One of the most moving moments in Deathly Hallows is when we discover that it was Snape who cast the doe patronus, and that the doe symbolizes Lily. I confess I'm a bit confused as to whether or not the patronus was Lily's patronus when she was alive: it would seem likely that her's was a doe, given that James' was a stag. We know no two people can have the same patronus, or so I believe I remember, but I wonder then if one can't inherit a patronus, as it were, when someone else dies...sort of take it on as one's own. Rowling has reiterated in one of the interviews in recent days that one's patronus can change forms, and often takes on a shape symbolizing someone you love deeply -- and she gave us an example of that when Tonks' patronus changed, presumably to a wolf, representing Lupin.
If I'm remembering rightly, some folks had asked Rowling a few years back if she could reveal what Snape's patronus was, and she said no, she wasn't able to do that. If we'd been thinking through the repercussions of that fully, that might have been our biggest clue to realizing Snape's ultimate loyalties lay on the side of right. I do recall hoping that something about Snape's patronus would reveal something unusual and unexpected about his inner nature: at one point I had hoped that it might be something Gryffindor-ish, like a lion, which would have also shown his connection to Lily.
In the chat she had with her fans at Bloomsbury a few days back, Rowling was asked the following question and gave the following answer, which I also find intriguing:
Samantha: Was snape the only death eater who could produce a full patronus?
J.K. Rowling: Yes, because a Patronus is used against things that the Death Eaters generally generate, or fight alongside. They would not need Patronuses.
That's an interesting answer, yes? "They would not need Patronuses." Presumably because Death Eaters themselves, somewhat like dementors but in more human form, sow darkness and despair and fear wherever they go. They would likely have trouble casting a patronus because how could they conjure the necessary happy/joyful thoughts, trapped as they are in fear? And how could they ever put themselves in the place of humility where they call for help: "expecto patronum!" I await a deliverer!
So the fact that Snape can call forth a patronus says volumes, I think, about the inner Snape, more perhaps than we thought we'd been given on the surface, with those wonderful but oh too brief pensieve memories.
And I don't think we have to wonder too hard about who Snape thought about in order to call up a patronus.
One thing both makes me admire and pity Snape...he could conjure a patronus, but he had to restrain himself from doing it for most of his life. To do would have revealed his allegiances, something he was not prepared to do. It wasn't just that he didn't want the world to know of his unrequited love for Lily Evans Potter, though that was part of it. He knew, I think, that he could protect Lily's son best by continuing to play his part, by staying close to Voldemort even though he no longer believed in Voldemort's cause. That's Snape's greatest sacrifice, isn't it -- he must position himself close to darkness and actually keep the light that he knows doused or hidden.
He couldn't use a patronus around the Order OR around Voldemort: if he had done so with the Order, they might have recognized the patronus as Lily's; if he'd done it around Voldemort (even if he'd tried to argue that he only did it to act a part) I think Voldy would have recognized in Snape that fundamental urge to fight the darkness and to be on the side of light. And it would have been disastrous, of course, for Voldemort to realize the continuing depth of Snape's love for Lily, though part of me wonders if Voldemort would be capable of recognizing something that faithful and long-lasting, except to mock it and try to kill it.
Is that why Snape argued with Harry's essay on fighting dementors? Because he needed to come up with an alternate method, since patronuses were dangerous for him? There's a throwaway line somewhere (I can't even remember which book) in which Rowling tells us that Snape had marked down Harry's essay on fighting dementors, disagreeing on the best way to do so. How did Snape beat back the dementors of his life without being able to freely conjure his patronus?
So many questions...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Harry's Walk Toward Death (DH Spoilers)
My favorite image of Harry, and one that I’ve repeated over and over, is that he has been, all along "a beloved son worth dying for." That idea really colored my reading of Deathly Hallows.
It would be so easy to see Harry as the Christ figure of DH, and in many ways, with his sacrificial, surrendered walk toward death (with all the evil figures jeering and taunting him, so reminiscent of Aslan padding to the stone table) I think we are supposed to view him in that light. But it’s not a neat one-to-one kind of comparison. Harry is a type or symbol of Christ here, much in the way that each of us as Christians ("little Christs") is supposed to be. I think the deeper way to read this scene is to realize that Harry is still what he’s always been most deeply throughout the books: Every Man.
The verse that kept coming to mind for me is this one: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live..." I also thought of Bonhoeffer’s quote "When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die."
Harry is bid to "come and die," to give up his life. That he is ready to do so, and willingly puts himself in the place of sacrifice for those he loves, shows us how much he has learned from his mother. He has her eyes, and all along I’ve wondered, as I know so many others have too, if that did not mean he also had her willingness to die for others. It turns out he does. He sees that parallel too. When he’s talking to Riddle as they circle each other in the great hall, he tells Riddle that he’s just done for all of his loved ones what his mother did for him. He sees his sacrifice in that mold, that light.
What fascinates me and makes me realize that Harry is still "Every Man," a picture of a soul that is growing in holiness and sanctification (there’s that alchemical nod) is that it’s not Harry’s willingness to die that *saves Harry.* He is able to walk up to death (with the help and encouragement of his cloud of witnesses, the loved ones who have gone before him) and he is able to take death and essentially go through it and come out on the other side, because the ancient magic, the grace, the power of his mother’s blood refuge is STILL operating. I know we’re told that protection ceases when he comes of age and leaves his aunt’s house. But because that blood still runs in Voldemort’s veins (life running in the midst of death! darkness not being able to overcome it!) that protection is still kept alive. And so Harry lives. Dumbledore tells him that Voldemort's use of that blood tethers Harry to life. What a fascinating phrase. He is still dependent on someone else’s sacrifice (and it strikes me this makes Lily, not Harry or Dumbledore, the key Christ figure in the books).
Harry is healed by what he goes through there in the forest and in King’s Cross, especially when Voldemort’s curse seems to cast out/kill the evil bit of Voldemort that had attached itself to Harry all those years before. Or am I reading that aright? (I'm not sure if the twisted baby in King's Cross is supposed to be that bit of Voldemort that had lived in Harry, or is a picture of what Voldemort will be left as for eternity because of the choices he's made. Hard to know.) It's hard to understand fully what happened there, but it certainly seems as though evil/sin has been cast out of Harry, or that he has been, in a sense, healed of what almost amounts to demonic possession or at least oppression. That too seems to point to Harry as an every man figure.
I love that it was King’s Cross where he has the final big talk with Dumbledore: a train station, a journeying place, and the one that Harry has always known as a "liminal" place (a door between the muggle world and the wizarding world, and now a door into an even more real world than either of the other two). I suspect a lot of us had Lewis on our minds as Harry walked through the forest to meet his death, and King’s Cross reminded me of Lewis too – both the "Wood Between the Worlds" and also the train station in Prince Caspian where the kids are called back to Narnia.
I don’t think we’re to miss the sacrificial almost crucifixion like aspect of what Harry has just gone through. When he comes back to life and wakes on the forest floor, Narcissa’s nails pierce him. If I’m not mistaken, her nails were even described as blood red in an earlier book.
And I love how he emerges from the forest almost re-born, a new man, a new creature. When Hagrid carries him, weeping, in his arms, I think we’re supposed to think about the first time Hagrid carried Harry out of the wreckage of his parents’ house when he was just a baby. Unbeknownst to Hagrid, Harry has survived yet another killing curse. And he is still as dependent as a baby on outside help and grace. I think that’s one reason I love Harry’s character so much. He is a "savior" figure, a hero, but he is enabled to do what he does, to respond to his call, only because he himself is saved by a love deeper and more ancient than his own. His own sacrifice, his own ability to love, his own overcoming of temptations...all of them are born as a response to the love that is first shown to him.
It would be so easy to see Harry as the Christ figure of DH, and in many ways, with his sacrificial, surrendered walk toward death (with all the evil figures jeering and taunting him, so reminiscent of Aslan padding to the stone table) I think we are supposed to view him in that light. But it’s not a neat one-to-one kind of comparison. Harry is a type or symbol of Christ here, much in the way that each of us as Christians ("little Christs") is supposed to be. I think the deeper way to read this scene is to realize that Harry is still what he’s always been most deeply throughout the books: Every Man.
The verse that kept coming to mind for me is this one: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live..." I also thought of Bonhoeffer’s quote "When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die."
Harry is bid to "come and die," to give up his life. That he is ready to do so, and willingly puts himself in the place of sacrifice for those he loves, shows us how much he has learned from his mother. He has her eyes, and all along I’ve wondered, as I know so many others have too, if that did not mean he also had her willingness to die for others. It turns out he does. He sees that parallel too. When he’s talking to Riddle as they circle each other in the great hall, he tells Riddle that he’s just done for all of his loved ones what his mother did for him. He sees his sacrifice in that mold, that light.
What fascinates me and makes me realize that Harry is still "Every Man," a picture of a soul that is growing in holiness and sanctification (there’s that alchemical nod) is that it’s not Harry’s willingness to die that *saves Harry.* He is able to walk up to death (with the help and encouragement of his cloud of witnesses, the loved ones who have gone before him) and he is able to take death and essentially go through it and come out on the other side, because the ancient magic, the grace, the power of his mother’s blood refuge is STILL operating. I know we’re told that protection ceases when he comes of age and leaves his aunt’s house. But because that blood still runs in Voldemort’s veins (life running in the midst of death! darkness not being able to overcome it!) that protection is still kept alive. And so Harry lives. Dumbledore tells him that Voldemort's use of that blood tethers Harry to life. What a fascinating phrase. He is still dependent on someone else’s sacrifice (and it strikes me this makes Lily, not Harry or Dumbledore, the key Christ figure in the books).
Harry is healed by what he goes through there in the forest and in King’s Cross, especially when Voldemort’s curse seems to cast out/kill the evil bit of Voldemort that had attached itself to Harry all those years before. Or am I reading that aright? (I'm not sure if the twisted baby in King's Cross is supposed to be that bit of Voldemort that had lived in Harry, or is a picture of what Voldemort will be left as for eternity because of the choices he's made. Hard to know.) It's hard to understand fully what happened there, but it certainly seems as though evil/sin has been cast out of Harry, or that he has been, in a sense, healed of what almost amounts to demonic possession or at least oppression. That too seems to point to Harry as an every man figure.
I love that it was King’s Cross where he has the final big talk with Dumbledore: a train station, a journeying place, and the one that Harry has always known as a "liminal" place (a door between the muggle world and the wizarding world, and now a door into an even more real world than either of the other two). I suspect a lot of us had Lewis on our minds as Harry walked through the forest to meet his death, and King’s Cross reminded me of Lewis too – both the "Wood Between the Worlds" and also the train station in Prince Caspian where the kids are called back to Narnia.
I don’t think we’re to miss the sacrificial almost crucifixion like aspect of what Harry has just gone through. When he comes back to life and wakes on the forest floor, Narcissa’s nails pierce him. If I’m not mistaken, her nails were even described as blood red in an earlier book.
And I love how he emerges from the forest almost re-born, a new man, a new creature. When Hagrid carries him, weeping, in his arms, I think we’re supposed to think about the first time Hagrid carried Harry out of the wreckage of his parents’ house when he was just a baby. Unbeknownst to Hagrid, Harry has survived yet another killing curse. And he is still as dependent as a baby on outside help and grace. I think that’s one reason I love Harry’s character so much. He is a "savior" figure, a hero, but he is enabled to do what he does, to respond to his call, only because he himself is saved by a love deeper and more ancient than his own. His own sacrifice, his own ability to love, his own overcoming of temptations...all of them are born as a response to the love that is first shown to him.
Just Wanted to Say...
Happy birthday, Harry!! (And Neville, hope yours was fantastic too!)
And, of course, wishing J. K. Rowling as magical a birthday as she could wish for. Many, many happy returns!!
And, of course, wishing J. K. Rowling as magical a birthday as she could wish for. Many, many happy returns!!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (DH Spoilers)
I've had a crazy-busy few days, without much time to post (or think or write or check in at many blogs -- I know I'm missing some wonderful Deathly Hallows discussion!) but at least I'm back here for the moment, catching up with some of Erin's beautiful posts and poetry.
And in the evenings, I'm re-reading Deathly Hallows, this time aloud to my husband. We've gotten so caught up in the story that we've actually stayed up several nights in a row, reading way too late into the night for people who have to get up early in the morning. We're about half-way through, and he regretfully informed me today that with our church's VBS (of which he is in charge) right on the horizon, we're going to have to take about a week-long break. I admire his ability to put this story on hold (though he's picked up various pieces of the ending from me, I'm afraid, in spite of my not always successful attempts to not give anything away or talk about anything important). Maybe with the reading break, I will be able to eke out some late-night musing time.
I like the book even more the second time through than I did the first, and that's saying something because I really loved it the first time. But there is so much here that I didn't have time to fully notice or savor my first time through. Richer characterizations than I realized, more poignancy, more humor, more echoes of the earlier books. Reading the words aloud forces me to slow down, and to really hear the characters and move into the story's rhythm. I love that.
One of the things that caught my attention this time through was just how important some of Fred and George's magical inventions were to the plot, especially early on when Harry, Ron and Hermione had to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic (M.O.M. -- that always makes me laugh!) in order to get the locket horcrux back from Delores Umbridge. There's a lot of really frightening things going on in the Ministry in this book, especially their hatred for and hunting down of Muggles. It was a relief to see how Fred and George's inventions, basically created as 'gags' and schooltime jokes, are put to terrific effect here to undermine the corrupt regime. Puking pastilles, noseblood nougats, decoy detonators, and extendable ears are all brought into service. This barely grazed my consciousness the first time through -- these things have become such a regular part of Rowling's "landscape" -- but this time through it hit me how important those fun little inventions were to the crucial first step of the quest, getting the locket. Hooray for the twins, merry-makers and pranksters, whose hearts were always on the right side, and whose love of a good laugh proved so invaluable in so many ways in the fight against darkness!
And in the evenings, I'm re-reading Deathly Hallows, this time aloud to my husband. We've gotten so caught up in the story that we've actually stayed up several nights in a row, reading way too late into the night for people who have to get up early in the morning. We're about half-way through, and he regretfully informed me today that with our church's VBS (of which he is in charge) right on the horizon, we're going to have to take about a week-long break. I admire his ability to put this story on hold (though he's picked up various pieces of the ending from me, I'm afraid, in spite of my not always successful attempts to not give anything away or talk about anything important). Maybe with the reading break, I will be able to eke out some late-night musing time.
I like the book even more the second time through than I did the first, and that's saying something because I really loved it the first time. But there is so much here that I didn't have time to fully notice or savor my first time through. Richer characterizations than I realized, more poignancy, more humor, more echoes of the earlier books. Reading the words aloud forces me to slow down, and to really hear the characters and move into the story's rhythm. I love that.
One of the things that caught my attention this time through was just how important some of Fred and George's magical inventions were to the plot, especially early on when Harry, Ron and Hermione had to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic (M.O.M. -- that always makes me laugh!) in order to get the locket horcrux back from Delores Umbridge. There's a lot of really frightening things going on in the Ministry in this book, especially their hatred for and hunting down of Muggles. It was a relief to see how Fred and George's inventions, basically created as 'gags' and schooltime jokes, are put to terrific effect here to undermine the corrupt regime. Puking pastilles, noseblood nougats, decoy detonators, and extendable ears are all brought into service. This barely grazed my consciousness the first time through -- these things have become such a regular part of Rowling's "landscape" -- but this time through it hit me how important those fun little inventions were to the crucial first step of the quest, getting the locket. Hooray for the twins, merry-makers and pranksters, whose hearts were always on the right side, and whose love of a good laugh proved so invaluable in so many ways in the fight against darkness!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Luna Lovegood (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
As much as I love Hermione and Ginny, I'd have to say that Luna is my favorite of the female Hogwarts students. So off-beat and contented despite the odd glances she always fetches, she's a marvelous character shimmering with ethereality yet possessing an uncanny ability to cut to the heart of matters, as when she immediately recognizes Harry at the wedding despite his completely altered outward appearance. Re-reading the last couple of books and observing Hermione's demeanor at the Lovegood home, I was forcefully reminded of LOST's man of science / man of faith debate. Both perspectives are needed, but stepping into Luna's way of viewing the world is especially refreshing.
Luna
Luna, like your father, glowing
In your lucky yellow robes,
You're a sight despite foregoing
Plums to dangle from your lobes.
Turn and greet the kind companions
You have painted on your wall.
