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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 27, 2007 10:50:57 GMT -5
Spoilers for the Whole BookJK Rowling reveals pertinent details that she cut out of the epilogue. From MSNBC. Finished ‘Potter’? Rowling tells what happens next Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book’s final epilogue Exclusive: J.K. Rowling on final 'Potter' July 26: J.K. Rowling talks to TODAY's Meredith Vieira about the final "Harry Potter" book and the aftermath of certain characters. By Jen Brown TODAYShow.com contributor Updated: 7:38 a.m. ET July 26, 2007Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story. If you found the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” rather vague, then J.K. Rowling achieved her goal. The author was shooting for “nebulous,” something “poetic.” She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not. “I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it,” she told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book. Ummm … yes, please! Rowling said her original epilogue was “a lot more detailed,” including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy — Lupin and Tonks’ son — is Bill and Fleur’s eldest.) “But it didn’t work very well as a piece of writing,” Rowling said. “It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything.” But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY’s interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now. Harry, Ron and HermioneWe know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child. As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head. “Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.” Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.” “I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said. Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.” “They made a new world,” Rowling said. The wizarding naturalistLuna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum. “I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures,” Rowling said. “She’s a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is.” Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don’t exist. “But I do think that she’s so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one’s ever seen before,” Rowling said. Luna and Neville Longbottom?It’s possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A. When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling’s response was “Definitely not.” But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to “feel a bit of a pull” between the unlikely pair. Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise “felt too neat.” Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: “The damage is done.” There is no chance, however, that Neville’s parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies. “I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville’s parents is even worse than what happened to Harry’s parents,” Rowling said. “The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently.” Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother’s acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts. The fate of HogwartsNineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”) as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year. While Rowling didn’t clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts. More details to come?Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans. “I’m dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents,” she said. Not that she’s discouraging the Potter devotion! “I love it,” she said. “I’m all for that.”
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 27, 2007 10:52:03 GMT -5
Spoilers for the Whole BookJK Rowling reveals pertinent details that she cut out of the epilogueFinished ‘Potter’? Rowling tells what happens next Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book’s final epilogue Exclusive: J.K. Rowling on final 'Potter' July 26: J.K. Rowling talks to TODAY's Meredith Vieira about the final "Harry Potter" book and the aftermath of certain characters. By Jen Brown TODAYShow.com contributor Updated: 7:38 a.m. ET July 26, 2007Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story. If you found the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” rather vague, then J.K. Rowling achieved her goal. The author was shooting for “nebulous,” something “poetic.” She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not. “I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it,” she told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book. Ummm … yes, please! Rowling said her original epilogue was “a lot more detailed,” including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy — Lupin and Tonks’ son — is Bill and Fleur’s eldest.) “But it didn’t work very well as a piece of writing,” Rowling said. “It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything.” But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY’s interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now. Harry, Ron and HermioneWe know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child. As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head. “Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.” Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.” “I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said. Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.” “They made a new world,” Rowling said. The wizarding naturalistLuna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum. “I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures,” Rowling said. “She’s a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is.” Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don’t exist. “But I do think that she’s so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one’s ever seen before,” Rowling said. Luna and Neville Longbottom?It’s possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A. When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling’s response was “Definitely not.” But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to “feel a bit of a pull” between the unlikely pair. Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise “felt too neat.” Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: “The damage is done.” There is no chance, however, that Neville’s parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies. “I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville’s parents is even worse than what happened to Harry’s parents,” Rowling said. “The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently.” Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother’s acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts. The fate of HogwartsNineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”) as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year. While Rowling didn’t clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts. More details to come?Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans. “I’m dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents,” she said. Not that she’s discouraging the Potter devotion! “I love it,” she said. “I’m all for that.” Well, gosh, she didn't have to reveal the name of every single Weasley offspring, but including a few of the other details would have been nice.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 27, 2007 17:22:00 GMT -5
