Discuss Harry Potter

I thought this was the least interesting of them all. It was quite tedious during the first half of the book. Of course, I loved the ending and the epilogue, but still have a few unanswered questions. Who was the whimpering child in the room with Harry and Dumbledore at King's Cross Station? The best part for me was when Harry took off his cloak at the very end to reveal himself and everyone cheered him on to kill Voldemort. I can see that part in the movies! And yes, Neville turned into quite the hero. Do I detect a loose end with the ring/stone that Harry dropped somewhere in the forbidden forest? A spinoff maybe? I hope J.K. Rowling doesn't resurrect the series with a continuation on all the children of the Potters and Weasleys. I just don't think she could do it justice. But then again, she is a genius!

Oh I and was also surprised by the number of deaths. I had heard that Rowling had said there would be 2 main character deaths in this one. So in the beginning when Mad Eye and Hedwig were killed, I tried to figure out who were considered main characters. But then at the end there were so many deaths.

I think the child was Voldemort. I suppose there is a loose end if someone deems to pick up the quest for The Deathly Hallows but I think it's fairly safe where it is, lost and unprotected. Harry has the other two and I doubt he'll have a challenger any time soon. I'm thinking "main characters" would mean Fred and Remus.

On second thought, make that Fred and Snape.

Harry does not have the wand anymore. He told Dumbledore that he wanted to put it back and he fixed his own broken wand with it at the end. Where "back" is I don't know.

I think "back" would be in Dumbledore's coffin but that, to me, means he has it or, at least, will know where it is. He has the Invisibility Cloak and a general idea of where the stone is and knows what it looks like.

This is so funny. I'm waiting for other people to come in on this. It's as if you're talking about real people, much different from how people talk about, say, a movie they've seen. Everyone knows a movie is not real -- but I'm starting to wonder about Harry Potter fans! Just kidding. I love all of you.

I may be one of the few who have never seen or read anything Harry Potter. What is all the hype about?

Just finished finally!! Loved it and hated it all at the same time. I agree with my sister, it was tedious in the beginning. I found myself angry with J.K. for killing Lupin & Tonks and orphaning their child. A few days before the book came out, when there was news of a leak, I accidentally read a spoiler that said Ron died. So througout the book I was constantly waiting for Ron to die. Especially when he killed the horcrux and Harry saw a glimmer of red in Ron's eyes for a split second. I though for sure that Voldemort had passed to Ron and kept waiting for him to show himself. Anyway, when Fred died I was sort of relieved it wasn't Ron. I like the tidy ending, with Ron & Hermione's children & Harry and Ginny's children. I think I knew that Snape wasn't bad, I just didn't know why. I'm glad to have finished it and sorry to say goodbye to it for good. Also, I liked the part when Harry threw off his cloak to reveal himself to Voldemort and the crowd erupts into cheers, having thought he was dead. Movie magic!!

Doubt anyone could adequately explain, Beth. You'd have to read one of the books or see one of the movies. Try Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone first.

There are a few movie magic moments in the book, Christina. Neville killing the snake will bring the crowd to a roar and Molly's duel with Bellatrix should be awesome, too. I didn't find any part of it particularly tedious.

My mom (Janice) thought I should comment in on one of these since I'm such a big HP fan. JKR said in one of her interviews that Lupin and Tonks were actually the two main characters she hadn't been planning on killing. I thought their deaths were also the most random and pointless. And that kinda got to me. I loved the ending though. I always knew there was a reason everyone was always saying how Harry's eyes looked like Lilly's. If you guys hadn't gotten it, Snape was so mean and he hated harry because he looked like James. but he also helped him because he was Lilly's and he was a part of her. and at the end when Snape died he asked harry to look at him because he wanted to see Lilly's eyes before he died. I also figured something out, and I hate to say it but Molly might not have killed Bellatrix. In the book all it says was that she shot a curse at her. It doesn't say which one or what color it was. Everyone just assumed she was dead and I hope she is, but in the book it doesn't say that she's dead. Ok and one last thing, do you guys think that Snape will have a portrait in the headmasters office? Every headmaster or mistress is supposed to get one and he was headmaster so wouldn't he have one? It's kinda hard picturing him right next to Dumbledore on the wall. Anyways tell me what you think.

