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azuriteAt last, I have finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." And now that I've read it, I don't quite hate the title as much as I did when it was first announced. I'm simply thrilled that now I'll get to read all the spoiler-filled posts both here on LJ and on JournalFen, though.
Okay, because HP fandom is already the hugest in existence, and will only grow exponentially after this last book (although technically Rowling didn't say she was diehard committed to that, no matter what the dedication and front flap says...), and the biggest and baddest thing to do in fandom is talk about 'shipping, I will get that out of the way first.
This book actually changed my mind about H/G and R/Hr. For those that know my 'ship preferences re: HP, I thought H/Hr actually stood a chance (not a decent-sized one, but one nonetheless), detested some of the elements of R/Hr, even if they made perfect teenaged-mentality sense, and hated how "sudden" H/G seemed in the last book. And if I could warp canon to my liking, Draco would have ended up with Hermione, all redeemed and vaguely humble.
Basically, HP7 made me LIKE H/G to a degree, and appreciate R/Hr a HELL of a lot more. It wasn't so much simple "yeah, well, it's bound to happen..." as a "FINALLY!" and "Well hot damn." sort of reaction. I think that's mainly because despite Harry retaining some of his asshattery from the last book, we saw so much more of him really through his eyes in this last one, and the way he angsted over Ginny made their "relationship" that much more palpable. And the way he saw/reacted to Ron and Hermione also made that much more fleshed out an acceptable.
Characterization-wise, I really felt Ron, Dumbledore, and Snape "grew" the most as characters in the book, even though the latter two were only present in weird ways in the latter half of the book. I was quite pleased with Ron most especially, because he was just SOOOO immature in some of the more recent books that I didn't want him to end up with anyone, mostly because I like Hermione so much and felt she deserved someone at least intellectually on-par with her (which is not saying much of my favored Harry and Draco as being her "other beau" options, but still).
The second half of the book had me virtually cheering in parts-- there were also parts when I couldn't put the book down, and THAT feeling is quite refreshing in both Harry Potter and in a book I've read recently, PERIOD. It was quite fun watching time fly (looking at the clock one moment, realizing two hours had passed the next time I bothered to look up and adjust my neck).
On the big things:
(1) Draco - glad he got semi-redeemed. I mean, he was still an ass at times, but only because he's a SLYTHERIN, and his ambition is to always look out for himself. But then his family as a whole redeemed itself after they learned it doesn't pay to be so worshipful of the Dark Lord. That was quite nice, and I think it leaves a lot of potential for Draco in his post-Hogwarts years.
(2) Snape - I knew he wasn't a foe. I never could have predicted Dumbledore's "dark side," but I knew that there was something distinct between Snape and Lily, and if Dumbledore DID trust Snape so much (regardless of whether that trust I placed in Dumbledore was because I only knew as much about him as Harry did), then Snape had to be good for something. And it ended up being the turning point in the last chapter, which was great. I'm not sad he died, but it's great that he didn't end up being complete pond scum.
(3) Horcruxes - It was a bit of a pain keeping track of them all. I know we'd learned in the last book what most of them were: the Diary for sure, the Ring, the Locket (well, that seemed obvious to me, and the whole R.A.B. thing I had figured out the day I finished reading HP6), and Nagini-- then there were the two other Hogwarts items-- the Hufflepuff cup and the Ravenclaw Diadem. And then, also as predicted, Harry was the "accidental" seventh Horcrux that helped bring everything to a sensible(ish) close.
Some bits about all the searching, destroying, etc. Confunded me a bit, though. I'll probably end up reading everything again start-to-finish when I'm feeling particularly masochistic.
(4) The deaths - Ever since the quote appeared in F_W about "friends dying," I was positive one of the trio would die, and in the first part of the book, I thought it had to be Ron (which was something I'd thought would have happened in HP6, actually), then Hermione, and then, as the end came nearer, it became quite clear that it would be Harry. As for the others, while I knew they'd happen, it didn't make them any less surprising, really:
-Dobby's death actually made me cry. I was surprised, but it did. (Hedwig's didn't, but it did numb me a bit. I didn't really accept it.)