Think of them when faced with canyons
Of despair, and you won't fall.
They will think of you here dancing,
Blissful as a summer breeze
Though the enemy's advancing
Like the autumn through the trees.
Long before Gernumblies bit you,
You were gifted, artful one.
Blessed inspiration's lit you,
Soft as moonlight, bright as sun.
Daughter of the misty twilight,
Fair and graceful to behold,
You're a treasure. No mere pyrite,
Luna Lovegood, you are gold.
Luna
Luna, like your father, glowing
In your lucky yellow robes,
You're a sight despite foregoing
Plums to dangle from your lobes.
Turn and greet the kind companions
You have painted on your wall.
Think of them when faced with canyons
Of despair, and you won't fall.
They will think of you here dancing,
Blissful as a summer breeze
Though the enemy's advancing
Like the autumn through the trees.
Long before Gernumblies bit you,
You were gifted, artful one.
Blessed inspiration's lit you,
Soft as moonlight, bright as sun.
Daughter of the misty twilight,
Fair and graceful to behold,
You're a treasure. No mere pyrite,
Luna Lovegood, you are gold.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
And Now For Something More Light-Hearted... (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Here's my first DH parody, which finds Ron and Harry longing to be on the Hogwarts Express with the rest of the students. (And thinking of the Hogwarts Express gets me wondering, what ever happened to Trevor? Does Neville still have him? Did he die of old age? Fall victim to some cruel prank? He just sort of dropped out of sight...)
Hogwarts Bound (Homeward Bound)
Ron: I'm sittin' here in Padfoot's kitchen
Plotting locket theft and body-switchin'.
Harry: I am not a Horcrux fan.
I've seen how they affect a man.
Ron: I'd rather have a foolproof plan,
But if we can't do it, no one can.
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Harry: After nights of creepy dreams,
I wake to hear Walburga's screams.
Ron: The elf's improved dramatically;
He's pleasant and he makes us tea.
Harry: I've got my friends for company,
But on the whole, I'd rather be
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Ron: I might not board that train again.
It's such a shame how things end.
Harry: But I must press on doggedly
And fight for our democracy
While Death Eaters chase after me.
Ron: I hate that name that starts with "V"!
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Feels like home to me.
Hogwarts Bound (Homeward Bound)
Ron: I'm sittin' here in Padfoot's kitchen
Plotting locket theft and body-switchin'.
Harry: I am not a Horcrux fan.
I've seen how they affect a man.
Ron: I'd rather have a foolproof plan,
But if we can't do it, no one can.
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Harry: After nights of creepy dreams,
I wake to hear Walburga's screams.
Ron: The elf's improved dramatically;
He's pleasant and he makes us tea.
Harry: I've got my friends for company,
But on the whole, I'd rather be
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Ron: I might not board that train again.
It's such a shame how things end.
Harry: But I must press on doggedly
And fight for our democracy
While Death Eaters chase after me.
Ron: I hate that name that starts with "V"!
Ron and Harry: Hogwarts bound,
I wish I was
Hogwarts bound.
Ron: School, with the Stinksap reekin'.
School, with the Mandrakes shriekin'.
Harry: School, where I'm swiftly Seekin'.
Feels like home to me.
Feels like home to me.
Draco's Contribution (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
I am deeply moved by the role Draco played in the final stages of Deathly Hallows. I was sure he would be important, but I did not expect that Harry's opportunity to face Voldemort on even footing would hinge on Narcissa's concern for her son, on Narcissa actually sparing Harry's life and risking the destruction of Voldemort. Of course, by that time, I think all three Malfoys had a pretty good idea that if he rose to the height of power, it wouldn't turn out to be such a good thing for them. But I still think what Narcissa did was brave and noble, and her husband followed closely behind her. What happened to them next? It's hard to say, but for that beautiful moment from an unexpected source, I am grateful.
Exhortation
You hear the rapid heartbeat of the boy who you despise.
Narcissa, time to make a crucial choice.
Will you deceive Lord Voldemort, who trapped you with his lies?
Can you conceal your tremulous, soft voice?
And Lucius, standing by, no longer arrogant and calm,
You echo Arthur, frightened of his fate.
No power grimly promised you will ever be a balm
If Draco dies, if you arrive too late.
Lay down the wands you wielded for a master who betrayed.
Lay down your dark allegiances and run,
Allowing your devotion and your love to be displayed.
Lay down your hatred; go and find your son.
Exhortation
You hear the rapid heartbeat of the boy who you despise.
Narcissa, time to make a crucial choice.
Will you deceive Lord Voldemort, who trapped you with his lies?
Can you conceal your tremulous, soft voice?
And Lucius, standing by, no longer arrogant and calm,
You echo Arthur, frightened of his fate.
No power grimly promised you will ever be a balm
If Draco dies, if you arrive too late.
Lay down the wands you wielded for a master who betrayed.
Lay down your dark allegiances and run,
Allowing your devotion and your love to be displayed.
Lay down your hatred; go and find your son.
Dobby's Gift (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
If I were to compile a list of my top ten favorite chapters in the series, The Wandmaker would certainly be on it. I sometimes worry about my lack of outward emotion when reading heart-rending scenes, but this chapter made me cry, and it makes me cry every time I re-read it. It's a turning point in the book, and it contains some of the most beautiful passages Rowling has ever written. Rest in peace, Dobby...
A Free Elf
The blossoms have begun to bloom
Upon your tiny grave,
A rainbow bursting through the gloom
To honor one so brave.
A rainbow that reminds me of
The vow you didn't keep,
The promise that you broke for love.
Devotion ran too deep.
"Don't try to save my life again."
Well, Dobby, you demurred.
You rescued seven victims when
Atrocity occurred.
Defiant in the face of fear,
Your courage saved my life
While yours was doomed to disappear
By Bellatrix's knife.
You sparked the purifying sorrow
Making straight my path.
Your constancy was mine to borrow,
Shielding me from wrath.
I'll search no more for wands of power,
Feed no more off rage.
I'll let my better nature flower,
Sweet as thyme and sage.
The love you showed could not be greater.
Rest contentedly,
My liberated liberator,
Living, dying free.
A Free Elf
The blossoms have begun to bloom
Upon your tiny grave,
A rainbow bursting through the gloom
To honor one so brave.
A rainbow that reminds me of
The vow you didn't keep,
The promise that you broke for love.
Devotion ran too deep.
"Don't try to save my life again."
Well, Dobby, you demurred.
You rescued seven victims when
Atrocity occurred.
Defiant in the face of fear,
Your courage saved my life
While yours was doomed to disappear
By Bellatrix's knife.
You sparked the purifying sorrow
Making straight my path.
Your constancy was mine to borrow,
Shielding me from wrath.
I'll search no more for wands of power,
Feed no more off rage.
I'll let my better nature flower,
Sweet as thyme and sage.
The love you showed could not be greater.
Rest contentedly,
My liberated liberator,
Living, dying free.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Poor Percy... (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Here's another poem about Fred, this time from Percy's perspective. It's so moving the way he clings to Fred after he dies, having only reconciled with him and the rest of the family moments before in one of the most deeply satisfying scenes in the book, and one that caught me quite off-guard. While Percy doesn't seem to have been particularly close to any of his siblings, the antagonism between him and the twins seems to run especially deep, and maybe the extent of their opposition is heightened just a tad with Fred, who tends to cast the most aspersions on his character after his estrangement and is the one to offer Percy a string of colorful insights to apply to himself. By the same token, however, Fred is the first to acknowledge the attempt to make amends, and the fact that they wind up fighting side by side seems indicative of a bond fully renewed and probably deeper than ever. What a shame it was so short-lived...
The Fool
He said, "You're joking, Perce!"
It almost made it worse
That Fred and I connected just before he breathed his last,
When fresh cascades of grief
Threw into stark relief
The costly price I paid for the pretension of my past.
Just where did it begin?
It hardly seemed a sin,
Aspiring to perfection, to pursuits austere and grand.
I had the skill to thrive,
But, blinded by my drive,
I let my ostentation get a little out of hand.
Did I know what I had:
A loving mum, a dad
Whose decency ran deeper than promotions and awards,
Six siblings full of wit?
Fred sometimes was a git,
But were his pranks enough to merit cutting family cords?
The twins, the last I knew,
Were troublesome times two.
I never got to watch as they transitioned into men.
Could I apologize?
I gazed into Fred's eyes,
Aware he couldn't see me and would never see again.
I shielded him with care,
My body like a prayer,
A rigid testimony to the depth of my remorse.
I wished I could go back
Before the world turned black
And maybe in so doing make his destiny change course.
As should haves and did nots
Flowed freely through my thoughts,
My reverie was broken, and I heaved him through the school,
And Mum was deeply pained
To learn that though she'd gained
One son, she'd lost another. Fred, your brother was a fool.
The Fool
He said, "You're joking, Perce!"
It almost made it worse
That Fred and I connected just before he breathed his last,
When fresh cascades of grief
Threw into stark relief
The costly price I paid for the pretension of my past.
Just where did it begin?
It hardly seemed a sin,
Aspiring to perfection, to pursuits austere and grand.
I had the skill to thrive,
But, blinded by my drive,
I let my ostentation get a little out of hand.
Did I know what I had:
A loving mum, a dad
Whose decency ran deeper than promotions and awards,
Six siblings full of wit?
Fred sometimes was a git,
But were his pranks enough to merit cutting family cords?
The twins, the last I knew,
Were troublesome times two.
I never got to watch as they transitioned into men.
Could I apologize?
I gazed into Fred's eyes,
Aware he couldn't see me and would never see again.
I shielded him with care,
My body like a prayer,
A rigid testimony to the depth of my remorse.
I wished I could go back
Before the world turned black
And maybe in so doing make his destiny change course.
As should haves and did nots
Flowed freely through my thoughts,
My reverie was broken, and I heaved him through the school,
And Mum was deeply pained
To learn that though she'd gained
One son, she'd lost another. Fred, your brother was a fool.
"Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also" (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Godric's Hollow is a chapter very rich in religious imagery. It's Christmas Eve, and most of the chapter takes place in a churchyard next to a church filled with singing parishioners. I half-hoped Harry and Hermione would go inside, but in the quietude of that snowy cemetery, I think they caught the sacred spirit of the night rather nicely.
I find the inscriptions on the graves interesting, and interconnected. Both are straight out of the Bible, though chapter and verse don't appear on the stones. Ariana's epitaph is "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." In the book of Matthew, this is immediately preceded by the exhortation not to store up treasures on Earth, but to store up treasures in Heaven. Albus picked out those words, and it seems to be a mark of what her death taught him, that he had momentarily been lured by thoughts of power into forgetting what was really important. His family, marked by tragedy and scandal, was his treasure, and grief over losing three of them and becoming estranged with his brother helped him to reevaluate the course of his life.
Not that I think he would have become like Grindelwald. Even in his rather troubling letter to his friend, his main purpose seems to be to temper Gellert's ambitions, to truly work for "the greater good," a phrase Grindelwald then corrupted for his dark purposes. Now that I've gotten over the initial bitter taste some of Dumbledore's back story left in my mouth, I'm more inclined to feel sorry for him than indignant. He's probably still my second-favorite character in the series - and, I would venture, by far the most quotable!
Anyway, do we know who put the epitaph on Lily and James's grave? "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." That one is I Corinthians 15:26, and it leaves me with the similar sense that storing up treasures on Earth, trying to cling too hard to this existence isn't all it's cracked up to be. At first glance, and certainly taken out of context, it seems to say the opposite, that one should try to be a master over death, even if it means resorting to means like Voldemort's. But it's more about acceptance of the natural order of things, knowing that death does not have the last word, but not because of any special efforts that can be made by people. If Dumbledore wrote this epitaph too, it could again refer to the Hallows, since he felt so guilty about having James's cloak at the time of his death, though I doubt the cloak would have have helped the Potters much. And, of course, it's also the expression of a beautiful hope, one that Dumbledore seems to feel and believe in deeply.
Interested to see your thoughts on this chapter, Beth. I suspect your insights on this might be far keener than mine...
I find the inscriptions on the graves interesting, and interconnected. Both are straight out of the Bible, though chapter and verse don't appear on the stones. Ariana's epitaph is "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." In the book of Matthew, this is immediately preceded by the exhortation not to store up treasures on Earth, but to store up treasures in Heaven. Albus picked out those words, and it seems to be a mark of what her death taught him, that he had momentarily been lured by thoughts of power into forgetting what was really important. His family, marked by tragedy and scandal, was his treasure, and grief over losing three of them and becoming estranged with his brother helped him to reevaluate the course of his life.
Not that I think he would have become like Grindelwald. Even in his rather troubling letter to his friend, his main purpose seems to be to temper Gellert's ambitions, to truly work for "the greater good," a phrase Grindelwald then corrupted for his dark purposes. Now that I've gotten over the initial bitter taste some of Dumbledore's back story left in my mouth, I'm more inclined to feel sorry for him than indignant. He's probably still my second-favorite character in the series - and, I would venture, by far the most quotable!
Anyway, do we know who put the epitaph on Lily and James's grave? "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." That one is I Corinthians 15:26, and it leaves me with the similar sense that storing up treasures on Earth, trying to cling too hard to this existence isn't all it's cracked up to be. At first glance, and certainly taken out of context, it seems to say the opposite, that one should try to be a master over death, even if it means resorting to means like Voldemort's. But it's more about acceptance of the natural order of things, knowing that death does not have the last word, but not because of any special efforts that can be made by people. If Dumbledore wrote this epitaph too, it could again refer to the Hallows, since he felt so guilty about having James's cloak at the time of his death, though I doubt the cloak would have have helped the Potters much. And, of course, it's also the expression of a beautiful hope, one that Dumbledore seems to feel and believe in deeply.
Interested to see your thoughts on this chapter, Beth. I suspect your insights on this might be far keener than mine...
Petunia (Deathly Hallows)
I thought we'd get a little more of Petunia in this book. Mainly, I thought she and Harry would have some sort of moment. I guess they sort of do, when she stares at him at the end of the third chapter, but I was a little surprised that she didn't show up again in the present at all.
There are a few revelations about her past, however.
* Though she was always more reserved than Lily, they got along quite well as young children.
* She was at least acquainted with Snape. Harry could've had some pretty interesting chats with her if only they'd been more open to conversing with each other! If he had, he might've had a hunch about Snape's feelings toward his mother much earlier, which could have made him more sympathetic toward him. Would their shared loathing for this man have made Harry more certain in his hatred or perhaps, given how little he agrees with his aunt on most matters, made him question it?
* While she publicly denounced the whole Wizard school idea, she secretly pleaded to join her sister, though I'm not clear on whether this is more because she longed to practice magic or because she didn't want to be separated from her sister for most of the year. Petunia is older than Lily, but it must not be by much. (Obviously it wouldn't make sense for Petunia to go to Hogwarts if she has no magical abilities, but it got me wondering if anyone ever goes to Hogwarts late. Say, someone was laid up with spattergroit in what would have been his or her first year. Could they go the next year? And would they start out with the first-years or be sorted but stuck into second year? Seems like they'd probably have to start at the bottom; otherwise I suspect they'd have a hard time catching up...)
* Petunia maintained contact with Lily, probably fairly close contact considering that she sent Lily a gift for what turned out to be her last Christmas. Although she doesn't seem to have a very good sense of her sister's taste - or just as likely disapproves and wants to give her something that she finds more tasteful - it was thoughtful of her, and it shows that she and Lily weren't quite as estranged as I'd assumed. I'm guessing that whatever contact she had was clandestine, though, and that Vernon didn't know about it.
I don't know if Petunia and Harry will meet again. But I'd like to think that there could be some degree of reconciliation there. I think the book certainly left the door open for future congenial interactions between Dudley and Harry, and maybe if Dudley really comes around, Petunia might too...
There are a few revelations about her past, however.
* Though she was always more reserved than Lily, they got along quite well as young children.
* She was at least acquainted with Snape. Harry could've had some pretty interesting chats with her if only they'd been more open to conversing with each other! If he had, he might've had a hunch about Snape's feelings toward his mother much earlier, which could have made him more sympathetic toward him. Would their shared loathing for this man have made Harry more certain in his hatred or perhaps, given how little he agrees with his aunt on most matters, made him question it?
