Deathly Hallows, chapter 7

[anehan]

The Will of Albus Dumbledore

* In my memory, before this re-read, DH consisted of the wedding, three hundred pages of sitting in a tent, and the final showdown. I'd completely forgotten all this blather I would have to get through to get to the bloody wedding. Alas.

* Now I know why Dumbledore didn't insist Harry continue his Occlumency lessons after OotP. If he'd mastered Occlumency, we'd have no way of knowing what Voldemort was up to in DH.

* Are we supposed to be as clueless as Harry about who this Gregorovitch is? Because fandom knew his identity the moment his name was mentioned.

* "'No,' said Harry. 'I'm definitely not thinking of Gorgovitch.'

'I try not to, either,' said Ron."

Wow, Ron is actually funny! If only he'd be allowed to be this delightfully snarky, I might actually like him.

* Ron's present for Harry is something I'd expect from 14-year-old boys. Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches, indeed.

* "It's not all about wandwork." *tries to get her mind out of the gutter* What did I say in the last chapter? JKR likes almost-sexual jokes.

* Actually, in a world that has love potions, the book's title isn't in the least bit funny.

* There's something a bit repulsive about Hermione's mother-act, but I guess someone's got to prepare the Trio for their upcoming tenting expedition, since Harry and Ron don't seem to concern themselves with any preparations.

* Looking at Ginny is like gazing into a brilliant light. And in HBP, she has a hard, blazing look on her face. What's with all this imagery? Has her fiery red-headedness put her permanently on fire?

* Harry thinks it's wonderful that Ginny was rarely weepy. That's right, let's not inconvenience Harry with girls who have actual emotions. The Chosen One's chosen one must exist merely to support him. Any independent thought, act or emotion is to be frowned at.

* Kissing Ginny is better than Firewhisky. When has Harry tasted Firewhisky?

* Ginny isn't allowed to cry, but Harry can get as maudlin as he chooses. Buck up, you prat. Ending a short teenaged love affair isn't a tragedy of Shakespearean propotions.

* Lupin looks unhappy whereas Tonks looks radiant. What a lovely marriage they have. It's quite clear whose wish getting married was.

* I hate hate hate what JKR did to Lupin in this book. PoA!Lupin wouldn't have worn his emotions in his sleeves. And why, oh why did he let Tonks badger him into marrying her when he so clearly didn't want it? I hate wimpy Remus. Grrrrr.

* Wizards have oil lamps. Just noting.

* Dumbledore could have passed the objects he left to the Trio to them at any time during the past six years. Instead, he prefers to give them in a fashion that is quaranteed to get the Ministry's attention. He just loves to be mysterious, does Dumbledore.

* Actually, he could have just told the Trio what they needed to know. Of course, in that way the book would have been about the lenght of Philosopher's Stone. Instead, we got three hundred pages of the Trio sitting in a tent.

* I thought the Deluminator was called the Put-Outer in PS/SS.

* Was there anything about Snitches having a flesh memory in Quidditch throught the Ages? I can't remember.

* Frankly, I agree with Scrimgeour that the sword of Gryffindor was not Dumbledore's to give away.

* Harry says Voldemort chased him across three counties. Does anyone else think that unrealistic? Surely the chase wasn't that long.

* I really, really don't like this Ministry vs. Harry set-up. They should be co-operating, not fighting each other. I know I'm supposed to take Harry's side here, but IMO both Harry and Scrimgeour are being extremely childish.

* Maybe JKR had to set the Ministry up as another villain because Voldemort was such an ineffectual one.

* Even the Trio, much as they adore Dumbledore, agree with me that it was a tad curious of Dumbledore not to give the sword et al. when he was alive.

* Ron's a bit of an idiot for expecting Harry and Hermione to have heard wizarding children's tales. But then again, that's just par for the course.

* I would love to get my hands on The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Imagine how much you could learn about the Wizarding World by reading children's stories.

* Thank god it's over. Next week, the wedding! Maybe something will finally start to happen. (I won't hold my breath, though.)



Atomic Grenade:
Harry vs. Scrimgeour. And Harry has a hole in his shirt to prove it.

Box Picture:
Rufus Scrimgeour is The Designated Villain.

IITS:
Why didn't Dumbledore give the sword etc. when he was alive? I know, IITS!

Light Bulb Moment:
Harry desperately needs one to solve the mystery of the Snitch. It ain't coming, though.

"Watermelon, watermelon, cantaloupe, cantaloupe":
Happy birthday, Harry!

Whooshing Powder:
And Scrimgeour is gone.

Final score: 6. Or is it 4, since the Light Bulb Moment is a negative one?

Comments

[t0ra-chan.livejournal.com]

Wow, Ron is actually funny! If only he'd be allowed to be this delightfully snarky, I might actually like him.