-Snape... I didn't really feel much until I realized what Snape was "leaking" was memories. Then I felt sort of bad for him.
-Fred's death, like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ceruleansan said to me in a chat, seemed a bit pointless. I mean, the Weasleys have already been through SO much-- Ginny was the focal point of attack in HP2, Fred and George were thoroughly messed up in HP5, Bill got it bad in HP6, Charlie in HP4 and 5 (if I recall correctly), Arthur in HP5... I mean, geez! All that surviving and then BAM! Fred just dies? It seems so cruel... but I can't really COMPLAIN about it, because... well, it also "had" to happen. Not because it furthered the plot, but if everyone lived and things just went on as normal, Voldemort wouldn't have been that much of a threat, anything for US to fear any more than the Muggles of the HP universe did.
-Tonks and Lupin's death's pissed me off, mainly because Lupin played a larger role in this than he had since HP3, and Harry "getting" to him and finally convincing him to BE a Gryffindor-- be brave, stand up for others, and stop thinking selfishly (because really, that's what he was doing when he was all "I've cursed Tonks and our child") really made my day. Leaving poor Teddy all alone hurts. It seemed senseless, but again, if members of the Order (and I mean the CORE order people, not just Moody, who was COOL) didn't die, it wouldn't seem like Voldemort and the Death Eaters were that scary.
As for the others: Colin (sad, but...), Crabbe (who the hell cares!?) and Bellatrix (GOOD RIDDANCE!), there's not much to say. Considering all the rumors saying that the ones to die would be BIG BIG BIG (and let's be honest, only the trio are really THAT BIG), I'm actually surprised how so many of the deaths seemed so minor.
I was really surprised that Hagrid didn't die, because I honestly thought he had, in that scene where the spiders took him away.
I was also a bit Confunded (as previously mentioned) by why exactly Voldemort couldn't defeat Harry... I garnered that it was because he could not feel remorse, but what exactly put that limitation on him? Was it the Hallows, or was it the charm his mother has bestowed upon him (even though technically that charm should have broken the day he stopped calling the Dursley home his own, or on his 17th birthday), or was it something else?
One thing is for sure, despite closing up a lot of loose ends, it still has openings:
-The epilogue is NINETEEN YEARS later. That's more time than happened in the books, so a lot could have happened between now and then, especially if Harry and Ginny had THREE kids, Ron and Hermione had TWO (unless I misread: Hugo and Rose, right? Why didn't they name one Fred? I mean what with all the other namesakes...), and so on and so forth. There's a TON of potential there, especially if you just ignore the epilogue altogether :P
-What about Teddy!? Or Draco, or Cho, or Neville and his Gran, or, or, or... there are a lot of minor or one-hit-wonder characters that we don't know what happens to them. It would be all sweet and such if everyone got happily married, stayed in Britain, had kids, and sent their kidlings to Hogwarts same as Mum and Pop, but... come on. Let's add some spice to this awesomesauce, shall we?
-What about Hermione's parents? I mean, that was pretty traumatizing as it was when Hermione first revealed what she'd done to protect them, but what about after it was all over? Could she really just walk back into their lives, release the charm she'd put on them, and all'd be well? I mean, she DID seem to insist to Ron to live in the Muggle world, so that would imply she still had some desire to be tied to it...
-Which begs the question, what does everyone end up doing? It's not the most important thing in the universe to know, but it CAN explain the gap in time between the end of the War and the eventual marriages/childbirths. I mean, did Harry become an Auror? Did Hermione become a professor somewhere? What?
-Why the hell did the epic magnanimous US-release cover NOT have either Voldemort or Harry with wands, when wands became so damn critical that they were a PLOT POINT? That just didn't make sense to me. The cool UK release cover made much more sense, and even though I'd only seen it once or twice, the moment I read the scene about Gringott's, I knew where it'd come from.
- I kinda wanted to see Tonks in the scene with the "dead revived," and was a bit disappointed that despite the role she played in the Order and with Lupin's growth as a character, she didn't have more time in this. I can understand why, but it's still sad. Also, I felt like Cedric should have been able to make some cool post-death comeback to help in the final battle, but he didn't. :(
-The carpet photo spoiler was real! I was surprised a bit when I saw the opening page to Chapter Seven, but... at the same time, not. I mean, that sort of artwork looks hard to fake, and the OP's reasons for it being fake seemed pretty thin. The text only didn't make sense because you had to read the rest of the book for it to come together.
