Deathly Hallows – Chapter 6
Jun. 17th, 2009 05:27 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockMy apologies about the lateness of this entry. I was without internet access.
The Ghoul in Pajamas
Okay. We’ve had the first big chase scene. We’ve had the obligatory pathos in the shock of Moody’s presence-like death. Time for the story proper to start, right? Right? Start, story, start! (Kicks story) C’mon, start!
Sigh. Okay. Never mind.
The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the days that followed.
I’d like to point out that there are only four days between the chase and Harry’s birthday. Not much time to feel the shock of Mad-Eye’s death which is like a presence. Days so filled with chore activity that the Trio has not even a minute to plan their quest. Or maybe, every time they tried the “shock of losing Mad-Eye” came stumping in like himself to take a swig of firewhiskey.
Ron mentions that the Trace is on Harry until his seventeenth birthday. How does one get the Trace? Is it like that magic book that writes your name down for Hogwarts? Does it extend from all sides of you, like a big plastic bubble, detecting any magic done within its reach? Would anyone really be able to distinguish Harry’s magic from all the other magic happening at the Burrow?
I suppose that the trace might alert people to the fact that Harry is at the Burrow and not someplace else, if it’s tied to him directly. But, don’t they already know about that at the Ministry?
Harry and Ron are having this discussion alone in the kitchen, nevertheless, Ron takes care to mouth the word “Horcruxes.” Oh Ron, so clever when it’s completely unnecessary. So idiotic when it counts!
And, I have to say, the way they are talking makes it sound like a camping trip and not a deadly dangerous quest. You’ll note that Ron and Harry do no thinking about that aspect. No, wait. They don’t do any thinking or planning at all. That’s girl’s work.
Just so we know that they’re alone, we get a rundown of where everyone is. Bill has gone to work. Mrs. Weasley is upstairs waking up Ginny and Hermione (or they are having a slashy threesome), and Fleur has “drifted off to take a bath.” Okay, there’s no point in my noting this, except I find that image of Fleur drifting off for a bath really funny. I’m imagining her floating a few inches off the ground and her hair waving around like Ophelia’s.
Harry looks mutinous when Ron insists he stay for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. The millions of fans reading the book for the first time are on Ron’s side. We want the wedding! We want the wedding! Those reading the book for the second time are with Harry. Get the story started! Get the story started!
Ron warns Harry that Molly is going to asking about their super-secret quest. Lupin and Arthur stopped asking when told that Dumbledore requested secrecy. But mother love apparently trumps old guy eccentricity.
Molly becomes shrill and demanding and Harry immediately notices her resemblance to Ginny. What an odd Mrs. Robinson moment we have there. Perhaps Harry is turned on by shrill, demanding women? You’d think he’d be more attracted to Hermione in that case.
I have to give Molly props though. She’s pointing out all the flaws in Dumbledore’s stupid plan: The Trio are underage and only one of them is competent; there’s an entire organization pledged to help out and they’d aren’t allowed to; and there’s no particular reason that Harry has to do this quest, except that Dumbledore said so.
Thwarted, Molly turns into a Stepford mom, but that is only in order to conceal her clever plan to load the Trio down with chores. Harry suspects that something is up, due, no doubt, to his superior people-reading instincts. But, due to his inferior connecting-the-dots ability, he needs to have Ginny explain it to him.
Harry accidentally lets slip that he’s going off to kill Voldemort and Ginny is shocked—and then totally turned on by the idea of Harry killing someone!
Arthur takes time to explain how the Fidelius Charm changes when the secret-keeper dies. This contradicts JKR’s explanation. Since she changed it, that change ought to be significant. I’m not sure what the significance is, however.
The immediate significance is that the Burrow is now the Headquarters of the Order. Since there is absolutely no page time given to Order activities or planning, that doesn’t seem necessary.
It also means that there’s a worry Snape will tell Voldemort about the location of 12 Grimauld Place. Unless we’re supposed to pick up on the anvil-sized hint about Snape’s loyalties when he doesn’t, I don’t see why we needed to worry about that.
To guard against Snape telling Voldemort Order secrets, Mad-Eye put up a bunch of protective charms. Since we haven’t seen them yet, we’ll pretend that they aren’t totally lame. However, the idea is still totally lame, since the first thing Snape would do if he were evil would be to spill all the secrets he couldn’t due to the Fidelius Charm before he ever got to the Black House.
But I think I’ve finally found the reason behind all this rigamarole. The Order had to be forced to leave their Headquarters so that they wouldn’t inconveniently show up when the Trio are hiding out there and accidentally help them out.
I do have to give JKR credit for juxtaposing UST between Harry and Ginny with trying to use forks and knives to eat chicken without touching elbows. That’s pretty funny.
Bill and Lupin weren’t able to find Moody’s body because of the darkness and confusion of the battle three days ago. Did they try Accio corpse?
Because the body hasn’t been found, they haven’t been able to hold a funeral. This helps explain why there was no funeral for Sirius. It doesn’t, however, explain why wizards have never heard of a memorial service.
Harry wants to know why the Ministry hasn’t called a hearing to prosecute Harry for using underage magic in escaping the Death Eaters. Arthur says it’s probably because they don’t want people to know how powerful Voldemort is. Because people would panic if they knew the Voldemort was powerful enough to not even scratch an underage wizard or accurate enough to miss hitting a freaking big half-giant on a humungous flying motorbike.
It kills me that all the political machinations that are going on between the Ministry, the Death Eaters and the Press basically boil down to giving Harry a hard time. They might as well all be on the same side.
Hearing about Scrimgeour oppressively not arresting him for using underage magic, Harry clenches his fist, showing the “I must not tell lies” scar. Fear his Mighty Fist of Integrity, Ministry pawns!
Ron asks, “Is anyone at the Ministry prepared to stand up to [Scrimgeour]?” Arthur replies: “Of course, Ron, but people are terrified.” Which means, basically, “no.”
Arthur then brings up his belief that Charity Burbage didn’t really resign, and that she hasn’t been heard of for weeks now. Not that anybody has been looking for her, of course. Like they haven’t been looking for Ollivander, either. Apparently nobody ever goes looking for anyone in the wizarding world.
Then again, this is a culture with a Ministry-controlled Floo Netowrk and yet no Floo Directory. How would one even begin to look for a missing person?
Molly tells Ron to clean his room, prompting a bizarre tantrum from Ron. Ron sure is prone to odd anger outbursts towards his family members, isn’t he? What with throwing a knife at George, attacking Ginny for kissing a boy, and now this. This must be where Wifebeater!Ron comes from.
