Harry Potter Book 7 *SPOILERS*

[Tiggernut_jadie]

I wasn't at all surprised at Molly Weasley calling Bellatrix a b*tch - in the UK that is not really considered a swear word - not much worse than calling someone a cow. I was surprised at Ron using the word b*stard - that REALLY is a swear word!

You beat me to it - I was just going to say that! Although I loved the sentiment - very momma bear - the actual word b*tch didn't bother me in the slightest. It had never occured to me - and perhaps not to JK either - that in other cultures this is a much worse word than in the UK. My neice (who's 17) has a t-shirt that says 'If you think I'M a b****, you should meet my mother!'....and my sister (her mum) bought it for her! I guess she wouldn't be wearing that one in the USA!

 

[Plantlady]

Thanks for posting the Today article. I will have to tivo the shows she'll be talking on.

 

[Lanshark]

I always though Mr Weasley would play a bigger role in the end

The death that bothered me the most was Fred

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ahhhh.....Just finished it......and......

Cried alot while reading. I wanted to savor it and feel the pain.

I hate that Fred and Dobby died.

As far as the Epilogue, I love it and my 16yodd HATES IT with a passion. She says it is like reading "fan fiction".

However I think JK wanted to leave her readers with the pleasant memory that Harry finally got what he wanted, a family and a place to belong.

I wonder what happened to the Dursley's?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Ahhhh.....Just finished it......and......

Cried alot while reading. I wanted to savor it and feel the pain.

I hate that Fred and Dobby died.

As far as the Epilogue, I love it and my 16yodd HATES IT with a passion. She says it is like reading "fan fiction".

However I think JK wanted to leave her readers with the pleasant memory that Harry finally got what he wanted, a family and a place to belong.

I wonder what happened to the Dursley's?

I agree with your DD. While I didn't hate the epilogue, it did seem more like fan fiction then something JK wrote.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I agree with your DD. While I didn't hate the epilogue, it did seem more like fan fiction then something JK wrote.

That is OK.

Honestly I did NOT want it to end for Pete's sake.

I wanted the adventures of Fred and George and now I cannot have that.

 

[Maleficent13]

As a matter of fact, I read the epilogue last week and stated emphatically here on the DIS that it HAD to be a fan fiction imposter, so cheesy was it. Luckily, the rest of the book wasn't.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I loved that part, I thought it was totally in her character!

It's more of what she said.

I loved when Ron would say bloody hell. I always thought the English consider that phrase a real no-no.

I would have loved Mrs. Weasley to use that expression instead. Because it would go back to Ron and who he must have picked it up from. KWIM?

 

[WaltD4Me]

Wow! Thanks for the Today show link!!!! I will be setting my DVR for sure for that. I've been dying to hear JKR talk now that Book 7 is out and taking questions from fans?! That will be awesome!

Wonder if there will be more midnight book parties for the encylopedia?
I know I'd wait in line at midnight again for that!

 

[Mean Queen]

Next Harry Potter book news!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19935372/


Ohhhhh - I'M SO EXCITED!

Really - total HP nerd. And, I'm not ashamed to admit that the headline to this article I can totally relate to!

Article also mentions the character that got the reprieve - and I'm REALLY glad she changed her mind, it's a character I quite like.

We were all spot on on the two deaths that she didn't expect, by the way.

Just wanted to share - really, I am going to go take care of my family now.

Thanks so much for that link! I was so happy to read the extra information and that there will be more in the future.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

That is interesting! Both of their fathers were attacked by the same werewolf, too. Definitely a common bond.

I'm slightly amused that so many people are upset at the word *itch. I guess because I teach teens, I'm not so shocked at basic vulgarity. Certain words bother me, but that one I barely noticed until I read this site.

I wasn't upset. I just felt it wasn't totally necessary. I was thinking of all of the young kids that are reading these books. I was surprised that she used the words ******* and *****. Even though technically they are not swear words. (Not to mention all of the effing from Ron.)