This is one of the things I like about Ron. Too bad JKR constantly has to counter it by making Ron act moronic. One would think that someone that can come up with witty stuff like that wouldn't be that stupid.

* Kissing Ginny is better than Firewhisky. When has Harry tasted Firewhisky?

Two chapters earlier when Moody died, they all drank some. Because that's what wizards always do when something upsets them: go to the bottle. I'm surprised the wizarding world isn't full of alcoholics. Or maybe it is, it sure as hell would explain a few things.

* Harry thinks it's wonderful that Ginny was rarely weepy. That's right, let's not inconvenience Harry with girls who have actual emotions. The Chosen One's chosen one must exist merely to support him. Any independent thought, act or emotion is to be frowned at.

I thought it was funny that a few paragraphs after Harry thinks that Ginny gets, guess what, weepy. And not even for a good reason as far as I can tell.

* Was there anything about Snitches having a flesh memory in Quidditch throught the Ages? I can't remember.


Nope, there wasn't. It's just another thing JKR pulled out of her ass just so she could hide the ring in it, but still have Harry know that something is inside. Never mind if they had it for the reasons explained in DH, every single Quidditch game would need a new snitch.

* Ron's a bit of an idiot for expecting Harry and Hermione to have heard wizarding children's tales. But then again, that's just par for the course.

I don't know, it might have been expecting too much in PS, but they have been in the WW for six years by now, so they could have heard about them. Especially Miss Hermione "I read the whole Hogwarts library" Granger.

[sunnyskywalker]

Has her fiery red-headedness put her permanently on fire?

She's HOT, get it? It's like, a really subtle metaphorical connection! Only without the subtlety.

And why, oh why did he let Tonks badger him into marrying her when he so clearly didn't want it?

Actually, I don't think JKR gave us enough clues to figure out whether Lupin loves Tonks or not. I mean, he almost ate some kids a few years back and has been hanging out with Greyback lately, so I could understand him freaking out and then wanting to protect his loved ones by leaving. It seems like his normal modus operandi. He also seems to try not to get close to anyone new when possible, so resisting Tonks might have nothing to do with Tonks herself. But who knows? The whole subplot is so sketchy that it could be anything. One of the cut scenes from OotP was supposed to have Tonks and Lupin in Hogsmeade; I suspect all the scenes that would make the subplot work got cut.

Dumbledore could have passed the objects he left to the Trio to them at any time during the past six years. Instead, he prefers to give them in a fashion that is quaranteed to get the Ministry's attention.

If he absolutely couldn't give them to the Trio before because... um, let's just assume there' a good reason... why couldn't he pass them to Bill to hide in Harry's Gringotts vault with a note explaining everything? Oh, wait, he must have been afraid the Goblins would want the sword back. Still, he could have left a lot more useful things that way (Horcrux books, Pensieve and memories, maps, books of useful spells, kitchen sink...). I thought he was supposed to be smart.

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

For that matter *why* was it necessary to set up the Scrimgeour administration as Evil Lite? I mean, it's not like it turned out ever being *used* for anything. Instead we have old Rufus being set up as Worst Minister Evar, and then we get slipped the info that he died refusing to pass information against Harry. WTF?

I mean really, I don't think she was even working from an outline by that point.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

* Harry says Voldemort chased him across three counties. Does anyone else think that unrealistic? Surely the chase wasn't that long.

The narrowest parts of Gerrymandered counties where they meet at a point near a fourth, crossed on supersonic brooms.

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

Voldie and Harry are equally stubborn it seems. Apparently Voldemort has foolishly passed on his annual Occlumency top-up course, and his mind is now leaking like a sieve. I don’t mind a vision every now and again. At the climax, it was ok to hear Voldemort checking on his horcruxes, and getting closer. It built up tension - questions as to why he flew and didn’t apparate/make port keys can be left to the relevant chapter. Indeed, when he realised the sword was gone, he should have killed the nearest goblin and made a Horcrux and hung it round his neck. (surely it wouldn’t affect him - his own soul?) In fact, first thing in Order, he should have replaced the Diary, but I digress.

The endless communication between Harry and Voldemort throughout the book was so ridiculous that I’d like to nominate it for laziest part of DH, along with ‘Accio Horcrux books’ and the Deluminator.

It was in character for Hermione to do all the work and all the preparation, while the boys sat about mouth breathing, so it didn’t bother me at all. What I didn’t like was her handling their undergarments. A line was crossed. If Ron was, er, earning his keep in *other* ways - if you know what I mean - that’s one thing. But he wasn‘t. So sod him. Did she do Harry‘s as well? *His* skid marks are probably golden, and smell of sherbert lemons, so maybe it would be a nice experience?