* While she publicly denounced the whole Wizard school idea, she secretly pleaded to join her sister, though I'm not clear on whether this is more because she longed to practice magic or because she didn't want to be separated from her sister for most of the year. Petunia is older than Lily, but it must not be by much. (Obviously it wouldn't make sense for Petunia to go to Hogwarts if she has no magical abilities, but it got me wondering if anyone ever goes to Hogwarts late. Say, someone was laid up with spattergroit in what would have been his or her first year. Could they go the next year? And would they start out with the first-years or be sorted but stuck into second year? Seems like they'd probably have to start at the bottom; otherwise I suspect they'd have a hard time catching up...)
* Petunia maintained contact with Lily, probably fairly close contact considering that she sent Lily a gift for what turned out to be her last Christmas. Although she doesn't seem to have a very good sense of her sister's taste - or just as likely disapproves and wants to give her something that she finds more tasteful - it was thoughtful of her, and it shows that she and Lily weren't quite as estranged as I'd assumed. I'm guessing that whatever contact she had was clandestine, though, and that Vernon didn't know about it.
I don't know if Petunia and Harry will meet again. But I'd like to think that there could be some degree of reconciliation there. I think the book certainly left the door open for future congenial interactions between Dudley and Harry, and maybe if Dudley really comes around, Petunia might too...
More Favorite Lines (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Erin has hit upon lots of my favorites, but I thought I'd add to the collection with a few more favorite lines that I love from Deathly Hallows.
"Look, if I picked up a sword right now, Ron, and ran you through with it, I wouldn't damage your soul at all."
"Which would be a real comfort to me, I'm sure," said Ron. Harry laughed.
"It should be, actually!" (p. 104, Hermione and Ron)
"Why do you think ---?"
"--Dumbledore wanted to give me the sword?" said Harry, struggling to keep his temper. "Maybe he thought it would look nice on my wall." (p. 129, Scrimgeour and Harry)
"Parents," said Harry, "shouldn't leave their kids unless -- unless they've got to." (p. 215)
"He (Dumbledore) -- well...he must've known I'd run out on you."
"No," Harry corrected him. "He must've known you'd always want to come back." (p. 391, Ron and Harry)
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26; various places in the novel, first seen on the Potters' graves)
"And shortly afterward he had set to work, alone, digging the grave in the place that Bill had shown him at the end of the garden, between bushes. He dug with a kind of fury, relishing the manual work, glorying in the non-magic of it, for every drop of his sweat and every blister felt like a gift to the elf who had saved their lives." (p. 478, Rowling)
"Keep an eye on Quirrell, won't you?" (p. 679, Dumbledore in the pensieve)
There are a lot more...but I need to run for now. More soon, I hope!
"Look, if I picked up a sword right now, Ron, and ran you through with it, I wouldn't damage your soul at all."
"Which would be a real comfort to me, I'm sure," said Ron. Harry laughed.
"It should be, actually!" (p. 104, Hermione and Ron)
"Why do you think ---?"
"--Dumbledore wanted to give me the sword?" said Harry, struggling to keep his temper. "Maybe he thought it would look nice on my wall." (p. 129, Scrimgeour and Harry)
"Parents," said Harry, "shouldn't leave their kids unless -- unless they've got to." (p. 215)
"He (Dumbledore) -- well...he must've known I'd run out on you."
"No," Harry corrected him. "He must've known you'd always want to come back." (p. 391, Ron and Harry)
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26; various places in the novel, first seen on the Potters' graves)
"And shortly afterward he had set to work, alone, digging the grave in the place that Bill had shown him at the end of the garden, between bushes. He dug with a kind of fury, relishing the manual work, glorying in the non-magic of it, for every drop of his sweat and every blister felt like a gift to the elf who had saved their lives." (p. 478, Rowling)
"Keep an eye on Quirrell, won't you?" (p. 679, Dumbledore in the pensieve)
There are a lot more...but I need to run for now. More soon, I hope!
Favorite Lines (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Since we keep dropping them, I thought I'd try to collect those quotes and passages I find especially meaningful, moving or funny. I'll go back and add more as I think of them...
"He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him." - Elphias, 20
"We're leaving soon, really soon. And then you'll be able to fly again." - Harry, 36
"The idea of a teenage Dumbledore was simply odd, like trying to imagine a stupid Hermione or a friendly Blast-Ended Skrewt." - Rowling, 21
"I don't think you're a waste of space." - Dudley, 40
"Take care, Big D." - Harry, 42
"Well, that's that plan scuppered." - George, 49
"Wow - we're identical!" - Fre and George, 51
"Harry, your eyesight is really awful." - Hermione, 52
"I'm George. Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?" - Fred, 52
"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there. That's Voldemort's job." - Harry, 71
"For the first time since Harry had known him, Fred seemed to be lost for words." - Rowling, 74
"Pathetic. Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?" - Fred, 75
"We've got to trust each other." - Harry, 80
"Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!" - Hermione, 85
"Oh, of course. I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library." - Ron, 95
"Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see." - Hermione, 97
"Oh, well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then. I was wondering what we were going to do with them." - Ron, 103
"I open at the close." - Snitch, 134
"Harry looked up, diverted. The circumstance of Ron having read a book that Hermione had not was unprecedented." - Rowling, 135
"When I get married, I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse of Mum until it's all over." - Fred, 138
"Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today - perhaps an unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish - do not repress it! You may have been gifted by the Gernumblies!" - Xenophilius, 140
"...and your hair's much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin's beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet." - Muriel, 141
"While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison, today it beautified everybody it fell upon." - Rowling, 144
"'I like this song,' said Luna, swaying in time to the waltzlike tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms." - Rowling, 147
"Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?" - Viktor, 150
"Don't believe a word of it! Not a word, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!" - Elphias, 152
"You're amazing, you are." - Ron, 162
"She had made her 'g's the same way he did: He searched through the letter for every one of them, and each felt like a friendly little wave glimpsed from behind a veil." - Rowling, 181
"Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice, just like all the purebloods who treat them like animals... It never would have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't." - Hermione, 195
"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding. Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home..." - Kreacher, 195
"What do wizard wards mean to an elf like Kreacher? He's loyal to peole who are kind to him... I've said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did... and so did Sirius." - Hermione, 198
"I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually." - Harry, 212
"Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner." - Kreacher, 224
"Merlin's pants!" - Hermione, 226
"Who are they expecting to turn up, Harry Potter?" - Ministry wizard, 241
"With a twinge of regret that had nothing to do with food, Harry imagined the house-elf busying himself over the steak-and-kidney pie that Harry, Ron and Hermione would never eat." - Rowling, 271
"Hermione was watching Ron fret over the fate of the Cattermoles, and there was such tenderness in her expression that Harry felt almost as if he had surprised her in the act of kissing him." - Rowling, 274-5
"Was it his own blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart?" - Rowling, 276
"My mother can make good food appear out of thin air." - Ron, 292
"We take no sides. This is a wizards' war." - Griphook, 296
"I mean, the Weasleys don't need any more of their kids injured, do that?" - Ted, 299
"'Please' always helps." - Phineas, 301
"Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!" - Harry, 302
"Hagrid's not an oaf!" - Hermione, 302
"Harry, did you ever even open A History of Magic?" - Hermione, 318
"The life he had lost had hardly ever seemed so real to him as at this oment, when he knew he was about to see the place where it had been taken from him." - Rowling, 321
"Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve!" - Hermione, 323
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Ariana's tombstone, 325
"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry. It means... you know... living beyond death. Living after death." - Hermione, 328
"Where's my wand?" - Harry, 348
"For the Greater Good" - Dumbledore, 357
"They were the same age we are now. And here we are, risking our lives to fight the Dark Arts, and there he was, in a huddle with his new best friend, plotting their rise to power over the Muggles." - Harry, 361
"Help." - Harry, 368
"Well, I've - you know - I've come back. If - You know. You still want me." - Ron, 372
"She's like my sister. I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew." - Harry, 278
"Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it was. I've been trying to tell you that for years." - Harry, 379
"Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?" - Hermione, 383
"Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. I don't think Fleur minded. You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck." - Ron, 397
"Yes, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives." - Harry, 407
"It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed from this life." - Beedle the Bard, 409
"Luna has told me all about you, young lady. You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded." - Xenophilius, 410
"But that's - I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn't exist? Do you expect me to get hold of - of all the pebbles in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist!" - Hermione, 411
"The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, 'the Cloak,' Ron said, 'the wand,' and Harry said, 'the stone.'" - Rowling, 414
"Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same: Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be fine golden chains were actually one word, repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends... friends... friends..." - Rowling, 417
"They took my Luna." - Xenophilius, 419
"We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving." - Kingsley, 440
"'The Boy Who Lived' remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to keep resisting. ... I'd tell him we're all with him in spirit. And I'd tell him to follow his instincts which are good and nearly always right." - Remus, 441
"For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a basilisk, listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do." - Fred, 443
"...The fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to..." - Fred, 444
"Harry saw Draco's face up close now, right beside his father's. They were extraordinarily alike, except that while his father looked beside himself with excitement, Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear." - Rowling, 459
"Help us! We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us!" - Harry, 466
"Harry Potter, Dobby has come to rescue you." - Dobby, 468
"You must not hurt Harry Potter." - Dobby, 474
"His rage was dreadful and yet Harry's grief for Dobby seemed to diminish it, so that it became a distant storm that reached Harry from across a vast, silent ocean." - Rowling, 478
"HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF." - Harry, 481
"Am I meant to know, but not to seek? Did you know how hard I'd find that? Is that why you make it this difficult? So I'd have time to work that out?" - Harry, 483
"You are an unusual wizard, Harry Potter." - Griphook, 486
"Goblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown this night. Not from wand-carriers." - Griphook, 488
"You talk about wands like they've got feelings, like they can think for themselves." - Harry, 493
"Hermione's right. Dumbledore didn't want me to have it. He didn't want me to take it. He wanted me to get he Horcruxes." - Harry, 500
"Dumbledore wouldn't come back as a ghost. He would have gone on." - Harry, 504
"You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place." - Ollivander, 512
"To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin-made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs." - Bill, 517
"'Oh,' said Ron. 'Yeah... well, I'm hungry!' he added defensively as his stomach gave an enormous rumble." - Rowling, 560
"Sometimes you've got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've got to think about the greater good!" - Harry, 568
"The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry" - Neville, 574
"Thing was, they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway, Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' sn, and to keep it up." - Neville, 576
"Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration." - Ron, 578
"You don't have to do everything alone, Harry." - Hermione, 583
"No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?" - Ginny, 585
"Beneath the disbelief and anger, Harry heard a little strain of pride in her voice, and affection for Minerva McGonagall gushed up inside him." - Rowling, 592
"'Our headmaster is taking a short break,' said Professor McGonagall, pointing at the Snape-shaped hole in the window." - Rowling, 600
"Now go and do something constructive! Find Peeves!" - Minerva, 602
"'I was a fool!' Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph." - Rowling, 606
"Potter, aren't you supposed to be looking for something?" - Minerva, 611
"OI! There's a war going on here!" - Harry, 625
"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!" - Ron, 633
"And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face." - Rowling, 637
"The world had ended, so why had the battle not ceased, the castle fallen silent in horror, and every combatant laid down their arms?" - Rowling, 638
"'Get back!' shouted Ron, and he, Harry and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundred past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall." - Rowling, 644
"We're all still here, we're still fighting. Come on, now..." - Luna, 649
"Look... at... me..." - Severus, 658
"You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon..." - Albus, 680
"I ask this one great favor of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league." - Albus, 683
"But this is touching, Severus. Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?" - Albus, 687
"Do not use that word!" - Severus, 689
"Like rain on a cold window, these thoughts pattered against the hard surface of the incontrovertible truth, which was that he must die." - Rowling, 693
"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?" - Neville, 696
"You've been so brave." - Lily, 699
"I am sorry too. Sorry I will never know him... but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life." - Remus, 700
"Happiness seemed to radiate from Dumbledore like light, like fire: Harry had never seen the man so utterly, so palpably content." - Rowling, 708
"Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing." - Albus, 709
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" - Albus, 723
"He is dead!" - Narcissa, 726
"...the enormous hands that lifted him into the air were exceedingly gentle. Harry could feel Hagrid's arms trembling with the force of his heaving sobs; great tears splashed down upon him as Hagrid cradled Harry in his arms..." - Rowling, 727
"Oh, Harry... Harry..." - Hagrid, 729
"The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound." - Rowling, 730
"Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!" - Kreacher, 734
"But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..." - Harry, 741
"I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me." - Luna, 743
"We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one,
And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" - Peeves, 746
"Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn't it?" - Ron, 746
"And let it be noted that Slytherin House played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!" - Phineas, 747
"Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." - Harry, 758
"He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him." - Elphias, 20
"We're leaving soon, really soon. And then you'll be able to fly again." - Harry, 36
"The idea of a teenage Dumbledore was simply odd, like trying to imagine a stupid Hermione or a friendly Blast-Ended Skrewt." - Rowling, 21
"I don't think you're a waste of space." - Dudley, 40
"Take care, Big D." - Harry, 42
"Well, that's that plan scuppered." - George, 49
"Wow - we're identical!" - Fre and George, 51
"Harry, your eyesight is really awful." - Hermione, 52
"I'm George. Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?" - Fred, 52
"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there. That's Voldemort's job." - Harry, 71
"For the first time since Harry had known him, Fred seemed to be lost for words." - Rowling, 74
"Pathetic. Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?" - Fred, 75
"We've got to trust each other." - Harry, 80
"Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!" - Hermione, 85
"Oh, of course. I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library." - Ron, 95
"Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see." - Hermione, 97
"Oh, well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then. I was wondering what we were going to do with them." - Ron, 103
"I open at the close." - Snitch, 134
"Harry looked up, diverted. The circumstance of Ron having read a book that Hermione had not was unprecedented." - Rowling, 135
"When I get married, I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse of Mum until it's all over." - Fred, 138
"Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today - perhaps an unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish - do not repress it! You may have been gifted by the Gernumblies!" - Xenophilius, 140
"...and your hair's much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin's beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet." - Muriel, 141
"While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison, today it beautified everybody it fell upon." - Rowling, 144
"'I like this song,' said Luna, swaying in time to the waltzlike tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms." - Rowling, 147
"Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?" - Viktor, 150
"Don't believe a word of it! Not a word, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!" - Elphias, 152
"You're amazing, you are." - Ron, 162
"She had made her 'g's the same way he did: He searched through the letter for every one of them, and each felt like a friendly little wave glimpsed from behind a veil." - Rowling, 181
"Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice, just like all the purebloods who treat them like animals... It never would have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't." - Hermione, 195
"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding. Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home..." - Kreacher, 195
"What do wizard wards mean to an elf like Kreacher? He's loyal to peole who are kind to him... I've said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did... and so did Sirius." - Hermione, 198
"I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually." - Harry, 212
"Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner." - Kreacher, 224
"Merlin's pants!" - Hermione, 226
"Who are they expecting to turn up, Harry Potter?" - Ministry wizard, 241
"With a twinge of regret that had nothing to do with food, Harry imagined the house-elf busying himself over the steak-and-kidney pie that Harry, Ron and Hermione would never eat." - Rowling, 271
"Hermione was watching Ron fret over the fate of the Cattermoles, and there was such tenderness in her expression that Harry felt almost as if he had surprised her in the act of kissing him." - Rowling, 274-5
"Was it his own blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart?" - Rowling, 276
"My mother can make good food appear out of thin air." - Ron, 292
"We take no sides. This is a wizards' war." - Griphook, 296
"I mean, the Weasleys don't need any more of their kids injured, do that?" - Ted, 299
"'Please' always helps." - Phineas, 301
"Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!" - Harry, 302
"Hagrid's not an oaf!" - Hermione, 302
"Harry, did you ever even open A History of Magic?" - Hermione, 318
"The life he had lost had hardly ever seemed so real to him as at this oment, when he knew he was about to see the place where it had been taken from him." - Rowling, 321
"Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve!" - Hermione, 323
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Ariana's tombstone, 325
"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry. It means... you know... living beyond death. Living after death." - Hermione, 328
