Deathly Hallows, chapter 21
Jul. 3rd, 2009 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockThe Tale of The Three Brothers
* Finally, we come to the point of this book. Or rather, the not-point, since I don't think this book is coherent enough to have a point.
* Luna probably knows all about the Deathly Hallows. If Harry had been real friends with Luna, instead of this I-only-remember-her-when-it's-convenient-to-me friendship, he'd probably have found out about them some time during their friendship.
* I'm still a bit disappointed that Harry wasn't forced to work with Zacharias Smith, or anyone else he'd slighted, to destroy the Horcruxes. He didn't have to grow up at all to finish his quest, which surely is completely against the purpose of a quest.
* To be polite, Harry drinks from a cup provided for him by a stranger. I'm all for politeness, but hello, this is wartime. A little bit a common sense wouldn't go amiss.
* Dumbledore left The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Hermione, apparently as some sort of a clue. But of course Harry has been too busy to have taken a look at it.
* What is it with Harry and Ron that they have to interrupt Hermione when she's reading the tale? I would be very irritated if someone constantly interrupted me when I was reading aloud.
* Oh, so the name of the Elder Wand comes from the tree it was made. I always thought it had something to do with being older or something like that. Shows what I know.
* Well, that was a boring fairy tale. It had all the right elements for a fairy tale, but the execution was lacking.
* Hermione, of course, can't pass the opportunity to question Mr Lovegood's belief in the Deathly Hallows, as if it mattered what he believed. They've found out what the symbol means. Surely that's what's important.
* This is the first time we have heard about Invisibility Cloaks having a limited shelf-life. I rather think that we ought to have had a tiny little hint about the special quality of Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
* Of course Harry is so special himself that he can't have an ordinary Invisibility Cloak--which, we've been told, are extremely rare--but a one-of-a-kind cloak.
* This is also the first time we hear about the bloody trail of the Elder Wand. Once again, I think we ought to have had a hint about its existence before. Say, a chance word from Professor Binns in History of Magic.
* Ron doesn't realize that because Hermione and Harry were raised by Muggles, they learned different superstitions than Ron the wizarding-born. That just goes to show that notwithstanding Arthur's fascination with Muggles, they haven't really learned anything about them. I wonder if it's partly Molly's fault. Not that I think Arthur knows much anything about Muggles, but maybe Molly has prevented him from teaching his children the little that he does know. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the case. Molly strikes me as one who is very prejudiced against Muggles, even if she doesn't go as far as wanting to kill them.
* Ah, so Professor Binns has mentioned the Deathstick / the Wand of Destiny / etc. Would have been helpful is we had heard that as well.
* Harry, of course, was asleep during that lecture and thus has no idea such a wand is rumoured to exist. Typical. What happened to the boy who eagerly read his History of Magic textbook before he went to Hogwarts?
* "Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them. Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people's." Is it terrible that my mind immediately went to the gutter when I read that?
* Oh my god, the painting in Luna's ceiling. Does she have to be so pathetic? But of course, no one could resist the charming fellow that is Harry. Even Zacharias Smith probably had a crush on him.
* Harry feels a great rush of affection for Luna when he sees how Luna idolizes him.
* For all that I diss Hermione, she does think quick in an emergency. Her plan to conceal Ron, obliviate Mr Lovegood, and reveal herself and Harry to the Death Eaters was pure genius. And then she managed to turn and Apparate in mid-air. Truly, the girl is amazing. (All right, all right, so I couldn't resist a little dig, but really, I do admire her in moments like this when she comes across as genuinely quick-witted and not just the author's self-insertion.)
* I'll be leaving for my parents' today and don't know when I'll be back. On Monday at the earliest. I'll answer comments when I'm back.
* Finally, we come to the point of this book. Or rather, the not-point, since I don't think this book is coherent enough to have a point.
* Luna probably knows all about the Deathly Hallows. If Harry had been real friends with Luna, instead of this I-only-remember-her-when-it's-convenient-to-me friendship, he'd probably have found out about them some time during their friendship.
* I'm still a bit disappointed that Harry wasn't forced to work with Zacharias Smith, or anyone else he'd slighted, to destroy the Horcruxes. He didn't have to grow up at all to finish his quest, which surely is completely against the purpose of a quest.
* To be polite, Harry drinks from a cup provided for him by a stranger. I'm all for politeness, but hello, this is wartime. A little bit a common sense wouldn't go amiss.
* Dumbledore left The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Hermione, apparently as some sort of a clue. But of course Harry has been too busy to have taken a look at it.
* What is it with Harry and Ron that they have to interrupt Hermione when she's reading the tale? I would be very irritated if someone constantly interrupted me when I was reading aloud.
* Oh, so the name of the Elder Wand comes from the tree it was made. I always thought it had something to do with being older or something like that. Shows what I know.
* Well, that was a boring fairy tale. It had all the right elements for a fairy tale, but the execution was lacking.
