"I open at the close."
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Well, that was a huge bruhaha! The Battle for Hogwarts, the showdown between Voldemort and Harry for the Elder Wand, and the resulting coda. Full of emotional upheval. The highlights:
- the return of Percy
- the rally of Dumbledore's Army, The Order, the Potterwatch cast and crew and the teachers and students of Hogwarts.
- the image of Professor McGonagall leading a batallion of animated school desks to battle
- Neville throwing plant pods into the fray
- the final charge of the centaurs
- the battle between Mrs. Weasely and Bellatrix
- Kreacher leading the revolt of the House Elves
There are some things that confused me though:
- How did the giant spiders enter the battle? At first I thought the Death Eaters brought them on, but there may be some implication that Hagrid is responsible ("Don't hurt them!"), which would be too idiotic an idea, even for Hagrid. I will choose to thing that the spiders came of their own volition, attracted to the noise of the battle, seeking to eat the freshly fallen.
- How did Neville get Gryffindor's sword? I thought Griphook the goblin absconded with it. Perhaps the sword is so linked to Hogwarts that no matter who is in physical possession of the sword, they will loose it once a Gryffindor requires it for battle. We know that Neville was close to the Sorting Hat at the time, and Harry was able to pull the sword from the hat from book 2. But the hat was engulfed in cursed flames and Neville, I believe was magically bound at the time. Yet he emerges un-burnt and un-bound to deliver the final blow to Nagini. Again, perhaps the Sorting Hat itself protected and freed Neville as well as provided him with the sword (the hat is hinted to have quite a lot of magical power). But none of this was made explicit. Not that I mind, 'cause I think my logic fits nicely.
- Just a comment, all the questions on the ownership of the Elder Wand, who won it from whom, was getting to the point of annoyance. I like the concept, I just didn't really think that in the final battle with Voldemort, that would be a topic of conversation for so long. Anyways how I think it goes is, Dumbledore won the EW from his battle with _____, Draco disarmed Dumbledore in the last book, thus winning the EW, although he apparently dropped it and it was returned to Dumbledore's grave. Voldemort raided the grave, but the EW still considered itself Draco's wand, becase Voldemort didn't battle anybody for it. Harry and Draco battled in Malfoy Manor, and Harry was able to take not only Draco's original wand, but all other wands in Draco's possession would now consider themselves Harry's. Thus Voldemort was essentially using Harry's own wand against Harry, which explains the weakness of his magic (and may explain why it was so easy to protect Neville from cursed burns and free him so quickly). Whew...
- Who's daughter was Teddy Lupin snogging at the end? The name Victoire leads me to believe it's Bill and Fleur's child.
- Is it me or is the new James Potter a bit of an ass? A bit more malicious than say Fred or George was to Ron.
- What is the signifigance of the watch Harry wears in the coda? Does that mark him as a Ministry official, possible head Auror. I would think that Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny all work for the Ministry as Auror's. I also choose to think that Kingsley Shacklebolt is still Minister of Magic.
Anyways, let's look at the predictions I made in the first blog to see how if they came true:
1) Harry's gonna croak.
This one can go either way. I choose to think that Harry did indeed die, but earned the ability to return to life that one time. Purists may not buy this theory... feel free to post your arguments otherwise in the comments.
2) Voldemort's gonna croak too.
And he did.
3) Snape is not really on Voldemort's side, and will in some part assist in the Dark Lord's downfall, but in the eyes of the wizarding world, he will be forever considered a traitor.
I was right for most of this. The coda doesn't really make it clear if Snape is forever consisdered a traitor. Harry, in naming his son Albus Severus, certainly accepts Snape as a tragic hero, but a hero nonetheless.
4)Ginny's gonna get kidnapped.
Way off on that one.
5) Ron and Hermione will live and marry, and raise a bunch of kids (not so much a prediction as a feverant hope).
And they do.
6) The last chapter will be titled "The Boy Who Died" or something of that nature.
Way off on that one.
7) Neville still has a major part to play in the tale, and will die in an attempt to destroy Voldemort.
Neville did have a major part as the destroyer of the last horcrux, but he's alive and well, teaching herbology at Hogwarts. I get half points for that prediction
8) Harry's scar is a horcrux.
I get full points for that one, but almost every fan thought the same.
9) Ron will punch Malfoy in the face! (again, a feverant hope)
I can't tell you how happy I was when that happened! Ron is the friggin' man!
10) Remus Lupin is gonna die too.
Ever since the character Lupin was introduced, my gut feeling told me he was a marked man. I knew he was gonna die, it was just a matter of time. Still it was a crushing blow, and for Tonks and Fred to go too, that was too much. The price for defending Hogwarts and freeing the wizarding world from Voldemort was very dear, indeed.
The following is a first draft attempt to list the fallen heros throughout the series. Feel free to add names I might have missed.