I'd really like to try the Goblet of Fire in some sort of drinking game, but what would the rules be without going ridiculous? Drink every time... what?
-Molly Weasley KICKSYOUR MOM'S ASS. Seriously, she was mildly annoying at the start of the book (and just cutely mothering from the other books), but in that last scene... wow, if anyone but Neville had to dispose of Bellatrix, it HAD to be her, and the way it was done was just GREAT. I mean, it's not just the fact that Molly, dear ol' mothering Molly, called Bellatrix a BITCH in CAPSLOCK OF RAGE, but... well yeah, it really was that. It's not like capitalized swear words make a book great, but it does make it a bit more appealing to me, as I'm looking for a realistic-ish interpretation of what it's like to be surrounded by death, war, and people you care about getting hurt and killed right before your eyes. JKR did well in the battle scene(s) with that.
Also, Trelawney was quite fun in this one, clonking baddies with Crystal balls. I knew she'd serve a double use someday.
For the record, I totally thought the "handsome thief" was Lockhart and he'd get a final cameo in the story somehow, despite having gotten Obliviated in HP2. Even after the revelation that Grindelwald was still alive, I didn't piece it together at all.
And what is AS/S supposed to be? Albus Severus/Snape? Aberforth...? No, can't be that. I don't know wtf it is.
Message of the series as a whole: death is not to be the thing you fear the most. Fear is what you should fear the most, and let that FEAR of FEAR be what drives you and motivates you to do what you believed you could not.
Am I off, or does that seem a bit appropriate? That was the feeling the end (and I don't mean the "epilogue," because that was just fluffy ice cream frosting on top of a sugary cake) gave me.
Finally, the wank: not as strong as I expected it to be. A few fun tidbits here and there, but nothing that's got me in stitches... yet. People, please point me to the GOOD STUFF!
And that, as they say, is that.
Okay, because HP fandom is already the hugest in existence, and will only grow exponentially after this last book (although technically Rowling didn't say she was diehard committed to that, no matter what the dedication and front flap says...), and the biggest and baddest thing to do in fandom is talk about 'shipping, I will get that out of the way first.
This book actually changed my mind about H/G and R/Hr. For those that know my 'ship preferences re: HP, I thought H/Hr actually stood a chance (not a decent-sized one, but one nonetheless), detested some of the elements of R/Hr, even if they made perfect teenaged-mentality sense, and hated how "sudden" H/G seemed in the last book. And if I could warp canon to my liking, Draco would have ended up with Hermione, all redeemed and vaguely humble.
Basically, HP7 made me LIKE H/G to a degree, and appreciate R/Hr a HELL of a lot more. It wasn't so much simple "yeah, well, it's bound to happen..." as a "FINALLY!" and "Well hot damn." sort of reaction. I think that's mainly because despite Harry retaining some of his asshattery from the last book, we saw so much more of him really through his eyes in this last one, and the way he angsted over Ginny made their "relationship" that much more palpable. And the way he saw/reacted to Ron and Hermione also made that much more fleshed out an acceptable.
Characterization-wise, I really felt Ron, Dumbledore, and Snape "grew" the most as characters in the book, even though the latter two were only present in weird ways in the latter half of the book. I was quite pleased with Ron most especially, because he was just SOOOO immature in some of the more recent books that I didn't want him to end up with anyone, mostly because I like Hermione so much and felt she deserved someone at least intellectually on-par with her (which is not saying much of my favored Harry and Draco as being her "other beau" options, but still).
The second half of the book had me virtually cheering in parts-- there were also parts when I couldn't put the book down, and THAT feeling is quite refreshing in both Harry Potter and in a book I've read recently, PERIOD. It was quite fun watching time fly (looking at the clock one moment, realizing two hours had passed the next time I bothered to look up and adjust my neck).