While Remus is nice enough, I’m glad I’m not a kerazy fan, otherwise this book is painful, big time. (I like Ron, so I feel for you) Tonks was already in trouble in HBP. I don’t mind her not *bothering* with constant hair colour changes if she’s upset. But it came across as her not being *able* to, which is completely different. What a lot of pigswill. Plus what purpose did all this nonsense serve? Usually character assassination by JKR is to serve the plot, (and the mention in this chapter is irrelevant), or to make Harry look good, which always failed. Damn you woman, get a ghost-writer in why don’t you? You obviously lost it five years ago.

Ginny sucks. At least she would if Ron hadn’t interrupted them. Heh! See JKR, I can do it too! Without doubt the worst character in the series. And I’m including Harry in that.

Put-Outer is a cute name. In the first book it was cool. In DH, it was a pile of ridiculously contrived wet-wipes. Why not skip it, skip the Tolkienesque horcrux mood changes, skip Ron leaving, and leave him some cash instead? That’d cut 50 pages from the ‘Camping Section’ from Hades.

I also think that Scrimgeour is being childish (Harry is firmly in character). That said, a little pip-squeak should be a little more aware that the old git in front of him is the boss of the Aurors, and a good person to have on side. But no, Harry doesn’t want his help - he’s ‘Dumbledore’s man’, through and through (yeah, and he really appreciated *that*, you idiot) and must flounder alone, in long-winded, tent located, boring fashion.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

If he'd mastered Occlumency, we'd have no way of knowing what Voldemort was up to in DH.

And if Voldemort had mastered Occlumency....oh wait, he did master it. And he was shutting Harry out all last year.

Lupin looks unhappy whereas Tonks looks radiant. What a lovely marriage they have.

This marriage was so sadly hilarious to me. I never thought Lupin was gay but in this book I started to think it made sense. Tonks, he's just not that into you. And then he even ends the book with Sirius, finally escaping her in the afterlife.

I thought the Deluminator was called the Put-Outer in PS/SS.

It's a better name (the first one) imo. Also I will never understand how its two abilities are putting out lights and helping you find people if you left them and then regretted it but they're hiding.

I guess the Ministry vs. Harry thing is inevitable because she has to avoid having an actual war while wanting to have one. If this was actually a war the government would be important, as would other people. So instead Harry has to basically have to be better than Churchill too.

Ron's a bit of an idiot for expecting Harry and Hermione to have heard wizarding children's tales. But then again, that's just par for the course.

I was actually surprised at this. Hermione's been the one telling them about stuff like this for books now. Though I guess one could make a case for her skipping anything she'd think of as "kids stuff." Maybe she's supposed to have been the kind of kid who didn't like Muggle fairy tales either and preferred non-fiction. This seems to be the only literature the WW actually has.

[splintercat.livejournal.com]

This chapter was just so frustrating. Why didn't Dumbledore give them the items? Why is the Ministry being such a bitch and why is Harry being such a spoiled brat in response? Lupin and Tonks, why, just why?

And why would wizards have oil lamps? So much of the wizarding world is designed to look vaguely old-fashioned, but JKR clearly hasn't thought through why or what that would mean.

I like Twelve Fail-safe Ways to Charm Witches - it's so typical 17-year-old boy - until I remember that Ron's helping Harry charm Ginny. Which, er. What older brother encourages his friends to date his little sister? Maybe Ron has caught on to the authorial design and figures that Harry gets with Ginny or with Hermione and is trying to cut off the competition.

* I would love to get my hands on The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Imagine how much you could learn about the Wizarding World by reading children's stories.

It seems JKR heard your plea. (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Beedle-Bard-Standard/dp/B001DB0HG2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218866675&sr=8-1) Now can you ask for a rewrite of Books 5-7? And maybe major revisions to Book 4? I'm very excited to get this, even though I know I'll probably be disappointed.

[sunlit-music.livejournal.com]

Looking at Ginny is like gazing into a brilliant light. And in HBP, she has a hard, blazing look on her face. What's with all this imagery? Has her fiery red-headedness put her permanently on fire?

LOL, perhaps her redheadedness has put her permanently on fire. What with all the 'blazing' imagery, I'm surprised Harry hasn't gone blind from looking at her.

If Ginny's 'blazing' look is meant to be positive imagery, I wonder why JKR describes Bellatrix as having a 'blazing' look in DH like Ginny?

* Harry thinks it's wonderful that Ginny was rarely weepy. That's right, let's not inconvenience Harry with girls who have actual emotions. The Chosen One's chosen one must exist merely to support him. Any independent thought, act or emotion is to be frowned at.

Ugh. Harry thinks it's great that Ginny isn't 'weepy'. He can't tolerate Cho crying, even though she was crying because her boyfriend was murdered. And JKR thinks Harry is so full of love? Because it sure doesn't seem like it.

It's infuriating how Harry thinks his girlfriends shouldn't have different opinions or emotions, but he can be as pissy as he likes.

