They continue to scavenge for mushrooms and even blackberries in... fucking December. JKR also needs to touch grass.
The book even acknowledges it's the Christmas holiday so it's not like there was a timeskip or she forgot what time of year it is. Yet, there they are, playing with spiders and grass and looking for blackberries and mushrooms and falling in the brambles like it's the middle of summer. I seriously can't believe we used to call this woman one of the greatest writers of all time.
"'None of the rest of the family knew I was there. Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. You know, first holiday after they were married. I don't think Fleur minded.'" Hya, imagine getting married and the honeymoon high is still going and you just moved into your own home with your brand new spouse and then your spouse's youngest brother suddenly starts staying there for several weeks. Talk about a cock block.
"And she pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard from the small beaded bag. 'The original?' inquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded...'" The ORIGINAL??? Damn, Dumbles, you didn't have to give her the original. Also, story could've made a slightly bigger deal over her getting the original story book. I'm sure most of us would LOVE to have the original edition of a great book.
I gotta wonder though, how exactly did Dumbledore think they were going to find out what the symbol was? The symbol was drawn on the title page of The Tale of the Three Brothers, but not even Hermione makes the connection to what it is, and Dumbledore didn't KNOW Xeno was going to attend the wedding AND that he'd be wearing the symbol AND that any of the trio would see it AND that Viktor Krum would be there to make a big enough deal about it for any of them to remember the symbol. Like, Xeno was their only lead on getting the symbol explained to them and that lead was definitely not set up or planted by Dumbledore. My best guess is he thought they'd end up at Godric's Hollow, find Bathilda, and she'd explain it to them but Rita Skeeter and Aunt Muriel both describe Bathilda as 'gaga', so I can't see that being the most solid of plans, and that's not even taking into account what actually ends up happening to Bathilda.
"'Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?' Harry interrupted again. 'So he can sneak up on people,' said Ron. 'Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking...'" Heh, good one.
"'...it's obvious which gift is best, which one you'd choose-' The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, 'the Cloak,' Ron said, 'the wand,' and Harry said, 'the stone.'" Oooooh, a very distinctive telling of their three different personalities, values, and experiences. Of course Harry has a laundry list of people he would bring back from the dead. Ron values power and success the most out of the three of them. Hermione sees the practical uses of an Invisibility Cloak.
Hermione's quick thinking of getting the Death Eaters to see Harry so they'd know Xeno wasn't lying while keeping Ron hidden bc he's supposed to be home sick is more of the kind of smart shit I wanna see.
Hermione continuing to refuse to believe the Deathly Hallows are real when they literally have the Invisibility Cloak, not to mention all the other impossible shit they've seen and experienced, is just so irritating.
Hermione thinks the Deathly Hallows aren't really part of the plan because "why wouldn't Dumbledore tell you about them? He gave you clear instructions to destroy Horcruxes and that's it" but Harry knows Dumbledore better, he knows Dumbledore never spelled things out for Harry except when he had to. He had to spell out the Horcruxes bc there was 0 way for Harry to find out anything about Horcruxes on his own since it's a banned subject and a very rare piece of Dark Magic.
Lee Jordan as a radio announcer is S+ tier.
Could 'Remus' have picked a more obvious codename than 'Romulus'?
"'And I'd tell him[Harry] to follow his instincts, which are good and nearly always right.'" Ehhhhh I think he's made a mistake or 7.
Fred making Harry and others laugh over the radio while the world is in turmoil is beautiful and proof that humor is a light that truly repels the dark. Real world version? Meme culture.
Honestly, it's a wonder Greyback doesn't bite/scratch more people while in human form like he did to Bill. I mean his objective is turning lots of people into werewolves but he can obviously only do that once a month, so why not do the next best thing and make every person he comes in contact with werewolf-like?
"'Stan Shunpike,' said Ron. 'Like 'ell you are,' said the man called Scabior. 'We know Stan Shunpike, 'e's put a bit of work our way.'" Yeah, Ron, that was bound to happen. You knew he was running with the Death Eaters under the Imperius Curse.
"'What House were you at Hogwarts?' 'Slytherin,' said Harry automatically. 'Funny 'ow they all thinks we wants to 'ear that,' jeered Scabior out of the shadows. 'But none of 'em can tell us where the common room is.' 'It's in the dungeons,' said Harry clearly. 'You enter through the wall. It's full of skulls and stuff and it's under the lake, so the lights all green.'" Love that lucky little callback to the fact Harry's visited the Slytherin common room before. Too bad they still get found out anyway.
😂Are Greyback and the other Snatchers really going to believe these three kids are out here in the woods, using a shiny, goblin-made, ruby encrusted sword to cut firewood of all things? Oh, Harry, you're still that same boy who thought the wind carried him onto the roof of a building.
"'I thought you wore glasses, Potter?' breathed Greyback. 'I found glasses!' yelped one of the Snatchers..." Ahh, the kind of comedic timing you can only get in writing.
It's crazy to think that Grindelwald outlives Dumbledore. Only by a little less than a year but still.
Also that Grindelwald and Voldemort, the two most dangerous dark wizards of their respective times, both meet their ends so close together. Literally just a couple of months.
Do they REALLY need Draco to to identify Harry? Narcissa and Lucius both know Ron and Hermione and why would Ron and Hermione be traveling around with some random dude with a swollen face in Harry's clothes?
Harry really hasn't seen his reflection since Grimmauld Place? You're telling me that tent has a bathroom but no mirror?
