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kerravonsenMore thoughts on Deathly Hallows and Potter in general.
Something's been bothering me for a long time.
Dumbledore: Hmmm, now how am I going to ensure that Harry Potter is brought up so that he'll agree to be offed when the time comes? Okay, make him ignorant of his heritage, like Tom Riddle, give him a loveless abusive environment, like Tom Riddle, make Hogwarts his home, like Tom Riddle, and risk that he'll end up in Slytherin, like Tom Riddle. Of course he won't turn out like Tom Riddle -- he's got his mother's eyes! And the eyes are the windows of the soul, which means there's no chance -- despite the huge physical resemblance -- that he'll turn out to be a selfish egotistical prat like his father. Brilliant plan!
It has never been satisfactorily explained what Lily saw in James.
Awwww for the might-have-beens of Snape and Lily. I think things would have been a whole lot different if Snape had ended up in Ravenclaw (which I think he could have, if he'd wanted to).
I loved the "Ravenclaw doesn't have a password, but a riddle" thing.
When did Harry figure out the line of succession of the Elder wand? Was it before or after he decided to go after the Horcruxes rather than the Hallows? I liked that dilemma, though. The choice between power and... duty? sacrifice?
I also like that Voldemort got it wrong with that wand, twice. Not just that the line of inheritance went Dumbledore -> Draco -> Harry, but that even if it had gone Dumbledore -> Snape, Voldemort did not kill Snape himself, but got his snake to do it, so even if he'd been right, then the wand would have passed to Nagini, and then to Neville, who killed her.
I'm sad that Snape's death was so... little. Bitten by a snake in the Shrieking Shack, with no chance to defend himself or do anything good with it. Mind you, Voldemort was probably wise to be cautious in that way, because Snape was probably the most skilled and powerful wizard next to Voldemort and Dumbledore, and it would have been too risky to have a wizarding duel with a wand that he was unsure of.
It was probably just as well, though, because I don't think that Snape would have been able to persuade Harry of the truth with anything less than a deathbed pensieve...
Loved the turnaround of Kreacher - yay!
And Ron's standing up for house-elves at last.
Some people really hated that both Lupin and Tonks were killed -- as if JKR was being shocking for the sake of being shocking, cheapening the death by just having them be part of the bodycount, giving us a sucker-punch to be sensationalist. I disagree. Yes, it was a sucker-punch, and it was meant to be a sucker-punch, but I think it was really meant to bring home the brutality of war: that good people, people we love, really do die; that war is horrible and unfair and leaves orphans; that sometimes all we have in the aftermath are dead bodies and no knowledge of the specifics of their heroisms.
The Final Battle reminded me in places of battles I've read in Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci books -- because a wizarding battle really needs to be full of wierd and wonderful things like marauding desks, walking suits of armour, and dangerous flora. Good stuff.
I was dissappointed that none of the Slytherins elected to fight. That, along with Dumbledore's remark "I think we sort them too young" seems to imply that ambition is the root of all (kinds of) evil, that Slytherin is a concentration of all that is worst in people. This seems to be counter to the messages of forgiveness, love and second chances that keep on coming up in the books.
I was also a bit dissappointed that the epilogue seems to indicate that nothing has changed -- almost nothing. Even though I do get it that the epilogue is supposed to bring us full circle, back to the beginning, going off to Hogwarts. There are two positive changes. One, of course, the bit about Snape, Harry's full forgiveness and admiration, and also admitting to his son about being able to choose not to be in Slytherin. (Hmmmm. Is that supposed to mean that Slytherin is symbolic of choosing for or against evil?)
The other is a minor thing, but I considered it hopeful: that Ron took a muggle driving test. That seems to indicate, perhaps, that there is some loosening of the barriers between the worlds.
There are two major things wrong with Wizarding society. One is Slytherin House (though that's only in Britain -- but we also have places like Durmstrang, which are similarly dark) and the House system that divides more than it unites. Though I can see why it would remain in place -- it's so central to British Wizards' identity that they would sack any Headmaster of Hogwarts who tried to get rid of it.
Second is, of course, the contempt and ignorance that many Wizards have for Muggles. You can see how it arose -- the Statutes of Secrecy that were made to protect Wizards from Muggle persecution have not only cut off Muggles from Wizards, but Wizards from Muggles.