"Where's my wand?" - Harry, 348
"For the Greater Good" - Dumbledore, 357
"They were the same age we are now. And here we are, risking our lives to fight the Dark Arts, and there he was, in a huddle with his new best friend, plotting their rise to power over the Muggles." - Harry, 361
"Help." - Harry, 368
"Well, I've - you know - I've come back. If - You know. You still want me." - Ron, 372
"She's like my sister. I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew." - Harry, 278
"Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it was. I've been trying to tell you that for years." - Harry, 379
"Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?" - Hermione, 383
"Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. I don't think Fleur minded. You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck." - Ron, 397
"Yes, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives." - Harry, 407
"It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed from this life." - Beedle the Bard, 409
"Luna has told me all about you, young lady. You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded." - Xenophilius, 410
"But that's - I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn't exist? Do you expect me to get hold of - of all the pebbles in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist!" - Hermione, 411
"The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, 'the Cloak,' Ron said, 'the wand,' and Harry said, 'the stone.'" - Rowling, 414
"Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same: Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be fine golden chains were actually one word, repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends... friends... friends..." - Rowling, 417
"They took my Luna." - Xenophilius, 419
"We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving." - Kingsley, 440
"'The Boy Who Lived' remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to keep resisting. ... I'd tell him we're all with him in spirit. And I'd tell him to follow his instincts which are good and nearly always right." - Remus, 441
"For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a basilisk, listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do." - Fred, 443
"...The fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to..." - Fred, 444
"Harry saw Draco's face up close now, right beside his father's. They were extraordinarily alike, except that while his father looked beside himself with excitement, Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear." - Rowling, 459
"Help us! We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us!" - Harry, 466
"Harry Potter, Dobby has come to rescue you." - Dobby, 468
"You must not hurt Harry Potter." - Dobby, 474
"His rage was dreadful and yet Harry's grief for Dobby seemed to diminish it, so that it became a distant storm that reached Harry from across a vast, silent ocean." - Rowling, 478
"HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF." - Harry, 481
"Am I meant to know, but not to seek? Did you know how hard I'd find that? Is that why you make it this difficult? So I'd have time to work that out?" - Harry, 483
"You are an unusual wizard, Harry Potter." - Griphook, 486
"Goblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown this night. Not from wand-carriers." - Griphook, 488
"You talk about wands like they've got feelings, like they can think for themselves." - Harry, 493
"Hermione's right. Dumbledore didn't want me to have it. He didn't want me to take it. He wanted me to get he Horcruxes." - Harry, 500
"Dumbledore wouldn't come back as a ghost. He would have gone on." - Harry, 504
"You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place." - Ollivander, 512
"To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin-made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs." - Bill, 517
"'Oh,' said Ron. 'Yeah... well, I'm hungry!' he added defensively as his stomach gave an enormous rumble." - Rowling, 560
"Sometimes you've got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've got to think about the greater good!" - Harry, 568
"The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry" - Neville, 574
"Thing was, they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway, Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' sn, and to keep it up." - Neville, 576
"Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration." - Ron, 578
"You don't have to do everything alone, Harry." - Hermione, 583
"No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?" - Ginny, 585
"Beneath the disbelief and anger, Harry heard a little strain of pride in her voice, and affection for Minerva McGonagall gushed up inside him." - Rowling, 592
"'Our headmaster is taking a short break,' said Professor McGonagall, pointing at the Snape-shaped hole in the window." - Rowling, 600
"Now go and do something constructive! Find Peeves!" - Minerva, 602
"'I was a fool!' Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph." - Rowling, 606
"Potter, aren't you supposed to be looking for something?" - Minerva, 611
"OI! There's a war going on here!" - Harry, 625
"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!" - Ron, 633
"And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face." - Rowling, 637
"The world had ended, so why had the battle not ceased, the castle fallen silent in horror, and every combatant laid down their arms?" - Rowling, 638
"'Get back!' shouted Ron, and he, Harry and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundred past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall." - Rowling, 644
"We're all still here, we're still fighting. Come on, now..." - Luna, 649
"Look... at... me..." - Severus, 658
"You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon..." - Albus, 680
"I ask this one great favor of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league." - Albus, 683
"But this is touching, Severus. Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?" - Albus, 687
"Do not use that word!" - Severus, 689
"Like rain on a cold window, these thoughts pattered against the hard surface of the incontrovertible truth, which was that he must die." - Rowling, 693
"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?" - Neville, 696
"You've been so brave." - Lily, 699
"I am sorry too. Sorry I will never know him... but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life." - Remus, 700
"Happiness seemed to radiate from Dumbledore like light, like fire: Harry had never seen the man so utterly, so palpably content." - Rowling, 708
"Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing." - Albus, 709
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" - Albus, 723
"He is dead!" - Narcissa, 726
"...the enormous hands that lifted him into the air were exceedingly gentle. Harry could feel Hagrid's arms trembling with the force of his heaving sobs; great tears splashed down upon him as Hagrid cradled Harry in his arms..." - Rowling, 727
"Oh, Harry... Harry..." - Hagrid, 729
"The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound." - Rowling, 730
"Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!" - Kreacher, 734
"But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..." - Harry, 741
"I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me." - Luna, 743
"We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one,
And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" - Peeves, 746
"Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn't it?" - Ron, 746
"And let it be noted that Slytherin House played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!" - Phineas, 747
"Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." - Harry, 758
Peeves and McGonagall (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Even though McGonagall is a very strict teacher, she definitely has a sense of humor, and unlike Filch, she's not adverse to a little chaos for the right reasons. I love her helpful little aside to Peeves in Order of the Phoenix, and in Deathly Hallows, she and Peeves seem to be on the same team again when she orders Filch to find him, and later we see him dropping Snargaluff pods on the attackers.
I took a peek at McGonagall's Wikipedia page and was interested to learn that her surname comes from a 19th century Scottish poet by the name William Topaz McGonagall, hailed as one of the worst poets ever to grace the English language, which gives her another connection to Peeves! Though I must say, his victory chant - "We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one, / And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" - is pretty catchy...
I took a peek at McGonagall's Wikipedia page and was interested to learn that her surname comes from a 19th century Scottish poet by the name William Topaz McGonagall, hailed as one of the worst poets ever to grace the English language, which gives her another connection to Peeves! Though I must say, his victory chant - "We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one, / And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" - is pretty catchy...
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Why Expelliarmus? (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Ever since we heard the prophecy at the end of Order of the Phoenix, one of the main things I've worried about is HOW Harry was going to defeat Voldemort without resorting to evil's methods. We've known, of course, that Dumbledore believed that the only way Harry could win was through the power of love, and that turned out to blessedly true. But I still wondered how it would happen. How would JKR show us a decisive victory over Voldemort (and make certain we knew he was dead) without showing Harry as a kind of murderer?
I think she succeeded brilliantly in showing us deep qualities of mercy in Harry. And one of the master-strokes is the way Harry uses the "Expelliarmus" spell at the very end, instead of the "Avada Kedavra."
Let's lay aside (for now, though I'd like to come back to it sometime) the troubling facts that at different points in the narrative, Harry casts the other two curses that have been classified as unforgiveables by the ministry. But he never casts an AK, the curse that killed his parents and that should have killed him twice.
One of the things I didn't expect, and which was another fascinating part of Deathly Hallows, was that by the time Harry met Voldemort for the final confrontation, he would be in a place of calmness and strength and power. I think I always imagined the final confrontation as something sort of desperate, with Harry somewhat cornered, yet protected and helped by love outside (as well as inside) himself. He was certainly helped all through DH, and would never have gotten there with the help of countless others. When the final confrontation boils down to just the two of them, however, it's clear Harry has the upper hand. Voldemort has lost all his horcruxes which we know has left him in a weakened state. He's lost Nagini and most of his other supporters, including Bellatrix. And as Harry unwinds the narrative, for him and for us, we begin to realize that Harry is pretty sure that he also has the upper hand in terms of wands. He's wielding what looks like a lesser wand, but because the greater wand recognizes Harry as its new master, his spell will be able to defeat Voldemort's.
I hadn't imagined the complexity that Rowling could bring to bear on the whole "Deathly Hallows" subplot, and especially on the wand exchanges. That was brilliant, with that seemingly insignificant little moment on the tower when Draco disarms Dumbledore in HBP being so key. (The only little throwaway moment that might have seemed even more brilliant was learning how Dumbledore used the golden snitch Harry almost swallowed in his very first Quidditch match six years before.)
So Harry is in a place of power: he's the master of the Elder Wand, he has Voldemort cornered, he has done everything he was supposed to do to ensure the other's vulnerability. And what is beautiful is that, standing in that place of power, Harry chooses not to wield it with utter forcefulness, not to vengesfully cast at Voldemort what Voldemort cast at him and his parents. He restrains his power. Instead of seeking to kill, he seeks to disarm...(a word with biblical connotations).
Lest we miss the point, JKR gave us that wonderful exchange in the early chapters where the death eaters figure out the true Harry's identity (in the midst of the decoy Harrys) because Harry uses "expelliarmus." It's an unusual move, one that doesn't seem to make a lot of logical sense, but one that's very Harry. He used it in graveyard in GoF, he taught it to the DA students in Phoenix. It's becoming his "signature move" -- and Rowling makes it utterly clear, in the way Harry explains why he chose to use it rather than send the imperiused Shan Stunpike plummeting to his death, that it's a move of mercy.
Harry shows mercy to Voldemort here, even in the act of ensuring his destruction. He throws the milder, disarming spell versus Voldemort's enraged killing curse (note we've got red versus green again!). Why is he ready to show mercy?
I think there are so many reasons, and it's late so I won't try to unpack them all. But here are just a few:
--He has seen the awful bit of Voldemort's lost soul (the piece that was blasted out of Harry?) which is beyond help in the waystation/waiting room/train station between the worlds after death. I think this is why he tries, albeit unsuccessfully, to remind Voldemort that only real remorse can possibly re-knit his unravelled soul.
--Some measure of empathy. As awful and evil as Voldemort is, he and Harry shared a lot in common. And as he was walking toward death, Harry remembered that Hogwarts was home to him, to Voldemort, and to Snape, "all the abandoned boys."
--Harry has been trained in righteousness. Albus Dumbledore, his primary mentor, helped train him for what Albus knew would probably very well be a certain death. Albus couldn't prevent that, and I think for a long time (before the "gleam of triumph" and the "flaw in the plan") he thought the best he could do for Harry was to train him for a holy death, a brave and courageous death that might win release for others. That's why he gave Harry so many chances to face evil and temptations and hardships, even as early on as Sorcerer's Stone. Perhaps even as early on as leaving him on the steps at the Dursleys.
Well, more on that perhaps later. For now, I'm just quietly celebrating that when it mattered most, Harry showed mercy. It was not a curse of Harry's that killed Voldemort, but the rebounding of Voldemort's own rage and hatred. Harry aimed to disarm.
I think she succeeded brilliantly in showing us deep qualities of mercy in Harry. And one of the master-strokes is the way Harry uses the "Expelliarmus" spell at the very end, instead of the "Avada Kedavra."
Let's lay aside (for now, though I'd like to come back to it sometime) the troubling facts that at different points in the narrative, Harry casts the other two curses that have been classified as unforgiveables by the ministry. But he never casts an AK, the curse that killed his parents and that should have killed him twice.
One of the things I didn't expect, and which was another fascinating part of Deathly Hallows, was that by the time Harry met Voldemort for the final confrontation, he would be in a place of calmness and strength and power. I think I always imagined the final confrontation as something sort of desperate, with Harry somewhat cornered, yet protected and helped by love outside (as well as inside) himself. He was certainly helped all through DH, and would never have gotten there with the help of countless others. When the final confrontation boils down to just the two of them, however, it's clear Harry has the upper hand. Voldemort has lost all his horcruxes which we know has left him in a weakened state. He's lost Nagini and most of his other supporters, including Bellatrix. And as Harry unwinds the narrative, for him and for us, we begin to realize that Harry is pretty sure that he also has the upper hand in terms of wands. He's wielding what looks like a lesser wand, but because the greater wand recognizes Harry as its new master, his spell will be able to defeat Voldemort's.
I hadn't imagined the complexity that Rowling could bring to bear on the whole "Deathly Hallows" subplot, and especially on the wand exchanges. That was brilliant, with that seemingly insignificant little moment on the tower when Draco disarms Dumbledore in HBP being so key. (The only little throwaway moment that might have seemed even more brilliant was learning how Dumbledore used the golden snitch Harry almost swallowed in his very first Quidditch match six years before.)
So Harry is in a place of power: he's the master of the Elder Wand, he has Voldemort cornered, he has done everything he was supposed to do to ensure the other's vulnerability. And what is beautiful is that, standing in that place of power, Harry chooses not to wield it with utter forcefulness, not to vengesfully cast at Voldemort what Voldemort cast at him and his parents. He restrains his power. Instead of seeking to kill, he seeks to disarm...(a word with biblical connotations).
Lest we miss the point, JKR gave us that wonderful exchange in the early chapters where the death eaters figure out the true Harry's identity (in the midst of the decoy Harrys) because Harry uses "expelliarmus." It's an unusual move, one that doesn't seem to make a lot of logical sense, but one that's very Harry. He used it in graveyard in GoF, he taught it to the DA students in Phoenix. It's becoming his "signature move" -- and Rowling makes it utterly clear, in the way Harry explains why he chose to use it rather than send the imperiused Shan Stunpike plummeting to his death, that it's a move of mercy.
Harry shows mercy to Voldemort here, even in the act of ensuring his destruction. He throws the milder, disarming spell versus Voldemort's enraged killing curse (note we've got red versus green again!). Why is he ready to show mercy?
I think there are so many reasons, and it's late so I won't try to unpack them all. But here are just a few:
--He has seen the awful bit of Voldemort's lost soul (the piece that was blasted out of Harry?) which is beyond help in the waystation/waiting room/train station between the worlds after death. I think this is why he tries, albeit unsuccessfully, to remind Voldemort that only real remorse can possibly re-knit his unravelled soul.
--Some measure of empathy. As awful and evil as Voldemort is, he and Harry shared a lot in common. And as he was walking toward death, Harry remembered that Hogwarts was home to him, to Voldemort, and to Snape, "all the abandoned boys."
--Harry has been trained in righteousness. Albus Dumbledore, his primary mentor, helped train him for what Albus knew would probably very well be a certain death. Albus couldn't prevent that, and I think for a long time (before the "gleam of triumph" and the "flaw in the plan") he thought the best he could do for Harry was to train him for a holy death, a brave and courageous death that might win release for others. That's why he gave Harry so many chances to face evil and temptations and hardships, even as early on as Sorcerer's Stone. Perhaps even as early on as leaving him on the steps at the Dursleys.
Well, more on that perhaps later. For now, I'm just quietly celebrating that when it mattered most, Harry showed mercy. It was not a curse of Harry's that killed Voldemort, but the rebounding of Voldemort's own rage and hatred. Harry aimed to disarm.
"We Sort Too Soon" (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
I'm haunted by Dumbledore's soft suggestion to Severus: "I sometimes think we Sort too soon." It makes me wonder how Snape's life would have been different had he been placed in Gryffindor. Perhaps the Hat was unsure, as he had been with Harry, but, sensing Snape's desire to be in Slytherin, had placed him in that House. I really think he would have been much better off in Gryffindor, where it wouldn't have been so easy for his darker nature to flourish. I can't imagine Lucius and his cronies would have let him trail them then, and so perhaps he would have been an outcast, but he wouldn't have been under their unholy influence. I suspect Sirius and James still would have given him a hard time, but perhaps he would have found a friend in Remus, and maybe as a result the other two would leave him alone a bit. At any rate, it was his association with the cruel antics of the Slytherins that led to the dissolving of his friendship with Lily, which was deeper and older than I'd suspected. If he'd been in Gryffindor, I think it likely their friendship would have survived, and he probably would not have been lured into the Death Eater trap.
All of this is to say that I think it is sadly appropriate that his death is brought about by a snake. It's symbolic of the fact that being Sorted into Slytherin was the beginning of a slow downward spiral, bringing out the worst in him and, even more, bringing him into a dreadful situation from which he could not extricate himself.
Speaking of snakes, it's interesting that Voldemort's snakelike eyes are red, the color of Gryffindor, whereas Harry's are green, the color of Slytherin. An interesting, albeit coincidental, physical reminded of their unwitting connection...
All of this is to say that I think it is sadly appropriate that his death is brought about by a snake. It's symbolic of the fact that being Sorted into Slytherin was the beginning of a slow downward spiral, bringing out the worst in him and, even more, bringing him into a dreadful situation from which he could not extricate himself.
Speaking of snakes, it's interesting that Voldemort's snakelike eyes are red, the color of Gryffindor, whereas Harry's are green, the color of Slytherin. An interesting, albeit coincidental, physical reminded of their unwitting connection...
