The big HP and the Deathly Hallows thread! *Contains spoilers* - Page 7

[mightymoo]

Everyone who stayed up to read the book last night is completely passed out right now.

I was reading that abridged version and it brought up a good point

They decide to hide in 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order's old headquarters, on the basis that at least there, only Snape can come and try to kill them. I think this makes, like, the seventh time Rowling's changed her mind about who can visit 12 Grimmauld Place.

Rowling says clearly at one point that Dumbledore was secret keeper for the order, so now that he's dead, everyone he told is secret keeper, which means snape is secret keeper and could just tell all the death eaters where it is. So at that point in the story, if they assume Snape is bad, they should never have gone there as he could have told all the death eaters where it was, and the death eaters should have been demanding snape tell them the location, not sitting around watching the doorstep. tsk tsk tsk.

[onlyboys]

We just finished.

You've not read Harry Potter until your husband has read it to you!

We got two books, but our son is reading the other one. So, Curtis read the last half to me today, while we totally let our kids play Lord of the Flies. We cried like babies through most of it.

Still processing. And, I needed the cheese that came in the epilogue. I was desperate to see Harry alive and living.

[Peony]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Yeah, I would liked to have found out what harry did for a living, who was running hogwarts, the ministry, etc.

Yep, did anyone else think that Harry would of been a good headmaster?


I've also wondered about Lily and James' gold, they were so young and it's not like they had jobs since they were in hiding. I figured that maybe it was James' family, not much as ever been said about them, maybe they had money? Another thought I had is that maybe some of the wizarding community donated money for Harry to be put away until later.

[Mommasgirls]

Originally Posted by zavierchick

i hear ya there! me neither- and we are supposed to be going to the drive in tonight to see OOTP- maybe I need a nap first!

so my question:

who the heck do you supposed JK considers the TWO deaths? :

Tonks and Lupin maybe?

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by Peony

Yep, did anyone else think that Harry would of been a good headmaster?

Nope ... I always thought (especially after OotP) that he would end up permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor House since McGonagall was the new Headmistress.

[ColoradoMama]

I knew I could come on here and jaw with other die hards who had finished the book! Dh was on page 230 or something when I finished. I can't wait until he's finished to talk to him!!!

I, also, wanted more at the end. I did hold my conviction that Snape was good through the whole book although there were times where it was very hard to hold on to! I was one who thought Neville might be the one to do Riddle in at the end, and I was glad to see that he played a major part in that. I love Neville's character. I was getting disappointed that he hadn't been in the book more until he finally showed up. I liked the hovering between life and death scene with Dumbledore. I thought it was well done. I was very, very sad at the deaths of Tonks, Lupin, and Fred - especially Fred. The death of Lupin sort of ended the connection of Harry's past to the present. It was sad. I was disappointed in the cheesy way that Rowling tied up Ron and Hermoine destroying the Horcrux. Overall though, I was very pleased with the book. We got our book last night (I was the last person in line indoors - the line had circled the building at least once), and it took less than fifteen minutes to get it! We had to drive home and tuck all the kiddos into bed though, so I didn't get to start reading it until 1-ish. Dh bailed about an hour later to my calls of "WUS." I made it until after 3:30 before I had to get some sleep!

[jesrox]

Originally Posted by Peony

Yep, did anyone else think that Harry would of been a good headmaster?

No....I think he never really liked school or studying that much...Hermione would be a much better headmaster(or minister of magic perhaps??) Harry would probably be an auror, or become the leader of the OOTP

[lorijds]

Things I liked:

Her homage to LOTR. The flight through the forests, camping, seeking to destroy something(s) that the enemy needs to survive, the horcrux around the neck....throughout these novels there have always been allusions to LOTR. I don't see them as copying; I see them as how Tolkien wanted LOTR to become, the missing cultural mythology of England. I like the links, to me it makes the story richer. The horicrux locket seems even more evil when it reeks of the one ring. Understanding the link between the dementors and the Nazgul make the dementors even more terrifying. That sort of thing.

