the obligatory DH post

[asimplechord]

So, I've been mostly away from LJ since reading Deathly Hallows, and I'm sure some of this has been covered elsewhere, so if you can point me to the appropriate discussion, I'd appreciate it.

Overall, I liked the book. At a few points, I felt like I was reading something I'd read before, but that's what I get for reading so much fanfic, right? How many different ways could the trio hunt Horcruxes that didn't involve Grimmauld Place and camping all over the UK?

I didn't care for the Deathly Hallows as a plot device any more than I cared for the Horcruxes, but at least there were only three of them.

Enjoyed the Dumbledore background, even if it was delivered in a cumbersome way. *Really* liked Aberforth. I feel vindicated by Snape's memories, seeing that Dumbledore really WAS as manipulative as I thought he was. Using people "for the greater good" is still using them.

I'm not going to argue about Snape's death. I always assumed he would die in the end, partly because of the way JKR talked about him and partly because it's easier for Harry post-war to not have to deal with Snape being both a hero and still *Snape*. And he had to die in a way that would make Harry willing to see his memories and believe them, rather than blowing them off because they were *Snape's*. I just wish we had seen more of Severus before his final departure.

I expected a Weasley to die. And I'm not surprised that one of the twins was the ultimate victim. What bothers me more than the simple fact that Fred was killed was the circumstances. Percy had just returned, and to focus on HIS grief, HIS presence, seems shallow and minor. He'd been gone for years, and he was less than approving of FnG before then. Yes, yes, it's to highlight his remorse. Doesn't work for me. I'd think that George's grief (or maybe Molly's, but she gets her own with Bellatrix later) is more significant. So for George to not even be there? *shakes head* Nuh-uh. At least the reaction Harry sees later is all George, unable to let go.

Not impressed with the epilogue. We already could figure out that Harry and Ginny would get back together. We didn't need the cute little scene (with our neglected hero now a perfectly well-adjusted parent himself) at King's Cross with Albus Severus (total overkill).

Two major questions:

1. Is it the magic of the Sorting Hat that allowed Gryffindor's Sword to appear for Neville, even after Griphook made off with it at Gringotts? Or was it somehow back in the castle because Gringotts was under the control of the Dark Lord?

2. I am confused about the Invisibility Cloak. (J, too, because she asked me this while I was still wondering.) In HBP, we see Draco Petrify Harry on the Express while he was hiding under the cloak. But in DH, the cloak is impervious to being summoned or hexed. Please to be explaining? I am recalling the HBP thing from memory, so maybe there's a detail I'm forgetting?

ETA: OH! And here's another thought. If the Potters really are descendents of Ignotus Peverell, could Harry have come by Parseltongue on his own, not a gift from Voldemort?

ETA2: Also discussed with J: what was the point of the "no Unforgivables from you, Potter" in HBP if Harry was just going to cut loose with Crucio in DH. With no repercussions, apparently?

Comments

[the_con_cept.livejournal.com]

Your thoughts aligned pretty closely with mine. I felt Percy was the wrong vehicle to use in Fred's death--there were too many Percy-centered emotions and it minimized the impact. I know she didn't want it to distract from the work that still needed to be done and therefore chose someone less close than Molly or George, but still. I felt Fred deserved better.

And with the Invisibility Cloak, I think it was just a plot hole. I really felt the Hallows were ill thought-out and sort of last minute. I honestly don't think she intended it to be anything special until this particular book, for some reason. I could be totally wrong. *shrugs*

[timestep.livejournal.com]

Plus, Moody could see Harry when he was under the invisibility cloak

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

True. And in CoS, when Dumbledore leaves the school and the kids are all at Hagrid's hiding under the cloak, Dumbledore's "help will always be given" speech gave me the impression that he could see them huddled under the cloak.

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

Even Ron's emotions would have been better than Percy's.

Eh. It was still good. Worth the money, worth the time. And it'll spawn tons and tons of new fanfic, and we have the pleasure of knowing we were right about Snape all along.

My first thought for fanfic? Who's to say that Harry wouldn't ever go back and look for the Stone he dropped in the Forest? :)

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

I'm also pretty sure tha Mad-Eye could see through the cloak. And Snape and Dumbledore could at least sense it in the past.

Yeah, we needed a George reaction.

Kind of how I felt about Snape's death. Been expecting it. I just thought it was a stupid death, in the scheme of things. Death for death's sake. (Hedwig's too, for that matter.)

I completely missed where, exactly Tonks died. And why wasn't Teddy living with Harry? (The whole Tonks/Lupin things was forced. Lupin's characterization was horrid.)

Accio Hagrid.

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

I completely missed where, exactly Tonks died. And why wasn't Teddy living with Harry?

I assumed Tonks' death was "offscreen" while Harry was fighting elsewhere, because I don't remember that either. And I wondered that same thing, if Harry was Teddy's godfather. Was he being raised by Andromeda?

Urgh. That whole Lupin abandoning Tonks? So very OOC, it was unbelievable.

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

Let's just kill Tonks for the hell of it, doesn't really matter how it happened, and let's ignore the consequences of it. Got it. :D

For that matter, why is Teddy at the Hogwarts Express if it's 19 years later... she should be done with Hogwarts, no?

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

*he*

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

Excellent point. Um... maybe Hogwarts was closed for a bit for repairs, and thus he started late and was still attending at that age? Or maybe he was just there to see Victoire off?