On the big things:
(1) Draco - glad he got semi-redeemed. I mean, he was still an ass at times, but only because he's a SLYTHERIN, and his ambition is to always look out for himself. But then his family as a whole redeemed itself after they learned it doesn't pay to be so worshipful of the Dark Lord. That was quite nice, and I think it leaves a lot of potential for Draco in his post-Hogwarts years.
(2) Snape - I knew he wasn't a foe. I never could have predicted Dumbledore's "dark side," but I knew that there was something distinct between Snape and Lily, and if Dumbledore DID trust Snape so much (regardless of whether that trust I placed in Dumbledore was because I only knew as much about him as Harry did), then Snape had to be good for something. And it ended up being the turning point in the last chapter, which was great. I'm not sad he died, but it's great that he didn't end up being complete pond scum.
(3) Horcruxes - It was a bit of a pain keeping track of them all. I know we'd learned in the last book what most of them were: the Diary for sure, the Ring, the Locket (well, that seemed obvious to me, and the whole R.A.B. thing I had figured out the day I finished reading HP6), and Nagini-- then there were the two other Hogwarts items-- the Hufflepuff cup and the Ravenclaw Diadem. And then, also as predicted, Harry was the "accidental" seventh Horcrux that helped bring everything to a sensible(ish) close.
Some bits about all the searching, destroying, etc. Confunded me a bit, though. I'll probably end up reading everything again start-to-finish when I'm feeling particularly masochistic.
(4) The deaths - Ever since the quote appeared in F_W about "friends dying," I was positive one of the trio would die, and in the first part of the book, I thought it had to be Ron (which was something I'd thought would have happened in HP6, actually), then Hermione, and then, as the end came nearer, it became quite clear that it would be Harry. As for the others, while I knew they'd happen, it didn't make them any less surprising, really:
-Dobby's death actually made me cry. I was surprised, but it did. (Hedwig's didn't, but it did numb me a bit. I didn't really accept it.)
-Snape... I didn't really feel much until I realized what Snape was "leaking" was memories. Then I felt sort of bad for him.
-Fred's death, like
ceruleansan said to me in a chat, seemed a bit pointless. I mean, the Weasleys have already been through SO much-- Ginny was the focal point of attack in HP2, Fred and George were thoroughly messed up in HP5, Bill got it bad in HP6, Charlie in HP4 and 5 (if I recall correctly), Arthur in HP5... I mean, geez! All that surviving and then BAM! Fred just dies? It seems so cruel... but I can't really COMPLAIN about it, because... well, it also "had" to happen. Not because it furthered the plot, but if everyone lived and things just went on as normal, Voldemort wouldn't have been that much of a threat, anything for US to fear any more than the Muggles of the HP universe did. -Tonks and Lupin's death's pissed me off, mainly because Lupin played a larger role in this than he had since HP3, and Harry "getting" to him and finally convincing him to BE a Gryffindor-- be brave, stand up for others, and stop thinking selfishly (because really, that's what he was doing when he was all "I've cursed Tonks and our child") really made my day. Leaving poor Teddy all alone hurts. It seemed senseless, but again, if members of the Order (and I mean the CORE order people, not just Moody, who was COOL) didn't die, it wouldn't seem like Voldemort and the Death Eaters were that scary.
As for the others: Colin (sad, but...), Crabbe (who the hell cares!?) and Bellatrix (GOOD RIDDANCE!), there's not much to say. Considering all the rumors saying that the ones to die would be BIG BIG BIG (and let's be honest, only the trio are really THAT BIG), I'm actually surprised how so many of the deaths seemed so minor.
I was really surprised that Hagrid didn't die, because I honestly thought he had, in that scene where the spiders took him away.
I was also a bit Confunded (as previously mentioned) by why exactly Voldemort couldn't defeat Harry... I garnered that it was because he could not feel remorse, but what exactly put that limitation on him? Was it the Hallows, or was it the charm his mother has bestowed upon him (even though technically that charm should have broken the day he stopped calling the Dursley home his own, or on his 17th birthday), or was it something else?
