Harry Potter Book 7 *SPOILERS*

[moon]

Lets just say it has to do with HP not um... fully clothed!

ohhhhh.....taking a shower, getting dressed........ or what?

 

[Mickey&Donald]

I just finished a little while ago and... I feel totally wiped out! My emotions have been all over the place today. When it appeared that Harry had been killed... my stomach just dropped.

I felt that the epilogue was a little too neat and cute, but I do feel satisfied with the way everything ended. I was really worried about that, that I'd be really upset with it all being over.

I am impressed with myself -- I told DH that one of my theories of this book would be that Harry himself would be the final Horcrux. I can't believe I was actually right! I also knew in my soul that Severus was a good guy. I didn't expect him to be so utterly heartbreaking, though.

Am I confusing family lines, or is Harry indeed related to the Slytherins because of his connection to the Peverells?

I also am a little confused as to who discovered magic late in life. My thoughts of Aunt Petunia or Arabella Figg were wrong... but who was it? Kreacher seems like kind of a stretch to me.

Did Rowling specifically say she was going to reveal Lily and James' professions? I don't understand all the speculation there. I always assumed they were Aurors.

 

[Mickey&Donald]

ohhhhh.....taking a shower, getting dressed........ or what?

None of the above. The nudity isn't presented in any sort of sexual manner.

 

[moon]

None of the above. The nudity isn't presented in any sort of sexual manner.

I see. Thanks!

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Not Fred! Noooooooooooo! I cried for every death, but this one really hit me hard.

Loved it overall, though. The style was quite different in that there was a lot of new information, mainly in the form of Rita Skeeter's book, Snape's flashbacks, and Xeno's ramblings. This was also really intense-- the characters were really mature and it was dark.

I had long suspected this so I was thrilled to find out Harry was a Horcrux and that Snape loved Lily-- those were the only explanations that would fit in my mind.

I wanted to see more Neville and more Snape and a little less of the trio living in the woods. I really wanted to see Neville vindicate his parents by killing Bellatrix. Molly's "not my daughter" line was great, but I feel it should have been Neville. At least Neville got the sword and the snake!

Speaking of Snape-- wow! JKR really did a good job with that storyline. I was impressed with Harry's choice to name his son after Severus.

Kreacher's transformation after he was shown kindness was amazing. I think it re-emphasized the idea of love and compassion winning.

I loved that all the minor characters showed up in the end (i.e. Colin Creevy, Oliver Wood, Lee Jordan, Hannah Abbot, etc.) JKR has great continuity.

I did not care for Harry's death experience. The whole "white-room-am-I-dead- No?-I-have-a-choice-to-live" thing seems very familiar and overdone.

The epilogue was a let down for me. Boring married couples with slightly annoying kids? Harry should be traveling around as an Auror or curse-breaker or something.

I can't wait to re-read it and then eventually read the series in order, one after the other.

 

[kathyk2]

I think the epilogue made perfect sense. The one thing Harry craved was a family not money, fame or imortality. He has that now. I wept when Harry was reunited with his parents, Sirius and Lupin. What do you think of Dumbledore now? I'm glad she made him less than perfect. I hated him at the end of OOTP. His lack of empathy over Sirius' death made me furious.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

This thread is for anyone who has FINISHED reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I need to talk about what happened, and I know that I'm not the only crazy person who pulled an all-nighter to finish it. So to all of you who know the whole story:


HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!!!!

Ok, now we can begin discussing it.

WOOHOO! I finished reading at 4 am. Didn't start until 6 pm, then read for TEN HOURS STRAIGHT without so much as a five minute break. Yes, I even read in the bathtub and, uh, other bathroom locations.

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so much better than I had been expecting. The epilogue was just totally unexpected and delightful. I wish wish wish wish wish wish she would someday continue the storyline with James, Albus, Lily, Rose, and Hugo! And of course Teddy!

My mother is only on Chapter 6 and threatened me not to give anything away!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I think the epilogue made perfect sense. The one thing Harry craved was a family not money, fame or imortality. He has that now.

I could not agree more! <---(there's his family)

 

[sabrinadv1]

As for who does magic late in life it is Filch. Page 602.

No, No that's not right either. She has me stumped I am going to have to do some digging now.

 

[jkmj]

Im still wondering which were the two she didnt intend to die. Fred, Mad Eye , Dobby , Crabbe, The minister of magic ( cant remember his name ) Lupin , or Tonks (am i missing anybody?)

 

[CanadianPaco]

I was quite mad that Tonks came and joined the fight. I know it was what she does and it would have been hard for her to stay away but....she just had a baby! My feelings are that she should have thought of him and stayed with him!