Spoilers for the Whole BookOops. There's a part two of this interview here. Not nearly as exciting as the first part. Exclusive: J.K. Rowling on final 'Potter' July 26: J.K. Rowling talks to TODAY's Meredith Vieira about the final "Harry Potter" book and the aftermath of certain characters.Today show Quiz: Test your Harry Potter knowledge By Mike Celizic TODAYShow.com contributor Updated: 9:57 a.m. ET July 27, 2007 Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. It’s hard to imagine that J.K. Rowling would have any regrets about Harry Potter, not after her epic fictional hero delivered her from public assistance, introduced millions of children to the joys of reading and made Rowling one of the most celebrated authors of this or any other generation. But, she told TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira in an exclusive broadcast interview, she carries one great regret with her always, one that Dumbledore himself would not be able to cure. She never told her mom about the books. “She never knew,” Rowling said. “She would have loved this just in the sense any mother wants to know their child is successful. She would have been at every event I did. She would have had so much vicarious pleasure in seeing who I met and what I did. Not telling her, that’s a massive regret.” Rowling had conceived the entire plot of Harry Potter while on a train trip in 1990. She began writing immediately, but didn’t tell her mother, who died that December at the age of 45 after a 10-year battle with multiple sclerosis. After her mother’s death, the classically educated Rowling moved to Portugal, where she got a job teaching English as a second language. She married there in 1992 and had a daughter, Jessica. After the brief marriage ended, she returned to Scotland, where she lived on public assistance and wrote “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in local cafes, her daughter sleeping in a pram at her side. The first book was published in 1997 with an initial press run of 1,000 copies. Rowling’s publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing, told her to get a day job, as children’s books seldom made a great deal of money. But the rights for the American edition fetched an advance of $105,000 from Scholastic Books, a sum that astonished Rowling. If her mother never knew the quest her daughter had set out on, a quest that would consume 17 years of her life and make her wealthy and famous beyond her dreams, she still had an enormous affect on the books. “Mum dying had a profound influence on the books because I had been writing the Harry Potter series, and in the first draft his parents were disposed of really in quite the cavalier fashion,” Rowling told Vieira. “Six months in, my mother died. I really think from that one moment on, death became a central, if not the central, theme of the seven books. How we react to death, how much we fear it. In many ways, all of my characters are defined by their attitude to death.” Who lives and who dies And much of the excitement about the final chapter of the epic tale, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” has also been defined by speculation about which characters die. Rowling has been besieged by questions about who lives and who dies. She told Vieira of talking to a young reader who begged her not to kill certain characters, and her heartbreak at knowing that they had already been killed off by her pen. Even her sister looked at her once and said, “If you kill Hagrid, I won’t forgive you.” “You’re lucky you didn’t kill Hagrid,” Vieira said, and Rowling laughed, replying, “I never planned to kill Hagrid.” But she kept her secrets well. Even Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter, had to ask about his character’s fate. “I took him out to dinner, and at one point during dinner, he leant in and he said, ‘Look, I’ve just gotta ask you. Do I die?’” Rowling said. “I whispered, so no one else could hear, ‘You get a death scene,’” she said. “But Dan is very smart. And I’m pretty sure he would have walked away from dinner thinking, ‘Yeah, I get a death scene, but what does that mean? She didn't say, ‘Yes, you die,’ so I hope he's happy.” Rowling praised the five movies filmed so far, saying that they perfectly capture her vision, and said she wanted to be first in line when Universal Studios, whose parent company is NBC Universal, opens its Harry Potter theme park. The interview took place in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, a Hogwarts-like fortress. At one point, Vieira confessed that one of her favorite scenes in the first book is when the 11-year-old Harry finds the Mirror of Erised, which shows the person looking into it his or her deepest desire. “There’s something about that, when he looks in the mirror and sees his family, that’s so moving to me. If I had the mirror here and you looked in, what do you think you would see?” Vieira asked. “I would definitely see what Harry sees. I would have seen my mother,” Rowling said. “I would be able to have a conversation with my mother.”
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Post by jeff on Jul 30, 2007 17:01:10 GMT -5
Ok, If you want answers to some burning questions about things left unfinished from the end of The Deathly Hallows, JKR has answered some (a quite a few actually) of them. Click this link to read a transcript of the questions and answers! www.hpana.com/news.20137.html
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Post by Queen E on Jul 30, 2007 20:00:16 GMT -5
So, what did you guys think about the reveal of who the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron were?
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 30, 2007 20:27:08 GMT -5
So, what did you guys think about the reveal of who the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron were? I thought it was really cool.
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Post by Matthew on Jul 30, 2007 20:29:45 GMT -5
So, what did you guys think about the reveal of who the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron were? That would be one of the many things I flailed and squeed about when reading it, but forgot to put in my comments because it was washed out by all the other flailing squee.