Something's been bothering me for a long time.
Dumbledore: Hmmm, now how am I going to ensure that Harry Potter is brought up so that he'll agree to be offed when the time comes? Okay, make him ignorant of his heritage, like Tom Riddle, give him a loveless abusive environment, like Tom Riddle, make Hogwarts his home, like Tom Riddle, and risk that he'll end up in Slytherin, like Tom Riddle. Of course he won't turn out like Tom Riddle -- he's got his mother's eyes! And the eyes are the windows of the soul, which means there's no chance -- despite the huge physical resemblance -- that he'll turn out to be a selfish egotistical prat like his father. Brilliant plan!
It has never been satisfactorily explained what Lily saw in James.
Awwww for the might-have-beens of Snape and Lily. I think things would have been a whole lot different if Snape had ended up in Ravenclaw (which I think he could have, if he'd wanted to).
I loved the "Ravenclaw doesn't have a password, but a riddle" thing.
When did Harry figure out the line of succession of the Elder wand? Was it before or after he decided to go after the Horcruxes rather than the Hallows? I liked that dilemma, though. The choice between power and... duty? sacrifice?
I also like that Voldemort got it wrong with that wand, twice. Not just that the line of inheritance went Dumbledore -> Draco -> Harry, but that even if it had gone Dumbledore -> Snape, Voldemort did not kill Snape himself, but got his snake to do it, so even if he'd been right, then the wand would have passed to Nagini, and then to Neville, who killed her.
I'm sad that Snape's death was so... little. Bitten by a snake in the Shrieking Shack, with no chance to defend himself or do anything good with it. Mind you, Voldemort was probably wise to be cautious in that way, because Snape was probably the most skilled and powerful wizard next to Voldemort and Dumbledore, and it would have been too risky to have a wizarding duel with a wand that he was unsure of.
It was probably just as well, though, because I don't think that Snape would have been able to persuade Harry of the truth with anything less than a deathbed pensieve...
Loved the turnaround of Kreacher - yay!
And Ron's standing up for house-elves at last.
Some people really hated that both Lupin and Tonks were killed -- as if JKR was being shocking for the sake of being shocking, cheapening the death by just having them be part of the bodycount, giving us a sucker-punch to be sensationalist. I disagree. Yes, it was a sucker-punch, and it was meant to be a sucker-punch, but I think it was really meant to bring home the brutality of war: that good people, people we love, really do die; that war is horrible and unfair and leaves orphans; that sometimes all we have in the aftermath are dead bodies and no knowledge of the specifics of their heroisms.
The Final Battle reminded me in places of battles I've read in Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci books -- because a wizarding battle really needs to be full of wierd and wonderful things like marauding desks, walking suits of armour, and dangerous flora. Good stuff.
I was dissappointed that none of the Slytherins elected to fight. That, along with Dumbledore's remark "I think we sort them too young" seems to imply that ambition is the root of all (kinds of) evil, that Slytherin is a concentration of all that is worst in people. This seems to be counter to the messages of forgiveness, love and second chances that keep on coming up in the books.
I was also a bit dissappointed that the epilogue seems to indicate that nothing has changed -- almost nothing. Even though I do get it that the epilogue is supposed to bring us full circle, back to the beginning, going off to Hogwarts. There are two positive changes. One, of course, the bit about Snape, Harry's full forgiveness and admiration, and also admitting to his son about being able to choose not to be in Slytherin. (Hmmmm. Is that supposed to mean that Slytherin is symbolic of choosing for or against evil?)
The other is a minor thing, but I considered it hopeful: that Ron took a muggle driving test. That seems to indicate, perhaps, that there is some loosening of the barriers between the worlds.
There are two major things wrong with Wizarding society. One is Slytherin House (though that's only in Britain -- but we also have places like Durmstrang, which are similarly dark) and the House system that divides more than it unites. Though I can see why it would remain in place -- it's so central to British Wizards' identity that they would sack any Headmaster of Hogwarts who tried to get rid of it.
Second is, of course, the contempt and ignorance that many Wizards have for Muggles. You can see how it arose -- the Statutes of Secrecy that were made to protect Wizards from Muggle persecution have not only cut off Muggles from Wizards, but Wizards from Muggles.