I liked Kreacher's "reformation". I was proud of him.

I was glad that Draco's mother covered for Harry; that her concern was for her son, that he was more important to her than Voldy or anything else. Not that she wasn't an evil hag, but I find her more redeeming that she realized how important her son was, and how evil Voldy was, in the end.

I liked the Dumbledore scene, where they are in some sort of purgatory. It worked for me.

Neville--hooray!

Snape--I loved the background, the fact that Lily and Snape were childhood friends, and that his love for her lasted until the end of his life. I'm so glad he was Dumbledore's man after all.

Overall I liked the book. I thought this one was better written than the last couple. Book 6 in particular felt stilted and contrived; this one came together better for me.

What I didn't like:

I would have liked to see Draco have some sort of redeeming role in the end. Even if it was small--like saving someone from a Death Eater, or refusing to curse someone in the end, before it appears that Voldy has lost. I suppose it is redeeming that he chose to send his son to Hogwarts; but I wanted a little more for the fellow.

I didn't like the Disney epilogue. I could have done without it. I personally would have been fine with either leaving it with the last chapter, or adding a chapter about cleaning things up a bit, gathering together their pieces, and leaving the rest to our imagination.

Where I cried:

When Dobby died.

When Fred, Tonks, and Lupin died.

When Kreacher leads the arm of house elves.


To comment on a few previous comments:

I, too, liked the significance of WWII connotations.

I always figured James and Lily had so much gold because they inherited it from James' family; I just always assumed his family was wealthy.


The thing with Harry being able to enter Voldy's mind without Voldy's apparent knowledge, and Voldy not being able to enter Harry's mind--to me this was intentional, not only for the previously mentioned reason (that Voldy had been burned once when he possessed Harry, and didn't want to be burned again). To me this was because Harry was becoming the stronger, better, more powerful wizard, and Voldy was becoming weaker.

Sorry for any spelling errors or anything that doesn't make sense--went to the bookstore party, didn't sleep before hand, got home at 2am, finished the book at 9am and have been up all day....it's been a while since I've have some shut eye. So I'm going off to bed...but I think tomorrow I will start the series tomorrow from Book One--I haven't read all of them in a row for several years, and I think it's time.

Thanks, Ms Rowlings, for the wonderful world you brought to life for us! Even if I am critical of some aspects of the books, I have loved every minute of these books, and am saddened that it has all come to an end!

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

Nope ... I always thought (especially after OotP) that he would end up permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor House since McGonagall was the new Headmistress.

I never thought Harry would end up teaching at Hogwarts. His whole life had been so extraordinary that I always felt he would crave an "ordinary" family life - wife, kids, friends over for a magical BBQ on the weekends, "normal" job, etc.

[talk de jour]

Didn't JKR say, quite emphatically, that Harry was NOT a Horcrux?? :

*grin* I read DH in 3.5 hours. I would've been done faster, but I was IMing while reading... lol

[fastyfeet]

Wow! Couldn't stop- luckily my dh took care of ds today. Thank you, thank you!

Just have to echo annettemarie's comments- right there with everything you wrote.

I felt this this book was written to be turned directly into a movie: the pacing, the action in the beginning, the scenes that seemed edited out (Ron, Hermione, basilik fangs), cheesy epilogue far in the future.

I agree with you all: wanted more of a wrap up. What happened to Umbridge??? Her nasty beaucracy was often more horrible to me than LV. I wanted to see her done.

Hated that JK had Molly shouting, "BITCH" (and even had to be in all caps. Great, just in case we didn't get it.) I'm tired of seeing and hearing that word everywhere- felt unnecessary and crude in context with the characters.

Loved the scope of this book. JK did well with her discussion of death (and managed to convince me along the way that Harry was going to bite it). Loved Snape. Loved Narcissa and Lucius's devotion to their son.