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Post by Sharky on Aug 1, 2007 9:18:16 GMT -5
I don't know if I have much to add. I thought the book was a good, fun read.
Yes, I'm a Pollyannish type who likes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione survived to the end. Harry proved himself willing to sacrifice his life, but Rowling spared him that fate and ended with Harry a happy family man. I was glad the character got what he wanted from life.
Did Rowling develop the Harry/Ginny 'ship that well? No, but if she has any talents at depicting romance she hasn't shown them in this series. Most people don't marry their high school sweethearts, so in that respect neither the Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione pairing was likely in the long-term. But I see Harry's marriage to Ginny as being an outgrowth of his desire for family. He joined the Weasley clan by marriage, formalizing the strongest family ties he had in the series.
I'll agree with those who felt there were too many "off screen" deaths. Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin .... these were all characters I felt should have been given better send-offs.
I liked the use of the Pensieve to reveal the secrets of Severus Snape. I liked that Harry recognized the bravery it took to do what Snape did over the years. And, I felt the explanation of Snape fit well. He couldn't separate Harry from James enough to like him, but he couldn't separate him enough from Lily to abandon the cause he represented. I would have preferred Snape go out in a blaze of glory, though.
Too much time was spent knocking around from place to place without a clue, and I seemed to miss how Harry deduced that the Cup and the Diadem were Horcruxes.
Also, can somehow explain to me how Draco Malfoy was the true master of the Elder Wand? I may have to go back and re-read the sixth book for that one.
Rowling gave us an amazing series, overall, the popular literary event of the last several decades. No, I wouldn't have made the same choices at some points, but I'm not sure I would have made better ones. If so, why am I not richer than the Queen? (Elizabeth, not Erin).
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Aug 1, 2007 14:58:35 GMT -5
I don't know if I have much to add. I thought the book was a good, fun read. Yes, I'm a Pollyannish type who likes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione survived to the end. Harry proved himself willing to sacrifice his life, but Rowling spared him that fate and ended with Harry a happy family man. I was glad the character got what he wanted from life. Did Rowling develoop the Harry/Ginny 'ship that well? No, but if she has any talents at depicting romance she hasn't shown them in this seriies. Most people don't marry their high school sweethearts, so in that respect neither the Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione pairing was likely in the long-term. But I see Harry's marriage to Ginny as being an outgrowth of his desire for family. He joined the Weasley clan by marriage, formalizing the strongest family ties he had in the series. I'll agree with those who felt there were too many "off screen" deaths. Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin .... these were all characters I felt should have been given better send-offs. I liked the use of the Pensieve to reveal the secrets of Severus Snape. I liked that Harry recognized the bravery it took to do what Snape did over the years. And, I felt the explanation of Snape fit well. He couldn't separate Harry from James enough to like him, but he couldn't separate him enough from Lily to abandon the cause he represented. I would have preferred Snape go out in a blaze of glory, though. Too much time was spent knocking around from place to place without a clue, and I seemed to miss how Harry deduced that the Cup and the Diadem were Horcruxes. Also, can somehow explain to me how Draco Malfoy was the true master of the Elder Wand? I may have to go back and re-read the sixth book for that one. Rowling gave us an amazing series, overall, the popular literary event of the last several decades. No, I wouldn't have made the same choices at some points, but I'm not sure I would have made better ones. If so, why am I not richer than the Queen? (Elizabeth, not Erin). About the Horcruxes, in the 6th book Dumbledore said that Snape used items that belonged to the founders of the Hogwartz. So we have the locket (Slytherin), the cup (Hufflepuff), and the diadem (Ravenclaw). Gryffindor's sword was not a Horcrux, I guess, instead it was used to destroy the others. The wand thing I couldn't suss out myself, but somebody on lj explained that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore in book 6, and hence became the possessor of the Elder Wand. Harry disarmed Draco in the Malfoy Manor in book 7, he became the possessor of all Draco's wands, including the Elder Wand. I'm not sure I really like that rule myself, but there it is.
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Post by Sharky on Aug 1, 2007 16:09:04 GMT -5
About the Horcruxes, in the 6th book Dumbledore said that Snape used items that belonged to the founders of the Hogwartz. So we have the locket (Slytherin), the cup (Hufflepuff), and the diadem (Ravenclaw). Gryffindor's sword was not a Horcrux, I guess, instead it was used to destroy the others. The wand thing I couldn't suss out myself, but somebody on lj explained that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore in book 6, and hence became the possessor of the Elder Wand. Harry disarmed Draco in the Malfoy Manor in book 7, he became the possessor of all Draco's wands, including the Elder Wand. I'm not sure I really like that rule myself, but there it is. Thanks! Book 6 is the only one I haven't read more than once (well, other than Book 7), so I think I'll give it another go once I get to the end of Young Miles.