* Hermione, of course, can't pass the opportunity to question Mr Lovegood's belief in the Deathly Hallows, as if it mattered what he believed. They've found out what the symbol means. Surely that's what's important.
* This is the first time we have heard about Invisibility Cloaks having a limited shelf-life. I rather think that we ought to have had a tiny little hint about the special quality of Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
* Of course Harry is so special himself that he can't have an ordinary Invisibility Cloak--which, we've been told, are extremely rare--but a one-of-a-kind cloak.
* This is also the first time we hear about the bloody trail of the Elder Wand. Once again, I think we ought to have had a hint about its existence before. Say, a chance word from Professor Binns in History of Magic.
* Ron doesn't realize that because Hermione and Harry were raised by Muggles, they learned different superstitions than Ron the wizarding-born. That just goes to show that notwithstanding Arthur's fascination with Muggles, they haven't really learned anything about them. I wonder if it's partly Molly's fault. Not that I think Arthur knows much anything about Muggles, but maybe Molly has prevented him from teaching his children the little that he does know. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the case. Molly strikes me as one who is very prejudiced against Muggles, even if she doesn't go as far as wanting to kill them.
* Ah, so Professor Binns has mentioned the Deathstick / the Wand of Destiny / etc. Would have been helpful is we had heard that as well.
* Harry, of course, was asleep during that lecture and thus has no idea such a wand is rumoured to exist. Typical. What happened to the boy who eagerly read his History of Magic textbook before he went to Hogwarts?
* "Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them. Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people's." Is it terrible that my mind immediately went to the gutter when I read that?
* Oh my god, the painting in Luna's ceiling. Does she have to be so pathetic? But of course, no one could resist the charming fellow that is Harry. Even Zacharias Smith probably had a crush on him.
* Harry feels a great rush of affection for Luna when he sees how Luna idolizes him.
* For all that I diss Hermione, she does think quick in an emergency. Her plan to conceal Ron, obliviate Mr Lovegood, and reveal herself and Harry to the Death Eaters was pure genius. And then she managed to turn and Apparate in mid-air. Truly, the girl is amazing. (All right, all right, so I couldn't resist a little dig, but really, I do admire her in moments like this when she comes across as genuinely quick-witted and not just the author's self-insertion.)
* I'll be leaving for my parents' today and don't know when I'll be back. On Monday at the earliest. I'll answer comments when I'm back.
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no subject
Date: 2009-07-29 11:56 pm (UTC)How hard was to add this the Deathly Hallows some rambling of Luna in OOTP or HBP, Ron to dismiss it as a bedtime story and Hermione to call it bullshit? The Death stick (different from Elder wand, which could have been the book’s title) and its blood trail could have been mentioned in some of Binn’s classes as well as you’ve said. It wouldn’t sound this cheap and shoed in.
Like you also say, the cloak’s abilities sound cheap as well. Why didn’t anyone remark that usual Invisibility Cloaks collapsed with time and that one didn’t? Moody/Tonks (it was one of them, can’t remember) could have tackled this when there were two cloaks mentioned in OOTP (like, one of them is failing because of time, that’s why they had two).
The stone was cracked (this didn’t alter any of its properties, really?) and Dumbledore managed to feint Harry to think that wearing the ring was equal to wanting to see his sister again, when it’s known that it needs to be turned thrice?
Let alone the contrived wandlore of a wand’s master (the EW could have worked differnetly) It makes no sense, and all of this just smells of something Rowling cooked up at the eleventh hour, since everything else on the book is dull. Sure the Hallows were the only thing that fascinated me in DH but even then were awfully explained and introduced.
* I'm still a bit disappointed that Harry wasn't forced to work with Zacharias Smith, or anyone else he'd slighted, to destroy the Horcruxes. He didn't have to grow up at all to finish his quest, which surely is completely against the purpose of a quest.
I’d have preferred Harry being in Hogwarts through the year (planning and then making their investigations in Hogsmeade and holidays). Sure it sounds lame, but it doesn’t sound lamer than making a camp out straight out of Lord of the Rings, complete with the One Ring transfixed as locked.
Nice excuse to actually see Neville Longbottom grow up (though maybe he only grew up because Harry was not there, which is disgusting) and Severus Snape a headmaster.
* Oh my god, the painting in Luna's ceiling. Does she have to be so pathetic? But of course, no one could resist the charming fellow that is Harry. Even Zacharias Smith probably had a crush on him.
I was kind of disgusted with that. Luna is supposed to be ‘peculiar’ and say awful truths. Doesn’t she see the Trio (and Ginny) were uninterested in being her proper friends? Sure she’d be a little starved for friends, but isn’t she supposed to see these kind of hypocrisy in the first place?
no subject
Date: 2009-08-05 11:03 am (UTC)I would have liked Luna much more if she'd really been the misfit who sees things as they are. As it is, she comes across more as someone who just wants attention with her weird ways.