Fortunately, the Trio are able to meet in Ron’s room for that important pre-quest planning meeting. They start by arguing for a page or two about whether or not Moody is really dead. Hermione insists that he couldn’t possibly have survived, then bursts into tears when Ron finally agrees with her.
Although there is a nice moment when Harry feels both sorrow and a desire to laugh at the image of Moody’s corpse (with whizzing eye), the only reason for this whole argument is to get Hermione crying so that Ron can show off his enhanced boyfriend skills by offering Hermione a dirty handkerchief. It’s cute, but I wish it were a bit less contrived getting there.
Also, and I feel like a terrible person saying this, but I don’t reallygive a crap care about Mad-Eye Moody.
By all rights Moody should have come roaring back for the final battle. If you don’t actually see the corpse, then the person isn’t actually dead. It’s practically a rule in action-adventure.
Hermione has prepared for the quest by magically brainwashing her parents into assuming new identities and moving to Australia. I can just imagine her Chocolate Frog card now. Hermione Granger, inventor of magical identify theft.
Ron, on the other hand, has trained the Ghoul in the attic to impersonate him when he disappears. I love how Hermione and Ron’s methods for safeguarding their families so perfectly reflect their psyches. Hermione’s method: Overthought and borderline illegal. Ron’s method: Stupid.
Incidentally, while they are having this conversation, Hermione is sorting her books (much as Harry was sorting his personal items in Chapter 2). This gives us another chance to relive the glory that was the Hogwarts student booklist of six years. We get a short reprise of the Monster Book of Monsters (which comically attacks Ron), Hermione relives her crush on Lockhart by nearly bringing along one of his books, and disses Umbridge by tossing her textbook into the rubbish pile.
Harry feels a strong pull towards visiting Godric’s Hollow. Not just because of his parents, but he feels like he’s going to find some answers there. I wonder if he isn’t channeling Voldemort at this point, because that trip to GH never really does pan out for Harry. It nearly gets him killed. It’s the MoM all over again.
Ron then brings up, out of the blue, R.A.B. and the locket Horcrux, leading to a discussion about destroying them, leading to the interesting revelation that Hermione Accio’ed the forbidden Horcrux books out of Dumbledore’s office. This plot development is so absurd that even Hermione blushes.
She Accio’ed the forbidden books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s office. I wonder, was that in JKR’s Big Plan from the beginning?
Hermione shivers and shakes with fear because Dumbledore might be angry with her for “borrowing” them. Dumbledore. Who is dead. She should be more worried about me, who is alive, being angry at her for this idiotic plot patch.
Note that Harry, the Chosen One charged with destroying the Horcruxes, never even bothers to crack these valuable books open.
Between Hermione’s trembling and Ron’s witty repartee, the Trio infodumps that Horcruxes are evil, the “opposite of a soul” and depend on their containers. If a container is destroyed “beyond magical repair,” then the Horcrux is destroyed.
Is that really so hard? Harry’s mirror was destroyed beyond magical repair by throwing it into a trunk.
Harry makes gallows humor by remarking that in three days they’ll be free of Molly’s chores and “only” have to hunt Horcruxes. Ron laughs until he sees the huge pile of wedding presents to be sorted. Is this because he’s a boy? To me, sorting wedding presents is a pretty easy, fun task. Especially compared to mucking out chicken coops.
Frighteningly, the chapter still isn’t over. The Delacours arrive. The Trio and Ginny stomp resentfully upstairs to comb hair and wash hands. Is JKR trying to make us hate the Trio? Because right now, if the Death Eaters came looking for Harry, I’d be leading the way.
In anticipation of the wedding, the Weasleys have planted Flutterby bushes in their yard. This is the kind of detail that I used to love in the books. Just a random magical thing with no other purpose than to be fun.
I used to feel that way about the gnomes, too. But unfortunately, the gnomes ceased to be a fun, throwaway thing by HBP when we watched one be humiliated, Abu Ghraib-style, by Fred and George. And now, they just keep popping up out like overage child stars, waving their arms and yelling, “Remember us? We used to be cute!”
People can no longer travel directly to the Burrow by magical means, including Portkeys. So, there must have been more wards placed on the house since Harry’s arrival.
Finally the Delacours arrive. They are yet another set of Disney parents. Mon. Delacour is short with a tiny black beard. Madam Delacour is tall, willowy, and blond.
Another Disneyesque feature to the books is the way that all children seem to resemble their same-gendered parent. For example, Fleur and Gabrielle are both blond, although their father has dark hair (unless he dyes it). Ginny is small, like her mother. Ron is tall, like his father. Harry is the spitting image of James (except for the eyes), and Draco is his father in miniature. It’s like when Lady and the Tramp have kids and the girl puppies look like her and the boy puppies look like him.
Ginny hits a new low by expressing territorial jealousy when Gabrielle, an eleven-year-old child, smiles at Harry. But then again, since Ginny was stalking Harry at eleven, I suppose she knows you can’t be too careful.
The Delacours, it soon transpired, were helpful, pleasant guests. I just had to quote that line, because it seems to me that this is the first time Harry has met any new characters that he didn’t find off-putting in some way.
The narrator mentions that Madam Delacour is proficient at household spells and has the oven “properly cleaned in a trice.” Wow. Color me Freudian, but if there is one place I wouldn’t want my house guests poking around and cleaning, it would be my oven.
The Burrow isn’t big enough to fit all their house guests, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are forced to sleep in the sitting room. It’s really a pity that nobody has a magic tent or anything that could be used to accommodate a few people. Or, you know, that rooms can’t magically be enlarged.
Fan Service:
It wouldn’t be a book without plenty of OBHWF!
Remember those student booklists? Here they are again!
The Ghoul finally has a point!
The gnomes. Can’t get enough gnomes.
Fleur’s mom is a MILF and her sister’s pretty hot, too.
Emo!Harry with his Mighty Fist of Integrity!
Fan Slappage:
Gah! The Weasleys are no longer happy! They are psychotic!
She Accio’ed the books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s Office.
DVD Extras:
INT. Night – Sirius Black’s Bedroom
Severus Snape crouches on the floor, tears running down his face as he peruses the magical photograph of Lily, laughing as the infant Harry zooms around the picture on his broom. He slowly tears the photograph in half, throwing away the half of the picture that doesn’t contain Lily.
The tiny figure of Harry continues to zoom in and out of the remaining half. Snape brushes at the image impatiently, as though to chase the child away.
PHINEAS NIGELLUS (off-screen)
Professor! Ahem!
Snape turns around, wiping his face.
SNAPE
Has he finally woken up?
NIGELLUS
Yes. He had to wait. Professor McGonagall was meeting with the Heads of the Houses.