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Post by Sara on Aug 1, 2007 20:21:41 GMT -5
I don't know if I have much to add. I thought the book was a good, fun read. Yes, I'm a Pollyannish type who likes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione survived to the end. Harry proved himself willing to sacrifice his life, but Rowling spared him that fate and ended with Harry a happy family man. I was glad the character got what he wanted from life. Did Rowling develop the Harry/Ginny 'ship that well? No, but if she has any talents at depicting romance she hasn't shown them in this series. Most people don't marry their high school sweethearts, so in that respect neither the Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione pairing was likely in the long-term. But I see Harry's marriage to Ginny as being an outgrowth of his desire for family. He joined the Weasley clan by marriage, formalizing the strongest family ties he had in the series. I'll agree with those who felt there were too many "off screen" deaths. Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin .... these were all characters I felt should have been given better send-offs. I liked the use of the Pensieve to reveal the secrets of Severus Snape. I liked that Harry recognized the bravery it took to do what Snape did over the years. And, I felt the explanation of Snape fit well. He couldn't separate Harry from James enough to like him, but he couldn't separate him enough from Lily to abandon the cause he represented. I would have preferred Snape go out in a blaze of glory, though. Too much time was spent knocking around from place to place without a clue, and I seemed to miss how Harry deduced that the Cup and the Diadem were Horcruxes. Also, can somehow explain to me how Draco Malfoy was the true master of the Elder Wand? I may have to go back and re-read the sixth book for that one. Rowling gave us an amazing series, overall, the popular literary event of the last several decades. No, I wouldn't have made the same choices at some points, but I'm not sure I would have made better ones. If so, why am I not richer than the Queen? (Elizabeth, not Erin). Heh—I was just making that same point to someone the other night. Especially in the case of Ron and Hermione; outside of his sudden concern for the house elves and Harry himself, they don't have a lot of common interests. I know opposites attract, and in many cases balance each other out very nicely, but I'm not sure that's how things would end up playing out in Ron and Hermione's case. And the more I think about the Elder Wand thing, the more I feel a bit... I don't know if "cheated" is the right word, but it's close enough. I mean, there was all Dumbledore's talk about "the power he knows not" and how love would save Harry—which it did, no question: Harry wouldn't have survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him without it. But when you think about it, defeating Voldemort himself boiled down not to love or sacrifice or intelligence or superior skills—it happened because of a wand ownership technicality. Which itself came about only because Draco did what anyone would do and disarmed his opponent; he cared so little about Dumbledore's wand itself that he didn't give it a second glance when he sent it flying over the ramparts and to the ground below. So, yeah—I'm starting to find the means by which Voldemort was killed a bit... unsatisfying, I guess.
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Post by Matthew on Aug 2, 2007 12:08:47 GMT -5
I don't know if I have much to add. I thought the book was a good, fun read. Yes, I'm a Pollyannish type who likes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione survived to the end. Harry proved himself willing to sacrifice his life, but Rowling spared him that fate and ended with Harry a happy family man. I was glad the character got what he wanted from life. Did Rowling develop the Harry/Ginny 'ship that well? No, but if she has any talents at depicting romance she hasn't shown them in this series. Most people don't marry their high school sweethearts, so in that respect neither the Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione pairing was likely in the long-term. But I see Harry's marriage to Ginny as being an outgrowth of his desire for family. He joined the Weasley clan by marriage, formalizing the strongest family ties he had in the series. I'll agree with those who felt there were too many "off screen" deaths. Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin .... these were all characters I felt should have been given better send-offs. I liked the use of the Pensieve to reveal the secrets of Severus Snape. I liked that Harry recognized the bravery it took to do what Snape did over the years. And, I felt the explanation of Snape fit well. He couldn't separate Harry from James enough to like him, but he couldn't separate him enough from Lily to abandon the cause he represented. I would have preferred Snape go out in a blaze of glory, though. Too much time was spent knocking around from place to place without a clue, and I seemed to miss how Harry deduced that the Cup and the Diadem were Horcruxes. Also, can somehow explain to me how Draco Malfoy was the true master of the Elder Wand? I may have to go back and re-read the sixth book for that one. Rowling gave us an amazing series, overall, the popular literary event of the last several decades. No, I wouldn't have made the same choices at some points, but I'm not sure I would have made better ones. If so, why am I not richer than the Queen? (Elizabeth, not Erin). Heh—I was just making that same point to someone the other night. Especially in the case of Ron and Hermione; outside of his sudden concern for the house elves and Harry himself, they don't have a lot of common interests. I know opposites attract, and in many cases balance each other out very nicely, but I'm not sure that's how things would end up playing out in Ron and Hermione's case. And the more I think about the Elder Wand thing, the more I feel a bit... I don't know if "cheated" is the right word, but it's close enough. I mean, there was all Dumbledore's talk about "the power he knows not" and how love would save Harry—which it did, no question: Harry wouldn't have survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him without it. But when you think about it, defeating Voldemort himself boiled down not to love or sacrifice or intelligence or superior skills—it happened because of a wand ownership technicality. Which itself came about only because Draco did what anyone would do and disarmed his opponent; he cared so little about Dumbledore's wand itself that he didn't give it a second glance when he sent it flying over the ramparts and to the ground below. So, yeah—I'm starting to find the means by which Voldemort was killed a bit... unsatisfying, I guess. And I STILL say that the Wizarding World is so small and conservative, comparatively, that it makes perfect sense that so many people wind up marrying their high school sweetheart. I mean, this school is IT, as far as people of your own basic culture and your own language group are concerned. And the wizarding world seems to be somehow sorta stuck in the 19th century. I'm just glad that the longest-running relationship we see, Molly and Arthur (excluding Augusta Longbottom's relationship with Awesome), seems to be still happy, romantic,and full of love. And a lot like Hermione and Ron's relationship, which I just sorta like, but am not gonna try to defend much more than that. As for the Elder Wand bizness, well, I wish that the Hallows AND wandlore had made it into an earlier book in more detail. There's hinting at it with Olivander, and with Neville's lousy abillity with his father's wand, and Ron's with his old wand, but it's way too much of a "where the frack did THIS come from?!" element for me, with it (the Hallows) only introduced in the last book, even if the cloak has been there the entire time(and yes, people have complimented its fineness before, but no one has ever indicated that other cloaks used were inferior to it). I feel sorta like she could have done a better job of foreshadowing, if this was the way she was planning on going from the beginning, because it does sorta feel tacked on at the end. I still loved the hell out of the book, violent rollercoaster that it was (after the hell in the tent for six months, interspersed with violent rollercoasterism), but the whole "hallows" element, while tied in so much with the richness of Albus Dumbledore, feels tacked on. I'd be happier if she'd included some mention of the fairy tales or something other about the Hallows in an earlier book. If Hermione had read the three brother's tale to them from her runes class in the third or fourth book, or something. Which implies that I fully believe that Rowling actually HAD that (the hallows) in there from that early on, about which I'm not as sanguine. She's mentioned Grindlewald (in the first book), and has said in interviews that he's important, but I still ain't quite convinced that she meant it to go this way the entire time. Harry ain't got jack as far as skills go, compared to Voldemort, but we are shown the entire series that he has a close relationship with magic, intuitively, (much like buffy) and can tend to slide through the loopholes, as he's been doing since a year after he was born. It DOES work for me that blind-ass luck and a weird series of circumstances (including his utter willingness to face Voldemort unarmed as he's been told by someone he trusts that that's what he has to do to protect his friends and destroy his horcruxiness) are behind him defeating Voldemort, because Voldemort was on another plane as far as magic-using went: only Dumbledore and Grindlewald are indicated as being anything like him in skill. In any event, I still give the whole thing a B+ and loved the hell out of it, tacked-on Hallows subplot or not.