Auntie Muriel (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
One of the fun things about Deathly Hallows is that we get to meet several characters who are referenced earlier in the series. It's nice to meet Ted and Andromeda Tonks and Xenophilius Lovegood, and Aberforth is of paramount importance. But in terms of pure entertainment, I think the award has to go to Auntie Muriel, who reminds me powerfully of contrary Aunt Mary Maria in Anne of Ingleside. She's that fusty old relative you always invite to family gatherings but secretly hope doesn't show up. She has a sarcastic remark for everyone, and she's utterly lacking in tact. Her presence at the wedding is a comical blight on an otherwise wonderfully festive occasion, one of the most joyful series of pages in the whole series.
Yet for all her sniping, Muriel is also very helpful. She is willing to allow her home to be used as a safe house for members of the Order, and it is she who first casts real doubt upon the saintliness of Dumbledore's past. Rowling's narrative misdirection on the subject of Dumbledore is expansive, and it's brilliant of her to have introduced the darker aspects of his life in an article by Rita Skeeter, since, despite her interview with Harry in the fifth book, we learned not to trust from the fourth book. She's a sensationalist, and I figured she, who never liked Dumbledore much anyway, was trying to make a quick buck by writing an inflammatory book about him.
Then Auntie Muriel starts talking about him, and once I realized how uncomfortable some of her accusations make Elphias, suddenly I started to wonder if there might be something to all this Dumbledore-as-Dark-Wizard-and-Neglectful-Brother stuff. And that's a really painful revelation, one I resisted nearly as much as Harry because Rowling set Dumbledore up from the beginning as the most pure-hearted, venerable wizard of modern times. I'll admit I felt a bit betrayed; you can mislead us about Quirrel, Sirius, Mad-Eye and others, but doggone it, messing with Dumbledore - and now, after all this time - just is a bit too much. I kept making excuses for him, but there are parts of this book in which Dumbledore comes off as downright nasty.
That's not to say that everything we thought we knew about him, that he was good, wise and loving, a devoted leader, uninterested in power for himself, keen on protecting his students, was necesarily untrue, and the depth of Dumbledore's contrition in King's Cross makes it impossible not to forgive past mistakes. But the revelations cast a darker shadow upon all his activities, since we know that even during Harry's time at Hogwarts Dumbledore had a bit of a mean streak. As awful as all this is to learn, it's important that Harry uncover this information about his beloved headmaster, and Muriel is the one who sets him on that path, so whether or not he ever cares to be seated next to her again, I'd say "Cousin Barny" owes her one.
Yet for all her sniping, Muriel is also very helpful. She is willing to allow her home to be used as a safe house for members of the Order, and it is she who first casts real doubt upon the saintliness of Dumbledore's past. Rowling's narrative misdirection on the subject of Dumbledore is expansive, and it's brilliant of her to have introduced the darker aspects of his life in an article by Rita Skeeter, since, despite her interview with Harry in the fifth book, we learned not to trust from the fourth book. She's a sensationalist, and I figured she, who never liked Dumbledore much anyway, was trying to make a quick buck by writing an inflammatory book about him.
Then Auntie Muriel starts talking about him, and once I realized how uncomfortable some of her accusations make Elphias, suddenly I started to wonder if there might be something to all this Dumbledore-as-Dark-Wizard-and-Neglectful-Brother stuff. And that's a really painful revelation, one I resisted nearly as much as Harry because Rowling set Dumbledore up from the beginning as the most pure-hearted, venerable wizard of modern times. I'll admit I felt a bit betrayed; you can mislead us about Quirrel, Sirius, Mad-Eye and others, but doggone it, messing with Dumbledore - and now, after all this time - just is a bit too much. I kept making excuses for him, but there are parts of this book in which Dumbledore comes off as downright nasty.
That's not to say that everything we thought we knew about him, that he was good, wise and loving, a devoted leader, uninterested in power for himself, keen on protecting his students, was necesarily untrue, and the depth of Dumbledore's contrition in King's Cross makes it impossible not to forgive past mistakes. But the revelations cast a darker shadow upon all his activities, since we know that even during Harry's time at Hogwarts Dumbledore had a bit of a mean streak. As awful as all this is to learn, it's important that Harry uncover this information about his beloved headmaster, and Muriel is the one who sets him on that path, so whether or not he ever cares to be seated next to her again, I'd say "Cousin Barny" owes her one.
House-Elves of the World, Unite! (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Okay, so it wasn't exactly the Ewok assault in Return of the Jedi. But that's only because there were so many others battling evil forces along with the house-elves. No doubt they contributed significantly to the big battle; Rowling just didn't focus that much on what they were doing, and I think this might be one of those things that will be intensified in the film, when we can watch lots of things happening at once. If the director deigns to include the elves, which he might not, given all the CG involved... But here's hoping!
The house-elves' most significant contributions, however, come earlier in the book, in the form of Kreacher and Dobby. Kreacher's always stood in contrast to Dobby, as acrimonious as Dobby is affectionate. I really wanted to see him warm up to Harry and his friends a little, but two books later with little apparent change in disposition, I was starting to think that perhaps he'd always be Kreacher the Grouch. He continually showed contempt for Hermione despite all of her kind attempts to win him over, and he was none too nice to Harry, who was not nearly so genteel as Hermione, particularly after Sirius's death.
But then I heard his story, and as soon as I did, I not only felt incredibly sorry for him but felt that he was no more inherently vile than Dobby, that they were both shaped by their very different experiences. Dobby had no allegiance whatsoever to his masters, except from the magical bonds that caused him to hurt himself whenever he spoke ill of them. The Malfoys had never treated him with a scrap of dignity or gentleness, and so he dreamed of a life free of their cruelty.
However despicable Mrs. Black was in many ways, it would seem that she treated Kreacher fairly well, and Regulus certainly did. Until, of course, he handed him over to Voldemort in a moment of blind enthusiasm. I don't think he really had an inkling of what Voldemort had planned, and once he realized what he had put Kreacher through, that destroyed his desire to be involved with Voldemort. So deep was his remorse that he sacrificed his life to foil Voldemort, and to save Kreacher, who he refused to put through that terrible ordeal again.
Kreacher had to watch his beloved master die, and then to feel as though he had failed him because he was unable to destroy the locket. He's like Snape, so deeply scarred by the death of the person he cared about most in the world, and probably feeling some responsibility for it since it was telling him what had happened in the cave that drove Regulus to the act that resulted in his death. And then, to be tormented by his brother, similar to Regulus in appearance but very different in personality, much like Snape was harrassed by the presence of Harry, who reminded him just as much of the hated James as the beloved Lily.
Harry gives Dobby what he most craves: freedom. He gives Kreacher the equivalent - a physical reminder of his beloved master, binding him still more deeply to his house. Something he can carry with him even if he's working in the Hogwarts kitchens, which I don't imagine he'll do much of anymore, though perhaps he's grown rather fond of having company other than a yowling painting. And he gives him still more: The promise that he intends to help him fulfill his vow to Regulus. And though he hasn't managed it by the time he leaves Grimmauld Place - hasn't even gotten the locket by that time, let alone figured out how to destroy it - that promise, coupled with the empathy of Harry, Hermione and even Ron, is enough to effect a complete change in Kreacher, to bring out the very best in him and to show that he never really was rotten to begin with.
Without Kreacher, Harry would've had a heck of a time getting his hands on that locket. I suppose he might have managed it eventually, but Kreacher really allowed him to pursue a definite plan, the starting point of his year of wanderings, and because of the new bond of loyalty that formed between him and Harry, Kreacher also led the house-elf forces at the end of the book.
Dobby, meanwhile, who has fallen all over himself to help Harry in the past, with varying degrees of success, is the height of heroism here, returning to the place he loathes most in all the world in order to rescue Harry and his friends. Without him, doom might well have come to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Dean, Mr. Ollivander and Griphook. He valiantly rescued all seven of them, and Harry's absolute anguish over his death spared him the unholy influence of Voldemort's rage at the critical moment, throwing into sharp focus the proper way for him to proceed.
I'm reminded of the scene between Sam and Frodo at the top of Cirith Ungol, when Frodo is temporarily rendered vicious by a desire for the power the Ring would bring. Harry's lust for the Elder Wand made him take leave of his senses and speak Voldemort's name despite the taboo, which landed him at the Malfoys' in the first place. Just as his love for Sam brings Frodo back to reason, healing grief over Dobby allows Harry to see just how poisonous the desire for the Deathly Hallows is, how he would have the potential to become that which he seeks to destroy if he got too hung up on possessing these objects. He chooses to vanquish evil rather than seize power for himself, and from that point his purpose never wavers, even when Voldemort is gone and all three Hallows could easily be Harry's for the taking. In that way, Dobby not only saves his life, he helps to preserve his soul.
I wonder what happens to the house-elves from here. If Rowling's revealed that Hermione goes into magical law, I'm sure she will make it a priority to see that house-elves are afforded better rights. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Ron in this book. He's always been a bit more self-centered and immature than Harry and Hermione, but he demonstrates very real, unsolicited concern for the fates of others, including the family of Reg Cattermole and the house-elves. There might have been a momentary flash of cynicism in which I considered that his desire to warn the house-elves was just something to say in order to inspire Hermione's affection, but by that point he was far beyond taking empty advice from the book he gave Harry for his birthday. There was absolute sincerity in his fear for the house-elves' safety, which I think is a great mark of how he has matured, particularly in this last book. And if Ron can be taught, perhaps the rest of the Wizarding world can too.
The house-elves' most significant contributions, however, come earlier in the book, in the form of Kreacher and Dobby. Kreacher's always stood in contrast to Dobby, as acrimonious as Dobby is affectionate. I really wanted to see him warm up to Harry and his friends a little, but two books later with little apparent change in disposition, I was starting to think that perhaps he'd always be Kreacher the Grouch. He continually showed contempt for Hermione despite all of her kind attempts to win him over, and he was none too nice to Harry, who was not nearly so genteel as Hermione, particularly after Sirius's death.
But then I heard his story, and as soon as I did, I not only felt incredibly sorry for him but felt that he was no more inherently vile than Dobby, that they were both shaped by their very different experiences. Dobby had no allegiance whatsoever to his masters, except from the magical bonds that caused him to hurt himself whenever he spoke ill of them. The Malfoys had never treated him with a scrap of dignity or gentleness, and so he dreamed of a life free of their cruelty.
However despicable Mrs. Black was in many ways, it would seem that she treated Kreacher fairly well, and Regulus certainly did. Until, of course, he handed him over to Voldemort in a moment of blind enthusiasm. I don't think he really had an inkling of what Voldemort had planned, and once he realized what he had put Kreacher through, that destroyed his desire to be involved with Voldemort. So deep was his remorse that he sacrificed his life to foil Voldemort, and to save Kreacher, who he refused to put through that terrible ordeal again.
Kreacher had to watch his beloved master die, and then to feel as though he had failed him because he was unable to destroy the locket. He's like Snape, so deeply scarred by the death of the person he cared about most in the world, and probably feeling some responsibility for it since it was telling him what had happened in the cave that drove Regulus to the act that resulted in his death. And then, to be tormented by his brother, similar to Regulus in appearance but very different in personality, much like Snape was harrassed by the presence of Harry, who reminded him just as much of the hated James as the beloved Lily.
Harry gives Dobby what he most craves: freedom. He gives Kreacher the equivalent - a physical reminder of his beloved master, binding him still more deeply to his house. Something he can carry with him even if he's working in the Hogwarts kitchens, which I don't imagine he'll do much of anymore, though perhaps he's grown rather fond of having company other than a yowling painting. And he gives him still more: The promise that he intends to help him fulfill his vow to Regulus. And though he hasn't managed it by the time he leaves Grimmauld Place - hasn't even gotten the locket by that time, let alone figured out how to destroy it - that promise, coupled with the empathy of Harry, Hermione and even Ron, is enough to effect a complete change in Kreacher, to bring out the very best in him and to show that he never really was rotten to begin with.
Without Kreacher, Harry would've had a heck of a time getting his hands on that locket. I suppose he might have managed it eventually, but Kreacher really allowed him to pursue a definite plan, the starting point of his year of wanderings, and because of the new bond of loyalty that formed between him and Harry, Kreacher also led the house-elf forces at the end of the book.
Dobby, meanwhile, who has fallen all over himself to help Harry in the past, with varying degrees of success, is the height of heroism here, returning to the place he loathes most in all the world in order to rescue Harry and his friends. Without him, doom might well have come to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Dean, Mr. Ollivander and Griphook. He valiantly rescued all seven of them, and Harry's absolute anguish over his death spared him the unholy influence of Voldemort's rage at the critical moment, throwing into sharp focus the proper way for him to proceed.
I'm reminded of the scene between Sam and Frodo at the top of Cirith Ungol, when Frodo is temporarily rendered vicious by a desire for the power the Ring would bring. Harry's lust for the Elder Wand made him take leave of his senses and speak Voldemort's name despite the taboo, which landed him at the Malfoys' in the first place. Just as his love for Sam brings Frodo back to reason, healing grief over Dobby allows Harry to see just how poisonous the desire for the Deathly Hallows is, how he would have the potential to become that which he seeks to destroy if he got too hung up on possessing these objects. He chooses to vanquish evil rather than seize power for himself, and from that point his purpose never wavers, even when Voldemort is gone and all three Hallows could easily be Harry's for the taking. In that way, Dobby not only saves his life, he helps to preserve his soul.
I wonder what happens to the house-elves from here. If Rowling's revealed that Hermione goes into magical law, I'm sure she will make it a priority to see that house-elves are afforded better rights. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Ron in this book. He's always been a bit more self-centered and immature than Harry and Hermione, but he demonstrates very real, unsolicited concern for the fates of others, including the family of Reg Cattermole and the house-elves. There might have been a momentary flash of cynicism in which I considered that his desire to warn the house-elves was just something to say in order to inspire Hermione's affection, but by that point he was far beyond taking empty advice from the book he gave Harry for his birthday. There was absolute sincerity in his fear for the house-elves' safety, which I think is a great mark of how he has matured, particularly in this last book. And if Ron can be taught, perhaps the rest of the Wizarding world can too.
And The Ones Who Didn't Get a Reprieve (DH Spoilers)
Rowling is dropping all kinds of things in interviews today, from more information about what Ron and Harry and Hermione become in the nineteen years between the final battle and the epilogue (Ron and Harry revolutionize the auror department and Hermione has a career in magical law enforcement) to her original intentions for book 7. It must be such a relief for her to be able to talk about all these things at last!
And yes, she came out and said who died that she had not thought would die originally. We were right -- it was Lupin and Tonks.
Here's the quote, from an interview in USAToday:
There were deaths that were traumatic to write, she says.
"Fred (Weasley, brother of Harry's friend Ron), Lupin (a former teacher at Hogwarts, the school for wizards and witches that Harry attended) and Tonks (Lupin's wife) really caused me a lot of pain," Rowling says.
"Lupin and Tonks were two who were killed who I had intended to keep alive. … It's like an exchange of hostages, isn't it? And I kept Mr. Weasley (Ron's father) alive. He was slated to die in the very, very original draft of the story."
I confess I am a bit confused about the last part. Does this mean that Mr. Weasley was slated to die in book 5 (as we heard earlier) or in book 7? She just says "the story" which I am guessing is her term for the entire series. So I'd guess she's still referring to the book 5 reprieve.
Looks like Hagrid was safe from the beginning, despite the fact that many of us were worried he would die in the final book! I am so glad he didn't. It's so very moving when he carries Harry out of the forest, in an echo of the way he carried baby Harry out of the house sixteen years before.
And yes, she came out and said who died that she had not thought would die originally. We were right -- it was Lupin and Tonks.
Here's the quote, from an interview in USAToday:
There were deaths that were traumatic to write, she says.
"Fred (Weasley, brother of Harry's friend Ron), Lupin (a former teacher at Hogwarts, the school for wizards and witches that Harry attended) and Tonks (Lupin's wife) really caused me a lot of pain," Rowling says.
"Lupin and Tonks were two who were killed who I had intended to keep alive. … It's like an exchange of hostages, isn't it? And I kept Mr. Weasley (Ron's father) alive. He was slated to die in the very, very original draft of the story."
I confess I am a bit confused about the last part. Does this mean that Mr. Weasley was slated to die in book 5 (as we heard earlier) or in book 7? She just says "the story" which I am guessing is her term for the entire series. So I'd guess she's still referring to the book 5 reprieve.