Overall this book felt solid and satisfying. Thank you, JK!

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Everyone who stayed up to read the book last night is completely passed out right now.

Not me, muggles came over though they knew I would be sleep deprived and slightly dizzy.

Then my sisters called and I just got off phone. Omg sssoooooo tttiiirreeedd......


some things I feel unreolved about...there are more but I can't remember atm as I am sssoooo tttiiirreedddd

1. Ok who was supposed to be performing magic later in life? I didn't see any non magical people using magic. :

2. Didn't Bill say pulling tricksies on goblins makes them mad?? They totally took the sword away again. They are going to be up to their elbows in irritated goblins everytime a Gryffindor decides to pull a sword out of the hat.

3. She didn't mention Snape's portrait in the Headmaster's office. Why not?

4. WTF Harry left Ring in the yard?? Harry told Dumbledore he wasn't going to go get the ring and Dumbledore is all "K that sounds like a good plan, I leave magic rings just laying around all the time"

Now if they had READ LotR they would know that Magic rings are not to be taken lightly (Gandalf says that *before* he knows Bilbo has the One)

Duh Harry and Dumbledore!

5. They didnt say anything about the Centaurs or the House Elves. After all the preaching about the way wizards treat other magical beings she didn't even give some resolution?? Wha? So what? Voldemort is dead and it's business as normal?

6. Who is Headmaster of Hogwarts?

7. Where's Snape's portrait? (yes repeated)

8. Rowling said we would see the Weasley's car again. But we didn't

9. So did the Malfoys go to jail or something? What happened there? Just screw over Voldemort by pretending someone is a little more dead than they are and suddenly everything is roses??

10. It is just great hearing Harry and Ron and such are doing well but how is George doing? The guy that lost his twin? You know..the one with one one ear? Can someone show George doing well and happy as I would be much more worried about George than some of those she did mention.

11. *Screeches!* Snape's portrait!! Gah!! I can't believe he is dead until his portrait is hanging up in the office, he is still laying on ground in Shrieking Shack or in Bermuda for all we know.

[SpringRain]

I'm done! What a ride. Let me just say that I thought the whole hiding in the woods thing got a bit repetitive and tedious.

Loved Snape...I always new he was good! I cried when he asked Harry to look at him as he died so he could see Lilly's eyes. *sniff sniff*

She had me going on the Harry dieing thing as I always thought that he would and was a bit cheesed off at the whole cop out on that front. It would have been a much more powerful ending if he had really died. I think he's the character that gets that reprieve JKR referred to.

I hated the part when we are meant to think that DD set Harry up all those years and was just using him as a means to an end. I was so grateful that he was ultimately redeemed in the end.

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

Yeah, this was the one part of the book where the narrative broke down for me. In Book 2, didn't they need Fawkes to fly them out of the Chamber? And the whole Ron speaking Parseltongue ... my credence slipped a couple of notches at this point.

Well, Ron had a broom.... but I agree that the Parseltongue thing was strange and how quickly and easily the Horcruxes were dispatched was a let down after the first 1/2 of the book leading up to it.

I laughed out loud at the Ron/Hermione kiss and Harry's response.

I too am missing that wrapping up chapter...maybe someone will fanfic something passable for us...

[Mackenzie]

I think that the person that she was talking about doing magic later in life had to be Neville. He had done magic earlier, but most was limited to herbology which is not so much "doing magic". He was awesome in this book and was completely different than previously.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by gealach

I found the post I was looking for! Abimommy, you are the person who also discovered my major problem with the book. Let's discuss this sometime. I felt majorly let down about the sudden jump to almost 2 decades in the future. I needed more wrap-up. I needed to see the trio together again as young adults for just a bit without Voldy hanging over their head. That's why I never thought one of them would die. Their relationship was key to the entire series. I wanted to SEE Ginny and Harry get back together. I wanted a bit of mention of George and how he'll deal with the loss of his twin. Etc. etc.

