What If . . . What If It's A *Dud?*

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52018

Maria Kirilenko asked:

> What worries me is this, and I anxiously await reassurance: did 
participation in this group spoil GoF for anyone? I love this list, 
but I can't help thinking about this.

I joined the group in spring 2001, so I can't answer that.  However, 
I'm pretty sure that membership of HPFGU will not spoil my enjoyment 
of OOP.

What it will have done is *change* my enjoyment of OOP.

When I joined the group, I was interested chiefly in the mysteries, 
clues and hints: why did Voldemort want to kill Harry in the first 
place, is Bagman evil or not, who might die in future volumes, and 
so forth.  I realise now that I hadn't thought of many of the 
theories that get bandied here - Neville's memory charm, Snape's 
vampirism, Lily's many suitors, etc.  I think it quite possible that 
one or more of these will turn out to be right, and so I will have 
neither thought of them for myself nor heard them first from JKR.  
Big deal.

The real difference will be reading for the themes.  I think I will 
be much more aware of the way these resonate in the book.  To take 
an example, as some of you may remember, I'm betting that femininity 
will be a big topic, and I'm guessing that we will have some 
interesting comparisons: Ginny and Lily; Mme Maxime and Mrs Figg; 
Hermione and Mrs Lestrange; Harry and Lily; and so on.  I think if I 
had not been a member of HPFGU, it's likely I would miss a lot.  I'm 
sure I still will, but that's where the subsequent discussions come 
in.

*I* think that's an improvement.

David, still fervently hoping Snape *won't* go back to his old job 
of spying on Voldemort