Looks like Hagrid was safe from the beginning, despite the fact that many of us were worried he would die in the final book! I am so glad he didn't. It's so very moving when he carries Harry out of the forest, in an echo of the way he carried baby Harry out of the house sixteen years before.
His Last Laugh (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
When I finished reading chapter 31, I couldn't help but be reminded of Pippin in Lord of the Rings. I've often compared Fred and George to Merry and Pippin; the mirthsome hobbits are certainly more differentiated than the twins, and spend significant time apart from one another in the last book, but I can definitely see shades of them in the Weasley twins, and the conclusion of that chapter really reminded me of Pippin's apparent death.
"And the world resolved itself into pain and semidarkness." (636) and "...Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face." (637)
"Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and his mind fell away into great darkness. 'So it ends as I guessed it would,' his thought said, even as it fluttered away; and it laughed a little within him as it fled, almost gay it seemed to be casting off at last all doubt and care and fear." (874)
Not that I think it was intentional, but it's an interesting parallel...
"And the world resolved itself into pain and semidarkness." (636) and "...Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face." (637)
"Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and his mind fell away into great darkness. 'So it ends as I guessed it would,' his thought said, even as it fluttered away; and it laughed a little within him as it fled, almost gay it seemed to be casting off at last all doubt and care and fear." (874)
Not that I think it was intentional, but it's an interesting parallel...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
"7 Potters, 7 Horcruxes" (Deathly Hallow Spoilers)
A friend of mine who is only about half-way through her reading of the book keeps wanting to talk with me about it. This is hard, because she keeps mentioning various parts of the story, wondering aloud about other parts, and of course fretting about Harry (bless her!). When she was just a few chapters in, a couple of days ago, she tossed off a comment that really got me thinking. What she said was: "7 Potters, 7 Horcruxes."
Hmm. I've been thinking a lot about this ever since. I don't think Rowling chose the number 7 at random (she obviously likes it, given that there are 7 books in the series). And I think that, in actuality, we end up with 8 horcruxes unless I'm miscounting, since Voldemort didn't know that Harry was one: Diary, Ring, Cup, Diadem, Locket, Snake, Harry, and the piece left in Voldemort himself. Still, Tom Riddle thought he was making 7, since 7 is the most magically powerful number.
So why 7 Harrys in the scene where they leave the burrow?
I really like the contrast. If you remember from the essay I wrote in June, I talked about what made Harry tremble as opposed to what made Riddle tremble, when they were both eleven and were given the news that they were wizards. Riddle trembled at the thought of power and control; Harry trembled when someone showed him love. The contrast is here again: Riddle has split himself into seven pieces, attempting to control his destiny and buy an earthly immortality that isn't really possible. He immobilizes parts of himself, locking them away in (mostly inanimate) objects. Harry, on the other hand, remains whole and complete, even thought it looks as though there are multiple versions of himself in the one scene. The versions are, however, six friends who are willing to take on Harry's likeness (his flesh, if you will) in order to try to keep him safe and protected. Stasis and death versus movement and life; power and control over against incarnated love, love in action, one more time.
Hmm. I've been thinking a lot about this ever since. I don't think Rowling chose the number 7 at random (she obviously likes it, given that there are 7 books in the series). And I think that, in actuality, we end up with 8 horcruxes unless I'm miscounting, since Voldemort didn't know that Harry was one: Diary, Ring, Cup, Diadem, Locket, Snake, Harry, and the piece left in Voldemort himself. Still, Tom Riddle thought he was making 7, since 7 is the most magically powerful number.
So why 7 Harrys in the scene where they leave the burrow?
I really like the contrast. If you remember from the essay I wrote in June, I talked about what made Harry tremble as opposed to what made Riddle tremble, when they were both eleven and were given the news that they were wizards. Riddle trembled at the thought of power and control; Harry trembled when someone showed him love. The contrast is here again: Riddle has split himself into seven pieces, attempting to control his destiny and buy an earthly immortality that isn't really possible. He immobilizes parts of himself, locking them away in (mostly inanimate) objects. Harry, on the other hand, remains whole and complete, even thought it looks as though there are multiple versions of himself in the one scene. The versions are, however, six friends who are willing to take on Harry's likeness (his flesh, if you will) in order to try to keep him safe and protected. Stasis and death versus movement and life; power and control over against incarnated love, love in action, one more time.
Weasleys (Deathly Hallow Spoilers)
Rather than just do a comment to Erin's moving post about Fred and George below (another lovely poem!) I thought I'd post a few thoughts here on the loss of Fred.
My husband and I debated a good bit, going into DH, about which Weasley would die. Note that I didn't say IF a Weasley would die, but which one. We felt almost sure that the book would not end without losing at least one Weasley, given how many of them there are and how fully involved in the war effort. We also kept citing the chapter in OotP where we see Molly's worst fears about losing her children...the boggart scene. Extra sad now...
I never seriously thought we'd lose a Weasley parent, or at least I hoped not, so am wiping my brow a bit to hear how close we came to losing Arthur...it's so nice to know he not only survives DH but must live to a good old age, since Ron references "Granddad Weasley" in the Epilogue. I also didn't think we'd lose Bill, since he'd already had such a harrowing narrow escape at the end of HBP. I had convinced myself that we would not lose any of the trio, so that ruled out Ron. I also didn't think we'd lose Ginny, primarily because I was pretty sure Harry would survive and was hoping that they'd end up married.
So that left Charlie, Percy, and the twins. And Dana and I never saw eye to eye on who would be the one to die. We pretty much agreed that Charlie, as much as we liked him, was not a major enough character for his death to feel like a huge loss. I was fairly certain (though I kept changing my mind) that Percy would die, but here's the scenario I was half-way predicting: Percy would either turn out to be have been playing the double agent (actually only acting like a prat while spying for the Order on his father's or someone else's orders) OR that he really was a prat, but would repent of his terrible mistakes and return to his family. I thought returning to his family might involve a heroic sacrifice: showing once and for all that he was fully on the right side by dying defending one, or perhaps two of them. In short, I thought Percy would redeem himself and die saving the twins.
Dana didn't think so. He was positive we'd lose a twin, though he wasn't sure which one. His instincts for this kind of thing are unusually good so I was nervous. Oddly enough (since I haven't heard anyone else mention this) he felt like Rowling was giving us a bit of a clue in the scene in GoF when Voldemort coldly proclaimed "Kill the Spare" when Cedric showed up in the graveyard with Harry. Not that one of the twins is a "spare" exactly, but Voldemort might feel that way, given his callous attitude toward human life. Note: D. was so sure about this that it was one of the few things he decided he didn't mind if he was "spoiled on." We're reading the book aloud together now, but are only several chapters in. Because of his work schedule, it's going to take us a while to get through. But when I finished my first read-through, he wanted to know "did we lose a twin?" I could tell he really wanted to know, so I gave a reluctant nod.
I'm not sure if that was really a clue or not, but I do think Rowling tried to prepare us for Fred's death when George lost his ear early on in DH. I know part of the scene was a kind of red herring...we were directed to think of Snape as a bad guy again, since he used sectumsempra on one of the good guys...but she could have had that curse hurt several other characters. Why choose George, and why make it such a grotesque wound and a permanent loss? I think maiming was her way of showing us, visually, what George's life would like at the end of the book...an empty hole where his twin was, a loss of something precious and part of himself. She even made him asymmetrical. If that's not symbolic of what George goes through when Fred dies, I don't know what is.
My husband and I debated a good bit, going into DH, about which Weasley would die. Note that I didn't say IF a Weasley would die, but which one. We felt almost sure that the book would not end without losing at least one Weasley, given how many of them there are and how fully involved in the war effort. We also kept citing the chapter in OotP where we see Molly's worst fears about losing her children...the boggart scene. Extra sad now...
I never seriously thought we'd lose a Weasley parent, or at least I hoped not, so am wiping my brow a bit to hear how close we came to losing Arthur...it's so nice to know he not only survives DH but must live to a good old age, since Ron references "Granddad Weasley" in the Epilogue. I also didn't think we'd lose Bill, since he'd already had such a harrowing narrow escape at the end of HBP. I had convinced myself that we would not lose any of the trio, so that ruled out Ron. I also didn't think we'd lose Ginny, primarily because I was pretty sure Harry would survive and was hoping that they'd end up married.
So that left Charlie, Percy, and the twins. And Dana and I never saw eye to eye on who would be the one to die. We pretty much agreed that Charlie, as much as we liked him, was not a major enough character for his death to feel like a huge loss. I was fairly certain (though I kept changing my mind) that Percy would die, but here's the scenario I was half-way predicting: Percy would either turn out to be have been playing the double agent (actually only acting like a prat while spying for the Order on his father's or someone else's orders) OR that he really was a prat, but would repent of his terrible mistakes and return to his family. I thought returning to his family might involve a heroic sacrifice: showing once and for all that he was fully on the right side by dying defending one, or perhaps two of them. In short, I thought Percy would redeem himself and die saving the twins.
Dana didn't think so. He was positive we'd lose a twin, though he wasn't sure which one. His instincts for this kind of thing are unusually good so I was nervous. Oddly enough (since I haven't heard anyone else mention this) he felt like Rowling was giving us a bit of a clue in the scene in GoF when Voldemort coldly proclaimed "Kill the Spare" when Cedric showed up in the graveyard with Harry. Not that one of the twins is a "spare" exactly, but Voldemort might feel that way, given his callous attitude toward human life. Note: D. was so sure about this that it was one of the few things he decided he didn't mind if he was "spoiled on." We're reading the book aloud together now, but are only several chapters in. Because of his work schedule, it's going to take us a while to get through. But when I finished my first read-through, he wanted to know "did we lose a twin?" I could tell he really wanted to know, so I gave a reluctant nod.
I'm not sure if that was really a clue or not, but I do think Rowling tried to prepare us for Fred's death when George lost his ear early on in DH. I know part of the scene was a kind of red herring...we were directed to think of Snape as a bad guy again, since he used sectumsempra on one of the good guys...but she could have had that curse hurt several other characters. Why choose George, and why make it such a grotesque wound and a permanent loss? I think maiming was her way of showing us, visually, what George's life would like at the end of the book...an empty hole where his twin was, a loss of something precious and part of himself. She even made him asymmetrical. If that's not symbolic of what George goes through when Fred dies, I don't know what is.
Getting a Reprieve (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Evidently J. K. Rowling revealed in an interview with Meredith Vierra the identity of the character who got a reprieve, but while I'd gotten the impression she meant in the seventh book, it actually was in the fifth, and it was Arthur Weasley, who she just couldn't bear to kill. And I can see why; he's such a wonderful man, and I was terrified for him in Order of the Phoenix. I'm so glad she decided to spare him, though it sounds as though she killed off Lupin in his stead. And evidently I misread or misremembered the bit about the two characters dying; it was two more characters than she's initially intended. If Lupin is one, I wonder who the other is?
The Most Searing Pain of All (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Deathly Hallows was a calamitous book, and I was lulled into a small sense of security by the low death count Rowling seemed to promise. There were several characters who I thought might die, but if you had asked me who definitely would not die, one of my first answers would have been Fred and George. "She's not going to use up both deaths on Fred and George," I reasoned, "and she couldn't kill one. It would just be too cruel." I underestimated her, and as much as the other deaths upset me - and my predictably uncooperative tear ducts only allowed me to shed tears for Dobby, whose death was the only one that was really followed by a contemplative break in the action - Fred's is the one I just can't get out of my head, and it seems so pointless and random, and I have to shake the awful possibility that he died because he was distracted by Percy, whose sudden, fierce reconciliation with his family was a high point in the book. In an epic battle like that with a death toll of more than 50, I guess she thought we needed a few familiar faces to really drive the tragedy home.
Losing Remus and Tonks was terrible, with their nearly newborn child a double orphan like Harry, who would now need to take his role as godfather even more seriously, though I assume Andromeda would raise Teddy herself. It was dreadful, but it occurred off-screen, and there was more of a sense of resolution about it since we saw Lupin with the Resurrection Ring and later saw his son, all grown up. We only got a glimpse of George grieving the brother who had been like an extension of himself. The two were virtually inseparable; how would he deal with being on his own for the first time at the age of 20? Was it really necessary to kill Fred, and to ensure upon encountering the twins on future re-readings, the usual joy they bring will now always be tinged with sadness?
If I feel like my heart's been ripped out of my chest, how in the world must poor George feel? He will be merry again, I'm sure. But I suspect it will take quite a while...
Without You
I sit beneath the willow tree;
It's weeping for you, Fred.
I'm floored by the finality.
Oh, how can you be dead?
How can I stand to never stare
Into your friendly face
And see my own reflection there?
The opposite's the case.
I shrink from mirrors that I pass,
Reminders of my grief,
But sometimes touch the barren glass
And hope to find relief.
I hope to see you smiling back
With two untarnished ears,
Prepared to toast me with a snack
Of foamy butterbeers.
I while away my days in sleep
To see you in my dreams,
To be with you again and keep
Devising savvy schemes.
I'm not surprised to hear you left
In laughter, with a joke
Before they snuffed you with a deft,
Unmerciful wand stroke.
A lifetime seems too long to spend
Without you by my side;
With you, my first and truest friend,
A fragment of me died.
How hollowly I laugh alone!
I wonder when my lips
Will form a sound beyond a groan,
Return to flinging quips.
I wonder if they even should.
What right have I to laugh
When you've been stripped of life for good?
My soul's been torn in half.
My spirit is in shambles, Fred.
I can't believe it's true.
I wish they'd murdered me instead;
I'm nothing without you.
Losing Remus and Tonks was terrible, with their nearly newborn child a double orphan like Harry, who would now need to take his role as godfather even more seriously, though I assume Andromeda would raise Teddy herself. It was dreadful, but it occurred off-screen, and there was more of a sense of resolution about it since we saw Lupin with the Resurrection Ring and later saw his son, all grown up. We only got a glimpse of George grieving the brother who had been like an extension of himself. The two were virtually inseparable; how would he deal with being on his own for the first time at the age of 20? Was it really necessary to kill Fred, and to ensure upon encountering the twins on future re-readings, the usual joy they bring will now always be tinged with sadness?
If I feel like my heart's been ripped out of my chest, how in the world must poor George feel? He will be merry again, I'm sure. But I suspect it will take quite a while...
Without You
I sit beneath the willow tree;
It's weeping for you, Fred.
I'm floored by the finality.
Oh, how can you be dead?
How can I stand to never stare
Into your friendly face
And see my own reflection there?
The opposite's the case.
I shrink from mirrors that I pass,
Reminders of my grief,
But sometimes touch the barren glass
And hope to find relief.
I hope to see you smiling back
With two untarnished ears,
Prepared to toast me with a snack
Of foamy butterbeers.
I while away my days in sleep
To see you in my dreams,
To be with you again and keep
Devising savvy schemes.
I'm not surprised to hear you left
In laughter, with a joke
Before they snuffed you with a deft,
Unmerciful wand stroke.
A lifetime seems too long to spend
Without you by my side;
With you, my first and truest friend,
A fragment of me died.
How hollowly I laugh alone!
I wonder when my lips
Will form a sound beyond a groan,
Return to flinging quips.
I wonder if they even should.
What right have I to laugh
When you've been stripped of life for good?
My soul's been torn in half.
My spirit is in shambles, Fred.
I can't believe it's true.
I wish they'd murdered me instead;
I'm nothing without you.
Beginning at the End (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
I too feel a strange need to begin at the end. Although I'm just now re-reading the entire book through for the second time (aloud to Dana at night) I've allowed myself to go back to certain favorite scenes, out of order, to re-read them in light of the whole. I've now read the Epilogue three times, and each time I read it I come away more impressed by it.
I suspect some may find it disappointing: it's not a list of "who's who" in Harry's world, with CV-like details of what they became in the years following the final battle. I think we'll have to wait for Rowling's now-promised Encyclopedia for further details of that kind! (And won't that be fun?!)
The Epilogue is something better. It's a snapshot, or a very brief home video if you will, of one scene in the future. In its brevity, it gives us so many tantalizing hints about what that world has become for Harry and for some of his loved ones.
That world has become:
-- Blessedly ordinary. Life goes on. Through everything, including the deaths of those we love most and (at times in our lives) think we cannot go on without. Life goes on, and other loves come and deepen us. Here we see that friendships have lasted, have become (in the case of Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione) more than friendships.
