The Harry Potter Series

[Deleted]

I like the idea about <Lilly getting Snape to make an "Unbreakable Vow" concerning Harry.> That could be a reason <(other than the whole "I didn't know James and Lilly would be hurt when I told Voldemort the prophecy. I'm so sorry!" thing) why Dumbledore would trust Snape so implicitly.>

About Harry <being an Horcrux. It seems possible (and very dark - no!!!) that LV made Harry an inadvertent Horcrux when he tried to kill him. I don't really want to go down that road because I want Harry to survive, damnit!.>

[Deleted]

Word Stargirl. HBP left me feeling, I don't know, let-down maybe or depressed. I guess it was my 10-year old daughter's reaction. She likes the kids to act like kids and have fun/mischievious school adventures - not this Darth Vader/Obi Wan/Luke stuff. After she finished the book, she came to me with tears in her eyes saying that if the seventh book doesn't turn out happy, then she's going to put all her Harry Potter things in the attic. Does anyone have any comment on JKR's writing style in this book? Her "turn-of-phrase" was refreshingly original in the first book. This book was pretty much all dialog, and not much character development. Hermoine definately took a backseat in this one.

Edited because Half Prince Blood sounds stupid.

[susyhomewrecker]

Hermoine definately took a backseat in this one.

Agreed. Is Kloves still doing the screenplays for the movies? If he is, he'd probably find a way to increase Hermione's screentime no matter what, probably removing <<Ginny>> completely and giving her scenes to Emma Watson. Yuck.

But I digress. << The fact that the trio wasn't really a trio for most of the book bugged. I know this was also the case in PoA and GoF, but it seemed like in the end of those books Ron & Hermione/Harry & Ron all made up a lot sooner, and reuinted to solve the Big Mystery. As I've already complained, probably in the other thread, there was not enough "detective" work in this book for my taste...probably because the biggest mystery, besides "what's a Horcrux?" (which was up to Harry alone to discover), was "who is the Half-Blood Prince?" which wasn't exactly germane to the plot.

Anyway, I highly doubt that Dumbledore had made a Horcrux before he died. The only mention Hermione can find of Horcruxes is in a library book called "Moste Evile Magick" or some such thing, and is even too horrible for them to define/describe. We know Dumbledore has a great knowledge of complex magic, but as McGonagall says, "is too noble to use" those forms of magic that Voldemort employs. He will have a portrait in his old office...one of the greatest reasons I hope the trio changes their minds about returning to Hogwarts. I have a feeling that the Weasleys, or possibly Lupin, may try to impress upon them the importance of returning to school and completing their educations. Of course, it would be fairly practical for The Order to be headquartered in Hogsmeade, and since the trio (but not Ginny!) will all be of age by then, maybe they could start doing some work.

Malfoy won't be back, I'm almost completely sure. I do think Blaise Zabini will play a big part in the next book if they do go back to Hogwarts. We know he's in good with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, etc., and now Slughorn as well.>>

By the way, did anyone else ever expect <<the word that starts with an s, ends with a t, and means scarlet woman (which the board blanks out)>> to show up in a Harry Potter book!?!

Edited because of problems with profanity

[Hamatron]

Thankfully, Mr. Kloves did not write the script for the pending Goblet of Fire. Will Hermione remain 'exposition girl' and Ron 'comic relief guy?' We'll have to wait and see!

And yes, I too was scandalized by the use of the scarlet woman reference (you really can't type that word! Funny!), and there are moments where I talk like a complete sailor. Scandalous! Hee.

[susyhomewrecker]

Thankfully, Mr. Kloves did not write the script for the pending Goblet of Fire. Will Hermione remain 'exposition girl' and Ron 'comic relief guy?' We'll have to wait and see!

Hee! Thank goodness!

[Deleted]

I just finished it and my reaction is pretty much the same as everyone else's. Overall, well, not nearly as compelling as GoF or OoTP. I will spoiler the rest.

>>I think DD is really dead, but the fact that he was snoozing in his picture in the end definitely suggests he is not gone. I am very torn on the Snape issue--bad or not? After the chapter with the Unbreakable Vow I believed that Snape and DD had one as well. It would make sense that DD would require that type of promise after Snape had enabled Voldemort to kill Lily and James. And if Snape felt that level of loyalty to DD he would have made the vow with Narcissa thinking that at worst it would end in his own death. Book 7 really has to give the background on Snape. The series just won't be complete without it.

