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The following discussions contain a lot of 'spoilers' for HP7. Read this page with that in mind.
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1. My Initial email 2. My Brother's initial response 3. My Response 4. My Initial Email to Sally | |
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5. Other Observations
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Other Links:
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My Initial email
I thought the ending was very clever. She can do anything in her world, so when the Avada Kadarva didn't work (because of the problem with the wand Voldemort was using), I thought it was clever. I didn't understand it at the time. I thought there was something involving the scar. But since the wand couldn't attack Harry, it destroyed the piece of Voldemort's soul in the scar. And the ending was very dramatic with all the fighting.
Like you, I thought that there were too many times when there were long expositions of stories or memories. Some of it could have been shortened. All of her books could be shortened -- except maybe the first.
When the petronus of the doe appeared, I thought it could have been Ginny, since she's in love with Harry. Hadn't expected it to be Snape. That was good.
Basically, we (the group that were emailing each other after the HP6 book came out) anticipated everything but the Hallows. We thought a piece of Voldemort's soul was in Harry's scar, we thought that Snape might be good because of a fondness for Harry's mother. I think those two items, aside from Snape being good, were the keys to how she concluded the book.
My Brother's Initial Response
It seemed to me that the killing curse worked on Harry but in a way that couldn't be anticipated since he had two souls (well one whole and one partial). The one (v's) was destroyed while his was offered the choice of moving on or going back. I think she has a hard time "leaving" the story and tends to over-extend her books. She excuses that by throwing a little detail or explanation into those long probably unnecessary sections. I was glad to get beyond it though.
My Response
Since Harry bested Draco who bested Dumbledore, the wand that Voldemort was using would not do anything against Harry, but it would do something against Voldemort's soul which was attached in the scar. I was trying to come up with an explanation of why Harry could go back and why the cruciatus curse didn't cause Harry pain. I thought that it was because Harry had the Ring and the Invisibility Cloak. I hadn't put the whole thing together until Harry told Voldemort that his (i.e., Voldemort's, or the Elder wand) wand would not do what he wanted it to because he wasn't the rightful owner. Voldemort needed to use someone else's wand rather than the Elder wand. The fact that he tried to use Avada Kadarva again on Harry during the last battle while using the Elder wand showed that he just didn't get it.
I think the baby in the room with Harry and Dumbledore was what was left of Voldemort's soul. Dumbledore kind of implied it when he said that Voldemort didn't want to go back.
My Initial email to Sally
I thought the ending was very clever. She can do anything in her world, so when the Avada Kadarva didn't work (because of the problem with the wand Voldemort was using), I thought it was clever. I didn't understand it at the time. I thought there was something involving the scar -- that somehow the curse only affected the part of the soul in the scar. But since the wand couldn't attack Harry, it destroyed the piece of Voldemort's soul in the scar. And the ending was very dramatic with all the fighting.
The idea of the Hallows was very good. Harry ended up with two quests, one for the Horcruxes and one for the Hallows. The Horcruxes were destroyed, and Harry had 2 of the 3 Hallows -- all before the final confrontation. But the key was when he beat Draco and took his wand. The one thing I didn't understand was that the want Harry took wasn't the Elder wand. For some reason the Elder wand knew that Harry had bested Draco, so Voldemort couldn't use the Elder wand to any great effect. It was really good that Voldemort was clueless to the end. So part of the end of HP7 goes back to Draco arriving at the top of the tower and shouting "Expeliarmus" and then taking Dumbledore's wand.
I thought that there were too many times when there were long expositions of stories or memories. Some of it could have been shortened. All of her books could be shortened -- except maybe the first. I'm reading the book again with Brenda (on CD), and there are some long sections at the beginning that we've waited and waited to end (kind of like this email :-). One example was the argument that Harry had with Madeye Moody when they were leaving 4 Privet Drive. It went on and on. Harry had to know that he wasn't going to change anyone's mind, that he didn't have the whole picture when he was arguing, and that the Order of the Phoenix had thought it all out for quite a while and ruled out all of the other options. But Harry just kept arguing. Must have been several pages.