"'Take these prisoners down to the cellar...' 'Wait,' said Bellatrix sharply. 'All except... except for the Mudblood.'" Which one eh? Hermione and Dean are both there and they're both Muggle-borns.
Convenient that we find where Luna is only two chapters after finding out she's been taken prisoner. We get to be worried about her but not for TOO long.
Man, whoever built Malfoy Manor didn't do the best job if you can hear a whole conversation happening in the drawing room from the cellar.
AND they can hear the crack of someone Disapparating in the cellar from the drawing room? Such poor soundproofing for a mansion.
"'You're going to kill me?' Harry choked, attempting to prise off the metal fingers. After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!'" The fact that that... actually WORKS?
Also, that WORMTAIL, of all people was about to be the one to kill Harry Potter but then just... didn't.
The one other actually smart thing the Dumbass Terrorist does is jinxing the hand he gave Wormtail to kill its owner at the smallest sign of betrayal.
"He leapt over an armchair and wrested the three wands from Draco's grip, pointed all of them at Greyback and yelled, 'Stupefy!' The werewolf was lifted off his feet by the triple spell, flew up to the ceiling, and then smashed to the ground." If more wands = more power, why don't power seekers like Voldemort just carry and use multiple wands like that?
Grindelwald, Pettigrew, and Dobby all on the same night...
Imagine living the rest of your life in your home with your family knowing that a random House Elf you've never met is buried in your garden.
"Just as Voldemort had not been able to possess Harry while Harry was consumed with grief for Sirius, so his thoughts could not penetrate Harry now, while he mourned Dobby. Grief, it seemed, drove Voldemort out... though Dumbledore, of course, would have said that it was love..." Hmmm, I wonder why that is. I don't believe it is love, no matter how much the author might have intended, but I can't really find a solid reason grief would be what keeps Lord Thingy out.
"Ron sat on the edge of the grave and stripped off his shoes and socks, which he placed upon the elf's bare feet." Awww.
Wow, only 3 bedrooms at Shell Cottage and there's now 9 people staying there.
Naturally, Bellatrix's hysterical reaction to the possibility of the trio accessing her vault is precisely what gives away that there most certainly is something in her vault worth taking. Her passion and loyalty make her a nearly perfect lieutenant, but paired with her inability to stay calm, of course that will one day pierce a hole in the boat.
"When Harry finished speaking, Ron shook his head. 'You really understand him[Voldemort].' 'Bits of him,' said Harry." He does and I LOVE it.
"'Yes, if you won it, it is most likely going to do your bidding, and do it well, than another wand.' 'And this holds true for all wands, does it?' asked Harry. 'I think so,' replied Ollivander... 'So, it isn't necessary to kill the previous owner to take true possession of a wand?' asked Harry." Ohhhhhh, Harry's already putting the pieces together.
Between Lucius' wand breaking in the Battle of the Seven Potters and Harry taking Draco and Bellatrix's wand, Narcissa's wand really is the only wand left between the Malfoys.
Lol Shell Cottage is on top of a cliff overlooking the sea but in the films it's just on the beach. Y'know, on sand, the thing they say not to build structures on.
Gotta love that Ron and Harry think the explanation for the Doe Patronus and the blue eye in the mirror is that Dumbledore is secretly not dead instead of his very living brother because obviously nobody ever thinks of Aberforth even when Albus is gone.
So I'm guessing Hermione and Luna are sleeping in one bedroom, Ollivander and Griphook are sleeping in another, Bill and Fleur are still in their own room, and ig Harry, Ron, and Dean are camping out in the sitting room.
"'The sword was Ragnuk the First's, taken from him by Godric Gryffindor! It is a lost treasure, a masterpiece of goblinwork! It belongs to the goblins!'" Do goblins have their own school where they learn about their histories and stuff or is it all just old-fashioned oral retelling?
"'Ze goblin can move downstairs and you, Ron, and Dean can take zat room.' 'We don't mind sleeping in the living room,' said Harry." Ayye I got it right! Lol sorry but I've been wondering about that situation since wayyy before we arrived at the cottage.
"'Everything's fine,' he[Bill] told Fleur. 'Ollivander settled in, Mum and Dad say hello, Ginny sends you all her love. Fred and George are driving Muriel up the wall, they're still operating an Owl-Order business out of her back room.'" Hehe glad Fred and George being little shits and upsetting an old bird qualifies as fine.
"...and Ron said, 'Blimey, a baby!' as if he had never heard of such a thing before." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Help! That's the funniest reaction ever!
"He[Lupin] looked years younger than Harry had ever seen him." Welp, Baby hasn't lived in this world long enough to do its job then.
Love Bill trying to advise Harry about dealing with goblins. He's such a big bro.
"As he followed Bill back to the others a wry thought came to him, born no doubt of the wine he had drunk. He seemed set on course to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him." 😂No kidding! I'm sure James and Lily are pulling their hair out while Sirius cheers Harry on for his plans to break into fucking Gringotts.
"'I hate this thing[Bellatrix's wand],' she[Hermione] said in a low voice. 'I really hate it. It feels all wrong, it doesn't work properly for me. ...It's like a bit of her.' Harry could not help but remember how Hermione had dismissed his loathing of the blackthorn wand, insisting that he was imagining things when it did not work as well as his own, telling him to simply practice." Mmmmmhhmmmm. Seriously, did Hermione get chosen by the first wand she picked up when she was 11?
"Harry bent down and the goblin clambered onto his back, his hands linked in front of Harry's throat. He was not heavy, but Harry disliked the feeling of the goblin and the surprising strength with which he clung on." Insert Mitch Hedberg reference.