So now we have another little boy brought up without his parents. Who do you think raised him?? I'm guessing Tonks mother.


It made me think of the Disney-parent effect of a parent or both parents dying. We all know that it's in so many Disney movies. I just thought she should have spared Tonks and Lupin - so very sad~

She did say that there would be a lot of death in this one - Mad Eye, Dobby, Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Snape! Wow!

 

[MyGoofy26]

Yeah, I understand her motivation for it as far as character protection. But it was just so...treacly. Actually, I had read the epilogue on one of the spoiler sites last week and swore it was fake just because it was so cheesy.

Liked the rest of the book...just not that.

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?"

LOVED the rest of the book though. I'll wait til I get through the whole thread before I discuss though.

 

[damo]

I think the epilogue was written for the young fans. If you go to some of the fan sites, there is so much speculation about that sort of thing. I think Rowling did it for them.

 

[Laura]

I want to know too!.....Please?

It's at the beginning of chapter 35, King's Cross.

I did not care for Harry's death experience. The whole "white-room-am-I-dead- No?-I-have-a-choice-to-live" thing seems very familiar and overdone.

Yeah, I've seen it a lot in movies; it's a bit tired. Except here, instead of white room, it's an empty train station. And what was with the "creature" in the room? That was weird. But I did like the end of it, where Dumbledore told him it was all in his head.

 

[Dreaming of Disney]

As far as Harry having Lily's eyes, that came full circle for me when Snape was dying and he told Harry to "Look at me". I couldn't figure out why he said that, but then it hit me that I think he wanted to "see" Lily before he died.

I also didn't get the whole creature in the room thing at King's Cross. Did I miss something or did she every really explain what that was all about. I need to reread.

 

[MyGoofy26]

My take was that the creature was Voldemort - he was seeing what would be left of him. They've spent a couple books now (last one and this one) talking about what making horcruxes do to your soul, so we see all these people (via the stone) just as they were in life and perhaps this is what happens when you rip your soul into pieces?

 

[damo]

My take was that the creature was Voldemort - he was seeing what would be left of him. They've spent a couple books now (last one and this one) talking about what making horcruxes do to your soul, so we see all these people (via the stone) just as they were in life and perhaps this is what happens when you rip your soul into pieces?

That is what I thought as well. There are a lot of things left for interpretation in the book.

 

[wvrevy]

That is what I thought as well. There are a lot of things left for interpretation in the book.

Well...not really. I mean, I thought it was rather obvious that the creature in King's Cross was the piece of Riddle's soul that had been - until his sacrifice - a part of Harry.

And I still say that Tonks and Lupin were the two that she hadn't planned on killing. But the battle wouldn't have seemed anywhere near as fierce - or hopeless - if only one "character" died. By killing Lupin and Tonks, she really painted a bleak picture of the defenders' chances. I can at least understand why she would make that choice.

 

[Laura]

Well...not really. I mean, I thought it was rather obvious that the creature in King's Cross was the piece of Riddle's soul that had been - until his sacrifice - a part of Harry.

It makes sense but no, it wasn't obvious.

 

[Val]

I agree with all of you! But, I do think that Tonk's and Lupin's death "made sense" in a way. The book was about goodness and love conquering greed and evil- but that the vanquish does not come without extreme cost. Harry wanted a family more than anything else, and in a way, several times his desires for a family cost him dearly.....and now, the ultimate cost. At the same time, he couldn't see the proverbial forrest for the trees- he had a "family" surrounding him, he just didn't know it! He conquered darkness, but not without causing another child-and his own nephew- the loss of his parents. But, unlike the cost to Harry, Teddy will be (and was, as suggeted in the epilogue) surrounded by love and his extended family. His parents, who had a mixed marriage, sacrificied themselves in the battle so he could live freely and be loved without fear of his half-blood heritage.

The deaths were so many- but isn't that what war is all about. REAL characters (And people) die. All died fighting for the cause, and in a sense, al willingly gave their life so Harry would succeed. JKR may not be consciously writing using literary symbols, but the book is so classically Jungian. I wonder how the scholarly literary community will dissect it. Amazing that an individual with her "non-academic" background can rummage up so much academic attention....she has been given a unique gift- and I hope this is not the last of her writings.

While the epilogue was cheesy, it was what Harry wanted. Harry wanted to be a regular guy- with a regular family. He got that, even if it makes him a little boring. But boy, those kids carry such a heritage on their psyche....Little Albus Severus Potter carries the heritage of how many houses in his name? I wonder if Ron and Hermione's kids have the big, red hair!

What a great book...now if my family would just hurry up and finish it!