release of the final Harry Potter novel

[Friday]

I also found fault with the fact nearly every adult dies but very few kids did.

Where'd you get that from?  By the way, good call on some of your predictions!

[Friday]

*** SPOILERS ***

What a vile human being Petunia turned out to be, eh?  How could you be so cruel and hateful to your dead, sweet little sister's only child for so many years...

And Snape!  Oh, Snape.  This Kleenex is for you.   

And this one's for you, Dobby.   

The redemption of Kreecher; didn't see THAT one coming?! 

The fate of Bathilda Bagshot... ewwwwwwwww   

Where the hell was Crookshanks?  Was it just me, or was every single possible character present in this one *except* for Crookshanks?  Or did he die in the last book and I've forgotten?

So, erm... is death going to be a train station in London for all of us?  Or just for British wizards who grew up in Little Winging?   

One of the HP characters appeared in my dreams last night.

[Friday]

There are other childrens' stories I like better (Madeline L'Engle's series

Yay for Madeleine L'Engle!  Have you ever read her autobiography?  She has led a pretty interesting life.

Next countdown: William Gibson's Spook Country, to be released in 2 days.   

[Rochelle]

And Snape!  Oh, Snape.  This Kleenex is for you.

More like this restraining order. I found Snape's extremely long and extreme crush on Lily to be....disturbing to say the least. That's my preliminary judgment; once I reread the series I'll make a final one.

[Friday]

And Snape!  Oh, Snape.  This Kleenex is for you.

More like this restraining order. I found Snape's extremely long and extreme crush on Lily to be....disturbing to say the least. That's my preliminary judgment; once I reread the series I'll make a final one.

What one person calls "long and extreme crush", another calls "true love". 

Anyway, I was referring not so much to that (unrequited love is nothing out of the ordinary) as to the fact that he allowed himself to be suspected, even hated, by so many, for so long, while all along working at extreme personal risk of torture and death for the cause... only Dumbledore knew which side he was really on. 

[mappchik]

More like this restraining order. I found Snape's extremely long and extreme crush on Lily to be....disturbing to say the least. That's my preliminary judgment; once I reread the series I'll make a final one.

What was the way to repair a soul that had been broken by murder, if you weren't out putting the slices into objects for storage? Remorse, and accepting the harm you caused, and dealing with the consequences.

Now that I know the "full" history of Snape & Lily, I don't think it was just unrequited love. I think he truly accepted the blame for his part in her death - and James, though the remorse for that would just have been for pain he caused Lily.

The remorse of that is what turned him fully to Dumbledore's cause, and he certainly did spend the rest of his life... I think he died with his soul intact.

[toowm]

So no one else felt that He Who Must Not Be Named turned into a Stupid Weenie in the book?

[Friday]

So no one else felt that He Who Must Not Be Named turned into a Stupid Weenie in the book?

Well, I wasn't aware of it throughout the book, but I did think the part about the Room of Lost Objects was pretty weak on Voldy's part.  Also, I kept wondering why the Wizard Mind Meld only worked one way; how come Harry could tune in to V., but V. couldn't tune into Harry? And what was up with keeping his prisoners in the Malfoys' basement?!  OK, you're right, he was a weenie.

[lildog]

So no one else felt that He Who Must Not Be Named turned into a Stupid Weenie in the book?

Well, I wasn't aware of it throughout the book, but I did think the part about the Room of Lost Objects was pretty weak on Voldy's part.  Also, I kept wondering why the Wizard Mind Meld only worked one way; how come Harry could tune in to V., but V. couldn't tune into Harry? And what was up with keeping his prisoners in the Malfoys' basement?!  OK, you're right, he was a weenie.

I wondered about the mind meld too.  The only thing I could figure is Harry gave in to it.  Either V was having the mind melds but it wasn't important to the story or he wasn't giving in.

And yes the room of lost objects was VERY weak.  Come on, there are centuries worth of other stuff in the room but V thinks its still a safe place?

[lildog]

I also found fault with the fact nearly every adult dies but very few kids did.

Where'd you get that from?

Well think about it...