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

Hogwarts would have been closed for 13 years for that to work. The other works, I suppose.

[f13tch3r.livejournal.com]

My understanding was that he was just seeing Victoire off. *shrugs*

[topaz7.livejournal.com]

He was finished with Hogwarts - he says (or James recalls that he said) he was just seeing Victoire off. So he's out of school.

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

Okay. I don't have a copy of the book, and I'm trying my hardest to forget that the epilogue even exists.

[topaz7.livejournal.com]

LOL! In her defence, she was probably asked a zillion times to write it. Me, I'm considering it AU.

[f13tch3r.livejournal.com]

What bothers me more than the simple fact that Fred was killed was the circumstances. Percy had just returned, and to focus on HIS grief, HIS presence, seems shallow and minor. He'd been gone for years, and he was less than approving of FnG before then. Yes, yes, it's to highlight his remorse. Doesn't work for me. I'd think that George's grief (or maybe Molly's, but she gets her own with Bellatrix later) is more significant. So for George to not even be there? *shakes head* Nuh-uh. At least the reaction Harry sees later is all George, unable to let go.
Uh-huh.

Yeah, I'm guessing it's the magic of the Sorting Hat. That bit annoyed me too, a bit much for us to assume after the dramatics of the scene where Griphook doublecrosses them and they make their escape.

Yes, the invisibility cloak thing bugged me greatly! Harry was petrified, Moody could see him, Dumbledore saw him, Nagini saw him! Too many things wrong with that.

[laughingcamel.livejournal.com]

A true inadvisability cloak would never fad and would hide you from death. Dumbldore could cast a spell on Harry b/c he was using the elder wand.

[topaz7.livejournal.com]

Just a thought about the cloak. It's the CLOAK that is impervious and magic doesn't affect it. Not quite the same as people underneath the cloak, know what I mean? I'll have to re-read to double check, but this is how I understood it the first time I read that section. I don't think it's a plot hole, maybe a bit of a stretch, but she tries to cover her tracks.

[topaz7.livejournal.com]

Meant to add: when does the Dumbledore/Grindelwald fic begin? Can anyone point me to it? ;)

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

hee, I'm wondering that same thing!

[topaz7.livejournal.com]

lots of potential there...

Sorry about your twincest. *hugs*

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

I probably will finish my 100quills grid as if Deathly Hallows never happened. But yeah, Fred's death does put a damper on it. :)

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

Then again, there's plenty of angsty stuff that could still be George/Fred-type drabbles that might also fit the remaining prompts. I'll have to think about it more. I had a drabble in mind to fit after the last few I wrote this weekend, but now that Fred died....

[lilyeyes.livejournal.com]

I too liked the book overall - but it did leave alot of lingering questions. (I will have to re-read it once I am over my initial reaction.)

Can someone tell me why Harry's eyes were so extraordinary, except for the fact they were 'Lily's eyes'?

I, too, would have liked to have seen a little more Snape/Harry interaction. If only for more snarled advice about keeping mouth and mind closed - neither of which Harry achieved.

I really really would have rathered Percy die instead of Fred.

Epilogue? What epilogue? My Snarry heart is already figuring out ways to stopper death!

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

My Snarry heart is already figuring out ways to stopper death!

:D That stone out in the forest has to be good for something. Seriously.

[angela-snape.livejournal.com]

I agree - fine that Percy came back *whatever* but he should have been the Weasley to die. I mean, George already had an ear hexed off, why kill off Fred?

[labrt2004.livejournal.com]

All good questions, and let me just echo what millions have said already, HATE HATE HATE the epilogue!!

I was also wondering what the deal with the Elder wand was--when Harry supposedly "mastered" the Elder Wand by disarming Draco, Draco wasn't using the Elder Wand. So is Harry merely supposed to disarm the owner, and then all wands under his control pass on to Harry? *shakes head at increasingly unwieldy an far fetched plot lines*

Was more convinced than ever after reading DH that Dumbledore was a manipulative git.

Hermione JEAN Granger??!

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

Hermione JEAN Granger

You totally just reminded me of that! When I saw it, I thought I was misreading it. Because I thought for sure her name was Hermione Jane according to the Lexicon. But then I got distracted and didn't go check.

[angela-snape.livejournal.com]

I think the Sorting Hat's magic is strong enough for Harry/Neville/Whomever to take the sword from wherever it is, not just when it's at Hogwarts. (I liked that it was Neville this time that got it.)

Regarding the invisibility cloak, it makes sense that while it may be impervious to magic (like Accio), it doesn't protect whoever's underneath it - Dumbledore stopped Harry even though he was underneath it in HBP.

Overall, I liked it. The epilogue was too cutesy - I wanted to know things like what they did with their lives, and who the new headmaster was, if it had to be that far in the future. I would have preferred a memorial service for the people who died in the Hogwarts battle, or something. Who cares how many babies were produced by the Trio et. al.?

[asimplechord.livejournal.com]

Yay for Neville and the sword! One of the things I really liked is that the Horcruxes were all destroyed by different people (well, except that Voldemort destroyed the one in Harry and his own reflected AK killed him, so that might count as two), and that Neville got to kick ass and take names. :)

[angela-snape.livejournal.com]

Yes, I really liked Neville in this book. I'm so glad he got a chance to show everyone he's competent in something (more than competent!) other than Herbology after bumbling his way through the other books.