Harry Potter Finished and Ready to TALK!!!

[chrono]

Indeed, Professor Longbottom has come a long way.

 

[AmberWaves]

Is it sad and awfully childish of me to have wished that Luna married Neville?

Also, the girl that teddy was snogging I assumed to be Fleur and Bill's daughter, is that right?

 

[chrono]

Date: 7/27/2007 3:43:24 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Is it sad and awfully childish of me to have wished that Luna married Neville?

Also, the girl that teddy was snogging I assumed to be Fleur and Bill''s daughter, is that right?

Yes, I guessed it as their daughter.

I wonder who Draco''s wife is. Her name was not mentioned at all.

 

[MustangGal]

I didn''t like it as much as the others, but I think it was because of the different atmosphere of not being at school. The one thing that kept bugging me was at one point they asked the painting to get Dumbledor for them, and it says it can''t, Dumbledor can only go to his own paintings. So, why don''t they just go find another painting of Dumbledor and ask him everything? They spend most of the book saying "what did he mean, what do we do", just go find him and ask!

 

[bookworm21]

I agree about the whole "on the run" thing being much too drawn out. I''m in the process of re-reading the book, just so I can catch things I missed during the first speed-reading.

As for Snape, I had reread the 6th book two days prior to the release of the 7th, and I had guessed that he acted on Dumbledore''s orders. I was sad to see how much he had actually sacrificed up until the very end. I felt so sorry for him.

Did anyone else find the duel between Harry and Voldemort somewhat anti-climactic? All he did was used the Disarming spell, and it just so happened to have collided with Voldemort''s spell head on. It just seemed a little too convenient. A friend pointed out that maybe Rowling wanted to have Harry avoid using Unforgivable Curses, but I recall him using the Cruciatus curse on one of the Death Eaters. I just wish the duel between them two was a bit more spectacular, considering this is what the series was building up towards.

I loved how everyone came together to fight Voldemort in the end though. That just made me feel all good inside, as corny as that sounds.

 

[AmberWaves]

Cinderella, I know what you mean about feeling "good inside". I kept thinking, let them help! Okay, and I cried when the house elves came out fighting, Kreacher especially (although it made me think of Dobby, and that made me cry again- what the heck??), and when the professors came out in full force, never even questioning.

After all the books of Harry trying to do things on his own, finally he accepted help! The end fight did leave me with a bit of, "Okay... Riddle MUST come back, right?" And then in the epilogue, Harry Felt his scar, then I got excited, and... nothing. Happy Family.

 

[Jelly]

Did you enjoy the double meaning of "look into my eyes" from Snape right before he died.

1. Wanting Harry to see the real Snape.

2. Snape wanting to look into Lily''s eyes before he died.

Also, it''s sad to see the Sorting Hat still separating the houses at Hogwarts after all those years.

 

[Jelly]

Favorite Chapter: The Prince''s Tale

Favorite Moment: Molly opening a can of Whoop-A$$ against Bellatrix. Go Molly!

Always hoped, but never happened: I really thought Harry should have ended up with Hermione instead of Ginny. I never saw a connection between H/G, and I thought Ron was never smart enough for Hermione. JMHO

Favorite Character: Snape of course! Poor guy

Saddest Death: Fred! What ever happened with George and the business? I imagine George might have named his son after poor Fred.

 

[AmberWaves]

Jelly, I didn''t even think about Snape''s request. Wow. I''m talking about the part about Lily''s eyes. I totally didn''t even notice it. Huh.

Also, I was thinking Hermione and Ron would name a child after Fred, perhaps George did, but we don''t even know?

I loved Ron with Hermione, though. Perhaps it reminds me of my fiance and I! I''m a little bit of a smarty-pants, but my fiance is a sporty guy.

I guess I always assumed Harry would continue life alone, as he feared bringing harm to anyone close to him.

What happened to the remaining Death Eaters? What kind of man did Malfoy turn into? Too many questions.

 

[bookworm21]

Jelly, I didn''t notice the double meaning...but I think Snape said "Look...at...me..." and gave Harry the flask to collect his memories. So I took it to mean, look at what my life and what I''ve really done. I''m not the person you all thought I was. I interpreted it as Snape wanting to clear his name before dying.

 

[bookworm21]

Favorite Chapter: The Prince''s Tale (I agree, Jelly!)


Favorite Moment: When everybody teamed up together and overwhelmed the Death Eaters.


Always hoped, but never happened: Harry and Voldemort really dueling, and not just with words.


Favorite Character: I have two: Fred and George. I thought they made a wonderful team.


Saddest Death: Again, I agree Jelly. It was Fred, and I was in so much shock when Rowling killed him off. To me, he and George were two characters that really came alive.

