it, no one else was much good at all.)

The duel between Snape and McGonagall... Man, I will hunt down the director of the seventh movie and whack him over the head with a large frying pan if he fails to give us that. And I have thought for years that Snape can change into something batlike!

The preparations for the battle disappointed me in only one regard. I wanted to see at least one Slytherin student stay for the right reasons. Blaise Zabini or Pansy Parkinson or someone... Ah, well. Any of them who was of age would have been Draco's classmates, right? And Slughorn did better than I thought he would.

The scene in the room of lost things was good, Draco trying to think and being thwarted by Crabbe and Goyle. And yet, still trying to rescue Goyle once the fires started. That he asks about Crabbe, once he can breathe, made me like him better than I've liked him for books and books.

Percy came back! Percy made a joke! Yay! And then Fred... And no time to absorb it, I had to keep reading. I think that George must be the person who got the reprieve, but I'm almost sorry he did.

More action, more fighting in the escape to the Shrieking shack. I like it that we see glimpses of this character or that. I love it that Luna and Ernie and Seamus come to the rescue.

"Are you a wizard or what?" And I cheered, remembering from the very first book, "Are you a witch?".

And then the Shrieking Shack... But that's for another night.

Comments

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of Draco fans who are going to be mightily disappointed that Draco ended up still being a git at the end, rather than a hero. He did somewhat redeem himself by being concerned about Crabb and trying to save Goyle, but he still came off as a git.

I totally did not expect the way Ron came back. Which is why I totally loved it. I, like you, didn't particularly care about who the doe Patronus belonged to, but I really, really like that it ended up being Snape's, and that was because that was what Lily's was (to James' buck). Poor, poor Snape!

I was beginning to despair that Snape really WAS going to end up being a bad guy. When he died, I figured, well, poops. Posthumous memory didn't occur to me. :-) Cool. Very cool. That whole portion was great.

And I had some serious Kleenex action going during Dead Harry Walking. I was sure he was Toast, that Rowling really was going to Kill Off Harry. She did that oh-so-very-well, and I totally fell for it, hook, line & sinker.

And Percy! Yay!

I was so afraid that Neville was going to bite the dust. I really began to think that he was going to end up being the sacrifice in Harry's place, since they were both in the prophecy. I was SO glad that the sword came to him through the Hat, and that he got to kill Nagini. That was a wonderful bit. Neville, the True Gryffindor.

I'm still not to sure about the Epilogue. It's cute, but kinda on the silly side. I thought Harry was Teddy's godfather, so why didn't he and Ginny raise Teddy? I guess his grandmother must have raised him... And I'm assuming Victoire (which I have no clue how to pronounce) is Bill & Fleur's daughter...

Oh, well, I must admit I had fears about this book, but like you said previously, I've found it very satisfying. It took me way longer to read the thing than I thought it would, but it was a good read, and a fitting ending to the series.

Oh, and are you a wizard or not?... funniest thing ever.

Hewene

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I had totally figured out that Dumbledore had made Snape agree to kill him. Although I was a bit wrong about why (I thought it was to save Draco & preserve Snape's cover). I totally thought that when Dumbledore pleaded "Please, Severus" he was begging Snape to go through with killing him. Whee!

Snape iswas good!

Hewene

[elycia.livejournal.com]

Victoire (which I have no clue how to pronounce)

Vik-TWAH. And I also assumed that was Bill & Fleur's get, although if it's named after Viktor Krum (whom Fleur invited to the wedding), things could be more interesting in Wizardville than we previously imagined! For my part, I think "Victoire" sounds more like a guy's name, which gives the whole being-snogged-by-Teddy storyline a completely different emphasis... ;-)

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

which gives the whole being-snogged-by-Teddy storyline a completely different emphasis... ;-)

Bwahahahahaha! Although, unfortunately, JKR *does* specifically say "her" in a couple of places. Too bad.

Hewene

[dreamflower]

Well, now that I got a chance to read it after all, I can join in the fun--I loved all those same things you mentioned, and this, which hit me almost as soon as it happened in the book:

Neville Longbottom=Fredegar Bolger! The good friend left behind, who ends up the real hero of the homefront resistance!