R.I.P.
James Potter
Lily Potter
Cederic Diggory
Sirius Black
Albus Dumbledore
Charity Burbage
Hedwig the Snowy Owl
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
Bathilda Bagshot
Dobby the Free House Elf
Fred Weasly
Remus Lupin
Nymphadora Tonks
Colin Creevey
Severus Snape
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15 comments:
We totally have to talk about all this.
I finished the book around 5:00am this morning, having waited until almost 7:00pm on the release date to get it. It is now in Vick's possession so I can't reference it but -
1. I'm pretty sure Neville was unbound when he pulled the sword from the sorting hat. I'm totally in love with Neville now, and his Wesley-ish transformation. He is totally BA now.
2. I think the death eaters forced the spiders into battle. Possibly by force, coercion, or simply because the spiders like a little chaos. I think the fact that the Death Eaters were using the spider hang-out as headquarters is proof of that.
3. James said Victoire is their cousin, and with Harry being an only child this means that she is either Bill (most likely), Charlie, Percy, or George's kid. Here's my question - who raised Teddy? Harry was his godfather but not quite old enough to do the job. I predict a second series written about Albus Severus. Because he's awesome.
4. The watch is the one Molly gave him for coming of age. This was passed down through their Prewett connections and Harry got the invisibility cloak through Prewett relations, so Harry and Ginny are like 16th cousins or something. How romantic.
5. I like to think Hermione is in Magical Law, Ron is in Muggle Relations (why else would he want a driver's license), and Harry and Ginny are Aurors. I'm more concerned about who the new headmaster is above who is minister for magic.
More questions can be dealt with later.
The spiders! Guys, guys! They were bound by magic to remain in the forest. When Voldemort entered, all those protective charms went straight out the window. The spiders have always been chomping at the bit to get fresh meat, as it were.
Neville. Yep, Griphook had the sword, but we know he probably got toasted when the goblins and Voldemort got to him. Remember what Bill said, too, Goblins have strange notions about ownership. So although Griphook had the sword he did not possess it. As Dumbledore said, there is always help for those who remain true to Hogwarts and the sword will always gome to a true Gryffindor.
You have the wand lineage correct. And yes, it was so easy to protect Neville for exactly the reasons you state. Wands have a very difficult time hurting their true owner.
Yes, it's Bill & Fleur's child. Get the name, though? Victoire/victory? Eh, just a thought.
Sarah handled the watch issue. I don't think Harry's a ministry official. In fact, I doubt he actually has a job. He's more like Bill Clinton, going on speaking engagements.
My question to you: were you satisfied with the ending or were you disappointed? In the week leading up to the book, I heard and read everywhere that endings always dissappoint (see the Sopranos, Seinfeld, Friends, etc). However, I think this ending did not disappoint. Harry both died and lived and it was plausible (given the realm of Harry Potter). I was quite happy with the ending.
Okay, we know the world of Harry Potter isn't closed. I think a series on Alberforce would be great, or perhaps a prequel of somesort. Eh, who knows.
Okay, let's have some lists, sir Ali. Saddest moments in the book. I'll start:
#1. Dobby! Holy crap, I cried when Bellatrix (that nasty wench) killed him. (as an aside, totally unbelievable that the first swear word (I think - I could be wrong, but the language has been pretty clean so far) came out of Molly Weasley as she fought Bellatrix)
#2. Ron leaving the group. However, this did allow for the sweetest scene, Ron saving Harry. Where did Ron find his courage? It was lovely to see.
#3. Bellatrix torturing Hermione. Good grief, this had me on needles. Could Rowling let the heroine die? No, no. Whew.
Okay, chew that up and we'll discuss more later
I thought the saddest things (Besides Dobby's death, which was the worst) were:
4. Only finding out about Snape's love for Lily after his death. i really loved Snape by the end.
5. When Lupin shows up with the other ghosts(?) as Harry is going to his death and Harry apologizes. I couldn't read for a minute because all I could think about was Teddy being alone.
Okay, clearly my previous comment was not good enough fodder, even for the list-man, himself.
How about that JK Rowling? Look at the foreshadowing, the detail. I'll give an example: in book one, we're told about the dragons that guard some of the vaults at Gringots. Harry 'learns' all about dragons in book four. And boom, book seven, all that dragon knowledge comes back to lead an amazing escape.
What are some other examples of her amazing eye?
I thought I commented last night - I guess it never posted.
Jenni - I never thought about the protection charms for the spiders. Voldemort would have gotten rid of them or even enchanted the spiders to do mayhem at the castle. The deatheaters were stationed at the spiders lair (web? spiders are not social animals so I don't know what a group lodging is called)
For the sword it doesn't matter who "owns " it it is available to Gryffindors in time of need if they show valour. I think Godric's magic was probably somewhat more powerful then the goblins.