 

[glitterkitty]

Jelly, I totally thought that Snape wanted Harry to look into his eyes because Harry has always been described as having Lily''s eyes, so they would be the last thing that Snape saw before he died.

I also figured out that Snape killed Dumbledore on his orders, and I thought that Snape would be revealed as a relative or something of Harry''s. I think that partly has to do with Alan Rickman being one of my favorite actors and not wanting him to be horrible!

Didn''t Harry once see some of Snape''s memories when he was studying occlumency - Harry looked into Snapes eyes and saw memories involving his mother at Hogwarts? That could have been because Snape was looking into Lily''s eyes again and therefore let his guard down.

It also gave Dumbledore''s repeated mantra that Harry was protected by love a completely separate meaning I thought. Not only his mother''s love, but the love that Snape felt for Lily protected Harry doubly from Voldemort, and Voldemort could never understand how powerful it was because he was unaware that Snape was reinforcing the protection on Harry.

Maybe i''ve been thinking about this too much........

 

[suzi]

Date: 7/28/2007 1:38:31 PM
Author: Cinderella
Jelly, I didn''t notice the double meaning...but I think Snape said ''Look...at...me...'' and gave Harry the flask to collect his memories. So I took it to mean, look at what my life and what I''ve really done. I''m not the person you all thought I was. I interpreted it as Snape wanting to clear his name before dying.

I took it as a double meaning of Snape wanting to see Lily''s eyes one last time, as well as your take...that he wanted Harry to see the "real" Severus Snape. I''m not even sure if Snape cared about clearing his name, though. I think he just wanted Harry to know how he felt about Lily, and didn''t want Harry to always think of him as a bad person.

The whole backstory on Snape was the most interesting (and emotional) part of the book for me. Even more so than finding out about Dumbledore''s past. It was followed at a close second by the story of Kreacher and Regulus Black.

 

[Jelly]

Another thing...Remember the chapter in the Half Blooded Prince called "Snape''s Worst Memory?"

It was his worst memory NOT because he was ridiculed by James and Sirius, but because that''s when he lost his best friend, Lily, by calling her a mugblood. *Sniff Sniff*

 

[fire&ice]

Because of a delay in reading the 6th book (hubby got to it first), I re-read Order. It truly helped with the seemlessness of when I read Half blood. I did the same this time around - reading Half Blood before Deathly Hallows. It was quite a ride! And made the nuances easier to grasp.

I thought the whole series to be brilliant with this one exceeding expectations. I especially like the fact that Voldey was arrogant in his ignorance or visa versa. Harry won the battle on his sheer knowledge, wit, determination & with the help of people who TRULY cared & loved. Though the "journey" was a bit tedious, he was gathering the information necessary to achieve the end goal. It was intented to be tedious. Voldemort, in his arrogance, never was armed with true knowledge. I loved the addition of Wandlore.

Regarding the whole keeping everything to himself, I surmised that Harry was a Horocrux by the end of Half Blood. JK kept driving home the fact that Tom Riddle/Voldy worked alone - trusted no one & shared with no one. Harry had some of that "soul" in him. He had to overcome that part in order to truly come into his own to join forces. Plus, he did agree to teach DA.

Snape - enough forshadowing in half blood to know there was deeper connection to Harry. I figured it had to be Lily - even to the point that Harry may be his son. I figured Snape to be ultimately "good" because he was capable of great love. And, at the end of Half Blood, when Harry calls Snape a coward - He makes a HUGE point to stop (when leaving Hogwarts in a rush) and turn point blank to Harry and said something like "Don''t *EVER* call *ME* a coward." When Snape "killed" Dumbledore at the end of Half Blood, I assumed that when Dumbledor pleaded "PLEASE" to Snape, he meant "please kill me" - fulfill your promise. Though I have to say, "The Princes Tale" was quite satisfiying!

Dumbledore is a man. He has failings. He recognized those failings. I thought it to be very human. And, maybe I''m missing something - but it was DUMBLEDORE who lead Harry on the journey to understand the Deathly Hallows. It was Dumbledore who gave Harry the "stone" - it will open at the close. Dumbledore could have kept all those things himself.

And Gosh, I always thought Molly was a VERY accomplished Witch. Running that household was a master at her craft. She was part of the Order & Don''t EVER mess with Mama Bear''s cubs! It did not surprise me that she did in Bellatirx. - who to me had NO redeeming qualities. She, alone, was pure evil. I found it interesting that Voldemort "screamed". Had he had an ounce of Love - or just that his most ardent supporter was dead?