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Post by Matthew on Aug 2, 2007 12:12:20 GMT -5
About the Horcruxes, in the 6th book Dumbledore said that Snape used items that belonged to the founders of the Hogwartz. So we have the locket (Slytherin), the cup (Hufflepuff), and the diadem (Ravenclaw). Gryffindor's sword was not a Horcrux, I guess, instead it was used to destroy the others. The wand thing I couldn't suss out myself, but somebody on lj explained that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore in book 6, and hence became the possessor of the Elder Wand. Harry disarmed Draco in the Malfoy Manor in book 7, he became the possessor of all Draco's wands, including the Elder Wand. I'm not sure I really like that rule myself, but there it is. Thanks! Book 6 is the only one I haven't read more than once (well, other than Book 7), so I think I'll give it another go once I get to the end of Young Miles. Oh, DO! I love hell out of book six. It's a wartime romantic comedy crossbred with a Romero film. The whole thing is worth it to re-read if only for Luna Lovegood's bits. Plus Ginny's dispassionate appraisals of Lavender and won-won's techniques. Hee! Incidentally, David Yates has said that the casting call for Lavender will require the actress to snog Rupert to check the chemistry. Grint looked both... pleased and fearful, and VERY "Ron" upon hearing about this.
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Post by Sara on Aug 2, 2007 13:13:27 GMT -5
And I STILL say that the Wizarding World is so small and conservative, comparatively, that it makes perfect sense that so many people wind up marrying their high school sweetheart. I mean, this school is IT, as far as people of your own basic culture and your own language group are concerned. And the wizarding world seems to be somehow sorta stuck in the 19th century. I'm just glad that the longest-running relationship we see, Molly and Arthur (excluding Augusta Longbottom's relationship with Awesome), seems to be still happy, romantic,and full of love. And a lot like Hermione and Ron's relationship, which I just sorta like, but am not gonna try to defend much more than that. As for the Elder Wand bizness, well, I wish that the Hallows AND wandlore had made it into an earlier book in more detail. There's hinting at it with Olivander, and with Neville's lousy abillity with his father's wand, and Ron's with his old wand, but it's way too much of a "where the frack did THIS come from?!" element for me, with it (the Hallows) only introduced in the last book, even if the cloak has been there the entire time(and yes, people have complimented its fineness before, but no one has ever indicated that other cloaks used were inferior to it). I feel sorta like she could have done a better job of foreshadowing, if this was the way she was planning on going from the beginning, because it does sorta feel tacked on at the end. I still loved the hell out of the book, violent rollercoaster that it was (after the hell in the tent for six months, interspersed with violent rollercoasterism), but the whole "hallows" element, while tied in so much with the richness of Albus Dumbledore, feels tacked on. I'd be happier if she'd included some mention of the fairy tales or something other about the Hallows in an earlier book. If Hermione had read the three brother's tale to them from her runes class in the third or fourth book, or something. Which implies that I fully believe that Rowling actually HAD that (the hallows) in there from that early on, about which I'm not as sanguine. She's mentioned Grindlewald (in the first book), and has said in interviews that he's important, but I still ain't quite convinced that she meant it to go this way the entire time. Harry ain't got jack as far as skills go, compared to Voldemort, but we are shown the entire series that he has a close relationship with magic, intuitively, (much like buffy) and can tend to slide through the loopholes, as he's been doing since a year after he was born. It DOES work for me that blind-ass luck and a weird series of circumstances (including his utter willingness to face Voldemort unarmed as he's been told by someone he trusts that that's what he has to do to protect his friends and destroy his horcruxiness) are behind him defeating Voldemort, because Voldemort was on another plane as far as magic-using went: only Dumbledore and Grindlewald are indicated as being anything like him in skill. In any event, I still give the whole thing a B+ and loved the hell out of it, tacked-on Hallows subplot or not. I didn't say I don't like the Ron/Hermione relationship, just that I don't necessarily see them being together for the rest of their lives. And while the wizarding world may be somewhat insular, don't forget that both Hermione and Harry grew up as Muggles and thus wouldn't automatically think their options were limited to fellow wizards and witches (although I don't doubt they'd prefer and be happier with someone at least familiar with that world). And please: the resemblance between Ginny and Harry's mom Lily already disturbs me enough; no need to put the Ron/Hermione Molly/Arthur thing in my brain as well. I'm with you in wishing there'd been more foreshadowing of plot points that were so crucial in this story: the Hallows, the tale of the 3 brothers, a mention or two of a legendary wand that made its wielder invincible, whatever. But simply being told "the wand chooses the wizard" isn't enough to keep a lot of what transpires from feeling like a series of deus ex machina moments. Since Rowling did such a fine job of weaving other elements into the earlier books, like the locket at Grimmauld Place that couldn't be opened, it makes it even more surprising to me that more of what we learned wasn't worked in throughout the previous six tales.