On that note that is where Ron got the courage to dive in the icy water - he had it all along and the sorting hat recognized it - you need to be brave to be sorted into Gryffindor.
I enjoyed the ending all the I have heard some critiscm that it read like a fan fic. I think it was necessary for Rowling to say the series was finished and she wasn't going to write book 8 - the rebuilding.
A question of mine
Did Snape get Lily's letter to Sirius right after he killed Dumbledore if not how did he get into Grimmauld Place.
Other sad moments
1- Hedwig got killed so early. She didn't even do anything - she was sulking at Harry for being caged up and then she was dead. Holy cow.
2- I thought Hagrid was going to be killed by the spiders. I had written him off as dead when I read the spiders carried him away. I guess I should learn that if you don't read that they are dead then they are not dead.
Dearest WilyJeneric,
"List-man" actually thought about responding to your comment but didn't because of work. But a list of the saddest moments would be kinda redundant, because I think most of us all can recognize the saddest moments of the books.
How about mention of the most "grownup" moment of the book. That part where the locket horcrux materialized Ron's greatest fear, showing Harry and Hermione together. That's a pretty heavy stuff, man, even for a book that's full of its share of dark moments.
You have to give Ron a lot of credit. Harry had to face a lot of heavy stuff, but the element of destiny helps give his life purpose and helps to strenthen him to face his darkest fears. Ron on the other hand had to face deeply personal fears, which I would be is probably way more scary than Voldemort. He's always been a linchpin for me, he's the character I care about the most in the story.
Now see, I like the sad moment list, because I didn't think of the ones Sarah and Teresa said. But I agree, we can all regonize things that are sad, it's just astounding how much was in this book. Very dark, even for Rowling.
Grown-up moments? I think that coincides with many of the sad moments. Dobby's death is a clear example of that. You also point out Narcissa's love for her son, and that's another grown-up theme, the realization that we will betray our loyalties for our children.
And Ali, you're right, Ron is the one we're supposed to be most invested in, if for the only reason because he was drawn into this entire quest by chance alone. (or was it fate?) That said, let's discuss Hermione. We knew she was smart, but man, that girl can think on her feet! To wit: the end scene at Mr. Lovegood's tower. Brilliant. Or packing that magical purse before the wedding? Very forward thinking. What struck me through it all was that Hermione was very important to fix loopholes and whatnot in the plot-line, but she was always believable. Again, brava to Ms. Rowling.
Let's think about Teresa's question re: Snape & Lily's letter. Does anyone remember a scene from the Order of the Phoenix where Snape was caught in a room he shouldn't have been? I don't recall that, but then I can't figure out how Snape would have known about the letter in the first place. Ah, Snape, though. The most misunderstood figure in the book. So glad Harry figured out how good he really was. Amazing what love can do, eh?
Let's get back to thinking about some of Sarah's questions, especially who raised Teddy. I'm thinking the Weasley family. Other ideas?
Also, the epilogue. Love it? Hate it? Could care less? I didn't especially like it. Yes, I wanted to know where they all turned up, and I like that we were introduced to the next generation, but there was so much more I wanted to know about the old gang. Plus, I thought it read a little like a school-girl's diary.
Okay, back to work!
Last things first: The epilogue? Like or dislike? In many ways it reminded me of the epilogue for the final Dark Tower book. In that book, Stephen King acutally wrote a pretty eloquent warning to the reader against reading his epilogue. The reason? Because epilogues generally to not make the reader happy. The reader always wants everything wrapped in a pretty bow at the end of the tale, and Rowling gave us what we thought we wanted (perhaps she lived with these characters so long, she wanted the same). But she would have been better off to give us what we needed. And what we needed was to invent the epilogue in our own minds, to decide for ourselves if Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny got together. My view is that, Rowling was dammed either way, and she knew it, so she did what she wanted, and really it doesn't matter if we liked it or not. The epilogue was her indulgence, and you know what, I gladly give it to her. If she didnt' include it, she would have to deal with the clamor from die-hard fans that would read it as a sign as a possible sequel. I would have preferred to invent the future, and hope for a sequel.
I would agree that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley raised Teddy. Mrs. Weasley would have gladly welcomed one more chance to be a mother.
Snape as a misunderstood hero... yes, I'll buy that. He was an unlikable man, and very much a son-of-a-bitch for pretty much the whole series. Love might have been his salvation, but it wasn't a magic salve. He's still basically the same unlikable, smarmy, greasy, nerdy kid he was all his life. In many ways Snape is like a lot of the Vietnam veterans I've met. They are generally bastards, and not very easy to like, but they are heroes, they made deep sacrifices. Very real characterization.
