OoP: everything from Sirius to Snape to Mrs Figg

[Laura]

No: HPFGUIDX 62507

Warning: the text below contains my nonsensical OOP ramblings (and 
spoilers, of course)

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misty_day_sea_spray:I dont see Voldy getting ANY benefit from hearing 
the prophecy. WHAT AM I MISSING?

Laura: I feel you.  Oh do I feel you.  I've totally missed the same 
point.  I can see how LV would find it very useful, but I don't see 
how it could be this use weapon.  Besides, LV wouldn't *know* he 
could use it as a weapon until he actually knew what it was.  Nor do 
I see how he can only get it "by stealth"- that makes *absolutely* no 
sense.  Someone suggested that it was a trap set by the OOP, but then 
why did they tell the Trio and the twins about this horribly 
destructive weapon?  That seems downright stupid to me, why would 
they want to put ideas in these kids' heads, especially after they 
have proven how they act when gived info and situations like this?  
No, it just doesn't add up for me at all, sorry.  I have a feeling 
it's totally unrelated.  But it's also confusing me that according to 
Lucius(I think?) they lured Harry to the MoM because only the people 
about whom the prophecy was would be able to take it, and then LV 
shows up himself at the MoM minutes later!



House Elves: Oh boy.  Here we go.  I think house elves definitely get 
a raw deal, yes.  But I also think Hermione should lighten up a bit.  
After all, Dobby, the only elf we've ever seen seek freedom turned 
down weekend off and more money from Dumbledore with a shudder.  He 
says that he LIKES working, and didn't want that much money.  And 
this was coming from the furthest end of the spectrum.  If you ask 
me, it seems as if house elves really enjoy working for their 
masters; hey, some people LIKE cleaning.  Some people make a living 
of it.  I think if the owners of the elves would treat them better- 
like, somehow being able to give them clothes without freeing them, 
treating them like they have feelings, and so on, I really wouldn't 
see a problem.  I highly doubt that EVERY person who owns a house 
else managed to brainwash them so that every house elf is brainwashed 
in the same way.  My take on it is that it's a little of both nuture 
and nature, but that humans took advantage of the house elves' 
nature.  



Harry's Crucio:  Not schocked, really.  I gasped when I read it =) 
but then, I gasped about every 3rd page.  Or cried.  Or roared with 
laughter.  Or stopped dead in fear or amazement or...well, you get 
the point.  I gasped when I read it, but I really wasn't surprised.  
He's 15 and he was mad.  I'm 16 and I've dearly wished for a wand to 
Crucio people with on occasion- and my parents are alive, so is my 
godfather, and I haven't seen one of my best friends being tortured.  
So I really don't think it's a huge shock- after all, Harry's going 
to have to use an Unforgivable if he's going to get rid of LV.  
Unless he pushes him off a building or something, which I personally 
think would be something of a cop-out.  In related thoughts, I'm 
looking forward to how JKR is going to handle the murder of LV by 
Harry (assuming this happens).



Thestrals-  Huge inconsistency and/or Flint.  Firstly, we should be 
able to assume that he could see them since Day 1, because he had 
witnessed his mother's death.  Unless we draw the conclusion that he 
did not SEE her death or that, perhaps, being a baby, he did not 
understand it.  However, even if this were true, Harry should have 
seen them at the end of GoF as the carriages were taking the students 
back to the Hogwarts express.  This is not even to mention that Harry 
never saw Cedric die either- his eyes were closed due to the pain in 
his scar and he only saw the flash of green light through his closed 
eyelids.  Besides, if the flash of green light would enable you to be 
counted as "having seen death" then theoretically all of the 
Gryffindor students should have been able to see the thestrals, since 
canon tells us that Moody killed a spider with the AK and flash of 
green light in front of them in GoF.  Unless the condition were to 
see the flash of green light with the intent to kill a human, which I 
honestly think is really weak.  So even if Harry HAD seen the 
thestrals at the end of GoF, it would still be inconsistent because 
he hadn't really seen Cedric die.  Unless he saw someone die over the 
summer, which seems way off base.  I smell a Flint (ew, imagine how 
Flint must smell...icky Slytherins)

And now, after my horrible display of stereotypes against them, I 
will whine:  I want a good Slyth!  This is seriously bugging me and 
that's all I have to say.