One thing is for sure, despite closing up a lot of loose ends, it still has openings:
-The epilogue is NINETEEN YEARS later. That's more time than happened in the books, so a lot could have happened between now and then, especially if Harry and Ginny had THREE kids, Ron and Hermione had TWO (unless I misread: Hugo and Rose, right? Why didn't they name one Fred? I mean what with all the other namesakes...), and so on and so forth. There's a TON of potential there, especially if you just ignore the epilogue altogether :P
-What about Teddy!? Or Draco, or Cho, or Neville and his Gran, or, or, or... there are a lot of minor or one-hit-wonder characters that we don't know what happens to them. It would be all sweet and such if everyone got happily married, stayed in Britain, had kids, and sent their kidlings to Hogwarts same as Mum and Pop, but... come on. Let's add some spice to this awesomesauce, shall we?
-What about Hermione's parents? I mean, that was pretty traumatizing as it was when Hermione first revealed what she'd done to protect them, but what about after it was all over? Could she really just walk back into their lives, release the charm she'd put on them, and all'd be well? I mean, she DID seem to insist to Ron to live in the Muggle world, so that would imply she still had some desire to be tied to it...
-Which begs the question, what does everyone end up doing? It's not the most important thing in the universe to know, but it CAN explain the gap in time between the end of the War and the eventual marriages/childbirths. I mean, did Harry become an Auror? Did Hermione become a professor somewhere? What?
-Why the hell did the epic magnanimous US-release cover NOT have either Voldemort or Harry with wands, when wands became so damn critical that they were a PLOT POINT? That just didn't make sense to me. The cool UK release cover made much more sense, and even though I'd only seen it once or twice, the moment I read the scene about Gringott's, I knew where it'd come from.
- I kinda wanted to see Tonks in the scene with the "dead revived," and was a bit disappointed that despite the role she played in the Order and with Lupin's growth as a character, she didn't have more time in this. I can understand why, but it's still sad. Also, I felt like Cedric should have been able to make some cool post-death comeback to help in the final battle, but he didn't. :(
-The carpet photo spoiler was real! I was surprised a bit when I saw the opening page to Chapter Seven, but... at the same time, not. I mean, that sort of artwork looks hard to fake, and the OP's reasons for it being fake seemed pretty thin. The text only didn't make sense because you had to read the rest of the book for it to come together.
I'd really like to try the Goblet of Fire in some sort of drinking game, but what would the rules be without going ridiculous? Drink every time... what?
-Molly Weasley KICKS
Also, Trelawney was quite fun in this one, clonking baddies with Crystal balls. I knew she'd serve a double use someday.
For the record, I totally thought the "handsome thief" was Lockhart and he'd get a final cameo in the story somehow, despite having gotten Obliviated in HP2. Even after the revelation that Grindelwald was still alive, I didn't piece it together at all.
And what is AS/S supposed to be? Albus Severus/Snape? Aberforth...? No, can't be that. I don't know wtf it is.
Message of the series as a whole: death is not to be the thing you fear the most. Fear is what you should fear the most, and let that FEAR of FEAR be what drives you and motivates you to do what you believed you could not.
Am I off, or does that seem a bit appropriate? That was the feeling the end (and I don't mean the "epilogue," because that was just fluffy ice cream frosting on top of a sugary cake) gave me.
Finally, the wank: not as strong as I expected it to be. A few fun tidbits here and there, but nothing that's got me in stitches... yet. People, please point me to the GOOD STUFF!
And that, as they say, is that.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 07:26 am (UTC)I did, however, like the Ron/Hermione.
Neville became a professor.
Rowling also said she wanted to go back and tighten things up in past novels. Which makes me think: wank. Even more so if she changes shippy moments.
I was also disappointed with how Peter and Remus died. They should have had a chance to confront each other.
Fred's death was fairly pointless, although I think it was planned. I'm sure Tonks and Remus were supposed to die,and Hagrid live, but she changed her mind.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 07:27 am (UTC)I need to get to bed to make typos like that.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 03:08 pm (UTC)The cover is supposed to illustrate Voldemort dying and Harry reaching for the Elder Wand.
Harry probably never has to work as long as he lives, he has two families worth of ridiculous piles of gold to burn through.
Ginny is hot. Nuff said.
Gotta go, but I'll probably say more later >_>
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 05:44 pm (UTC)