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Post by Matthew on Aug 2, 2007 14:16:41 GMT -5
And I STILL say that the Wizarding World is so small and conservative, comparatively, that it makes perfect sense that so many people wind up marrying their high school sweetheart. I mean, this school is IT, as far as people of your own basic culture and your own language group are concerned. And the wizarding world seems to be somehow sorta stuck in the 19th century. I'm just glad that the longest-running relationship we see, Molly and Arthur (excluding Augusta Longbottom's relationship with Awesome), seems to be still happy, romantic,and full of love. And a lot like Hermione and Ron's relationship, which I just sorta like, but am not gonna try to defend much more than that. As for the Elder Wand bizness, well, I wish that the Hallows AND wandlore had made it into an earlier book in more detail. There's hinting at it with Olivander, and with Neville's lousy abillity with his father's wand, and Ron's with his old wand, but it's way too much of a "where the frack did THIS come from?!" element for me, with it (the Hallows) only introduced in the last book, even if the cloak has been there the entire time(and yes, people have complimented its fineness before, but no one has ever indicated that other cloaks used were inferior to it). I feel sorta like she could have done a better job of foreshadowing, if this was the way she was planning on going from the beginning, because it does sorta feel tacked on at the end. I still loved the hell out of the book, violent rollercoaster that it was (after the hell in the tent for six months, interspersed with violent rollercoasterism), but the whole "hallows" element, while tied in so much with the richness of Albus Dumbledore, feels tacked on. I'd be happier if she'd included some mention of the fairy tales or something other about the Hallows in an earlier book. If Hermione had read the three brother's tale to them from her runes class in the third or fourth book, or something. Which implies that I fully believe that Rowling actually HAD that (the hallows) in there from that early on, about which I'm not as sanguine. She's mentioned Grindlewald (in the first book), and has said in interviews that he's important, but I still ain't quite convinced that she meant it to go this way the entire time. Harry ain't got jack as far as skills go, compared to Voldemort, but we are shown the entire series that he has a close relationship with magic, intuitively, (much like buffy) and can tend to slide through the loopholes, as he's been doing since a year after he was born. It DOES work for me that blind-ass luck and a weird series of circumstances (including his utter willingness to face Voldemort unarmed as he's been told by someone he trusts that that's what he has to do to protect his friends and destroy his horcruxiness) are behind him defeating Voldemort, because Voldemort was on another plane as far as magic-using went: only Dumbledore and Grindlewald are indicated as being anything like him in skill. In any event, I still give the whole thing a B+ and loved the hell out of it, tacked-on Hallows subplot or not. I didn't say I don't like the Ron/Hermione relationship, just that I don't necessarily see them being together for the rest of their lives. And while the wizarding world may be somewhat insular, don't forget that both Hermione and Harry grew up as Muggles and thus wouldn't automatically think their options were limited to fellow wizards and witches (although I don't doubt they'd prefer and be happier with someone at least familiar with that world).And please: the resemblance between Ginny and Harry's mom Lily already disturbs me enough; no need to put the Ron/Hermione Molly/Arthur thing in my brain as well. I'm with you in wishing there'd been more foreshadowing of plot points that were so crucial in this story: the Hallows, the tale of the 3 brothers, a mention or two of a legendary wand that made its wielder invincible, whatever. But simply being told "the wand chooses the wizard" isn't enough to keep a lot of what transpires from feeling like a series of deus ex machina moments. Since Rowling did such a fine job of weaving other elements into the earlier books, like the locket at Grimmauld Place that couldn't be opened, it makes it even more surprising to me that more of what we learned wasn't worked in throughout the previous six tales. exactly! We're being asked to swallow a little too much with less preparation. Sirius Black's mentioned in book one. The fact that Harry's wand is brother to voldemort's is put in four books ahead of where it becomes vital to the plot. Oh, and I Hary's wand acting all on its own volition still is all "WTF?!" to me.Okay, okay, conceded! Maybe they won't be together for the rest of their life. But their argumentativeness and bickering seems to be of the good kind, that they both enjoy and keeps them both interested. I dunno. And I can't see any of them marrying a muggle or a squib.Again, (as I said to you before about this) pthththth.
(he said with dignity).
In all seriousness, I actually don't see the parallels between Ginny and Lily sr, is it the way the actresses look? The fact that Lily was a redhead and so is Ginny?
And Harry himself points out that Hermione appealing to Ron for support sounded just like Molly appealing to Arthur. Down to the frantic backpeddling on the part of the male member of the party. ;D
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