Again, in his arrogant ignorance, Voldey decides to summon the sorting hat - proclaiming that there will be no more houses other than Slytherin. In the very first book, Harry pulled out the sword. Since he was still thinking he may have tricked the hat into putting him in Gryffindor, Dumbledore exclaims something like - the sword only comes to a TRUE Gryffindor. Also, the sword can come to a Gryfindor "under need and valor". Neville''s predicament certainly applied to the burning hat. JK has always been fond of Neville. It made sense the he would be Harry''s choice. Nevilles been with him from the beginning - roommate or suitemate.

I loved the epilogue. Harry was nineteen years older. His adventure long behind him. It would be hard for anyone to continue the Harry Potter story. The names weren''t confusing to me. I though it fun to see who belonged to who. But, I can''t rule out that Albus Severus Potter & et al could be another series.

Someone asked about where the death eater''s went. The ones that weren''t dead or in jail just faded into the woodwork like they did many years w/ Voldy''s first rise then fall to power.

As far as Draco, I kind of like that he still was around - with not much more information. I wonder if that could be forshadowing for another series?

All in all - thanks JK for the ride! It was well worth it! At the very least, JK got kids back into reading.

That''s my story and I''m sticking to it!

 

[NYCsparkle]

I agree with the anticlimatic ending. i was expecting more dueling between the 2. i knew harry didn''t have it in him to kill voldy with the killing curse, but i thought it would have been a bigger showdown. i knew snape was good. they tried to make him the bad guy in all the books but in the end he always seemed to help somehow.

i love the books and have been a potter maniac for years

. i didn''t love the epilogue though. blah blah they wound up married to exactly who we thought with a few kids. i did like how she included draco in the end. it was nice how he redeemed himself. even though they''d never be friends, harry realized as well as draco that he could never be the evil his father was. jk rowling wanted us to see that we always have a choice to choose who we want to become and where we want to be.

i think i was dissappointed with some parts of the ending because it is the LAST

book in the series.

I WANT MORE POTTER!!!!

 

[elsie]

For those of you who want more details about how the main characters grow up:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/07/30/potters.afterlife.ap/index.html

Been meaning to comment on this thread, but haven''t had time! Loved the book, though, and I''m sorry there won''t be any more.

 

[AmberWaves]

Thanks for the link!

 

[JenStone]

Date: 7/27/2007 2:26:53 PM
Author: AmberWaves

Date: 7/27/2007 2:14:35 PM

Author: sipper

Date: 7/27/2007 1:48:14 PM


Author: Chrono


What I don''t understand is how all of a sudden Ron knew how to speak Parseltongue.

Yes, I was truly amazed by Dudley. Diddy-kins impressed me by how kind he was to leave a cup of tea outside for Harry.

Ron didn''t know how to speak Parseltounge. He was mimicing what he''d heard Harry say when Harry used Parseltounge to open the locket. Hermione said it took him several tries to get it right.



I like how so many different people helped Harry destroy the Horcruxes. He really only destroyed one of them on his own, and he didn''t even know it at the time (Riddle''s diary). I think having it happen that way emphasized the fact that Voldemort''s theory of ''power'' being the most important thing, and that good and evil didn''t really exist was wrong! If Harry had defeated Voldemort on his own, it would have only emphasized Voldemort''s theory...and Harry would have won only because he had been the more powerful wizard, not because he had the power of good or right on his side. The horcruxes were destroyed by a variety of people through the virtues of loyalty, love, intuition, intelligence, courage, and valor. Those were the things that defeated Voldemort...all he had working for HIM was greed for dominance, fear, and oppression

The one thing that really pissed me off about Harry (almost every single book) was his unwillingness to talk to anyone. His scar hurt? Oh, just keep it inside. This is why The Order of the Phoenix was my least favorite novel. I understand his not wanting to bring anyone else into his struggle, sacrificing himself and all, but if he had just TOLD someone about the things happening to him, some things may have changed (ahem, sirius lives?). This is what enthralled me with #7, his finally accepting help, from the Weasley''s to Dumbledore''s Army.


Might I say, I am SO PROUD of Neville!

Same here, Amber. All I kept thinking while reading book 6 was, "Was I this whiny and strongheaded as a teenager?"

I loved the 7th book and I was so happy to see that I had predicted some things correctly! I figured out who R.A.B. was after book 6, and while re-reading all the books for the bazillionth time, I noticed that they came across a locket while cleaning the house of Black. I was correct!

I also knew in my heart that Snape HAD to be a good guy....I almost thought otherwise when he killed Moody, but was so happy to read his story. At the end of book 6, I had also noticed that everything that Snape said to Harry while fighting could be interpreted as advice.

 

[gailrmv]

LOVED the series. Have to say I didn''t enjoy book 7 as much as the previous few, although it was still great. I probably should have reread 6 before to refresh - she certainly didn''t give any reminders!