"'Well,' Travers coughed, 'I heard that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house after the... ah... escape.'" Ooof. That doesn't include Draco, right? Pretty sure I remember him being at Hogwarts when they get there. But, again, oof if Lord Thingy has confined the closest he has to a right hand woman.
Wow, using Levicorpus to reach Hufflepuff's cup. Thanks, Snivellus.
"...clutching as tightly as he could to the jagged scales as the wings opened, knocking the shrieking goblins aside like skittles." Like WHAT now?
Love how whenever Harry and co. have to break into somewhere important, they can't just do it quietly, take the one thing they need, and leave. No, they break into the Minitstry in book 5 and completely destroy the Department of Mysteries. Break into the Ministry this year, steal Mad-Eye's eye from Umbridge, and free all the Muggle-borns awaiting trial. Break into Gringotts, leave a mountain of burning hot treasure in the Lestrange's vault, release the fucking guard dragon, destroy the entire passageway from the bank to the lowest vaults, and the main bank building itself. Huh... I also watch One Piece for the same catharsis of watching government establishments being leveled. What's that called? Coup-core? State destruction art? Accidental terrorism fiction?
"Behind him, whether from delight or fear he could not tell, Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing." Bloody brilliant.
Man, how many times is Harry(and Ron) going to fly between London and Scotland? First in the Ford Anglia, then by Thestrals, now by dragon.
"'Well, I don't know how to break this to you,' said Ron, 'but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts.'" Yo. Fred and George will be sooo jealous.
"The Elder Wand slashed through the air and green light erupted through the room; the kneeling goblin rolled over, dead; the watching wizards scattered before him, terrified: Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy threw others behind them in their race for the door...'" Are we sure Luscius deserves redemption? Sure, self preservation is natural and all but throwing others behind you? Yikes.
It is odd that, as far as we know, Voldemort never enters Harry's mind and sees what Harry is doing the way Harry continually enters his. Like, he only got the idea to show Harry him torturing Sirius from the information Kreacher passed along. I guess it's a one way window unless he consciously uses Legilimens like at the end of book 5.
"How could the boy, or anybody else, know about the cave or penetrate its protection?" Boi, you know Kreacher survived the cave and you know Harry inherited Kreacher, right? Oof, too bad Dumbledore didn't know Kreacher had been to the cave, he could've interrogated the elf and found out the locket wasn't there before taking that whole, painful ass trip.
"The lake[in the cave], surely impossible... though was there a slight possibility that Dumbledore might have known some of his past misdeeds, through the orphanage." I don't know why I think it's funny he calls them misdeeds.
"'I - I was in his head, he's' - Harry remembered the killings - 'he's seriously angry...'" 🤣🤣 is that how you put it?
"'Accio Cloak!' roared one of the Death Eaters. Harry seized its folds, but it made no attempt to escape: The Summoning Charn had not worked on it." Ooooh, further confirmation of the true nature of his Cloak.
"'Not under your wrapper, then, Potter?' yelled the Death Eater who had tried the charm..." I did wonder for a brief moment how some Death Eater thugs would know about Harry's Cloak when even someone like Luna's dad doesn't, and then remembered Snape is all too aware of the Cloak.
"'Stag!' roared the barman, and he pulled out his wand. 'Stag! You idiot! Expecto Patronum!'" Dang, what happy thought does Aberforth have that he can produce a Patronus?
"'That's not what I saw -' said the Death Eater, though with less certainty." I see gaslighting runs in the Dumbledore family.
Lol Aberforth is telling Harry to flee the country and, it's like, where would he go lol? The only foreign people he knows are the Delecours and Victor Krum. Can you see Harry living in France with the Delecours? Speaking 0 French and trying to find enough local foods that he actually likes so he's not living off croissants and pastries?
"I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we grew up, and Albus... he was a natural.'" Told you, gaslighting runs in the family.
"'Funny thing, how many of the people my brother cared about very much ended up in a worse state than if he'd left 'em well alone.'" Yeahhhhh.
"'He[Albus] didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could get her to calm down when she was in one of her rages, and when she was quiet, she used to help me feed the goats.'" Ahh Aberforth was the parentified brother. Perhaps Albus thought his family was below him, in that "teenager who's smarter than the rest of his family" way.
"'Grand plans for the benefit of all Wizardkind, and if one young girl got neglected, what did that matter, when Albus was working for the greater good?'" And if one greasy, young half-blood was failed by everyone around him, what did that matter? And if one orphaned boy who's been marked for death since before he was born has to be killed, what does that matter? Abusers don't stop unless they are stopped, they just switch their victims.
Remember where I said Voldemort fears Dumbledore because Dumbledore is exactly like him but better? Remember the example I gave was that they both are masters of getting people to trust them so that they'll do whatever he asks? Well, I forgot to bring up another little parallel between the two men relating to that: Both of them were brilliant students with all the academic achievements, everyone around both of them thought they should go work at the Ministry and rise to become Minister, but both of them sought careers at Hogwarts. Why? Well, the reason given for Voldemort was that he wanted to recruit young witches and wizards to his cause (and hide a Horcrux) but no reason is given for why Dumbledore settled on Hogwarts instead of the Ministry. At the interview Tom has with Dumbledore about the DADA job, right before the job is jinxed, Dumbledore knows exactly what Tom wanted the position for. How does he know? Because that's EXACTLY why HE is at Hogwarts! Of course Dumbledore would recognize a man with the ability and the will to groom children, yes, GROOM CHILDREN, because he is also a man with the ability and the will to groom children into his own tools. Dumbledore clocked that shit in Tom long before he started going by Voldemort. I also think Voldemort recognized it in Dumbledore and recognized that Dumbledore was better, his "tool polishing" more "polished" and that is why Voldemort feared him.
