General comments and Snape ... Spoiler ....

[kgpopp]

No: HPFGUIDX 132928

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Oh good someone else who is done.   At chapter 2 I was not sure but 
it did not look good.  I was wondering how Snape would get out of is 
bind and not sure if it was a red herring or for real.   And thought 
of all the post where people debated the double/triple agent 
theories.   

Of course in the end I too was a wreck it the next stay and I still 
feel as though I lost some I kinda knew.   While I huge part of me 
also hates Snape I hope you are right.  Not because I care for Snape 
but I'd hate for Dumbledore to have been so.... wrong.


  

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Karen Barker" 
<karenabarker at y...> wrote:
> Well, what can I say?  (Quite a lot apparently – I've come back in 
> to edit this!)  This is a kind of personal overview of / reaction 
to 
> the whole book.  I wasn't here when the last one came out so I hope 
> this is acceptable as per the rules.
> 
> Talk about hit you straight between the eyes!  I had to read the 
> first couple of pages twice because when they mentioned the `Bones 
> murder' I thought "Oh My God, Amelia Bones, no it's a flashback to 
> when her brothers(?) were killed in the first war, no it's not it's 
> Amelia" in a kind of loop a couple of times.  Then the treachery of 
> Snape in chapter 2, I sat there thinking "I can't believe this is 
> being revealed in the 2nd chapter!  From that moment on I changed 
my 
> opinion.  I had always believed him to be on the side of 
Dumbledore, 
> but I read this whole book believing him to be ESE.  By the end 
> where he killed him I was sobbing and ended the book absolutely 
> hating him.
> 
> After I'd calmed down a bit though I wondered.  Does this really 
> prove that he's ESE?  We saw DD insist that Harry carry out DD's 
> orders no matter what.  (see 1)  When DD said "Severus
please
" I 
> took this to be pleading for his life, but was he in fact pleading 
> with him to kill him so as to not blow his cover?  Was the argument 
> Hagrid overheard between them, Snape wanting out of posing as a DE 
> and begging DD to release him from that task, but DD refusing?  Was 
> Snape's outburst (see 2) an indication of the agony Snape was 
having 
> to go through because he'd had to kill his friend and master, and 
to 
> hide amongst and to behave as those he despises then to have his 
> bravery at doing all this seen as cowardice?  Did Snape save Harry 
> or just obey Voldemort (see 3)?  Is Harry, indeed not now without 
> protection as he fears but rather still being protected, as a 
direct 
> result of  "his greatest protector"'s death, this time from within 
> LV's inner circle?
> 
> On a personal note I cheered to see that you *can* apperate someone 
> with you as I had suggested, as I think I was unanimously overruled 
> on that one!!  
> 
> I loved the scene at the Dursleys with the glasses whacking them 
> over their heads.
> 
> When Harry & DD were informed of the Dark Mark (which in the 
> excitement I had completely forgotten) my heart plummeted.  I 
> immediately assumed that as they were both not at Hogwarts they 
were 
> safe and so thought Ginny was dead.  Then we saw Ginny but there 
was 
> clearly no sign of Hermione so I thought she was dead.  My emotions 
> took a severe battering as each person `died' for me till the real 
> death which was just appalling.  
> 
>  I was also saddened by Harry saying even if Hogwarts does re-open 
> he won't go back.  The thought of the last book not including 
> Hogwarts really upsets me.  Someone has said to me that it's just a 
> knee-jerk reaction and I quite agree, but who is there to dissuade 
> him from it?  DD and Sirius are gone, the Dursleys don't care, 
> Hermione and Ginny haven't objected and Molly, though I'm sure 
> she'll try, will have to contend with the fact he'll be `of age'.
> 
> My favourite line of the whole book:  (p540 (UK) chpt 25 The 
> Cave) "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a 
little 
> stronger despite the freezing water.  "I am with you."
> 
> Karen
> 
> Quotes below
> 
> 1)	Chpt 26 The Cave, P 533 (UK ed)
> "You remember," said Dumbledore, "the condition on which I brought 
> you with me?"
> Harry hesitated, looking into the light blue eyes that had turned 
> green in the reflected light of the basin.
> "But what if -?"
> "You swore, did you not, to follow any command I gave you?"
> "Yes but –"
> "I warned you, did I not, that there might be danger?"
> "Yes," said Harry, "but –"
> "Well then," said Dumbledore, shaking back his sleeves once more 
and 
> raising the empty goblet "you have my orders"
> 
> 2) Chpt 28 The Flight of the Prince p 564 (UK ed)
> "`DON'T -` screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, 
> inhuman, as                                    though he was in as 
> much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house 
> behind them, `- CALL ME A COWARD'"
> 
> 2)	Chpt 28 The Flight of the Prince p 563 (UK ed)
> "No!" roars Snape's voice and the pain stopped as suddenly as it 
had 
> started; Harry lay curled on the dark grass, clutching his wand and 
> panting; somewhere above him Snape was shouting "Have you forgotten 
> our orders?  Potter belongs to the Dark Lord – we are to leave 
him!  
> Go!  Go!"