I still have a vague hope that JK will someday print a book of all the missing stuff. Her notes about Potter world with more details. You just know that she knows exactly in her head how this all played out.

Yeah I know!

I totally agree and really feel there is just all this laundry still lying around everywhere

What does she mean by "someday" exactly??

Does she realise Tolkien's son is still putting out his books 50 years later?? So I get a little ansy when just hearing "someday"

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by Mackenzie

I think that the person that she was talking about doing magic later in life had to be Neville. He had done magic earlier, but most was limited to herbology which is not so much "doing magic". He was awesome in this book and was completely different than previously.

The quote was about someone not having done magic before, we see him perform spells sucessfully in the books.

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/neville.html

OWL results: "Acceptable" in Transfiguration (HBP7), "Outstanding" in Herbology, "Exceeds Expectations" in Defense Against the Dark Arts, "Exceeds Expectations" in Charms.

it couldn't be Neville

[rabrog]

I told you I'd be back, abimommy! : You will be glad to know I am borrowing the first book from a friend to read this week.

I have to say, having read the whole thread, I am a bit disconcerted that it seems so much was inconsistent/left out/made people go "WTF" when we know this is the end of the line for the series. I am interested to see what appears online this week - are people on a whole upset with JKR that things weren't wrapped up a little tighter, or do they not mind having questions so the magic can continue in their own minds? Honestly, I'm interested to see what the prevaling opinion is.

On Mugglenet, they have the NYT rebuttle to HP fans - (paraphrasing) "most people would not have finished the book even if we hadn't printed the review until Sunday." Um...whatever. : Most people stayed up all darn night or caught a short amount of sleep when their eyelids finally failed them...and then got up to finish the book!

Jenn

[raeinparis]

the doorbell went at 8 am yesterday and i flew out of bed and down the steps, dressing gown in hand, to get to the door before the man left with my book. finished it last night at 11 pm. but i do have two kids : and i did shower.

very good ride! i was annoyed with all the sitting around in the forest but i think i was meant to. because they were kids on their own for the first time in a terrible time i thought it made sense.

i was so sad for snape.

right, ds doesn't want me to type right now. sigh.

[jessielove]

Really big multi-quote warning; with lots and lots of spoilers, of course.

Originally Posted by KermitMissesJim

What was up with Percy's 11th-hour arrival? He was high enough in the Ministry that he should have known Scrimgeour had been killed, not "resigned," and rejoined his family right then.
<snip>
Oliver Wood carried Colin Creevey's body back up to the castle, but I don't remember them mentioning Wood arriving to fight. I'm sure it's there.

And re: the epilogue, what was 19-year-old Teddy doing on the Hogwarts Express, snogging Fleur's kid? The students graduate at 17 or 18.

How in the *world* are they going to film this book?

Percy explained that he couldn't leave earlier because it would have aroused major Death Eater suspicioun and put his family at risk.

Oliver Wood arrived with Angelina Johnson and a few other already graduated DA members.

Teddy was "seeing [violette? something like that] off".

I have no idea how they plan to film this. Good luck to them. There is not even the closest chance they'll do this book justice on screen.

Originally Posted by abimommy

And she said "TWO deaths"

Two unexpected deaths. I would guess either Remus or Tonks and Fred. Both Remus and Tonks dying was so heartbreaking. Poor baby Teddy. Andromeda Tonks most likely raised him, with lots of visits to Harry and Ginny's.

Originally Posted by rainymorning

i haven't read it yet, but i need to know : --harry has lily's eyes--does this mean that snape is his father? if not, what does it mean?

Goodness, no. Harry looked exactly like James, remember? The significance of Harry having Lily's eyes was all wrapped up in Snape's never ending love for Lily. Snape wasn't for Dumbledore or Voldemort. He was for Lily. Only for Lily. He only protected Harry and worked so hard for Dumbledore because of his love for Lily.

