OOP - speed reading, magical healing, and leads for future books

[icediamond]

No: HPFGUIDX 63436

I'm new on this board, but I read OOtPyesterday, and I wanted to 
comment, and I had some questions, too.

First off, did anyone else find this a surprisingly quick read?  I 
finished it in four and a half hours, and my brother looks like 
he'll be doing about the same.  It just surprised me, because 
generally my reading speed is about a page a minute, not two!

On to the more substantial stuff, was anyone else absolutely 
fascinated by the healing shown in the book?  I would have suspected 
them to use at least some physical methods, but offhand, I can't 
recall them using anything but potions to heal.  Keeping in mind 
that my OOtP book is currently in the hands of my brother, who would 
go after me with his katana if I tried to refer to it right now, it 
seems as though they don't even physically close the wound with 
their wand, since Arthur and whoever it was found the wound quite 
handily still open in their experiment with Muggle stitches.  If 
they do heal solely by potions, that suggests a rather fascinating 
link with our favorite Potionsmaster, now doesn't it?  It would 
partially explain why he would be so useful to any side.  If, as I 
hypothesize, healing is done solely by usage of potions, anyone who 
had a potionsmaster would be automatically placed in a position of 
strength.  Actually, thinking back, they never seem to make any 
potions for any other purpose other than drinking.  I mean, I can 
think of several other ways to utilize potions, by simple contact if 
nothing else, but it seems as though JKR is deliberately setting 
them up to solely affect the body, and really to be the only things 
that affect the body apart from surface changes.  Implies another 
role for Snape in the last two books to me, at least.

And that little ramble drove what I was going to say about a lead 
for a future book clear out of my mind, but I'm sure no one's too 
disappointed.

-icediamond