The only thing that really disapointed me was that so many things seemed to coincidentally fall into place. Like when that fire set by Crabbe and Goyle extinguished the Horcrux. Why did that work? Seemed too convenient. And when the sorting hat just showed up. Why did that goblin let the sword out of his sight anyway? It just didn''t seem likely. I didn;t feel that way with the other books.

I did like the ending and I enjoyed the book a lot overall. I''m sad that it''s over!

 

[fire&ice]

The fire was a tad convenient. But, I think it showed that Crabbe would use such powerful dark magic showing his ignorance that he had no exit strategy.

I didn''t think the sorting hat just showed up. I thought it was summoned by Voldemort. He wanted to destroy it as it was unnecessary because the only house to be at Hogwarts was Slytherin (a.k.a. - pure bloods). And, the sword has a history in the books of coming from the hat. It can be handled by someone who is brave and in need.

Perhaps I am in the minority, I am pleased that she didn''t have some huge magical spellbinding show down between Harry and Voldey. I was mesmerized by the battle between the good and evil with all involved on Hogwart''s grounds. In the end, Harry was armed with knowledge & pure good. He didn''t have to exert might over Voldemort. I would have thought less of him if he didn''t use his brains to defeat Voldemort. I would have thought less of him if he started throwing unforgiveable curses around.

 

[Pandora II]

I really enjoyed the book until the final 20 pages or so.

I was so pleased that Snape wasn''t really a bad guy. I''ve been secretly in love with him since the first book (well not so secretly - FI knows I drool over him at the cinema

) I guess I was rather like him at school in many ways... he''s always been my favourite character.

I kind of wish JKR had spent more time on what the Dark Side were getting up to - in someways they are the more interesting characters, along with Kreacher and Dobby (I cried over him!)

I didn''t really like that Harry came back - an unhappy ending would have worked better for me, but there we are.

What I really didn''t like was the overly saccherine epilogue. It was just a bit too cheesy that they all married each other - I mean there are other wizards out there! I have always really disliked Ron - and there is no way that he and Hermione were going to get together, zero chemistry but lots of friendship was how I saw it. However I''m kind of intrigued what happened to Luna?

 

[rainbowtrout]

If Harry had tried to defeat Voldemort with magic, he was going to LOSE. Dead dead, lose. Dumbledore pointed this out to him--no wizard''s magic could stand against Voldemort. Only love and Voldemort''s own cruelty could be used to destroy him.


I didn''t want Harry to die, I figure, I''ve been reading a long time, I love the characters, I want a happy ending.


I am not sure about Hermione/Ron---I feel like she''s a little too good for him. I can see harry/ginny. I feel like one of the reasons why everyone marries their high school friends in the books is that the wizarding community is so small? You marry who you meet at Hogwarts.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 7/27/2007 1:21:16 PM
Author: Chrono
I was really sad for Snape; lost his love, and even his death was for nothing. He was never the owner of the Elder wand. He lost the most in the story, never trusted (except by Dumbledore), never respected, never loved, never appreciated until after his death. And yet, he did the most and was the bravest person (at least to me).

HI:

Finished it last night! Except for the drawn out travelling about for months on end, and the ending that was rather a deux ex machina (correct?), I enjoyed the book.

My son and I had endless discussions about Snape''s true character--and my assumptions about him were on target. To me, his loss was significant.

I still don''t get, how Neville ended up with the sword--it''s whereabouts I thought were "lost" in the hands of the Goblin. ????

cheers--Sharon

 

[Pandora II]

My understanding was that the sword has magical powers so it comes when called by someone in need, even if it is in the possession of someone else (ie the goblin). Facing Nagini was obviously a time when Neville was in need and so the sword came to him through the sorting hat as it did in the past for Harry.

But I might be wrong...

 

[cutey TT]

Date: 7/30/2007 3:46:12 PM
Author: elsie
For those of you who want more details about how the main characters grow up:


http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/07/30/potters.afterlife.ap/index.html


Been meaning to comment on this thread, but haven''t had time! Loved the book, though, and I''m sorry there won''t be any more.

Thanks for the link! I was wondering what each of them ended up doing career-wise. I thought that maybe Harry or Hermione would end up back at Hogswart as a Professor (specifically, Harry as the Defense of Dark Arts professor...the one position which saw so much turnover throughout the series).

It also took me a while to finish because DH and I were "sharing" the book as well. I wish I had re-read book 6 beforehand, but maybe I''ll just re-read all the books together sometime.

Interesting about Snape wanting to look into Lily''s eyes before dying. I didn''t think about it that way, but it totally makes sense. I knew that Snape was going to come through in the end, and prove that he was not really a bad guy.