I thought it was funny that a few paragraphs after Harry thinks that Ginny gets, guess what, weepy. And not even for a good reason as far as I can tell.

t0ra_chan: That's a good point, actually. I haven't noticed that before.

Ginny sucks. At least she would if Ron hadn’t interrupted them.

tdotm: Yeah, Ginny was real annoying in the 6th and 7th books (for me anyway. I found her annoying but more tolerable in OoTP). I wouldn't have minded if JKR had made her change gradually and become more outgoing bit by bit, instead of giving her a personality transplant in OoTP. I also wouldn't have minded Ginny so much if she was shown to be truly compassionate and fun, instead of bratty, unfunny and nasty.

(I like Ron, so I feel for you)
I used to like Ron, so JKR's dumbing down of Ron saddens me too. *misses the good old days when Ron was funnier and less stupid in the earlier HP books*

This marriage was so sadly hilarious to me. I never thought Lupin was gay but in this book I started to think it made sense. Tonks, he's just not that into you. And then he even ends the book with Sirius, finally escaping her in the afterlife.

sistermagpie: I know. That marriage was so...*random* and pointless. How did Lupin let himself get pushed into this marriage, and what happened to strong and calm PoA!Lupin?

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

Ron's present for Harry is something I'd expect from 14-year-old boys. Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches, indeed.
I just want to point out that Ron uses the advise on Hermione while Harry does so on Molly. Can one be double-edipal?

What's with all this imagery? Has her fiery red-headedness put her permanently on fire?
No, she's just the incarnation of Gryffindor house - the fire and sun godess. I suppose that's why she is NOT weepy either - too much water would indicate Slytherin (and feminine) aspects, thus rendering her unworthy. Having grown up to be more or less like a boy makes her his ideal girl-friend. And people wonder why Harry is perceived to be gay...
BTW - the comparison with fire-whiskey made me go back to when they drank it, because I didn't remember it to be in any way agreeable. Yep. "Searing his throat, burning feeling into him" - it sounds effective like a slap to the face in case of hysteria, but enjoyable? Imagine spending your wedding-night with the equivalent of getting slapped and punched... but then I am not a Gryffindor, so what do I know about their mating rituals.

All the reasons for ending his relationship...
Which were exactly? Oh, yeah. Plot divise plot divise.

Lupin looks unhappy whereas Tonks looks radiant.
What's so sickening about it is the undercurrant idea that it is always the women who want to marry and the men who get bullied/ tricked into it. Ever seen any divorce statistics, Rowling?

Did that mokeskin pouch ever come in useful with anything, BTW?

Actually, he could have just told the Trio what they needed to know.
Was it ever explained why he did it? I seem to remember Dumbledore waffled something about wanting harry to come to his own conclusions re the Deathly hallows. Mhm. Might have been a good idea to not leave it to pure chance (Viktor and Xenophilus) for him to even hear about them in the first place.

I thought the Deluminator was called the Put-Outer in PS/SS.
JKR did say she wanted the kids to grow up with her books. That#s why she's moved to Latin now.

And don't you just love the joke about people in law don't do anything good in the world? Yes, we get it, Rowling. Politicians and lawyers are EVIL, what with making laws and enforcing them instead of just being ruled by a benign dictator.

[ellecain.livejournal.com]

Actually, in a world that has love potions, the book's title isn't in the least bit funny.

Agreed. I don't see the WW's sexual politics as any more evolved than the Muggle world. The only purpose of introducing that book is making cheap sexual jokes, but it seems to endorse the idea that women are stupid and can be swayed by flattery and compliments. JKR may think Hermione is brilliant but I doubt this is any way to go about proving it to the audience.

Kissing Ginny is better than Firewhisky

WTF? Our Hero just compared his girlfriend to alcohol? Oh wow, that power of love sure runs strong in this one. This is the sort of objectification one would expect in a tv commercial.

*sultry music playing*
Ginny: *walks out in sexy robes*
Harry: *drinks Firewhisky* *then kisses Ginny*
Harry *looks into camera* Firewhiskey: it's almost as good as kissing your girlfriend!

Blech. Ginny is empowered now that she kicks ass! But not empowered enough to be able to have emotions other than those which are convenient to Harry.

Even the Trio, much as they adore Dumbledore, agree with me that it was a tad curious of Dumbledore not to give the sword et al. when he was alive

The problem with JKR writing Dumbledore is that she wants him to be wise and mysterious and give Harry just enough help to allow him to succeed, but this is based on the expectation that Harry will do the rest himself. And given that Harry is the laziest and most ignorant hero in the history of literature, she has to supply the rest by way of ridiculously contrived plot devices that not only undermine the heroism of our hero but make his mentor look either incredibly stupid (or incredibly manipulative depending upon which way you look at it).