 

[SILLYANDI]

I just have to mirror the OP's response...


HOLY FREAKING CRAP!

That was by far my favorite book. I am soooo happy with the outcome. I knew Snape was a good guy afterall-I can't believe how it played out!

Very happy!

Now I can go back to my life...my poor kids haven't had a decent meal in 2 days!

 

[U2_rocks!]

I just made a possible connection....please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. But, when Harry is burying Dobby, he is finally able to shut Voldemort out of his mind through his grief. Could it be that he was never good at Occlumancy because he couldn't "call up" his grief? Whereas Snape was so good at it because of his grief over Lilly????

Hmmmmm....

I think it's the LOVE behind the grief that allows Harry to block V i.e. Harry is grieving because of his love for Dobby. V doesn't understand love, or feeling grief for anyone. Also, grief is pretty all-consuming - it's hard to have any other thoughts when you are grief-stricken, or lovestruck for that matter! Snape is probably so good at it because he simply thinks of Lily, and all other thoughts are blocked.

 

[Piecey]

Hated the epilogue. Way too corny for my tastes. Also found it difficult to read - I had to keep going back and trying to figure out, "ok, now which kid is this again?"

That was my problem EXACTLY! I thought it was because I was exhausted and just flown home and not thinking clearly. I got so confused.

I thought it was awesome that she thought to mention Albus Severous was Harry's only child that had Lily's eyes-- how appropriate.

I want more though. More, more, more, MORE!

 

[bethbuchall]

Yup- and JK Rowling also said that James' parents had him "late in life", so there aren't any living grandparents. He was an only child of parents who never thought they would be blessed with one, so he was very loved (and a bit spoiled, thus the arrogance Lily noticed in him as a teen).

That is something that I've always wondered. Do we know what happened to Lily and Petunia's parents?

 

[poohbear919]

Well I, like many here, loved the book! I plowed through it over the weekend - now I'll go back to re-read and really enjoy! I was one of the people who just had to read it through straight-away to know what happened... That's what I've done with all the others though too!

I was teary at all the deaths - Hedwig's was a shocker for me! The chapter that had me like a baby though, was The Prince's Tale... I was crying so hard by the end of the chapter I actually had to put the book down for two minutes to compose myself - I couldn't see the words on the page to keep reading! Heartbreaking work there...

I'll admit to slowly working my way through this thread - so this may have come up already, but was anyone else wondering how Neville got Gryffindor's Sword? Afterall - wasn't it supposed to be with Griphook at Gringotts? (A colleague of mine had the same question!?!?!)

 

[Sirius]

I'll admit to slowly working my way through this thread - so this may have come up already, but was anyone else wondering how Neville got Gryffindor's Sword? Afterall - wasn't it supposed to be with Griphook at Gringotts? (A colleague of mine had the same question!?!?!)

A true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the Sorting Hat.

 

[poohbear919]

A true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the Sorting Hat.

Thanks - that's what I was thinking... My coworker and I debated a little over it! I just mentioned that I thought it came to Neville because he was a Gryffindor who needed it at that moment!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks - that's what I was thinking... My coworker and I debated a little over it! I just mentioned that I thought it came to Neville because he was a Gryffindor who needed it at that moment!

AHHHH....never even thought of that. I was not sure what they were speaking of when Neville went to cut the head off of the snake.

Makes sense now.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Any ideas as to why Teddy was still at Hogwarts? Shouldn't he be 19?

And JKR could add *another* billion to her account if she would publish "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 37" and sell it for $20 a pop. I'd buy it.

The Encyclopedia will be nice, but a nice, thick "what happened to who" chapter is what this book really needed - a way for us to *really* say goodbye to everyone, wether they lived or died.

On the other hand, leaving it the way it is does leave her the opportunity to write another HP book, if 10 years down the road she decides that she's just gotta write about Harry again.