--Beautifully familiar, yet changed. Hogwarts has lasted. It's still the same wonderful, magical place it was when Harry first entered it at eleven. We're given to understand that some things never change. Peeves still torments students. Hagrid still takes first years across on the lake. Older brothers still wind little brothers up about going. Little sisters left behind still long to go (shades of Ginny at the age of 10 -- and isn't it wonderful how we see her waving off the train here just as we saw her doing it then?) Slytherins and Gryffindors (and potential Slytherins and Gryffindors) still look sideways at each other, but there's a newfound respect there too, and a willingness on the part of the parents to not prejudice the kids too much before they get there. In Harry's case, in that beautifully heart-breaking moment where he says "Albus Severus" and talks to his son about one of his namesakes being a Slytherin and the bravest man he ever knew, we see that the prejudice has been rooted out nigh unto completely.
-- Safer. One of the moments that grabbed my heart completely was when Albus, clearly frightened by his brother's teasing and already homesick, cries out that he thought the thestrals were supposed to be invisible. I love how Harry comforts him, but more than that, my heart just expanded with joy at the thought that Harry's children cannot yet see thestrals. They haven't been touched by death at such a young age.
And then there were all the wonderful names, as Erin has pointed out. Lily and James, of course, and that wonderful Albus Severus. Rose and Hugo, Hermione and Ron's children, I am also less sure about. With Rose, I thought of the fact that Hermione had conjured a wreath of roses at Godric's Hollow on the night she was there with Harry. (I also, oddly, thought almost immediately of Tolkien -- Same went back to his Rosie after his adventures, and they married and named their little daughter after a beautiful flower.)
I am assuming that "cousin Victoire" is the daughter of Bill and Fleur. It's a French name; and if she's named "Victoire" it could be after Viktor (Fleur's friend and fellow competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament) and also a nod to the victory Harry won. I am guessing she is about 17, and this is her last year at Hogwarts (Head Girl? Former Tri-Wizard champion like her Mum?). The fact that she and Teddy Lupin are "snogging" (and isn't that another wonderful tip-off to the glorious sameness and life and love goes-on theme!?) is not just sweet but poignant. If I'm right about her being Bill and Fleur's daughter, then she grew up with a father scarred and disfigured by a werewolf. Teddy, of course, is the orphan child of Tonks and Lupin, who was himself a werewolf. We're led to believe, at least from the little bit we know, that Teddy took after his shape-shifting Mom and not his furry Dad -- still, it gives these two characters in the next generation something in common.
If I had to guess who Teddy Lupin has grown up with, my guess would be George Weasley. I am hoping George adopted him and that Ted has helped him out in the joke shop all these years.
We get a nod to Fred and George when Harry says he won't let Albus and James share a room until he's ready for the room to be demolished.
Oh and I'm so thankful to know that Neville's ended up teaching Herbology. Such a good, quiet, kind and encouraging professor he would be. Can't you just see him happily wearing Professor Sprout's old pink earmuffs on the day the second years learn to pot mandrakes?
I suspect some may find it disappointing: it's not a list of "who's who" in Harry's world, with CV-like details of what they became in the years following the final battle. I think we'll have to wait for Rowling's now-promised Encyclopedia for further details of that kind! (And won't that be fun?!)
The Epilogue is something better. It's a snapshot, or a very brief home video if you will, of one scene in the future. In its brevity, it gives us so many tantalizing hints about what that world has become for Harry and for some of his loved ones.
That world has become:
-- Blessedly ordinary. Life goes on. Through everything, including the deaths of those we love most and (at times in our lives) think we cannot go on without. Life goes on, and other loves come and deepen us. Here we see that friendships have lasted, have become (in the case of Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione) more than friendships.
--Beautifully familiar, yet changed. Hogwarts has lasted. It's still the same wonderful, magical place it was when Harry first entered it at eleven. We're given to understand that some things never change. Peeves still torments students. Hagrid still takes first years across on the lake. Older brothers still wind little brothers up about going. Little sisters left behind still long to go (shades of Ginny at the age of 10 -- and isn't it wonderful how we see her waving off the train here just as we saw her doing it then?) Slytherins and Gryffindors (and potential Slytherins and Gryffindors) still look sideways at each other, but there's a newfound respect there too, and a willingness on the part of the parents to not prejudice the kids too much before they get there. In Harry's case, in that beautifully heart-breaking moment where he says "Albus Severus" and talks to his son about one of his namesakes being a Slytherin and the bravest man he ever knew, we see that the prejudice has been rooted out nigh unto completely.
-- Safer. One of the moments that grabbed my heart completely was when Albus, clearly frightened by his brother's teasing and already homesick, cries out that he thought the thestrals were supposed to be invisible. I love how Harry comforts him, but more than that, my heart just expanded with joy at the thought that Harry's children cannot yet see thestrals. They haven't been touched by death at such a young age.
And then there were all the wonderful names, as Erin has pointed out. Lily and James, of course, and that wonderful Albus Severus. Rose and Hugo, Hermione and Ron's children, I am also less sure about. With Rose, I thought of the fact that Hermione had conjured a wreath of roses at Godric's Hollow on the night she was there with Harry. (I also, oddly, thought almost immediately of Tolkien -- Same went back to his Rosie after his adventures, and they married and named their little daughter after a beautiful flower.)
I am assuming that "cousin Victoire" is the daughter of Bill and Fleur. It's a French name; and if she's named "Victoire" it could be after Viktor (Fleur's friend and fellow competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament) and also a nod to the victory Harry won. I am guessing she is about 17, and this is her last year at Hogwarts (Head Girl? Former Tri-Wizard champion like her Mum?). The fact that she and Teddy Lupin are "snogging" (and isn't that another wonderful tip-off to the glorious sameness and life and love goes-on theme!?) is not just sweet but poignant. If I'm right about her being Bill and Fleur's daughter, then she grew up with a father scarred and disfigured by a werewolf. Teddy, of course, is the orphan child of Tonks and Lupin, who was himself a werewolf. We're led to believe, at least from the little bit we know, that Teddy took after his shape-shifting Mom and not his furry Dad -- still, it gives these two characters in the next generation something in common.
If I had to guess who Teddy Lupin has grown up with, my guess would be George Weasley. I am hoping George adopted him and that Ted has helped him out in the joke shop all these years.
We get a nod to Fred and George when Harry says he won't let Albus and James share a room until he's ready for the room to be demolished.
Oh and I'm so thankful to know that Neville's ended up teaching Herbology. Such a good, quiet, kind and encouraging professor he would be. Can't you just see him happily wearing Professor Sprout's old pink earmuffs on the day the second years learn to pot mandrakes?
A Very Pleasant Surprise... (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
One of the nicest moments in the entire book for me was when Dudley thanked Harry for saving his life and shook his hand before leaving him. At the time, I felt sure we would see the Dursleys again; while we did see Petunia in the Pensieve, I'd thought that she would have some significant interaction with Harry later in the book. Since she didn't, any possibility of reconciliation between Harry and the people he lived with for all those years seems to rest with Dudley. I'd like to think that James, Albus and Lily have at least met him. Obviously he has begun to mature, and hopefully that process would continue. Here's a little poem about the tender moment Harry and Dudley shared.
Dudley's Departure
Dudley, showing thanks that Harry saved him,
Said, "I don't think you're a waste of space."
Harry took the pudgy hand he gave him,
Stunned by the concern upon his face.
This was not the farewell he'd expected
From his cousin. Did he really care?
All those years, and he had not detected
Anything fraternal in his air.
Dudley was a hulking, brutish bully,
All too glad to throw his weight around.
Harry now reflected on him, fully
Flummoxed by the gratitude he found.
Harry's memories of him were bitter;
He'd assumed they'd always be estranged.
Had he been too stubborn to consider
That his childhood nemesis had changed?
Those small gestures made a big impression,
Opening his eyes so he could see.
Touched by Dudley's unprovoked confession,
He sincerely said, "Take care, Big D."
Dudley's Departure
Dudley, showing thanks that Harry saved him,
Said, "I don't think you're a waste of space."
Harry took the pudgy hand he gave him,
Stunned by the concern upon his face.
This was not the farewell he'd expected
From his cousin. Did he really care?
All those years, and he had not detected
Anything fraternal in his air.
Dudley was a hulking, brutish bully,
All too glad to throw his weight around.
Harry now reflected on him, fully
Flummoxed by the gratitude he found.
Harry's memories of him were bitter;
He'd assumed they'd always be estranged.
Had he been too stubborn to consider
That his childhood nemesis had changed?
Those small gestures made a big impression,
Opening his eyes so he could see.
Touched by Dudley's unprovoked confession,
He sincerely said, "Take care, Big D."
The First to Fall (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
Boy, Rowling sure plunges right into the unpleasantness in Deathly Hallows, doesn't she? The killing of the Muggle Studies teacher is horrifying, though Harry doesn't know the professor or see it happen. In this book, the terror and tragedy really begin for him with the death of Hedwig, one of his first and strongest connections to the Wizarding world. This scene definitely had a strong impact on me, and as I read it while still at my aunt's house, I then had the weekend to mull it over in my mind. Here's the resulting poem.
Hedwig's Descent
Hedwig, I am horrified
By your primal screech;
As I dodge the deadly jets,
You are out of reach.
Burdened with unvoiced regrets
Piercing like a knife,
I can see you by my side,
Limp and lacking life.
Now I need to let you go;
What else can I do
With the Dark Lord in pursuit?
Still, I cling to you.
How I'll miss your gentle hoot,
Soothing and serene,
And your down as white as snow,
Rodent-munching queen!
You delivered vital things
Over six long years.
Now my vision's blurrier,
Wavery with tears.
Faithful feathered courier,
Swiftest in the sky,
Bear my love upon your wings.
Thank you, and goodbye.
Hedwig's Descent
Hedwig, I am horrified
By your primal screech;
As I dodge the deadly jets,
You are out of reach.
Burdened with unvoiced regrets
Piercing like a knife,
I can see you by my side,
Limp and lacking life.
Now I need to let you go;
What else can I do
With the Dark Lord in pursuit?
Still, I cling to you.
How I'll miss your gentle hoot,
Soothing and serene,
And your down as white as snow,
Rodent-munching queen!
You delivered vital things
Over six long years.
Now my vision's blurrier,
Wavery with tears.
Faithful feathered courier,
Swiftest in the sky,
Bear my love upon your wings.
Thank you, and goodbye.
Names and Memorials (Deathly Hallows Spoilers)
I'm going to start with the very end, since that is the freshest in my mind. J. K. Rowling has always been very deliberate about the names she gives to her characters, so I paid especially close attention to the names of the next generation of Potter and Weasley children. My first thought was disappointment that among three boys, none was named Fred. Perhaps James or Hugo's middle name was Fred, or perhaps Ginny and Ron had agreed to reserve that honor for George, assuming he eventually had children. But I wanted to see some concrete sign of remembrance, and I felt especially acutely the fact that we never really got to see how George dealt with the death of this brother who had been so completely a part of him.
I found the names Ron and Hermione quite curious, and eventually I settled upon a theory: that in the spirit of their playful sniping with one another, they'd named the children after old crushes - Rose after Madam Rosmerta, Hugo as a more veiled reference to Viktor. Perhaps it's a stretch, but I can see them having a laugh about that, and the kids wouldn't have to know the origin of their names...
Lily and James is pretty obvious, not surprising at all, but my heart gave an odd little leap when I saw the name Albus Severus. What a mark of Harry's maturity, to name his son after the teacher he'd so long loathed and the professor he'd venerated, only to learn all sorts of deep dark secrets about him! I was very glad for those conversations with Albus Dumbledore at the end of the book, since before that point I was starting to think the whole book had been one big smear on the good name of the headmaster I so adored. Certainly there were many revelations about him that made me deeply uncomfortable, but once Harry had the opportunity to forgive Dumbledore personally, it was like a great weight had been lifted. I wish he'd had more of a moment like that with Snape, but there was at least a glimmer of recognition in that final moment, and one of the lines competing for my favorite in the book is "Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." If only he'd known a little sooner...
I found the names Ron and Hermione quite curious, and eventually I settled upon a theory: that in the spirit of their playful sniping with one another, they'd named the children after old crushes - Rose after Madam Rosmerta, Hugo as a more veiled reference to Viktor. Perhaps it's a stretch, but I can see them having a laugh about that, and the kids wouldn't have to know the origin of their names...
Lily and James is pretty obvious, not surprising at all, but my heart gave an odd little leap when I saw the name Albus Severus. What a mark of Harry's maturity, to name his son after the teacher he'd so long loathed and the professor he'd venerated, only to learn all sorts of deep dark secrets about him! I was very glad for those conversations with Albus Dumbledore at the end of the book, since before that point I was starting to think the whole book had been one big smear on the good name of the headmaster I so adored. Certainly there were many revelations about him that made me deeply uncomfortable, but once Harry had the opportunity to forgive Dumbledore personally, it was like a great weight had been lifted. I wish he'd had more of a moment like that with Snape, but there was at least a glimmer of recognition in that final moment, and one of the lines competing for my favorite in the book is "Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." If only he'd known a little sooner...
Monday, July 23, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
And a Few Final Thoughts From Me
I think my last post and Erin's must have crossed a bit. I hadn't realized she'd already "signed off" for the duration. I think lots of HP blogs are "going dark" tomorrow. It gives us the last day to quietly anticipate, and decreases the chance of being spoiled (as long as we stay away from the NY Times...argh!).
It's hard for me to put into words what my expectations are as we go into the finale. I think Erin has summed up a lot of things already that I too am on the "lookout" for. And Janet Batchler, over at *Quoth the Maven* has provided a wonderful final post where she discusses some of the many set-ups that she believes likely will, or at least might be, paid off in the finale. I found myself resonating with her list as well.
So rather than repeating many of the fine things already said, I will just say this: I am expecting a wonderful story in which we see a victory over darkness won at high cost and through the power of love. Harry will need every one of his friends. Some of the friends will die. Some of the seemingly "bad guys" will be revealed as having been on a path to redemption. The victory will bring joy and hope to the wizarding world (remember the fireworks and the owls on the night of Voldemort's first downfall?) but it will also be bittersweet, partly because there will be recognition that other evil still remains, even if this particular tyrant is finally brought down. In that respect, it will mirror real life in this fallen world. But it will give us a tiny taste of "eucatastrope."
And even as the victory within the story will be bittersweet, so will our good-bye to this wonderful fictional world Jo Rowling has written. Here's hoping that someday she will give us a glimpse into the mountains of notebooks she's been writing in for years!
See you in another 700 or so pages...
It's hard for me to put into words what my expectations are as we go into the finale. I think Erin has summed up a lot of things already that I too am on the "lookout" for. And Janet Batchler, over at *Quoth the Maven* has provided a wonderful final post where she discusses some of the many set-ups that she believes likely will, or at least might be, paid off in the finale. I found myself resonating with her list as well.
So rather than repeating many of the fine things already said, I will just say this: I am expecting a wonderful story in which we see a victory over darkness won at high cost and through the power of love. Harry will need every one of his friends. Some of the friends will die. Some of the seemingly "bad guys" will be revealed as having been on a path to redemption. The victory will bring joy and hope to the wizarding world (remember the fireworks and the owls on the night of Voldemort's first downfall?) but it will also be bittersweet, partly because there will be recognition that other evil still remains, even if this particular tyrant is finally brought down. In that respect, it will mirror real life in this fallen world. But it will give us a tiny taste of "eucatastrope."
And even as the victory within the story will be bittersweet, so will our good-bye to this wonderful fictional world Jo Rowling has written. Here's hoping that someday she will give us a glimpse into the mountains of notebooks she's been writing in for years!
See you in another 700 or so pages...
Counting Down the Hours Until Re-Reading Becomes...Reading!
Well, we're just a bit more than 26 hours from the release of Deathly Hallows. I've loved re-reading the first six books and having a chance to post here! I've assumed (I hope rightly!) that we'll converse about the seventh book once we've both read it. Pretty soon we won't be *re-reading* anymore...we'll be just plain reading, for the first time, a new (and alas, the last new!) Harry Potter book!
Of course it's dawned on me we may not read the final book at the same pace. I don't think I will realistically be able to get the book until mid-morning Saturday, and probably won't start reading until around lunchtime. Even with generous doses of time offered by sweet husband (who basically said to me "we'll all be a lot happier the sooner you finish it!") I don't think I will have it read before Sunday evening at the earliest. So I doubt I would post anything much until Monday, unless I really can't help myself and decide to post something late on Sunday. All of this, of course, assumes that nothing will get in the way of reading time on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but life being what it is, and being more important than books (no matter how much we love em') I'm leaving room to be flexible.