And oh, Molly Weasley! Her duel with Bellatrix was awesome! I've always known that Molly had to be a far more powerful witch than she was being given credit for--I mean, look how she has always easily handled the chaos that is The Burrows!

And I am so glad I was wrong on one thing: I was sure the "red" character that would have to die was Hagrid! Perhaps he's the one who survived the chopping block. And I never expected both Remus and Tonks to bite the dust!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Neville Longbottom=Fredegar Bolger! The good friend left behind, who ends up the real hero of the homefront resistance!

Oh, my word, I need to figure out how to iconify that. It's so true.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Why are people so disturbed that Harry used the Crucio-curse? I blinked, but it made perfect sense to me... he's not a shiny, flawless hero, he's a human being. And one thing that made me positively cheer was Molly, marching through the hall, rolling up her sleeves, pushing The Boy Who Lived aside and screaming: "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Now that I come to think of it - first and foremost Molly is a MOTHER - opposite to Tonks, who first and foremost was a WIFE. It is nice to see your own ff-characterizations turn out to be right - which you should know by now. *smiles* And (one of the very few flaws of the tale) if Rowling decides to include love stories (and even writes a few delicious, believable scenes), she should flesh them out properly.

Now I have to write my Harry/Ginny-tale. *looks determined*

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on Harry's use of unforgivables. He's a human being involved in a war. Will he be proud of the decision later? No. Might it haunt him later? Perhaps. But it made sense under the circumstances. Good human beings sometimes do 'unforgivable' things in combat settings, and this while book was one long combat zone.

I also agree with you on Rowling's love stories. I liked the notion of Lupin/Tonks, but she didn't flesh it out enough. The one kissing scene with Harry and Ginny was lovely, but it was one scene. And there's nowhere nearly enough material to figure out why Lily fell for and married someone that she thot was 'an arrogant toerag.'

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

(Please excuse me commenting to this so late in the day, I've only just got around to looking at some posts I'd bookmarked months ago.)

Obviously I don't know why other people are bothered by Harry using the Cruciatus curse, and I agree with you and RSF that it fits in the context and with Harry's characterisation; and I like RSF's additional reasoning about showing it doesn't work so well if you don't mean it.

But I was bothered in general by the way the Unforgivable Curses did seem to be quite casually scattered around by the good guys, when JKR had previously been at such pains to set them up as *Unforgiveable*, i.e. about the worst things you can do, instant one-way ticket to Azkaban etc. It didn't feel entirely consistent to me; it seemed she was giving a message that it was okay (or at least, not too bad) if the *good guys* used them, and that didn't sit very well with me. I don't like the 'one rule for them, a different rule for us' sense that we sometimes get with these books. The instance that most bothered me was McGonagall using the Imperius in Ch. 30, using it as if it was just the most convenient thing and no different from any other spell, when really it was quite unnecessary (she could have just Stunned the guy and dragged him or got Harry to drag him next to his sister.) I suppose I want more of an acknowledgement that these curses are weighty, significant things to be doing, not to be thrown around lightly and casually. Sure, have Harry and others do it, but make it clear it's a big deal.

So, that's my tuppence-worth ;-)

[elycia.livejournal.com]

I wanted to see at least one Slytherin student stay for the right reasons.

Yeah, I thought that was an awfully monochrome picture of Slytherin, too. But IIRC, nearly all those kids (Draco's class) have parents who are Death Eaters--remember Harry taunting them about sending their fathers to prison in Book 5? And they may be just as trapped as Draco, knowing their families would be Instant Dogmeat if they turned traitor.

But Regulus and Snape painted a much better picture of Slytherin, and for the one reason Voldemort could never fathom: each went to the "right" side after someone they cared for was threatened. Maybe that's why Harry isn't too afraid of his son possibly being sorted Slytherin; he KNOWS the boy has grown up with lots of love, and therefore won't be easily turned to the loveless, blind ambition that has made Slytherin's worst "bad guys" so dangerous.

The ambition angle almost makes me wonder now why Dumbledore didn't get sorted into Slytherin; but I guess that developed *after* he arrived at Hogwarts and discovered his unusual genius. Isn't it Dumbledore that says perhaps they sort too soon? :-)

[evaray-wonder.livejournal.com]

Hi Auntie!

I really have nothing of Harry Potter value to post yet except wonder who Draco's wife is :)