"His hair was longer than Harry had ever seen it." If Neville's hair is the longest Harry has ever seen, that means the students were getting haircuts at Hogwarts over the previous years. That also means, under Snape's thumb, everyone's being forced to grow their hair out. Ugh yes please.
"'What did you do with the dragon?' 'Released it into the wild,' said Ron. 'Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet-'" Goddam, Ron is on top of the sarcastic replies this book.
"'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.'" Omg that's beautiful. Years of watching Harry be the beacon of hope, then in Harry's absence, Neville said "well someone ought to do it, and if no one else will, I will."
"'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,' Neville laughed, 'Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter,' he clapped a hand to the breast pocket of his robes, 'telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' son, and to keep it up.'" FUCK YEAHHHHHHH!!
Huh, it's the Room of Requirement that created the passage to The Hog's Head. That's... there's definitely meaning there, Hogwarts usually knows what it's doing.
"'What are we going to do then, Harry?' asked Seamus. 'What's the plan?'" The old DA ready to assist Harry is the bessssst.
"'Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed,' said Fred, raising his hand to answer several cries of greeting. 'He wants a kip and his bar's turned into a railway station.'" Yeahhh the thought of the grumpy old goat having to usher all these teenagers through his bar in the middle of the night is a bit hilarious.
"Ron turned suddenly to Harry. 'Why can't they help?' 'What?' 'They can help. We dont know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux.'" Thank you, Ron. Few things I dislike about Harry but him refusing to let anyone else help with the mission just because Dumbledore told him not to is one.
The fact they're going to go all the way up to Ravenclaw tower to look at the statue and then to talk to the Gray Lady when they are already in the room, but not actually in the room, the diadem is in.
"Then one brave little first-year darted up to her and prodded her backside with his big toe. 'I think she might be dead!' he shouted with delight. 'Oh, look,' whispered Luna happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded around Alecto. 'They're pleased!'" Luna is adorable.
McGonagall being able to answer the riddle to get through the Ravenclaw door is a nice touch as she was a Hat Stall for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
"And he[Amycus Carrow] spat in her[McGonagall's] face. Harry pulled the Cloak off himself..." Man thought he was scared of the Dark Lord? Ohhhh boy.
"'You're acting on Dumbledore's orders?' she repeated with a look of dawning wonder. Then she drew herself up to her fullest height." Oh, I just realized... if Voldemort and Dumbledore are parallels, then McGonagall is the parallel to Bellatrix. Like Bellatrix, McGonagall is completely loyal, a nearly perfect lieutenant to Dumbledore, powerful, talented. But unlike Bellatrix, she's calm, poised, logical.
"Ginny's hair flew as she pulled her arm out of her mother's grip. 'I'm in Dumbledore's Army - ' 'A teenagers' gang!' 'A teenagers' gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!' said Fred." Hell yeah, Freddie!
I wanna know where the fuck Lord Thingy learned the ability to cast his voice over an entire castle and beyond as if his voice was coming from the walls. He would've been one helluva ventriloquist.
"'I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts.'" Aww.
"'Potter,' said Professor McGonagall, hurrying up to him... 'Aren't you supposed to be looking for something?' 'What? Oh,' said Harry, 'Oh yeah!'" 😅 The Chosen One, ladies and gentlemen.
Wow. I cannot believe it is actually Harry's idea to ask the Gray Lady about the diadem. Like, honestly, Luna makes so much more sense.
"She could not blush, but her transparent cheeks became more opaque..." Ahh, so that's how blushing works with ghosts.
Helena put the diadem in a hollow tree in a forest in Albania and Tom Riddle found it almost 1,000 years later. For 1,000 years, that tree was never cut down, never fell in a storm, never rotted away or was altered in some way that would expose the diadem or make it impossible for someone to find it if searching? Ok.
"Tom Riddle, who confided in no one and operated alone, might have been arrogant enough to assume that he, and only he, had penetrated the deepest mysteries of Hogwarts Castle. Of course, Dumbledore and Flitwick, those model pupils, had never set foot in that particular place, but he, Harry, had strayed off the beaten track in his time at school - here at last was a secret he and Voldemort knew, that Dumbledore had never discovered -" Ohhhh that is sooooo juicy! I LOVE it! Harry's rulebreaking history is what brings him the answer and closer to the victory.
Also, Tom Riddle could penetrate the deepest mysteries of MY castle... I mean... what?
"Tonks" FUCK! This fucking woman! This dumb fucking woman! And no, I don't mean Tonks. I'm talking about this dumb fucking woman who wrote this dumb fucking plot because there is NO other reason for Tonks to be there than for this stupid fucking plot. Tonks just gave birth like a week ago. Not a month ago, two weeks ago at most. She should not even be traveling far from the house, let alone at a fucking battle ground! Nevermind the risk of turning your new son into an orphan, you can not put a woman who just gave birth less than two weeks ago at the site of a deadly magical battle without at least, AT LEAST, explaining that there are magical means of reducing or eliminating the pains of childbirth, speading up the recovery, and reducing the negative postpartum side effects. Other than Ron's "Blimey, a baby!" line, every fucking word of this stupid plot is fucking garbage.