SNAPE
What about—
NIGELLUS
Professor Slughorn was there.
SNAPE
Of course. So, did he give you instructions for me?
NIGELLUS
He wants you to come meet with him as soon as possible.
SNAPE
(beat) He’s aware that I’m wanted for his murder? That I’d be arrested on sight?
NIGELLUS
He said that if Draco Malfoy could break into the castle, you ought to be able to do it.
SNAPE
(with a sigh) Fine.
A CRASH is heard.
SNAPE
(drawing his wand) What’s that?
He moves cautiously out the door.
Cut to:
FRONT HALLWAY
Mad-Eye Moody curses silently as he rubs his good leg. The troll-leg umbrella stand is lying on the ground. Moody waves his wand in an intricate pattern.
MOODY
That ought to do it!
He limps out the front door.
As the door closes behind Moody, Snape appears at the top of the steps. He inches his way down them, his eyes darting to the corner, whirling around at every sound.
Snape reaches the bottom of the stairs and stands there, puzzled. He sees the fallen umbrella stand and studies it, then moves to the door.
He touches the door, then puts his wand away and takes out the picture of Lily from his front pocket. He gazes at the picture as he turns back to the hall.
SNAPE
Oh, Lily…
SPECTURAL VOICE
Severus Snape?
Snape startles at the sound. From the end of the hallway, a ghostly figure appears. It is Albus Dumbledore as a ghost. Snape draws his wand as the figure rushes toward him. As he completes a gesture, the “ghost” reaches him and bursts into a cloud of grey powder completely engulfing Snape.
Coughing, Snape emerges from the cloud, his wand in one hand, the picture in the other. He is covered with several inches of powder. He brushes off the photograph, but the powder sticks to it, ruining the image.
Snape looks upward helplessly.
SNAPE
Grand…
Phineas Nigellus appears in a nearby painting.
PHINEAS
He says to hurry up! He has a completely new plan! It’s even better than the first!l
SNAPE
…Just grand.
Muttering, he opens the door and Disapparates.
FADE OUT
The Ghoul in Pajamas
Okay. We’ve had the first big chase scene. We’ve had the obligatory pathos in the shock of Moody’s presence-like death. Time for the story proper to start, right? Right? Start, story, start! (Kicks story) C’mon, start!
Sigh. Okay. Never mind.
The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the days that followed.
I’d like to point out that there are only four days between the chase and Harry’s birthday. Not much time to feel the shock of Mad-Eye’s death which is like a presence. Days so filled with chore activity that the Trio has not even a minute to plan their quest. Or maybe, every time they tried the “shock of losing Mad-Eye” came stumping in like himself to take a swig of firewhiskey.
Ron mentions that the Trace is on Harry until his seventeenth birthday. How does one get the Trace? Is it like that magic book that writes your name down for Hogwarts? Does it extend from all sides of you, like a big plastic bubble, detecting any magic done within its reach? Would anyone really be able to distinguish Harry’s magic from all the other magic happening at the Burrow?
I suppose that the trace might alert people to the fact that Harry is at the Burrow and not someplace else, if it’s tied to him directly. But, don’t they already know about that at the Ministry?
Harry and Ron are having this discussion alone in the kitchen, nevertheless, Ron takes care to mouth the word “Horcruxes.” Oh Ron, so clever when it’s completely unnecessary. So idiotic when it counts!
And, I have to say, the way they are talking makes it sound like a camping trip and not a deadly dangerous quest. You’ll note that Ron and Harry do no thinking about that aspect. No, wait. They don’t do any thinking or planning at all. That’s girl’s work.
Just so we know that they’re alone, we get a rundown of where everyone is. Bill has gone to work. Mrs. Weasley is upstairs waking up Ginny and Hermione (or they are having a slashy threesome), and Fleur has “drifted off to take a bath.” Okay, there’s no point in my noting this, except I find that image of Fleur drifting off for a bath really funny. I’m imagining her floating a few inches off the ground and her hair waving around like Ophelia’s.
Harry looks mutinous when Ron insists he stay for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. The millions of fans reading the book for the first time are on Ron’s side. We want the wedding! We want the wedding! Those reading the book for the second time are with Harry. Get the story started! Get the story started!
Ron warns Harry that Molly is going to asking about their super-secret quest. Lupin and Arthur stopped asking when told that Dumbledore requested secrecy. But mother love apparently trumps old guy eccentricity.
Molly becomes shrill and demanding and Harry immediately notices her resemblance to Ginny. What an odd Mrs. Robinson moment we have there. Perhaps Harry is turned on by shrill, demanding women? You’d think he’d be more attracted to Hermione in that case.
I have to give Molly props though. She’s pointing out all the flaws in Dumbledore’s stupid plan: The Trio are underage and only one of them is competent; there’s an entire organization pledged to help out and they’d aren’t allowed to; and there’s no particular reason that Harry has to do this quest, except that Dumbledore said so.
Thwarted, Molly turns into a Stepford mom, but that is only in order to conceal her clever plan to load the Trio down with chores. Harry suspects that something is up, due, no doubt, to his superior people-reading instincts. But, due to his inferior connecting-the-dots ability, he needs to have Ginny explain it to him.
Harry accidentally lets slip that he’s going off to kill Voldemort and Ginny is shocked—and then totally turned on by the idea of Harry killing someone!
Arthur takes time to explain how the Fidelius Charm changes when the secret-keeper dies. This contradicts JKR’s explanation. Since she changed it, that change ought to be significant. I’m not sure what the significance is, however.
The immediate significance is that the Burrow is now the Headquarters of the Order. Since there is absolutely no page time given to Order activities or planning, that doesn’t seem necessary.
It also means that there’s a worry Snape will tell Voldemort about the location of 12 Grimauld Place. Unless we’re supposed to pick up on the anvil-sized hint about Snape’s loyalties when he doesn’t, I don’t see why we needed to worry about that.
To guard against Snape telling Voldemort Order secrets, Mad-Eye put up a bunch of protective charms. Since we haven’t seen them yet, we’ll pretend that they aren’t totally lame. However, the idea is still totally lame, since the first thing Snape would do if he were evil would be to spill all the secrets he couldn’t due to the Fidelius Charm before he ever got to the Black House.
But I think I’ve finally found the reason behind all this rigamarole. The Order had to be forced to leave their Headquarters so that they wouldn’t inconveniently show up when the Trio are hiding out there and accidentally help them out.
I do have to give JKR credit for juxtaposing UST between Harry and Ginny with trying to use forks and knives to eat chicken without touching elbows. That’s pretty funny.