I really like how Harry was developed in this installment. He is really maturing and becoming enjoyable again. The bit about him feeling pity for Malfoy was wonderful as was the part coaxing the story from Prof. Slughorn. I didn't mind his relationship with Ginny, but Ron and Hermione need some more development. They were really pretty two-dimensional in this one, except for Hermione using magic inappropriately to help Ron with Quidditch. Also, a little peeve but I am really bugged by the fact that Hermione never seems to spend any time with her parents. It seems that she's an only child and yet she doesn't see them at Christmas or hardly at all in the Summer. As protective as Mrs. Weasley is I can't imagine she would permit Hermione to come stay at Grimmauld Place or The Burrow so often. All right, rant over.

The one character I could completely do without is Hagrid. I have yet to figure out his purpose. He should have faded out in PoA. I find him boring and his plotlines to be useless. Thank goodness we were only "treated" to him burying his spider instead of some long-winded giant story this time.

I don't think Regulus Black is dead. I think he turns up alive in Book 7 and helps Harry obtain the rest of the horcruxes. It's obvious Harry can't do it on his own and I don't buy that Ron and Hermione are advanced enough to help him. I do think the series has a happy ending, for whoever was worried about that. I just hope it doesn't end with Harry sweeping Ginny into his arms in some cliched ending. All in all, book 7 is going to have to be looooong. >>

[susyhomewrecker]

Apparently Book 7 is "two years away."[/color]

The question is, can she WRITE 1,000+ (like we probably all want her to) pages in 2 years and have it be as good as OoTP?

ETA:

<<I don't think Regulus Black is dead. I think he turns up alive in Book 7 and helps Harry obtain the rest of the horcruxes>>

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! <<Stubby Boardman!>>

[jynni]

More random thoughts on HBP...
Maybe I'm just easy but I had completely believed Harry had given Ron the Felix Felicis - I was getting very ticked too. I kept thinking - this is such an easy plot device (it seemed in character with something Harry would do in a rash moment) and Harry will get caught and blah blah. I was so happy when it was revealed that Harry had set both Ron and Hermione up.

I loved that Harry took Luna to the Slug party. I also loved all the teenage pairings. Ron and Lavender's dating and breakup was hilarious (especially cause there's always that one couple that is always making out in public every chance they get). On thing JRK is definitly tops at is the depictions of teenagers. She knows them like the back of her hand. I loved, loved loved that Slug called Ron "Rupert" there towards the end.

I was happy that Fleur didn't turn out to be a complete bitch. I can't decide which would have been more obvious - her deserting Bill or the "I'm pretty enough for both of us". But I did love that she can be really bitchy, vain, self-centered and still have the additional layer underneath of really loving someone. That was some good character development for her.

I could see Dumbledore's death coming a mile away. I dreaded it and kept hoping a different major character would die but I knew he was going to die. What I didn't expect were the circumstances under which it happened. I do believe he's dead. He and Sirius are dead, gone, finished.

Now, having said that, I couldn't help but notice that something was off about Dumbledore for most of the book. Also, Harry never did confirm that Dumbledore was actually Dumbledore. That whole "confirm the person you're talking to is really that person" was mentioned a few to many times to just be comic relief.

Interesting to know that there has been a new DADA teacher every year since Voldemort was denied the position. Seems like it will hold true for year 7 as well.


I think I will need to read the whole book again. I think there are more clues in this book than is immediatly obvious.

I'm also wondering how on earth this whole thing will be tied up. There just seems to be so much to do in one more book.

[CyberCathy]

Oh, jynni I, too, had the feeling while reading that Dumbledore wasn't himself. I was seriously thinking there was some Polyjuice potion involved. And not so much that he was a Death Eater imposter, but maybe that someone from the Order was impersonating him.

[redpanda]

>>DD is dead for now but will come back in the end just as Sirius will but not until the battle that Harry must fight, alone. As others also think, DD and Snape make an unbreakable vow and now Snape is dead. Malfoy is also dead because he failed many times in his task. A year or two is such a long time to wait for the end. *sigh*