"'I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?' 'I couldn't stand not knowing -' Tonks looked anguished. 'She'll look after him - have you seen Remus?'" See what I mean? What kind of mother, what kind of good mother would rather risk her newborn losing his mother just to know what her very capable of taking care of himself husband is doing? I think JKR also wanted to make a point of having as many women fighting as possible because girl power and sure, it would suck for a tough cookie, auror, member of the Order like Tonks to miss out on the big end battle but that clashes too much with the new baby plot she built. Have her fight without having her have a baby, let her have a baby without having her fight, or let her fight but write her kid to be a little older.
"'The house-elves, they'll be down in the kitchens, won't they?' 'You mean we ought to get them fighting?' asked Harry. 'No,' said Ron seriously. 'I mean we should tell them to get out. We don't want any more Dobbies, do we? We can't order them to die for us -'" And here we see Ron giving more of a shit about house elves than Hermione has this whole book.
Harry yelling at Ron and Hermione kissing during a war has me snorting and laughing! HahA!
Ooh, Crabbe's done listening to Draco, eh? Bad guy team falling apart is always fun.
"...but Harry wheeled in the air. His glasses giving his eyes some small protection from the smoke." Anybody who wears glasses knows they don't protect your eyes from shit.
"'IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!' roared Ron's voice...'" I thought that was the funniest thing in the world when the film came out.
"Malfoy was screaming and holding Harry so tightly it hurt." FINALLY! That's definitely further than Ginny's ever gotten with him.
Ughhhh the fact and the way the chapter ends with Fred's death. And of course he dies telling a joke because almost every line he's said in this series has been a joke.
And I just realized during this reading that Fred is the first friend/ally death in the Battle of Hogwarts that we and Harry witness and the 2nd death witnessed after Crabbe. Never noticed that because I always just kind of jumbled all the Battle of Hogwarts deaths into one pile.
Oh shit Fred might actually be the first person Percy and Hermione saw die period(Crabbe died out of site). And I can't believe I missed it when it happened but I think Wormtail was the first person Ron saw die, his own old rat.
"He was confident that the boy would not find the diadem..." Uhhhh I have some news for you, Voldy.
"'Go and fetch Snape.' 'Snape, m-my Lord?' 'Snape. Now. I need him. There is a - service - I require from him.'" ...................👀. Damn, Lord Thingy, I didn't know you swung that way.
"Dean made the most of the Death Eater's momentary distraction, knocking him out with a stunning spell; Dolohov attempted to retaliate and Parvati shot a Body-Bind curse at him." Love that we get to see other members of the DA fuck people up too.
"'How - how're we going to get in[the Whomping Willow]?' panted Ron. 'I can - see the place - if we just had - Crookshanks again -' 'Crookshanks?' wheezed Hermione, bent double, clutching her chest. 'Are you a wizard, or what?'" Omggggg callback to the Devil's Snare bit in book 1!
"The tunnel was low-ceilinged: They had to double up to move through it nearly four years previously; now there was nothing for it but to crawl." Um, didn't four grown men walk through that tunnel without having to crawl that four years ago?
Twenty something years ago James saved Snape from Lupin the werewolf in the Shrieking Shack, now Snape is killed by Nagini, another vicious creature, in this same shack.
"'Look... at... me...' he whispered." Of course, there's a great number of reasons Snape might've wanted to look into Harry's eyes before dying. The film left no room for wonder by going with the whole "you have your mother's eyes" thing but here there's no clear answer. Perhaps to see Lily's eyes again, maybe, to look at the boy he was about to send to death on someone else's orders, to not feel alone while he died, to finally be "seen" for once in his life. Eye contact is required for mind reading so maybe he wanted to look at something in Harry's memory, Lily in the Mirror of Erised, perhaps. But Harry would've seen the memory come up too so I really don't know.
Also another chapter ending with a significant death.
"It could only be an hour or so from dawn, yet it was pitch-black." Uhh no, it was JUST midnight. I don't believe for a second that more than 2 hours have passed since midnight.
Hopefully this is the last time I bring up this plot line, but it is very telling what JKR's intentions were with the deaths of Lupin and Tonks by the fact that, other than Mad-Eye, they are the only major character deaths that Harry and the audience don't witness. James and Lily, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, Fred, Snape, Bellatrix. Major character deaths almost always happen in front of Harry because they fit in and are part of the main plot. But Lupin and Tonks die "offscreen" because their deaths are part of a completely different plot that really doesn't fit into the story.
"'Password?' 'Dumbledore!' said Harry without thinking, because it was he whom he yearned to see, and to his surprise the gargoyle slid aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind." Hmm, the final hint to Snape's true nature before the grand reveal.... Ooooor... perhaps Dumbledore set it so that the password would become his name in the event of his death because help will always be given at Hogwarts, not to those who ask for it, but to those who are loyal to him.
I know Harry's mind is preoccupied but I wish we got some small prediction from him over what Snape's memories contain. At least when he looked at SWM, he thought he was going to get answers about the Department of Mysteries.
"Nothing that even Snape had left him could be worse than his own thoughts." Heh... heheh.
"He flapped towards the girls, looking ludicrously batlike, like his older self." Some people don't change much ig.
I also wish we got some of Harry's reactions to the memories as they're happening. You KNOW he'd have a big reaction to Snape knowing his mum and Petunia before attending Hogwarts if the author would only let him.
"'Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?' Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair. 'No,' he said. 'It doesn't make any difference.'" Hmmm, his hesitation shows he does know that it does make a difference to the wizarding world. But, for now, he's choosing for it not to make a difference to him(even though he doesn't like Muggles); perhaps to spare her feelings, or to keep her company, perhaps he wished that it didn't make a difference.
