Are you ready for a discussion yet?
This post contains spoilers, so don’t read further if you haven’t finished the book yet!
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Well, what did you think? What did you like or dislike? What was answered and what questions do you still have?
Me? Well I thought it was great. It got off to a fast start and I was horribly shocked by Hedwig and Moody so early on. (More by Hedwig I’m sorry to say!) I knew there would be deaths but that was only page 69! It left me with a whole sense that anyone could die now any time.
The bit at the Weasleys was a nice change of pace and then we were off again into a fight straight away. It made it a real rollercoaster. Ron leaving was a shock but the coming back was great. A good way to find out more about what was going on elsewhere. I’m glad he got to destroy the horcrux too.
I love the idea of the Deathly Hallows and wizarding fairy tales. Glad Luna had a good role too. Dobby was a real shock and so sad. And I thought the Wormtail bit was excellent. He would have killed Harry I think but that split second was appropriate and just like Voldemort to curse that hand. Brilliant.
The Gringotts bit was maybe too easy but I’ll let that pass. It should have been impossible.
And then the battle. Well that was amazing. I wasn’t sure if Harry would make it or not until the end really. I’m SO pleased Neville had a role and I’m SO pleased there weren’t too many more deaths. The chapter where Harry goes to meet his death was incredibly moving.
I knew Snape was good - hooray! But again appropriate that he dies. It was great to get all that explained and see more about Petunia too.
And I liked the epilogue. I’m glad it was there. If it hadn’t been I’d have been very frustrated.
I still have questions. What was the veil in book 5? What did they do after? Did they go back to school to do their NEWTs? Did Harry become an auror? Did Harry ever tell Neville about the prophecy? Did he ever see the Dursleys again? And I read somewhere that one of the things we knew would happen in book 7 was that someone would do magic for the first time late in life. Did I miss it? Who was it?
I’ll be reading it again and I think it was a great ending to an amazing series of books. Well done JK!
Here, here, Nicki. All that. Definitely! I loved the book. I’d heard that there were a lot of deaths in this one, and starting out by losing Hedwig was horrible. It made me think that we’d lose most of the Weasleys, and a lot of Harry’s friends from school, maybe Ron or Hermione or Ginny, too. I’m immeasurably relieved that that didn’t happen. I’m saddened by losing both Tonks and Lupin, though in a way that was good, so that one of them didn’t have to live without the other. Bummer about their son not having parents, though at least they weren’t tortured horribly. I don’t think. Wouldn’t Rowling have said if they’d been tortured?
I, too, loved the wizarding world’s own set of fairy tales, and the whole bit about the Deathly Hallows. That was inspired.
I’m really glad that Neville grew up, became such a fine person and leader for the D.A. that last year at Hogwarts.
I would have liked a blow-by-blow account of things that happened during the defense of Hogwarts when Harry wasn’t around, like at the end of Half-Blood Prince. I would have liked to have gotten to go to Harry and Ginny’s wedding, and to find out if Neville married, and who, who Draco married… I want to know if Harry and Ginny are living at Grimald Place, if Kreacher is still with them… There are a lot of loose ends. But over all, Rowling did an amazing job of tieing things up.
I don’t remember anyone doing magic for the first time late in life, either. Maybe it’s something that was cut from the U.S. edition? Nicki, which version did you read? British? I half expected the Dursleys to turn up again somewhere near the end, maybe in the epilog…
My bit here is more than a little disjointed. LOL Hope it makes sense. That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll have more later.
Apparently I had a far more naive view of the possible deaths book than Laura did. Once Mad-Eye and Dobby died, I thought that would be it for the death count. I was wrong and so very sad.
I think my favorite part of the whole story was seeing how much each character had grown and become competent witches and wizards! Neville was fantastic as one of the leaders of the Hogwarts rebellion, and I loved how proud his grandmother was of him. Just seeing the difference in Neville between the beginning of the 5th book and the end of the 7th was great. Hermione was another good change. Sure, she was always brainy, but just the lengths she went to to be prepared for the horcrux hunt and also protect her family was amazing.