Here's another reason to be impressed by Hermione. The realization that Hermione obliviated her parents to keep them safe was her "mature" moment. And befitting her character, it wasn't an operatic revelation. It was very "off the cuff", and very sad, and that added to the nobility of that sacrifice. Realize, that Hermione crossed a very big line. Even if she found her parents again and returned their memory, she can never be their "little girl" anymore. She's lost too much innocence. She's realized that there is a limit to the safety her parents could provide. Therefore, she can never (figuratively) "go home" again.
I like your thinking on the epilogue. And, like you, I would have preferred it to not be there so that I could have hope (for a sequel, that is). That said, what would we want in a sequel? I would prefer a prequel, perhaps focusing on Dumbledore or Snape. However, I do think it's best to leave the series alone, lest it become so overworked as to be blase.
Hermione is an awesome character, strong of mind and soul. Who among us could make that kind of sacrifice? To knowingly extract yourself from your family with no hope of ever returning to what you'd known? Yowza.
That said, why do you think Voldemort didn't really go after the people close to Harry? I was braced for more torture scenes (a la Bellatrix (nasty wench) and Hermione), but they never came. On one hand, Rowling was severely limited to packing so much into this final volume, but on the other hand, the story could have gone so much differently.
Good grief - I just saw the word verification and I have no idea what half of the letters are. Is this Greek?
Sweet moments:
Harry and Ginny stealing a kiss on his birthday.
The change in Kreature when presented with the locket. He had a complete change in demeanor when shown kindness and respect.
Just an interesting parallel between HBP and DH - in HBP Voldemort is not directly in it, but he is a central figure as we delve into his past and figure him out. In DH, Dumbledore is not really in it but he plays a central figure as we look into his past.
Who raised Teddy - at first I though Bill and Fleur might - however that would mean raising Teddy and Victoire as siblings and then that just makes the two of them getting together icky. Mrs Weasley of course would have loved to have another child to raise.
Jenni talked about the foreshadowing through the series (dragons) something else along these lines is the wands. In Book 1, when Harry gets the wand we know that they are very personal objects and they almost choose their owner. We now know how important that ownership is and how you just can not be given a wand.
Lore Question:
When Harry was a baby and V tried to kill him and it back fired - what happened to his wand. How did he get the wand back after the time he was incorporeal. He had the same wand since Olivander knew that Harry's wand was the twin as V's.
I thought for sure that Fawkes was going to make an appearance in the final battle somehow. But I guess he is gone.
Teresa, I prefer to think there is an automatic wand return system, like in bowling. ;) Actually, I would imagine recovering the wand was a job for one of the death eaters, done in the days following James & Lily's deaths. I can easily see Bellatrix hastening to the house to earn brownie points with dear Voldy.
Speaking of Bellatrix, did anyone else think that, had this novel been written for an older audience, Bella would have had Voldy's love child? Would s/he have been named Voldetrix? Sorry, a little tangental, there.
Is Kreacher the new Dobby? Could we ever love Kreacher as much as Dobby? What ever happened to S.P.E.W.?
Do we fully believe Snape's love for Lily was so true and deep that (a) his Patronus was a Doe; and, (b) he risked his life on multiple occasions to save Harry (and friends)? Unrequited love is one thing, but Snape's devotion was something else.
Finally, Hermione is a muggle with wizarding abilities. So was Lily Potter, right? What's up with this lineage thing, then. That makes Harry half muggle, kind-of, sort-of. Half muddy, as it were. Was taking out full 'mudbloods' the first priority of Voldemort and then he'd go after the half, quarter, etc? Hmm. So very Hitler-esque, in many ways. Scary.
I don't think Voldemort would have had a love child, since that would involve him loviing, and Dumbledore didn't event think he had friends when he was at Hogworts. He had students and people around him but he would not have confided or talked about it in any way.
If Hermoine went into Magical Law she could have full well carried on with SPEW.
Voldemort's father was a muggle. I always thought of the Hitler comparison. Hitler loved the aryans but he wasn't one. I also think Voldemort wouldn't have had a child for fear of having a squib. Voldemort would fully have gone on to "cleanse" the wizarding world of half bloods, blood traitors and the like. I wondered what would happen if you had a squibb for a child?
I think the term muggle means non magical which is why they have the term mudbloods for Hermoine and Lily.
Snape was obsessed with Lily. Holy cow. Since Lily was a great potion maker, I wonder if she studied with Snape and got some of the HPB hints and techniques. (I am currently rereading HPB).
Have you seen the interview with JK Rowling (or read the transcript)? I think it was on the Leaky Cauldron. She answers nearly every question imaginable about 'where they are now.' I enjoyed it.
Other nazi references I caught:
The death eaters had to raise one arm as a "key" to get past a magical barrier. I can't remember when.
There was also a Nuremberg reference with Grindelwald.
I was a fan of the epilogue at first, but I don't think it was particularly well written. I liked having questions answered though...
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