"'Oh yes, they're arguing,' said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing." Stimming. But not autistic or ADHD stimming, traumatic childhood stimming.
"'Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban.'" Yooooo "They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban." Is word for word what Petunia said at the start of Book 5. I knew she was talking about what she heard Snape telling Lily but I didn't realize she quoted him word for word! That's awesome.
Just as we get reveals for Snape's character, so too do we get small reveals for Petunia, who begged to attend the "special school for freaks".
You know Harry had to be INVESTED in the Lily and Snape story to not even notice his father and Sirius sitting in the train compartment until they speak up.
And naturally it was James who started the animosity with Snape, who definitely didn't hesitate to continue it.
I wonder why Snape and the author included the Sorting scene in the memory sequence. It really doesn't add anything new that Harry and the audience didn't already know. We know Lily was in Gryffindor and Snape was in Slytherin. The only new information we get was that Lucius Malfoy was Snape's prefect. And if that's the point, why not show a different scene of Lucius putting ideas in Snape's little boy head or something? Idk.
See, the thing about a plot twist is, in order for it to be a truly great plot twist, it needs to, not only be surprising, but it also needs to make the plot suddenly make complete sense rather than just coming out of nowhere for the sake of coming out of nowhere. And I know, in this series' heyday, a lot of us considered The Prince's Tale to be one of the greatest plot twists of the century. But now, as an adult and a practiced story writer, it's more clear that it falls into coming out of nowhere for the sake of coming out of nowhere. I mean, realistically, why has NO ONE brought up Snape and Lily's friendship to Harry before? Their friendship wasn't a secret. Probably not as iconic as the "rivalry" between Snape and the Maurauders, but no more of a secret. We understand why Dumbledore and Snape wouldn't but Sirius and Lupin could've, McGonagall knew, Slughorn knew, Hagrid surely knew and we all know his knack for keeping secrets. And, yes, there were points in the story where said friendship would've been relevant to bring up, but the only reason it wasn't was for the sake of the twist. The closest we get to their relationship being mentioned to or in front of Harry is Petunia's sudden memory of their conversation she heard. Sure, it explains the doe Patronus and how the sword got in the forest where they happened to be and what happened to the rest of Lily's letter but those are all small, less significant pieces to the story. Harry being a Horcrux is a terrific plot twist because it explains sooo much and Harry having to die makes it an even greater twist, but the story, and I reckon the audience, puts a lot more into the Snape and Lily part. Like, The Prince's Tale is kind of on the same level of plot twist as "Sirius was framed and the Potters betrayed by Pettigrew who is Ron's pet rat btw" at the end of Book 3. Still, I suppose it's still a good plot twist for a series meant for children, but I guess we've outgrown the ability call it one of the best.
"'If she means so much to you,' said Dumbledore, 'surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?'" Dear GOD! I see so much of people, mostly Snape haters, bringing up how terrible it is that Snape would make that request but why does no one, not even Anti-Dumbledorians, bring up that Dumbledore suggested it? Dumbledore, the man who, according to Hermione, "loves Harry".
"'I have - I have asked him -' 'You disguest me,' said Dumbledore." You brought it up, BITCH!
"'Hide them all, then,' he croaked. 'Keep her - them - safe. Please.' 'And what will you give me in return, Severus?'" Dumbledore is not a good man. Dumbledore will not keep a family safe for the sake of it. Dumbledore will not keep a baby marked for death safe for the sake of it. Dumbledore will not keep two of his most loyal soldiers safe without a price. The price? Snape's unwavering loyalty. The man just begged you to protect his greatest nemesis and you want more from him? Dumbledore is not a good man. He sees the opportunity for Snape to be forever in his debt and he takes it, just like he did with Hagrid.
"'Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans' eyes, I am sure?'... 'I wish... I wish I were dead...' 'And what use would that be to anyone?' said Dumbledore coldly. 'If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear.'" You see how he manipulates? That's classic manipulation. He doesn't give a fuck if Snape or James or Lily die. As long as Snape is useful, he needs him alive. He only cares that Harry lives because it will one day be Harry's turn to be useful to him. It's all just a game of chess to him.
"'And if it does fall into his grasp,' said Dumbledore, almost, it seemed, as an aside, 'I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?' 'Snape gave a stiff nod." Ooooh proof he was protecting more than just Lily's son.
"'Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter -' 'But this is touching, Severus,' said Dumbledore seriously. 'Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?'" Did you catch that? Redirection. No denial, no justification. Just a deflection of what he's been doing like the high-functioning sociopath he is.
Also, Snape, though I love your poetic phrasing, the proper term would be "grooming a child for death".
Hermione's argument throughout this book has been that Dumbledore loved Harry, as if loving someone makes it impossible for them to hurt them. In fact, it is often the people we love the most who are the most capable of hurting us. Parents absolutely do harm and kill their children even while still loving them. Hermione is lucky not to be able to understand that but she is incredibly naive.
"From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe;" But why does Snape's patronus being a doe mean he loves Lily? I mean when you actually think about it, narratively, what does a doe have to do with Lily? There was not one thing in the series that associated Lily with does. The series never states that her Patronus is a doe, nobody ever compares her to a doe, when Harry sees the doe in the forest, he never once thinks it has anything to do with his mother. Other than being married to the stag, there is not one single thing in the series that connects Lily to a doe. See my above paragraph about plot twists need to make the plot make more sense. Payoff without the setup.