When the petronus of the doe appeared, I thought it could have been Ginny, since she's in love with Harry. Hadn't expected it to be Snape. That was good.
Did I tell you about the web page that I created that was based on the emails we (you, me, my brother, Greg, and a few other people at work) sent around (http://gary.appenzeller.net/HP6eMails.htm)? Basically, we anticipated everything but the Hallows. One of us came up with the idea of a piece of Voldemort's soul was in Harry's scar, and some thought that Snape might be good because of a fondness for Harry's mother. I think those two or three items were the keys to how she concluded the book.
As I read the book, in the back of my mind, I was always expecting Fawkes the Phoenix to come to Harry after Hedwig died.
I really liked the way Kreacher changed. That was great! It was very funny when Harry gave him the locket and then asked him to bring back Mundungus.
One interesting thing was that early in the book, when Harry and others are waiting at the Burrow for the others to use their portkeys, one of the people is describing to the people at the Burrow what it was like to fly away from Privet Drive when they were attacked by about 40 Death Eaters. At one point, the person (I forget if it was Harry) tells of a near miss, and one of the listeners says, "Thank God!" Later Hermione says, "Thank goodness!" I noticed it when I was listening to it with Brenda. I looked at her, and we laughed.
Early in the book, it was easy to see that no matter whether a Death Eater did something good, Voldemort had to find fault with it. The first thing out of his mouth in the first chapter was, "You're almost late." I thought, What? Then after that I noticed that Voldemort was constantly criticizing. I began to wonder why anyone would follow him.
Through the first 6 books I had thought that Hermione would be a professor. 19 years after Voldemort's death, she is living at home with her husband Ron.
Deaths:
I really thought that Hagrid was dead when he was being carried off. I was glad when he was still alive.
Things I would like to know:
Other Observations
It wasn't until Harry finished talking to Voldemort that the complete explanation for what was happening was given, so the events in the forest after Harry walked up to Voldemort are described without the complete explanation. Some may be confused when they read it and not have the full understanding dawn on them even during Harry's little speech.
I'm not even sure that Harry completely understood why the Elder wand had no effect on him for a while. He finally figured it out, and he let us in on the secret. Harry was the master of the Elder wand, and since Voldemort had not bested Harry in order to acquire it, Voldemort could not use the Elder wand against Harry. In fact, the wand would not totally submit to Voldemort. This kind of lack of submission of wands was experienced by Hermione with Bellatrix's wand and by Harry with the blackthorn wand that Ron took from one of the "snatchers" before he escaped to Bill and Fleur's home.
My mother is very much against the HP series because of the references to witchcraft and wizardry. So at one point early in the reading of book 7, a character (I forget if it was Harry) tells of a near miss during one harrowing scene, and one of the listeners says, "Thank God!" Later Hermione says, "Thank goodness!" I noticed it when I was listening to it with my wife. I looked at her, and we laughed.
I mentioned to Brenda C. that when Voldemort interrogates someone he tells them not to lie, because he can always tell when someone is lying. But when they tell him the truth, he says, "LIES."
One thing that is not explained in the book, at least that I've found, is how Snape knew where Harry and Hermione had apparated to. They were trying to get away from Voldemort in Godrics Hollow, I think, and they apparated to a forest. Snape somehow knew they were there and created his patronis in order to lead Harry to the sword. It was there that Ron saved Harry's life. But how did Snape know where they were?
I have just read the book a second time, and I found out that Phineas Nigellis (sp?) let Snape know where the three were. Hermione had placed his portrait at 12 Grimmauld Place in her bag, and she was opening her bag in the forest and said where they were. Phineas reported it back just at the point where Snape was going to take the sword of Griffindor to Harry. Also, I finally noticed that Kreacher was at Hogwarts at the head of the house elves when they burst from the kitchen to attack the Death Eaters at the last battle.
One thing that I thought of while reading the book for the second time was the Christian symbolism in the final book. Harry found himself in a white room that he likened to "King's Cross", and, of course, he was "killed" but rose again. The phrase "The last enemy that shall be conquered is death" is taken right from the Bible. That may not make many Christians feel better about the books -- if they are opposed to them because of the witchcraft and wizardry, but it may sway some.
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