Nearly every member of the order of the phoenix dies with the exception of Ron's parents.  A handful of teachers.  Nearly every adult Harry comes in contact with (the wand makers, Bathilda etc).  Doby dead.  Even Tonks is killed off.

As for the kids and members of Dumbledors army you have...
Cedric
The younger kid who took the pictures (forget his name)
Fred Weasley

In everything that happened, all the fighting centered around the school etc and only 3 main kids die total in all the books?

[d_goddard]

Yay for Madeleine L'Engle!  Have you ever read her autobiography?  She has led a pretty interesting life.

No, but I will eventually. Can you believe she's still alive?!?!

Next countdown: William Gibson's Spook Country, to be released in 2 days.   

OMG!! THANK YOU!!
I have read every book Gibson ever wrote, multiple times.
Now this one is added to my list... !

[mappchik]

Harry was carrying around a chunk of Voldemort's soul. Voldemort had to work to get in touch with Harry, once he figured out where he was. But all Harry had to do was not work to fight the existing connection.

As for being stupid - I think Voldemort had just gotten too focused on his high & lofty goals. The "little people" just weren't important enough in his egomaniacal delusions to have any affect on him. Dumbledore spent a lot of time building up the character background on him. It's not that surprising. It's also possible he didn't know he had bound his soul to Harry, and that he thought the early conflict & the twin wands were the only bonds.

[Friday]

A coworker just tipped me off to the fact that JKR has revealed more details of what happens to the HP characters after the end of the final book.  Another of my predictions was correct (Ginny)!! 

Rowling's commentary and supplement

In an interview[4] and online chat,[5][6][7] Rowling gave additional information on the futures of the main characters that she chose not to include in the epilogue of the book. She stated that Harry becomes an Auror at the Ministry of Magic, and is later appointed head of the department. He keeps Sirius's motorcycle, which Arthur Weasley repaired for him, but can no longer speak Parseltongue after the destruction of Voldemort's soul fragment inside him. Ginny Weasley plays for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team for a time, then becomes the lead Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

Ron works for a time with George at his store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and later joins Harry as an Auror. Hermione finds her parents in Australia and removes the memory modification charm she put on them. She initially works for the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, greatly improving life for house-elves and their ilk. She later moves to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and assists in eradicating oppressive, pro-pureblood laws.

Rowling also explained the fates of several secondary characters. George Weasley runs his successful joke shop, initially helped by Ron. George names his first child Fred, after his late twin brother. Luna Lovegood searches the world for odd and unique creatures. She eventually marries Rolf, a grandson of the famed naturalist, Newt Scamander.[7] Her father's publication, The Quibbler, has returned to its usual condition of "advanced lunacy" and is appreciated for its unintentional humour. Firenze is welcomed back into his herd, who acknowledge that his pro-human leanings were not shameful, but honourable. Dolores Umbridge is arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned for crimes against Muggle-borns.

There has been a transformation in the wider wizarding world. Kingsley Shacklebolt becomes the Minister for Magic, with Percy Weasley working under him as a high official. As one of the reforms introduced by Shacklebolt, Azkaban no longer uses Dementors. Consequently, the world is now a "much sunnier place". Harry, Ron and Hermione also help revamp the Ministry in their respective capacities. At Hogwarts, Slytherin House has become more diluted and is no longer the pureblood bastion it once was. Nevertheless, its dark reputation lingers. Voldemort's jinx on the Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) position was broken with his death, and there is a permanent DADA teacher. A portrait of Snape, who briefly served as Hogwarts Headmaster following Dumbledore's death, does not appear in the headmaster's office as he abandoned his post. Harry intends to lobby for the addition of Snape's portrait, and reveals to all Snape's true allegiance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows#Rowling.27s_commentary_and_supplement

[Friday]

Yay for Madeleine L'Engle!  Have you ever read her autobiography?  She has led a pretty interesting life.

No, but I will eventually. Can you believe she's still alive?!?!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/09/07/obit.lengle.ap/index.html

[d_goddard]

RIP Ms. L'Engle .... and thank you for giving me a piece of childhood magic that does not die.