I guess we should assume that anything posted here after release time (midnight tomorrow) may contain "spoilers." And I guess we should probably try (at least at first) to make sure anything like that is marked with a kind of spoiler alert. Does that sound like it makes sense?
Of course it's dawned on me we may not read the final book at the same pace. I don't think I will realistically be able to get the book until mid-morning Saturday, and probably won't start reading until around lunchtime. Even with generous doses of time offered by sweet husband (who basically said to me "we'll all be a lot happier the sooner you finish it!") I don't think I will have it read before Sunday evening at the earliest. So I doubt I would post anything much until Monday, unless I really can't help myself and decide to post something late on Sunday. All of this, of course, assumes that nothing will get in the way of reading time on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but life being what it is, and being more important than books (no matter how much we love em') I'm leaving room to be flexible.
I guess we should assume that anything posted here after release time (midnight tomorrow) may contain "spoilers." And I guess we should probably try (at least at first) to make sure anything like that is marked with a kind of spoiler alert. Does that sound like it makes sense?
A Few Last Words Before We Go...
In about 17 hours from now, I will have the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my hands, or at least be surrounded by people who have it in theirs. If all the copies at Otto's Bookstore haven't been reserved already, I'll snag one; otherwise, I'll wait out the weekend and get my copy back home. Either way, I'm pretty sure this will be the last post this side of the big release, so a few thoughts on what the final volume might hold are in order...
I can't imagine Harry going back to Hogwarts at this point. The final showdown is imminent, and Harry has some idea of what he needs to do in order to secure Voldemort's downfall. He can't be hanging around worrying about tests and Quidditch and such - and indeed, I recall reading that Rowling said we wouldn't be seeing any Quidditch matches in the seventh book, though I suspect the skills he honed in all those years of swift flying and sharp vision will probably aid him at some point in the novel. Seems to me that Ron and Hermione will stand alongside Harry most of the way; I think he's not going to have much more luck shaking them off than Frodo did with Sam. Frankly, I find it hard to imagine Hogwarts being open in the midst of all this turmoil, but on the other hand, it still is probably one of the safest places in England, despite the security breaches, and maybe it would be best to continue to educate and maintain as much of a sense of normalcy as possible. If the school remains open, no doubt many students will not return. What about Ginny? She could be the eyes and ears of Hogwarts, along with Neville and Luna. Somehow or another, I think those three will be very involved. Meanwhile, keeping Hogwarts open would allow Harry to return and try to receive some advice from Dumbledore through the portrait on McGonagall's wall - though I suppose there are portraits of Dumbledore in many other places as well that could guide him.
As soon as I first learned of the Horcruxes, I was reminded of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. It's been too many years now since I've read it to have a clear recollection of its contents, but I know the first book involved the young protagonist having to secure these magical talismans hidden in various places. Harry's looking for five, and considering the trouble the first two presented, he's really got his work cut out for him. I wonder, however, if any are in the possession of someone who could turn out to be an ally. Maybe they aren't all so remote as the locket and ring. Who is R.A.B.? My guess is Regulus Black, and I like that idea because then it turns out Sirius's brother wasn't really so bad after all, that he reformed, which in turn makes me more hopeful about other notorious Slytherins. The Snape question will be answered once and for all, and I really hope that Snape comes out on the right side of things, and that Malfoy, as obnoxious as he's always been, turns over a new leaf. It's a very good sign, I think, that he did not kill Dumbledore when he had the chance, and it looked like he wasn't planning to go through with it at all. It also might be worth considering that Draco's first conversation with Harry, however obnoxious it was in many ways, was in fact on some level an overture of friendship, one that he repeated on the train and Harry rejected. (Not that I blame him, but just thought it was interesting...)
Peter Pettigrew will have a major part in things, I think. That conversation with Dumbledore at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban reminds me so much of Gandalf's words to Frodo in Moria about Bilbo's decision to have mercy on Gollum. Wormtail also makes me think of Wormtongue, who ultimately turns on his master Saruman. Somehow I think that he will repay the life debt to Harry; Dumbledore really seemed to emphasize his belief that sparing Wormtail would ultimately be a good thing for Harry, and that certainly hasn't been the case yet.
Rowling has said that Petunia will be very important, and that's something interesting to consider. We keep getting more insight into Lily, given to us very gradually and generally in reverse order. We learned a lot about the teenage Lily in the fifth and sixth books; what if we get some childhood recollections of Petunia of the girls as sisters? That could be really interesting. Maybe Petunia will recall moments in the distant past when the two shared tender moments, and it will have an impact on how she views her nephew. There seems to be a lot of jealousy in her; evidently she felt like an also-ran, not blessed with the unusual abilities of her sister, and perhaps she also felt abandoned when Lily suddenly was whisked off to a secret school. I think there's definitely a lot of room for exploration.
It's interesting that the sixth book ended with a funeral while the seventh will presumably include a wedding early on. There's something very hopeful about the fact that a new beginning should so quickly follow such a devastating end. Dumbledore's funeral seemed to be a state funeral, with little room for personal reflection; it was very interesting to see how this sacrament was celebrated in the wizarding world, but I think we will glean much greater insight from the very personal, intimate affair of the Weasley-Delacour wedding. Something tells me that Rowling's religious beliefs will make their presence strongly felt there. And I have a hunch we're going to find out something more about Harry's christening.
I suspect that all sorts of old faces will pop up in surprising places. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Lockhart again; his appearance in Order of the Phoenix seemed to me like a hint at future involvement. We'll probably see many magical creatures and peoples joining in the resistance, from merfolk and giants to house elves and centaurs, and I bet Buckbeak will show up at some point too. And what is the deal with the dragon? Very intriguing indeed. Could it be Norbert? Does it lend its aid because of Hagrid or Charlie? Will we ever get to see a crumple-horned snorkax?
There seems to be a lot wrapped up in the Department of Mysteries, particularly with that veil. Will we be learning more about it? My guess is yes, and the ghosts may have compelling roles of their own to play in all this. I don't see how the series can fail to end with Voldemort out of the picture, but there are so many ways in which it could happen... Must Harry go the last mile alone, or will he have allies to help him all along?
I think McGonagall will prove to be a formidable leader in this tumultuous time, whether or not students return to Hogwarts, and Hagrid will find a way to be just as important to this last step in Harry's journey as he was in the first. Fred and George will hopefully pop up now and then to add some levity and to toss in some unconventional help, and maybe we'll get to see a bit of Lupin and Tonks as a couple, to say nothing of Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron and perhaps Neville and Luna. This book is going to be so different from the others, and there's going to be so much darkness, yet I can't see her not including moments of light and laughter, and in the end, so much of the conclusion will come down to love, I think, that no matter how dire the circumstances there will be a real beauty to it.
I hear the book is somewhere around 750 pages. I wish it was twice that long! But really, that is quite a decent length, and while I don't see how Rowling can possibly tie up every conceivable loose end, no doubt she has crafted a conclusion worthy of ten years of anticipation. I'm sure there's more I could say about this, but I think I'll stop now. Counting down the hours now... See you on the flip-side!
I can't imagine Harry going back to Hogwarts at this point. The final showdown is imminent, and Harry has some idea of what he needs to do in order to secure Voldemort's downfall. He can't be hanging around worrying about tests and Quidditch and such - and indeed, I recall reading that Rowling said we wouldn't be seeing any Quidditch matches in the seventh book, though I suspect the skills he honed in all those years of swift flying and sharp vision will probably aid him at some point in the novel. Seems to me that Ron and Hermione will stand alongside Harry most of the way; I think he's not going to have much more luck shaking them off than Frodo did with Sam. Frankly, I find it hard to imagine Hogwarts being open in the midst of all this turmoil, but on the other hand, it still is probably one of the safest places in England, despite the security breaches, and maybe it would be best to continue to educate and maintain as much of a sense of normalcy as possible. If the school remains open, no doubt many students will not return. What about Ginny? She could be the eyes and ears of Hogwarts, along with Neville and Luna. Somehow or another, I think those three will be very involved. Meanwhile, keeping Hogwarts open would allow Harry to return and try to receive some advice from Dumbledore through the portrait on McGonagall's wall - though I suppose there are portraits of Dumbledore in many other places as well that could guide him.
As soon as I first learned of the Horcruxes, I was reminded of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. It's been too many years now since I've read it to have a clear recollection of its contents, but I know the first book involved the young protagonist having to secure these magical talismans hidden in various places. Harry's looking for five, and considering the trouble the first two presented, he's really got his work cut out for him. I wonder, however, if any are in the possession of someone who could turn out to be an ally. Maybe they aren't all so remote as the locket and ring. Who is R.A.B.? My guess is Regulus Black, and I like that idea because then it turns out Sirius's brother wasn't really so bad after all, that he reformed, which in turn makes me more hopeful about other notorious Slytherins. The Snape question will be answered once and for all, and I really hope that Snape comes out on the right side of things, and that Malfoy, as obnoxious as he's always been, turns over a new leaf. It's a very good sign, I think, that he did not kill Dumbledore when he had the chance, and it looked like he wasn't planning to go through with it at all. It also might be worth considering that Draco's first conversation with Harry, however obnoxious it was in many ways, was in fact on some level an overture of friendship, one that he repeated on the train and Harry rejected. (Not that I blame him, but just thought it was interesting...)
Peter Pettigrew will have a major part in things, I think. That conversation with Dumbledore at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban reminds me so much of Gandalf's words to Frodo in Moria about Bilbo's decision to have mercy on Gollum. Wormtail also makes me think of Wormtongue, who ultimately turns on his master Saruman. Somehow I think that he will repay the life debt to Harry; Dumbledore really seemed to emphasize his belief that sparing Wormtail would ultimately be a good thing for Harry, and that certainly hasn't been the case yet.
Rowling has said that Petunia will be very important, and that's something interesting to consider. We keep getting more insight into Lily, given to us very gradually and generally in reverse order. We learned a lot about the teenage Lily in the fifth and sixth books; what if we get some childhood recollections of Petunia of the girls as sisters? That could be really interesting. Maybe Petunia will recall moments in the distant past when the two shared tender moments, and it will have an impact on how she views her nephew. There seems to be a lot of jealousy in her; evidently she felt like an also-ran, not blessed with the unusual abilities of her sister, and perhaps she also felt abandoned when Lily suddenly was whisked off to a secret school. I think there's definitely a lot of room for exploration.
It's interesting that the sixth book ended with a funeral while the seventh will presumably include a wedding early on. There's something very hopeful about the fact that a new beginning should so quickly follow such a devastating end. Dumbledore's funeral seemed to be a state funeral, with little room for personal reflection; it was very interesting to see how this sacrament was celebrated in the wizarding world, but I think we will glean much greater insight from the very personal, intimate affair of the Weasley-Delacour wedding. Something tells me that Rowling's religious beliefs will make their presence strongly felt there. And I have a hunch we're going to find out something more about Harry's christening.
I suspect that all sorts of old faces will pop up in surprising places. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Lockhart again; his appearance in Order of the Phoenix seemed to me like a hint at future involvement. We'll probably see many magical creatures and peoples joining in the resistance, from merfolk and giants to house elves and centaurs, and I bet Buckbeak will show up at some point too. And what is the deal with the dragon? Very intriguing indeed. Could it be Norbert? Does it lend its aid because of Hagrid or Charlie? Will we ever get to see a crumple-horned snorkax?
There seems to be a lot wrapped up in the Department of Mysteries, particularly with that veil. Will we be learning more about it? My guess is yes, and the ghosts may have compelling roles of their own to play in all this. I don't see how the series can fail to end with Voldemort out of the picture, but there are so many ways in which it could happen... Must Harry go the last mile alone, or will he have allies to help him all along?
I think McGonagall will prove to be a formidable leader in this tumultuous time, whether or not students return to Hogwarts, and Hagrid will find a way to be just as important to this last step in Harry's journey as he was in the first. Fred and George will hopefully pop up now and then to add some levity and to toss in some unconventional help, and maybe we'll get to see a bit of Lupin and Tonks as a couple, to say nothing of Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron and perhaps Neville and Luna. This book is going to be so different from the others, and there's going to be so much darkness, yet I can't see her not including moments of light and laughter, and in the end, so much of the conclusion will come down to love, I think, that no matter how dire the circumstances there will be a real beauty to it.
I hear the book is somewhere around 750 pages. I wish it was twice that long! But really, that is quite a decent length, and while I don't see how Rowling can possibly tie up every conceivable loose end, no doubt she has crafted a conclusion worthy of ten years of anticipation. I'm sure there's more I could say about this, but I think I'll stop now. Counting down the hours now... See you on the flip-side!
An Unimpressive Name for a Villain
I love the fact that when Dumbledore has his climactic battle with Voldemort at the end of Order of the Phoenix, he calls him "Tom". Just his calm insistence on using that hated, repulsively ordinary name is a means of exerting control over the situation. Voldemort can't help but seem a bit less intimidating with such a common name, along with all the associations of being an orphan boy.
It struck me yesterday that both Harry Potter and LOST contain a scene in which a veiled character called Tom is revealed, becoming just a tad less powerful with the naming. When Ms Klugh casually names Tom in Live Together, Die Alone, he shoots back with an annoyed, "Thanks for telling them my name, Bea!" His irritation is short-lived, though; he ultimately doesn't mind being just plain old Tom, but he knows a lot of his mystique is going to drop along with the beard and the anonymity. In season three, he's just a regular guy whose insecurities are suddenly on full display.
Voldemort certainly isn't going to drop his guise for long, but just that flicker of recollection is enough to remind us that he was once a student rather like Harry. His despicable disposition was ingrained even then, but his power was limited, and it can be again. I hope Hagrid does get to come face-to-face with Voldemort before it's all over, and I hope he calls him Tom.
It struck me yesterday that both Harry Potter and LOST contain a scene in which a veiled character called Tom is revealed, becoming just a tad less powerful with the naming. When Ms Klugh casually names Tom in Live Together, Die Alone, he shoots back with an annoyed, "Thanks for telling them my name, Bea!" His irritation is short-lived, though; he ultimately doesn't mind being just plain old Tom, but he knows a lot of his mystique is going to drop along with the beard and the anonymity. In season three, he's just a regular guy whose insecurities are suddenly on full display.
Voldemort certainly isn't going to drop his guise for long, but just that flicker of recollection is enough to remind us that he was once a student rather like Harry. His despicable disposition was ingrained even then, but his power was limited, and it can be again. I hope Hagrid does get to come face-to-face with Voldemort before it's all over, and I hope he calls him Tom.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Lovely Lily, Lionness
Okay, Erin's poems are getting me thinking creatively. I love wordplay! My poetic muscles, however, have not been exercised in quite some time, as may well be apparent by the attempt below. Forgive any creakiness...chalk it up to my being middle-aged and tired. :-)
This one is for moms everywhere. It's in honor of Lily Potter, whose love I tend to think of as the underlying melody of the entire Harry Potter saga.
*********
Lovely Lily, always smiling,
always winning, always shining,
lovely Lily, prettiest sister,
stubborn friend, staunch resister.
Not easy to sway, no simple romantic,
but once she loves, that love’s titanic.
Lovely Lily, precious wife,
still young mother, willing to give
herself for others, courage blazing,
voice beseeching, green eyes gazing.
Last moments spent with arms spread wide,
protector with nowhere to hide.
Lovely Lily, lioness
protecting cub in deep distress,
now forever memory, voice,
mirror image, finest choice,
shade who comforts, fortress strong,
the one to which he still belongs.
Lovely Lily, look down and see
the lion your cub has grown to be.
This one is for moms everywhere. It's in honor of Lily Potter, whose love I tend to think of as the underlying melody of the entire Harry Potter saga.
*********
Lovely Lily, always smiling,
always winning, always shining,
lovely Lily, prettiest sister,
stubborn friend, staunch resister.
Not easy to sway, no simple romantic,
but once she loves, that love’s titanic.
Lovely Lily, precious wife,
still young mother, willing to give
herself for others, courage blazing,
voice beseeching, green eyes gazing.
Last moments spent with arms spread wide,
protector with nowhere to hide.
Lovely Lily, lioness
protecting cub in deep distress,
now forever memory, voice,
mirror image, finest choice,
shade who comforts, fortress strong,
the one to which he still belongs.
Lovely Lily, look down and see
the lion your cub has grown to be.
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