Snape confunds Mundungus to suggest the seven Potters to the Order but I'm surprised Mad-Eye didn't raise an eyebrow at the uncharacteristicly clever idea of Dung's.
I love that Snape included his accidental cutting off George's ear. Like, "My bad! So sorry about that one!" lol. I wonder if, when it happened, Snape's internal monologue was just "shit shit shit shit shit fuck fuck shit fuck fuck..." for the next nine months.
I love how the narrator continually focuses on Harry's heart beats after coming out of the Pensieve. That really feels so accurate to be focused on your heart when you know you're about to walk straight to your death.
"Dumbledore's betrayal was almost nothing." Aha! Harry is aware Dumbledore has betrayed him. Unfortunately, he minimizes the betrayal and then gets to rebuddy up with Dumbles again in the afterlife so Harry, regrettably, forgives him enough to name his son after him. Smh.
Also feels accurate that Harry should have a million thoughts regarding his death before even leaving the room.
"now, Neville would take Harry's place: There would still be three in the secret. 'Just in case they're - busy - and you get the chance -' 'Kill the snake?' 'Kill the snake,' repeated Harry." I love this. Know why I love this? Because, for once in his life, Harry is disobeying Dumbledore's orders. And that one disobey pulls them all to victory.
Unfortunately, Harry is also acting a lot like Dumbles here: giving instructions without giving the reason, keeping the big plan a secret. But we know Harry, Harry doesn't groom or betray. Dumbledore might give his own life and the life of other individuals for the greater good but Harry will give his life and the greater good for the lives of nearly every individual, from house elves to a man who betrayed his family and tried to kill him to the numerous people who have spent years bullying him. If he sees even a sliver of goodness, remorse, growth, or bravery, he will protect them, fight for them, sit beside them as they die. He may become the next Dumbledore, but Harry will be balanced, Harry will never send a life into Death's arms unless it is his own or someone as evil, heartless, and unforgivable as Voldemort.
"Hogwarts was the first and best home he had known. He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here." At last he includes Snape.
"He closed his eyes and turned the stone over in his hand three times." Now, here is where I talk about Harry's true power; the power he has that the Dark Lord knows not, the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. Not love. Oh no no no no. No, Harry's power is that he is the true Master of Death, and not just through the Deathly Hallows as Xeno told us. Harry is the only known person to survive the Killing Curse, he is the only known person to properly return from the dead, he is the only person to have possessed all three of the Deathly Hallows, the very last person to possess 2 of them, the only known human to have had two souls inside him, the only known human to be used as a Horcrux, the one person who has survived while faced with Voldemort multiple times, he not only survived a basilisk encounter, but slayed the beast too, not only escaped Quirrell with the stone, but fucking murdered the man, destroyed Voldemort's very first Horcrux without even knowing that's what he was doing, he's faced and survived against dragons, achromantulas, sooo many dementors, a rogue bludger, a jinxed broom, blast-ended skrewts, and so many Death Eater encounters. He's a survivor and he is the master of death.
And while Voldemort has spent nearly 3/4 of a century running from death and trying to master death, Harry masters it entirely by a series of chances.
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 0 · which unlocked the Resurrection Stone to him which he used which made him the one true Master of all three of the Deathly H
Dumbledore isn't among the dead who appear before Harry through the stone because he will be there to greet Harry on the other side and Fred isn't there because he'll be with his own family. But does Dobby not being there mean house elves go somewhere else after death? Or, perhaps, Dobby is a free elf, free to be everywhere at once even if his friend Harry Potter cannot see him.
"'I didn't want any of you to die,' Harry said. These words came without his volition. 'Any of you. I'm sorry -'" It is true that so many of the major deaths happen in Harry's defense. From his parents to Sirius to Mad-Eye to Dobby. And now it's Harry's turn to die for the defense of the ones he loves, no more will people have to die protecting him.
It's weird that ghosts can't see him through the Cloak but they can.
"'You cannot despise me more than I despise myself.' 'But I don't despise you -' 'Then you should,' said Dumbledore." He's right, Harry.
"'I, meanwhile, was offered the post of Minister of Magic, not once, but several times. Naturally, I refused. I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power.'" The master of the school through which every magical child in the nation will attend is an arguably far more powerful position than the Minister. The Minister has all sorts of regulations and bureaucracy to hold him in place.
"He did not stir, but remained exactly where he had fallen, with his left arm bent out at an awkward angle and his mouth gaping." Ugh I've always hated playing dead or being completely silent or still scenes. I could stay perfectly silent and still consciously but what if I sneeze? What if I need to itch? What if I twitch? Euugh..
"...he understood. Narcissa knew that the only way she would be permitted to enter Hogwarts, and find her son, was part of the conquering army. She no longer cared whether Voldemort won." I love that Harry understands this right away. It shows how he's matured despite never having been a mother nor having one of his own for long.
Returned from the dead Harry can't feel the Cruciatus Curse? What? Is that because he's the master of the Elder wand or..?
"'And the glasses - put on the glasses - he must be recognizable -'" Voldemort? More like My Girl.
"'NO!' The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound." 💔
Ugh, Harry slipping under the Cloak instead of leaping to his feet in front of everyone is way less satisfying.
See, Neville pulling the sword from the hat here raises the question of what happened to Griphook and at what point did the sword leave him? It hasn't even been 24 hours since they escaped Gringotts. That's why another choice I like in he film is they show Griphook bit the dust after Gringotts and the sword vanishes from his cold dead hands.
"And now there were more, even more people storming up the front steps and Harry saw Charlie Weaseley..." AYYYYEEE he didn't miss out!