Welcome aboard, Asiyah

I could have done without Fred dying and Patsy thinks Hedwig's death was a bummer. Harry thought Molly and Bellatrix were "dueling to kill" and Voldemort reacted when Bellatrix was hit with Molly's curse so I think she is dead. Yes, I think Snape's portrait will have a place in the headmaster's office. Harry will see to it. I would think Harry is now the unrivaled leader of all magical beings. I thought Snape's story was sweet and your observation of his motivations is excellent.

Hi Asiyah. I think that Bellatrix is dead because Harry said he knew she was finished because she made that high pitched laugh that Sirius had done right before his death. I also think that Snape will have a portrait in the headmaster's office. I hadn't thought about Harry's eyes being like Lilly's when Snape said for him to look at him. I agree that Lupin and Tonks' deaths were just thrown out there and were unnecessary since the hows and whys of their deaths weren't even discussed. Fred's death made me very sad. I knew that a Weasley had to die in this one and I had hoped it would be either Arthur or Percy. I loved it though and would like to take the time now to read all 7 books again.

Another thing that bothered me was how JKR conveniently stuck things in the book. Like how Ron could speak parseltongue. I always thought that that was more of a gift rather than a language you could learn. Or if you think about it, If the snatchers never found Harry, Ron and Hermoine they would have never gone to the Malfoy Manor and he wouldn't have gotten Drako and Bellatrix's wands (so he would be wandless) he also wouldn't have been able to talk to or save Griphook and Olivander. So therefor he wouldn't have been able to get into gringotts and find the horcrux...the list goes on. Oh and also how he was able to talk to Dumbledore and get all the information he needed and stuff. I guess it's clever how she got all that stuff in there but maybe a little bit much.

I couldn't read them again, Angela. If I missed or forgot something, it will stay that way. Can't wait for the movies of the last two books. Great stories.

Asiyah,

I agree with some of the convenience points you make. Not sure there's much difference between living and dead in that world.

I finished H.P. today - a little late but I've had company since it came out. I thought it was wonderful. I did not find any tedious points and thought it was action packed from the beginning to the end. I loved reading everyone's comments on here and their take on things I had not considered. Another reason it took me so long to finish it is because I didn't like reading it at night - too scary! I was working things out about it in the middle of the night as is my way with things that are on my mind. I loved every part of it and think JKR is brilliant. I love epilogues and thought this one was great. I also love happy endings and have believed all through the pre-release hype that this book would have one.

I think Ron being able to speak parseltongue has something to do with that glimmer in his eye that Harry saw and then dismissed when Ron killed the horcrux. I have a feeling if she decides to write another story, it will have to do with Ron.

I stayed up until past midnight last week to finish reading it, though I wanted to nod off.

I also found parts of the beginning tedious - but maybe they were necessary. None of it bored me.

Loved Dumbledore's brother's turning up to help, and his perceptions. I made a prediction at the end of the 6th that Snape was actually a good guy, and that Albus wasn't really dead, just appeared that way. That was a good story-line.

I also liked how and when Ron and Hermione finally acknowledged their deep affection for one another.

I was accepting of Harry's death, after hearing of what he had to do in the pensieve. My question on that is, shouldn't have you-know-who been killed when he killed that horcrux, or when Neville killed Nagini?

One of the twins...? Sad. What a fun duo. I am glad I didn't read of that Weasley death leak before hand. Or any of the leaks. I didn't want to know anything about it before reading it.

Why weren't the Malfoy's punished, or at the least - shunned for their participation in promoting Voldemort's agenda? Maybe it was because Draco's mother going along with Harry's fake death.

I avoided the leaks, too. Turns out most of them were speculation. Lucius and Narcissa may not have been shunned but they were ignored. It turned out that Draco wasn't all that bad anyway. I think Albus was really dead although life and death are a little strange in that world.