Just thought I'd add my own two cents...

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

A little late to the party but enjoying every minute of it. I was thinking of Harry Potter plot holes and similar and suddenly I came across this little list online, and was amazed at how well it fit some of the complaints you guys make.

The list itself is criticizing another fantasy series by an unrelated author and so it may not be entirely compatible with Harry Potter, but most of the items on it are. A few of the juiciest items on the list are recapped below, but feel free to visit the original list to see if there’s anything I might not have mentioned.

*The Hero must not know jack shit about how the real world works. Instead he must rely completely on his mentors to tell him things and never question what they tell him. This is so that the reader can learn about things as he does in massive info-dumps.

Do I need to say more?

Evil is Evil. Good is Good. If someone is designated evil, then no matter what they do, it will be evil. If someone is designated good, then no matter what they do it will be good.

It’s Okay If A Gryffindor Does It, anyone?

The Hero is the only one who can save the world. If he doesn't it's DOOOOOMM!!

That’s why everyone sits around waiting for Harry to succeed rather than aiding the war effort on their own!

The Hero is the only one who fits the Prophecy. There must be a prophecy. Preferably with things like Chosen One, Prophecy, Future of the World Depends on It, Ancient Evil and Dark Lords.

Well, technically Neville fits the prophecy as well, but everything else checks out!

There must be a slave that the Hero frees who will become instantly loyal to him

Oh, hello, Dobby!

*Characterization is over-rated. In fact it's not needed at all. Stereotypes are all you need.

See Voldemort, personality and backstory!

The Hero is more important than anyone. Any other events that happen in his vicinity that would be potentially more interesting should be ignored in favor of whatever he's doing.

Much of DH is composed of this.

The climax doesn't have to be at all climatic or satisfying as long as the Hero looks good or does something impossible. Better if he does both.

The end of DH, oh, dear God, the end of DH!

That's about all I was planning on writing but you should check out the list and see for yourself just how well it fits here!

Comments

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

"Harry nearly killing Draco with the Sectumsempra Curse with no repercussions (Draco tried to throw the Cruciatus Curse at him first, he deserved it!),"

Just a thought, but would Draco actually have been able to Crucio Harry in that scene? Bellatrix said that someone casting it needs to enjoy causing pain in others, and Draco struck me more as "frightened and panicky" than "taking sadistic pleasure in Harry's sufferings", at least during this scene. I suppose he might conceivably be able to knock Harry down like Harry does to Bellatrix in OOTP, but probably nothing more than that.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

I don't think Draco would have been able to do it, but for those who don't like him, they can just say that it was the intent that mattered. Draco *intended* to try and use the Cruciatus Curse, while probably knowing full well what it does, so his action was reprehensible (even though Harry tried the same thing in OotP). I think that JKR had Draco cast it just to show that hey, in case you forgot, he's on the Dark Side! Look at how evil he is!

But I think that sistermagpie was right in her commentary on that scene about how Harry and Draco's reflexive readiness to use that spell really diminishes the meaning of the Cruciatus Curse. If it's just a spell that anyone can try to throw at random in a fit of rage, then it really doesn't seem all that intense or important. The way that Bellatrix described it and Fake!Moody demonstrate it suggested that it was a Dark spell performed coolly and deliberately. And earlier commentators on DH were right in saying that by Bellatrix's definition, Draco really shouldn't have been able to cast it when Voldemort forced him to use it. After all, he showed all signs of *not* enjoying the pain that he caused in his victim.