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Oh, and the other thing that frosted my twinkie?

"Yeah, I just tried to remember what you hissed at the sink back when we were second years and just sort of hissed in the general direction of the pipes, and bing, bang, boom, next thing you knew we had basilisk fangs. Who knew Parseltongue was so easy?"

Ok.

Yeah. That was cheesy. A big deal was made earlier in the series about how Parseltongue is NOT easy and how not just anybody can learn how to speak the language of the snakes. I can accept that they were able to get in and out so fast by using a hovering or lifting charm {not levicorpus, the other one}, but Ron speaking Parseltongue to open the Chamber was just not at all believable.

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Things I wanted to know from this book but didn't find out:

What James and Lily Potter did for a living, how they earned piles of gold at gringotts?

What the heck is that veil in the ministry sirius fell behind?

Behind the veil is death. My theory is that it's supposed to represent the fraility of life, how quickly we can go from here to... gone. The line between alive and dead is so thin and so easy to break. Think of the veil as sort of a portal. In mucking around with certain things which maybe should have been left alone, the Ministry might have tore open a little hole, a little window into death itself.

James and Lily didn't have to earn gold. James' parents were a wealthy pureblood family. James inherited everything from them and Harry inherited it from James. Or Harry inherited it directly from James' parents. It would have been really nice to get a little bit of info about Harry's grandparents. Very little is ever said about either his mother or his father's parents, except that the Potter's were a welcome, comforting family for Sirius and that they were an old pureblood wizard family. The only bits we really hear about Lily's family is of Petunia, and of how her parents were muggles who thought having a witch in the family was super cool.

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Rowling says clearly at one point that Dumbledore was secret keeper for the order, so now that he's dead, everyone he told is secret keeper, which means snape is secret keeper and could just tell all the death eaters where it is. So at that point in the story, if they assume Snape is bad, they should never have gone there as he could have told all the death eaters where it was, and the death eaters should have been demanding snape tell them the location, not sitting around watching the doorstep. tsk tsk tsk.

Except for the tongue binding curse that was placed on the house. As soon as anyone from the Order stepped inside the house their tongues were bound and they were unable to speak the location. At least, that's the way I understood it.

Originally Posted by rabrog

On Mugglenet, they have the NYT rebuttle to HP fans - (paraphrasing) "most people would not have finished the book even if we hadn't printed the review until Sunday." Um...whatever. : Most people stayed up all darn night or caught a short amount of sleep when their eyelids finally failed them...and then got up to finish the book!

Jenn

Um, whatever is right! I stayed up all night. It was after 2 when we got home from the release party and the kids slept til 10:30. I was nearly done by the time they woke up. I took a break to cook them a big brunch and then finished off the book while they ate.

It's almost 2am again and the only reason I'm not sleeping now is because insomnia doesn't care much about exhaustion.

I want to read the whole series all over again, starting with book 1. I can't wait for Dh to hurry up and read the seventh book. I'm so worried that I'm going to accidentally slip and let a spoiler loose! I won't even say the words Harry Potter around him or discuss anything from any of the books with him til he finishes

[jessielove]

Snape--I loved the background, the fact that Lily and Snape were childhood friends, and that his love for her lasted until the end of his life. I'm so glad he was Dumbledore's man after all.

He wasn't though. He was only Dumbledore's man by default. Snape was for Lily and Lily alone. Her way was with Dumbledore, so that's where he went. Had Lily been a Death Eater killed by Dumbledore Snape would have been Moldy Volde's man.

Snape wasn't evil, but he wasn't all good either. He was human, complex and convoluted. He was a Death Eater through and through but for his one major redeeming quality ~ his love for Lily. Even 16 years after her death he still conjured her Patronus and protected her son at immense risk to himself. He gave up much and in the end his own life for Harry, but it wasn't for Dumbledore at all. It was for Lily.