Damn everyone remembers Voldemort fighting McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn at once but no one ever talks about Hermione, Ginny, and Luna taking on Bellatrix before Molly steps in.
After Nagini and Bellatrix's deaths, what exactly is Voldemort's plan? I mean, even if he did kill Harry, he's out of Horcruxes, his most loyal soldier has fallen, the Malfoys have pretty much switched sides. I guess if he killed Harry, he'd be master of the Elder Wand so I guess he could kill whoever. I'm just wondering if he would still do the whole join me or die thing.
"'You dare-' 'Yes, I dare,' said Harry." Ohhhh he sassssy!
"'Snape's Patronus was a doe,' said Harry, 'the same as my mother's.'" Not ONCE in this entire series is it stated, shown, hinted at, or implied that Lily has a doe Patronus. I have just read this whole series and I was actually looking for and anticipating where it's said that her Patronus is a doe and it never came up before Snape showed his Patronus. Lily's own Patronus never even comes up until this very line. Heck, I just did a search of every book and the word 'doe' never even appears until the chapter title The Silver Doe. And, like I said, not even Harry thought that doe had anything to do with his mother.
"'Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true Master of the Elder Wand.'" *Insert Law and Order musical beat of shock*
Also there's probably a few people listening to this conversation who've never even heard of the Elder Wand and the rest of the crowd is probably like "Elder Wand? You mean from that kid's story? Is that real?"
It is beautiful that for their final duel, neither are using their own wand.
"'I've had enough trouble for a lifetime.'" For fucking sure.
"Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple... and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air." WhAt? Has this woman ever touched grass? In what world is the 1st of September cold enough to give you fog breath in London? I live in a part of the world that is definitely colder than London, not Russia or Alaskan cold but I've seen a fair bit of snow in October, but I have never once seen a cold September 1st. Windy? Rainy? Sure, it's possible. But cold? Never.
"Harry thought he heard Percy discouraing loudly on broomstick regulations..." Wait wait what??? Uhh, several questions I have and there is no further elaboration here. Is Percy a conductor? Or a regulator person of some sort? Or is he just there seeing off his kids and being a Karen to other people?
"'Parked alright then?' Ron asked Harry. 'I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner.'" Omg Harry and Ron both have driver's licenses everybody get the fuck off the road!
I know Albus Severus is a dumb name but it's only there as a quick demonstration of how much Harry has forgiven Snape. But, yeah, Rubeus Fredrick Potter would've been better.
It definitely shows the author's age and boomer-esque values when her story's happy ending is to have all the good guys end up in nuclear marriages with children. Like she can't imagine someone(especially a girl) growing up and NOT getting married and having children. I mean Charlie is the only known character around Harry's age who lives through the war and does neither. I just think Tonks, Ginny, Harry, Luna, Dudley are all characters that, to me, would make more sense to be child free than starting a family. Let Luna travel the world, studying and discovering Fantastic Beasts with her husband, let Harry settle into a quiet life of healing after nearly two decades of pure trauma, let Ginny play professional Quidditch for a decade or two. This is 19 years later and if James Sirius is two years older that Albus Severus then that means he's 13, which means he was born 6 years after the war and the Wiki said Ginny started playing for the Holyhead Harpies in the early 2000s before having kids, which means she only played professionally for a maximum of 4 years and she started her family with Harry at an incredibly young age for a millennial.
This particular book also leaves a LOT of loose ends untied. I know the whole focus is Harry and the war against Lord Thingy but the book introduced a lot of situations that were given little to no resolve. What happened to Kreacher after they escaped from the Ministry? Was he tortured and questioned or did he get away on his own? He wasn't given any orders from his master yet he somehow ended up back in the Hogwarts kitchens with the other elves? What happened to Umbridge? Did Kingsley make sure she was finally removed from her position after he became Minister? What about Draco's wand? Harry has his own wand back now so did he return Draco's? Or is Draco's still loyal to Harry and therefore unusable by Draco? What happened to Griphook? Did he return to his job at Gringotts? Did Xenophilius go back to writing about crazy theories or did he continue praising Harry in the Quibbler? What about Lavender Brown? It was unclear whether she was alive after her attack from Fenrir so is she dead or disabled or a werewolf or werewolf-like like Bill is? Is adult Harry living at Grimmauld Place with his little family or did they buy their own house? Yeah I know we're not meant to know or we were meant to go find further lore on Pottermore or whatever but I like getting ALL the details within the main story.
In conclusion, I can see why the formulation for this story took off so much, especially the first book. And there really wasn't one book that stood out as being significantly worse than the rest but I do know which ones were the most and least enjoyable. Book 5 certainly felt like it dragged on and on and on and almost the entire thing was just finding new ways to make Harry more and more miserable from start to finish. I believed Book 4 was the best when I was a tween and I stand by that now. There's just so much exciting stuff going on in that book, the world really expands with the introduction of other magical schools, the formula is different so there's bigger challenges than just another year of Quidditch and exams and a mystery to solve, there's anxiety and romance and crushes and jealousy and triumph and trauma and grief. And I stand by that none of the couples are well written, not even the established married couples. Sure, Molly and Arthur's marriage definitely feels the most real but there were a couple of little moments where even (please don't kill me) Molly felt a little toxic as a wife and mother, not significantly, there were just a couple moments where the nagging mother/wife thing went a littttttle too far.
Well, if you've read through ALL of this, fucking thank you. I know it was a lot and you didn't have to as I was just making notes at the void. But I do appreciate it. Byyyyeee!
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