Bill and Lupin weren’t able to find Moody’s body because of the darkness and confusion of the battle three days ago. Did they try Accio corpse?
Because the body hasn’t been found, they haven’t been able to hold a funeral. This helps explain why there was no funeral for Sirius. It doesn’t, however, explain why wizards have never heard of a memorial service.
Harry wants to know why the Ministry hasn’t called a hearing to prosecute Harry for using underage magic in escaping the Death Eaters. Arthur says it’s probably because they don’t want people to know how powerful Voldemort is. Because people would panic if they knew the Voldemort was powerful enough to not even scratch an underage wizard or accurate enough to miss hitting a freaking big half-giant on a humungous flying motorbike.
It kills me that all the political machinations that are going on between the Ministry, the Death Eaters and the Press basically boil down to giving Harry a hard time. They might as well all be on the same side.
Hearing about Scrimgeour oppressively not arresting him for using underage magic, Harry clenches his fist, showing the “I must not tell lies” scar. Fear his Mighty Fist of Integrity, Ministry pawns!
Ron asks, “Is anyone at the Ministry prepared to stand up to [Scrimgeour]?” Arthur replies: “Of course, Ron, but people are terrified.” Which means, basically, “no.”
Arthur then brings up his belief that Charity Burbage didn’t really resign, and that she hasn’t been heard of for weeks now. Not that anybody has been looking for her, of course. Like they haven’t been looking for Ollivander, either. Apparently nobody ever goes looking for anyone in the wizarding world.
Then again, this is a culture with a Ministry-controlled Floo Netowrk and yet no Floo Directory. How would one even begin to look for a missing person?
Molly tells Ron to clean his room, prompting a bizarre tantrum from Ron. Ron sure is prone to odd anger outbursts towards his family members, isn’t he? What with throwing a knife at George, attacking Ginny for kissing a boy, and now this. This must be where Wifebeater!Ron comes from.
Fortunately, the Trio are able to meet in Ron’s room for that important pre-quest planning meeting. They start by arguing for a page or two about whether or not Moody is really dead. Hermione insists that he couldn’t possibly have survived, then bursts into tears when Ron finally agrees with her.
Although there is a nice moment when Harry feels both sorrow and a desire to laugh at the image of Moody’s corpse (with whizzing eye), the only reason for this whole argument is to get Hermione crying so that Ron can show off his enhanced boyfriend skills by offering Hermione a dirty handkerchief. It’s cute, but I wish it were a bit less contrived getting there.
Also, and I feel like a terrible person saying this, but I don’t really
By all rights Moody should have come roaring back for the final battle. If you don’t actually see the corpse, then the person isn’t actually dead. It’s practically a rule in action-adventure.
Hermione has prepared for the quest by magically brainwashing her parents into assuming new identities and moving to Australia. I can just imagine her Chocolate Frog card now. Hermione Granger, inventor of magical identify theft.
Ron, on the other hand, has trained the Ghoul in the attic to impersonate him when he disappears. I love how Hermione and Ron’s methods for safeguarding their families so perfectly reflect their psyches. Hermione’s method: Overthought and borderline illegal. Ron’s method: Stupid.
Incidentally, while they are having this conversation, Hermione is sorting her books (much as Harry was sorting his personal items in Chapter 2). This gives us another chance to relive the glory that was the Hogwarts student booklist of six years. We get a short reprise of the Monster Book of Monsters (which comically attacks Ron), Hermione relives her crush on Lockhart by nearly bringing along one of his books, and disses Umbridge by tossing her textbook into the rubbish pile.
Harry feels a strong pull towards visiting Godric’s Hollow. Not just because of his parents, but he feels like he’s going to find some answers there. I wonder if he isn’t channeling Voldemort at this point, because that trip to GH never really does pan out for Harry. It nearly gets him killed. It’s the MoM all over again.
Ron then brings up, out of the blue, R.A.B. and the locket Horcrux, leading to a discussion about destroying them, leading to the interesting revelation that Hermione Accio’ed the forbidden Horcrux books out of Dumbledore’s office. This plot development is so absurd that even Hermione blushes.
She Accio’ed the forbidden books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s office. I wonder, was that in JKR’s Big Plan from the beginning?
Hermione shivers and shakes with fear because Dumbledore might be angry with her for “borrowing” them. Dumbledore. Who is dead. She should be more worried about me, who is alive, being angry at her for this idiotic plot patch.
Note that Harry, the Chosen One charged with destroying the Horcruxes, never even bothers to crack these valuable books open.
Between Hermione’s trembling and Ron’s witty repartee, the Trio infodumps that Horcruxes are evil, the “opposite of a soul” and depend on their containers. If a container is destroyed “beyond magical repair,” then the Horcrux is destroyed.
Is that really so hard? Harry’s mirror was destroyed beyond magical repair by throwing it into a trunk.
Harry makes gallows humor by remarking that in three days they’ll be free of Molly’s chores and “only” have to hunt Horcruxes. Ron laughs until he sees the huge pile of wedding presents to be sorted. Is this because he’s a boy? To me, sorting wedding presents is a pretty easy, fun task. Especially compared to mucking out chicken coops.
Frighteningly, the chapter still isn’t over. The Delacours arrive. The Trio and Ginny stomp resentfully upstairs to comb hair and wash hands. Is JKR trying to make us hate the Trio? Because right now, if the Death Eaters came looking for Harry, I’d be leading the way.
In anticipation of the wedding, the Weasleys have planted Flutterby bushes in their yard. This is the kind of detail that I used to love in the books. Just a random magical thing with no other purpose than to be fun.
I used to feel that way about the gnomes, too. But unfortunately, the gnomes ceased to be a fun, throwaway thing by HBP when we watched one be humiliated, Abu Ghraib-style, by Fred and George. And now, they just keep popping up out like overage child stars, waving their arms and yelling, “Remember us? We used to be cute!”
People can no longer travel directly to the Burrow by magical means, including Portkeys. So, there must have been more wards placed on the house since Harry’s arrival.
Finally the Delacours arrive. They are yet another set of Disney parents. Mon. Delacour is short with a tiny black beard. Madam Delacour is tall, willowy, and blond.
Another Disneyesque feature to the books is the way that all children seem to resemble their same-gendered parent. For example, Fleur and Gabrielle are both blond, although their father has dark hair (unless he dyes it). Ginny is small, like her mother. Ron is tall, like his father. Harry is the spitting image of James (except for the eyes), and Draco is his father in miniature. It’s like when Lady and the Tramp have kids and the girl puppies look like her and the boy puppies look like him.