Another favorite chapter was the one devoted to Snape’s memories. Since he was a Hogwarts headmaster, wouldn’t his portrait be in the headmaster’s office? It wasn’t mentioned, but I kind of wish Harry had a chance to thank Snape for looking after him…
I was sad more for Fred’s death than Lupin/Tonks. Lupin/Tonks’ deaths were kind of glossed over and made less of an impact, in my opinion. It was more sad for me knowing that George would have to live without his ear, twin and business partner.
I also expected to see the Dursleys again after Voldemorts defeat. I’m sad we don’t really find out what happened to them, although I assume since nothing was mentioned about them (or Hermione’s parents for that matter) they were alright. I would have liked a more thorough epilogue.
A few things I felt that weren’t explained thoroughly:
1) What was behind the veil.
2) Who was the person that would do magic later in life.
…I’m sure there are more questions I have, but I can’t remember then now..
I was looking back at the bits I read on the Leaky Cauldron and there’s a few things that were expected in book 7 that didn’t come up. Maybe they’ll come up in the encyclopedia!
Laura - I read the British version. I reckon Filch was going to do magic but it got cut out. Jo certainly said at some point that someone would do magic for the first time late in life.
There was definitely a story going round at one point that there were only two deaths, but then I saw an interview where Jo said it was going to be a bloodbath. I was certain Ron and Hermione were going to die at one point, or at least one of them. And petrified Harry would live but Ron, Hermione and Ginny would die!
I was sad for Fred more than Lupin or Tonks too. But I was half expecting a Weasley or two to go, so glad it was just one. I hope George carried on with the business. Wouldn’t be the same though. I didn’t cry as much as I did for Dumbledore. That’s probably because that was SUCH a shock and here we knew there were going to be bad things happening. Poor little Teddy Tonks though - both parents and a grandfather dead. I don’t think they’d have been tortured - not much time for that, it was all just killing curses wasn’t it?
I thought about Snape’s portrait too. He should have one. I wonder what he and Harry would say to each other?
I’d have liked to have seen the immediate aftermath - the morning after maybe. How did they round up all the Death Eaters? What was Harry and Ginny’s first get together afterwards like?
And shouldn’t Draco have gone to Azkaban? He was a Death Eater. Maybe he went for a bit - would be interesting to know.
I just finished reading today. I have been avoiding the internet completely and the news to avoid any info on the book at all. I did hear there were going to be a lot of deaths though. I was a bit shocked by those she chose to kill off- especially Hedwig and Dobby. I was actually expecting Lupin or Tonks to die, but not both!!
I’m really looking forward to the encyclopedia because the epilogue was way too short for me. I agree with Nicki- I wanted to know what happened during the battle, the day or two after the battle. I would have loved and entire book about life after Voldemort! It made me sad to think of poor George, what will he do without his twin?
I missed the person doing magic late in life too if it was in there. I’m going to enter the sweepstakes at Scholastic. You can go to their website for more info. It starts on the 30th I think.
I thought of something else I was looking forward to learning, but either missed or it was left out. Did anyone catch where it explained Petunia’s Howler from Dumbledore, “Remember my last, Petuntia”
Disregard that, my hubby just informed me that that is answered in Book 6 which I have not read since it’s release. I loaned it to my SIL and she has not returned it. I know, I’m going to go buy a new copy tomorrow.
It was Dobby’s death that got me the most. He tried so hard to protect Harry in the other books, despite having to punish himself for it, and then to give his life in this one…
Tonk/Lupin wasn’t as bad because that was their job. And while I didn’t expect George to die, the deaths had piled up enough that I wasn’t really surprised, just sad for Fred.
Has anyone read any fan fic? I’d love suggestions on good ones to read. I’m not ready to let Hogwarts go yet.