You wacko Ron/Luna SHIPPERS- Wha??? Did I miss something?  Because I 
so did not see anything to come to that odd, odd conclusion.  Sorry.  
I think you're nuts.



LV the Ghost?
Nearly Headless Nick tells us that wizards who fear death remain on 
earth in a ghost form.  If there was every anyone who was afraid of 
death, it was Lord Voldemort.  Look at all the protections he guards 
himself with.  So if/when Harry kills Voldemort, he would simply come 
back as a ghost!  In my opinion, anyway.  And you can't kill a ghost.



Crookshanks and Mundungus
Is anyone else seriously bothered by the fact that Mundungus Fletcher 
and Crookshanks are given the EXACT SAME physical description???



Mrs Figg
I love how after the months and months of speculation about her role, 
and why she didn't mend the broken leg and how maybe she was the new 
DADA teacher- and then she turned out to be a Squib.  Ha.  I laughed 
out loud when I read that, JKR and Dumbledore steer us so far from 
the truth...


The Ending
Lezlie: I kind of thought I was in the middle of some Scooby Doo 
cartoon. All the
running around and tossing the prophecy just out of the reach of the 
bad guys. 
Other than that one part I loved the rest of the book.
Laura: Actually, I loved that part.  It brought some kind of clumsy 
humor, I guess.  I thought the ending was fine.  I also liked that, 
as "kc" put it: "it wasn't just Harry Saves The Day By Himself 
(Again)."  Because honestly, that just gets old.



Jess said: Did I miss something, or was the House cup not handed out 
at the end of 
the novel?
Laura: You didn't miss it, Harry did.  Well, maybe it didn't happen.  
But the point is that the House Cup is traditionally handed out at 
the Leaving Feast, which Harry's grief prevented him from attending. 



Snape
Was anyone else bugged that after all the 3 million hints in GoF and 
OoP, we are never specifically told that Snape is spying on the Death 
Eaters for Dumbledore?  We never once are told that he's back in the 
fold.  OK so I cannot possibly argue any other point, but I am very, 
very wary of anything that JKR does not specifically and absolutely 
state in narrative canon (i.e., word of mouth of characters doesn't 
count)

Also loved the canon behind the Snape wanting the DADA "rumor."  But 
I think the fact that he applies for the job every year may mean that 
he wants to "take this class in hand" as he himself puts it in PoA.  
He's certainly not an idiot and wants the class to be well versed in 
the DADA subject because he knows what's coming- hell, he's DONE most 
of it.  But it's still a nifty little rumor. =)

OOP was a *great* book for Snape fans.  *huge grin*

Final Rant
Why, WHY is everyone getting on Harry's case for running off to save 
Sirius?  I'm sorry, I really don't see how that is his fault at all.  
He had a dream in which Mr. Weasley was attacked and it was true.  
Then he had a dream in which Sirius was attacked.  Was he supposed to 
stop and say, "well, maybe its not true this time??"  Maybe if 
someone had *told* him that LV was possibly going to try to trick 
him.  Then I could see a problem.  But even then, he did check to see 
if Sirius was at home.  What was he supposed to do?  The boy is not 
perfect.  I know, he should have gone to Snape (I was very very angry 
with him for not thinking of that) but you can't have anything.  
Barring that one oversight, I don't see how it was his fault at all.  
Because if I had had that dream, I know exactly what I would have 
done.  (Except I would have gone to Snape first.  *grin*)


-Laura (trying to think of a way to distinguish herself from the 
other Laura in the group)