Ginny hits a new low by expressing territorial jealousy when Gabrielle, an eleven-year-old child, smiles at Harry. But then again, since Ginny was stalking Harry at eleven, I suppose she knows you can’t be too careful.
The Delacours, it soon transpired, were helpful, pleasant guests. I just had to quote that line, because it seems to me that this is the first time Harry has met any new characters that he didn’t find off-putting in some way.
The narrator mentions that Madam Delacour is proficient at household spells and has the oven “properly cleaned in a trice.” Wow. Color me Freudian, but if there is one place I wouldn’t want my house guests poking around and cleaning, it would be my oven.
The Burrow isn’t big enough to fit all their house guests, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are forced to sleep in the sitting room. It’s really a pity that nobody has a magic tent or anything that could be used to accommodate a few people. Or, you know, that rooms can’t magically be enlarged.
Fan Service:
It wouldn’t be a book without plenty of OBHWF!
Remember those student booklists? Here they are again!
The Ghoul finally has a point!
The gnomes. Can’t get enough gnomes.
Fleur’s mom is a MILF and her sister’s pretty hot, too.
Emo!Harry with his Mighty Fist of Integrity!
Fan Slappage:
Gah! The Weasleys are no longer happy! They are psychotic!
She Accio’ed the books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s Office.
DVD Extras:
INT. Night – Sirius Black’s Bedroom
Severus Snape crouches on the floor, tears running down his face as he peruses the magical photograph of Lily, laughing as the infant Harry zooms around the picture on his broom. He slowly tears the photograph in half, throwing away the half of the picture that doesn’t contain Lily.
The tiny figure of Harry continues to zoom in and out of the remaining half. Snape brushes at the image impatiently, as though to chase the child away.
PHINEAS NIGELLUS (off-screen)
Professor! Ahem!
Snape turns around, wiping his face.
SNAPE
Has he finally woken up?
NIGELLUS
Yes. He had to wait. Professor McGonagall was meeting with the Heads of the Houses.
SNAPE
What about—
NIGELLUS
Professor Slughorn was there.
SNAPE
Of course. So, did he give you instructions for me?
NIGELLUS
He wants you to come meet with him as soon as possible.
SNAPE
(beat) He’s aware that I’m wanted for his murder? That I’d be arrested on sight?
NIGELLUS
He said that if Draco Malfoy could break into the castle, you ought to be able to do it.
SNAPE
(with a sigh) Fine.
A CRASH is heard.
SNAPE
(drawing his wand) What’s that?
He moves cautiously out the door.
Cut to:
FRONT HALLWAY
Mad-Eye Moody curses silently as he rubs his good leg. The troll-leg umbrella stand is lying on the ground. Moody waves his wand in an intricate pattern.
MOODY
That ought to do it!
He limps out the front door.
As the door closes behind Moody, Snape appears at the top of the steps. He inches his way down them, his eyes darting to the corner, whirling around at every sound.
Snape reaches the bottom of the stairs and stands there, puzzled. He sees the fallen umbrella stand and studies it, then moves to the door.
He touches the door, then puts his wand away and takes out the picture of Lily from his front pocket. He gazes at the picture as he turns back to the hall.
SNAPE
Oh, Lily…
SPECTURAL VOICE
Severus Snape?
Snape startles at the sound. From the end of the hallway, a ghostly figure appears. It is Albus Dumbledore as a ghost. Snape draws his wand as the figure rushes toward him. As he completes a gesture, the “ghost” reaches him and bursts into a cloud of grey powder completely engulfing Snape.
Coughing, Snape emerges from the cloud, his wand in one hand, the picture in the other. He is covered with several inches of powder. He brushes off the photograph, but the powder sticks to it, ruining the image.
Snape looks upward helplessly.
SNAPE
Grand…
Phineas Nigellus appears in a nearby painting.
PHINEAS
He says to hurry up! He has a completely new plan! It’s even better than the first!l
SNAPE
…Just grand.
Muttering, he opens the door and Disapparates.
FADE OUT
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 01:20 am (UTC)however.
She realized that 12 GP would be hidden from non-Order friends and family, including the precious Potter
babies and their reams of buddies.
Did they try Accio corpse?
How many of Harry's DE victims would have answered?
It doesn’t, however, explain why wizards have never heard of a memorial service.
No, but this does:
Apparently nobody ever goes looking for anyone in the wizarding world.
For all they know, the presumed deceased is just being held prisoner in some rich wizard's basement or off in
Albania searching for Founder artifacts.
How would one even begin to look for a missing person?
Send them an owl. The address on the envelope will magically change to wherever the person is. If they
answer, they're alive. If they give their location, they want to be found. If the owl comes back with singed
feathers, they don't want to be found but there's no use in holding a memorial service quite yet.
Harry feels a strong pull towards visiting Godric’s Hollow. Not just because of his parents, but he feels like
he’s going to find some answers there. I wonder if he isn’t channeling Voldemort at this point, because that trip
to GH never really does pan out for Harry.
Maybe this is when Voldy inserted his snake into Bathilda.
Off-topic somewhat, it seems that Rita Skeeter is the last person we know of who saw Bathilda alive (unless
Rita's also an unregisterd Parselmouth). In a crime series, she would be the first and most obvious suspect.
Gnomes: “Remember us? We used to be cute!”
Could also be said by the heroic trio.
Another Disneyesque feature to the books is the way that all children seem to resemble their same-gendered parent.
Odd. In my family, it seems that the first-born girls have more resemblance to their fathers and the first-born boys to their mothers. The rest are potpourri.
You know, another place where girls and boys have appearance stereotypes is in older children's books. The girls have the delicate blond coloring while the boys have the more rugged brunette (or darker blond) hair and eyes suitable for outdoor activity, unless the boy is very young (Tad in the Dick and Jane series).
But then again, since Ginny was stalking Harry at eleven, I suppose she knows you can’t be too careful.
To be completely fair to Rowling and Ginny, I stalked guys at eleven. I was precocious and preoccupied with sex.
The narrator mentions that Madam Delacour is proficient at household spells and has the oven “properly cleaned in a trice.”
I just wondered about Molly's house-cleaning.
Snape looks upward helplessly.
Just like a decent character caught in a two-bit series-ending epic fail. Love the DVD extra!
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 01:21 am (UTC)We established in CoS that the trace can't tell who in the house is doing magic, didn't we? Harry's at the Weasleys. Shouldn't he be able to do anything he wants?
Yes, Ron and Harry don't plan for a Quest or a camping trip. Hermione packs for both, but unfortunately still can't have a plan because their job is to wait for stupid coded instructions from Dumbledore.
I remember in I think Dan Hemmings' review he said later on this book started to be like the Trio was playing an rpg. "Wait, remember when the gamemaster mentioned that stupid symbol at the wedding and this guy knew what it was? Maybe we're supposed to go there!"
It's nice that we still get a little dig at Fleur's vanity on what I think is her wedding day. Doesn't the poor thing have any girlfriends to be bridesmaids?
As if there's any doubt that Ginny is his ideal mate--she's like a combination of his own mother and his surrogate mother!
Maybe she reminds him of Ginny because he's keeping her out of the important things he's doing.
I hope girls are paying attention to Ginny's reaction to Harry. She's no simple fangirl of Harry's, huh?
God, I think you're right about the reason for that Fidelius stuff. Why on earth does the Order need a headquarters anyway? They finished cleaning it for the Trio and now it's their duty to sit home.
How many bodies were there that they couldn't find Moody? You're right--Accio would have been useful.
LOL! Oh, Harry and his fist, standing up to the entire war--which comes down to slightly annoying him.
Sure nobody's looking for CB, but probably after she's found Arthur will tell everybody how he wanted to. That's just as good.
Note that Ron and Hermione's stupid and cruel (respectively) plans aren't even necessary because Voldemort takes about as much interest in going after them or their loved ones as Harry does in books about Horcruxes.
Madame Delacour cooks and cleans well-so she's obviously a good woman and mother, which is why Fleur turned out to not be bad.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 05:09 am (UTC)Ron mentions that the Trace is on Harry until his seventeenth birthday. How does one get the Trace?
Fortunately I have a whole forest of Epileptic Trees right here in my pocket...
[fanwank mode ON]
The Trace is not a universal thing but is only applied in extreme circumstances. The Ministry put a Trace on Harry during book 5 given that he'd been in trouble for unauthorised magic so many times before and was clearly unstable. It had to be done in secret because Dumbles would have kicked up a fuss if he'd known about it, which is why it has never been mentioned before in the whole series.
This means that Hermione can practise magic in the holidays, and Ron can peel carrots with magic when he's at home, and Harry can feel even more marginalised than he already is. Given that last point I'm shocked (shocked!) that JKR didn't do it this way.
No, wait, that doesn't explain Harry getting in trouble for Dobby's magic at the beginning of book 2! So obviously a Time Turner was involved, and the Trace was probably applied by a mole (possibly Tonks. Er, no pun intended) at the end of book 1 when all the Gryffindors were patting each other on the backs after the House Cup had been cruelly stolen from Slytherin. Then the karmic backlash from restraining the Chosen And Misunderstood One caused all of the time turners to explode once the mole had returned.
[fanwank mode OFF]
Scrimgeour oppressively not arresting him for using underage magic
[waves little "Go Scrimgeour!" flag]
Why would anyone be afraid of Scrimgeour? IIRC he's refused to release someone who's been passing information to the Death Eaters, and made a major miscalculation by approaching Harry as if he were a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor.
I love how Hermione and Ron’s methods for safeguarding their families so perfectly reflect their psyches. Hermione’s method: Overthought and borderline illegal. Ron’s method: Stupid.
And also, "overthought and borderline illegal but stupid" neatly sums up the whole wizarding world :)
I'm torn on the oven issue. On one hand, gross violation of privacy if they haven't asked first; on the other hand, I don't have to do it myself. Hmm...
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 06:49 am (UTC)Ah, those were the happy minutes when we thought there'd BE a story once they got away from the Burrow. Ahahaha...
Ron mentions that the Trace is on Harry until his seventeenth birthday.
So weird. Either this is meant to be the general underage-magic restriction we knew before - then the adult magic at the Burrow would make it impossible for Harry to be detected. Or it's something special they put on Harry specifically - then how did Ron know about it?
She’s pointing out all the flaws in Dumbledore’s stupid plan
It's a sad day when one of the most stupid characters spots the idiocy in the master plan of the story's mastermind...
but that is only in order to conceal her clever plan to load the Trio down with chores
Aagh! Like I said: one of the most stupid characters. Like when she tried in OotP to keep Ginny from talking to Hermione by putting her to bed earlier like a toddler. I've no idea what Rowling wrote that for; it doesn't SEEM as if she tried to make her seem half-witted, but that's exactly how she acts. Hagrid seems borderline genius compared to her.
...Ginny is shocked—and then totally turned on by the idea of Harry killing someone!
Now I understand that HBP kiss! No doubt Ginny had been following Harry and witnessed the sectumsempra scene which got her all hot and bothered.
the first thing Snape would do if he were evil would be to spill all the secrets he couldn’t due to the Fidelius Charm before he ever got to the Black House.
It#s hard to see how he could have got away with it anyway unless you pretend Voldemort didn't know how Fidelius worked. He knew Dumbledore was dead.
She Accio’ed the forbidden books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s office.
One of the moments I felt a strong urge to slap the author in retaliation because it's nothing but offensive towards her readers. So apparently everybody could accio anything from the headmaster's office? The one with the otherwise intricate defence mechanism (as Umbridge was forced to discover)? Or was it Dumbledore being coy, taking down those defence mechanism to enable bright Miss Granger to get the things they needed to destroy the darkest wizard of darkest darkness of all times - the things he could and should have given to Harry all through HBP?
Ginny hits a new low by expressing territorial jealousy when Gabrielle, an eleven-year-old child, smiles at Harry.
But she is French! Can't be too careful with the French. They even take baths without the need to discover egg clues.
The Delacours, it soon transpired, were helpful, pleasant guests.<7i>
I'd say this was some sort of backhanded compliment. Like saying "he was black and smelled really clean".
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 07:27 am (UTC)These summaries almost make me want to reread the book just for the wreck-in-progress fascination of it all. Almost. 'Cause I remember hardly any of the exposition, like:
The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the days that followed.
Is my memory faulty because nobody showed me any behavior that actually looked like shock? Plus, Moody already got his one-sentence mention in the previous chapter. I must have just skipped over this when I read it. It wasn't as if Moody was Dumbledore, who refused to die.
Harry suspects that something is up, due, no doubt, to his superior people-reading instincts. But, due to his inferior connecting-the-dots ability, he needs to have Ginny explain it to him.
In the Trio, is Harry Shaggy and Ron Scooby, or is it the other way around? (Hermione=Velma, Ginny=Daphne, Neville=Fred, Luna=Mystery Machine?)
And, what would these boys do without a woman to think for them?
This contradicts JKR’s explanation. Since she changed it, that change ought to be significant. I’m not sure what the significance is, however.
Could it be... oh, I don't know... the inability to built a consistent fictional world?
Bill and Lupin weren’t able to find Moody’s body because of the darkness and confusion of the battle three days ago. Did they try Accio corpse?
Moody was there all the time, hanging over the house like a presence (on the roof).
Harry wants to know why the Ministry hasn’t called a hearing to prosecute Harry for using underage magic in escaping the Death Eaters. Arthur says it’s probably because they don’t want people to know how powerful Voldemort is.
Or maybe it's because it's the idiot Ministry, which doesn't investigate things like missing or murdered wizards, but instead waits for neatly-wrapped suspects to be delivered by Tom Riddle or Peter Pettigrew. It couldn't be because Scrimgeour is better than he seems to be... noooo.
How would one even begin to look for a missing person?
I think only Deluminators work for that in the magical world. Good thing Ron had one.
Hermione Granger, inventor of magical identify theft.
Hermione Granger, inventor of "out of sight, out of mind" problem-solving. Realistically, unless she charms the whole of Australia or is pretty damned good with forgery, how are her parents going to make a living in this new place when they have no traceable backgrounds or references? Witness relocation seems to require a lot of support. All she thought about was getting rid of them. And how is she going to find them again without a Deluminator?
Ron then brings up, out of the blue, R.A.B. and the locket Horcrux, leading to a discussion about destroying them, leading to the interesting revelation that Hermione Accio’ed the forbidden Horcrux books out of Dumbledore’s office. This plot development is so absurd that even Hermione blushes.
This is because she feels she stole them, even though she said she borrowed them. Only bad people take things when they are desperate for support -- like Snape and the photograph.
...the Trio infodumps that Horcruxes are evil, the “opposite of a soul” and depend on their containers.
Odd that the evil locket makes Umbridge's Super Light Magic Patronus stronger.
The gnomes. Can’t get enough gnomes. ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:04 am (UTC)That's awesome. We've had mandatory detention since 1992 (and we've had wrongful detentions for probably just as long, including mentally ill Australian citizens who have given false names to the authorities), so they'd be more likely to get locked up in a detention centre than to settle down in Perth with all the other British expats.
If I ever get to 1997 in my epic Australian wizarding fic (I've been stuck in 1991 for about two years) the Grangers, I mean Wilkinses, are definitely showing up :)
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:15 am (UTC)They do at least have skills - dentistry isn't covered by Medicare in Australia, so they might be able to find a niche in a small rural community where the locals are willing to turn a blind eye to their lack of official qualifications if it means everyone gets their teeth fixed at mates' rates. But somehow I don't think Hermione thought that far ahead. (And JKR can't even spell Wollongong, so I doubt she thought about it at all. I'm not bitter, honest)
And how is she going to find them again without a Deluminator?
Probably Accio parents. A lot of people will be very surprised.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:57 am (UTC)Erm, okay, if you say so JKR. The only two people that can have any claim to knowing Moody were Molly and Arthur, both of which were busy either at work or with a wedding. Whilst we're on the subject:-
"Also, and I feel like a terrible person saying this, but I don’t really give a crap care about Mad-Eye Moody."
Don't. How can we be expected to mourn a character we barely know? When he showed up in book 4 he wasn't himself, any sightings after that were just glimpses. I felt sadder about blooming Dobby, and that's saying something....
"Ron mentions that the Trace is on Harry until his seventeenth birthday"
Nonsense! IIRC, a senior member of the WW (Dumbledore maybe?), said in a previous book that, whilst kids shouldn't do it, the only times they can trace it are in non-wizarding households, due to all the magic in wizarding ones. Meaning that Harry could go nuts in the Burrow and perform what he liked; the ministry wouldn't know if the person performing it was him or an older member of the Weasley household.
"She Accio’ed the forbidden books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s office"
I actually face-palmed when I read this. There are no words to describe the idiocy of this. On this point, why didn't Dumbledore just give the books to Harry? Or leave them in his will? Too simple? Oh yes, these are wizards we're talking about....
"The Delacours, it soon transpired, were helpful, pleasant guests"
Of course they are! Its their eldest daughter's wedding which, by rights should be held on their territory (well according to British custom anyway). Yet somehow Molly has persuaded them to have the wedding not only in a country which is in a state of war (of sorts) but where they are also hiding one of the wizards most wanted dead by the other side! No, I wouldn't agree to it either. I think, under the circumstances, all the Weasleys could be a little more gracious.
Lastly, I loved the DVD extra. Poor Snape, one wonders if he shoudln't have his own personal raincloud that follows him around, like Charlie Brown? Good grief....
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:59 am (UTC)This made me laugh so much. As a British person I can safely say that many a prejudiced Brit sadly would say stuff like this without them necessarily being wizards.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 11:00 am (UTC)I couldn't agree more!!
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 11:16 am (UTC)We could pretend that Voldy has read Rowling's interviews and as of DHs believes that the secret dies with the SK.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 11:26 am (UTC)Part One
Date: 2009-06-18 12:31 pm (UTC)You get the Trace when your creator has completely lost control of her world and doesn’t know her arse from her elbow. According to the old (and better) rules, Harry's presence should currently be lost amongst a bunch of magically active Weasleys. If this Trace works regardless of whether you use magic, then surely Harry should be on the run by now, or did B*tch Ginny persuade him to return, specifically to ruin Fleur’s wedding?
Why would the Death Eaters wait until the Fall of the Ministry anyway, why not do it the Day after the Seven Potters? Why not attack on Harry’s birthday when there’d be no outsiders and the Weasleys/Order would be less on their guard? They didn’t disguise themselves as guests, so why wait? Is JKR trying to tell us they’d only attack and slaughter once they had official clearance? Why did she need the Trace at all? Surely the Taboo was enough to explain Tottenham Court Road and the Snatchers? Far better that the DEs didn’t *know* where he was, but just took an educated guess at the Burrow. Even if Harry wasn’t there, the Weasleys were an obvious target in their own right.
The Taboo at least tied in with the Wizarding Community’s refusal to use Voldie’s name - maybe it’s been used in the distant past? I can’t help but hope that Dumbledore only encouraged Harry to say ‘Voldemort’ in the hope he’d get himself killed early on - it really ties in with his behaviour. Then he could tell selected members of the Order about the Horcruxes, knowing that Moody, Kingsley, Remus and McGonagall etc actually knew what they were doing?
- “Those reading the book for the second time are with Harry. Get the story started! Get the story started!
What story? After the exploding owl, the good bits were Nagini in a corpse, Ron rescuing his idiot friend, Malfoy Manor and the Battle of Hogwarts. All the rest was filler or nonsense. What a waste of 6 books of build up. That said, the wedding was a tiresome slog, so skipping that would be no hardship. I’ve read 47393629404 different fan fics about the wedding and JKR’s was definitely not in the top 50%.
- “I have to give Molly props though. She’s pointing out all the flaws in Dumbledore’s stupid plan”
JKR has always had a thing about mother-love. Here it’s stronger than Dumbledore worship. As I said earlier, Dumbledore probably hoped that Harry would die in Book 3, then Voldie wouldn’t have got his body back. Maybe Harry could have been killed at the end of Book 5. Without Dumbledore there to explain things, he’d surely still be in purgatory now, waiting for someone to tell him what to do? Or have got on a train going towards the light, rather than away from it? Surely any damned House Elf would have been more useful in Book 6? This story would work *so* much better without Harry Potter.
Poor Dumbles, he was always waiting and hoping for his biggest ‘problem’ to solve itself, without having to be directly involved in it. Poor Harry was too stupid to even die without being specifically ordered to.
Part Two
Date: 2009-06-18 12:32 pm (UTC)I don’t remember much about Spattergroit, but if it’s like Bubonic Plague or the Ebola Virus, then it makes sense. Though that said, why would he still be at home if he’s that infectious with such a dangerous disease? Shouldn’t he be in isolation, or are they claiming that the rest of the family had all had and survived it? If it’s more like German Measles, then wouldn’t a sizeable proportion of Death Eaters have already had it? In which case, one of them could be sent along to check on him properly, or any employee of St Mungo’s who’s collaborating or imperiused, or even a current Spattergroit sufferer. It’d have been better if they faked his death in a fire, or all of their deaths - in which case, Hermione’s parents would no longer be of use/in danger. However, the Wizarding Community would immediately give up the fight, because Harry is their shining light, rallying point and only chance of freedom. Retch.
Still at least Ron had consent in his crap method. No practicing vastly complicated mind warping charms – presumably for the first time – on your own parents. Cow.
The Grangers believe they are the Wilkins, but do they have a history? I don’t mean the obvious (and vital) things like identification, or work permits, but do they ‘remember’ their upbringing, their families, their training? Do they remember their actual past with the names changed? In which case, why don’t they wonder where their friends and family are – apart from their daughter, who I believe they’re better off without anyway. Did Hermione invent an entire past? Did their memories just start the day she mutilated their brains? If Hermione had at least involved Mr Weasley, I’d feel better, because he’s been doing this sort of thing for over 20 years. He might also have warned them and hidden them in the Dursleys’ safe house instead. This idea is far more stupid then Ron’s.
- “She Accio’ed the forbidden books. Through the window. Of Dumbledore’s office. I wonder, was that in JKR’s Big Plan from the beginning?”
My ARSE!! I hope this was another fancy sub-plot that went horribly wrong and JKR just stuck this in out of desperation. Hermione, the sensible blue-stocking who was always seen to work hard for her intelligence, now has things dropped in her lap like any run of the mill Mary Sue. Her character was mutilated books ago, but this *really* patronizes the reader as well.
I’ve said it before, the Ministry should have fallen at Christmas. Then the boring decades in a tent not knowing what to do, could have happened at school, where the usual shenanigans would have kept us distracted. They could have come up with a plan to get the books, and the sword. Neville could have run the DA. We could have seen their struggle against Snape the Headmaster. Umbridge, his direct boss could visit wearing the locket which they could steal and destroy in the Chamber....
I’m with those people who feel that JKR just wanted the pressure of Harry Potter to end. No matter how her original plot crumbled half way through, there are endless ways in which she could have made the last books more interesting and realistic. She made some incredible (in the literal sense) choices.
- "Is JKR trying to make us hate the Trio?”
I don’t think she’s *trying* at anything anymore.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 02:46 pm (UTC)If you wanted to find out more about the Founders, wouldn't you go to Hogwarts? That's where Harry got the key information about Ravenclaw. The Trio would look so much better if they discussed this, then decided on a plan of action that involved going back to school for a few weeks, finding out all the info they could and collecting some basilisk fangs. Then they could plan to sneak off at the first Hogsmeade weekend.
When the attack at the wedding blew this plan to smithereens, we'd be keen to see how they got back on track. Then we'd understand them being reliant on that wily old git's advice from the grave, because their own plan would be out of the question, but at least they *had* a plan.
It wouldn't change JKR's story, but they would seem thwarted, not retarded. That said, changing is exactly what JKR's story needs.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 02:55 pm (UTC)My fanw*nking is that tracing underage magic works as it always did - identifying magic where there were no magical adults. The only way of tracing people was the Taboo. The whole Trace thing was an unfortunate misprint, which will be eradicated in future editions of Deathly Hallows.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 04:47 pm (UTC)Accio books, Accio corpse. By this time we ought to be grateful that Accio Hagrid didn't work. (Although it is rather fun to try to figure out what Harry would have done if it had.)
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 05:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 06:45 pm (UTC)I'll bet Rowling was kicking herself about having even introduced the Fidelius Charm by this point in the series. She changed the way it worked every time she used it.
Re: Part Two
Date: 2009-06-18 07:21 pm (UTC)She was. Actually, she was desperatedly trying to tie her story together and failing. She had plotted the ending more than ten years ago, but the story and its characters had gone off the rails aeons ago and she couldn't get it back.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 07:40 pm (UTC)***Ron is excused, being Molly's son. I don't think that woman ever let her chidren do anything on their own. If they tried to pack their school trunks she'd come storming and doing it while scolding them thay didn't do it right.
there’s no particular reason that Harry has to do this quest, except that Dumbledore said so.
***But DD's world is Law in the wizworld
Bill and Lupin weren’t able to find Moody’s body because of the darkness and confusion of the battle three days ago. Did they try Accio corpse?
***Two accomplished wizards who didn't know a single usable spell. Priceless.
Harry feels a strong pull towards visiting Godric’s Hollow. Not just because of his parents, but he feels like he’s going to find some answers there. I wonder if he isn’t channeling Voldemort at this point
***Worse. He's channelling JKR
Hermione shivers and shakes with fear because Dumbledore might be angry with her for “borrowing” them. Dumbledore. Who is dead
***Dead but not gone. I think Hermione shows sense
She should be more worried about me, who is alive, being angry at her for this idiotic plot patch.
***You're a Muggle. Be careful or you'll find yourself at an Australian airport, trying to explain ro the officials that you don't have a clue of who you are or how you got there
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 12:12 am (UTC)Actually, since we get no indication that anyone forced Snape to show the DEs the Order's Headquarters once Albus was dead, he *must* have prevaricated on the issue somehow. I will not believe that he refused to give them the tour for fear of Dustledore.