DD's Plan & Favorite Misc *and* my takes on HBP

[Michelle Crowe]

No: HPFGUIDX 133212

Eileen Forster Keck wrote:

> It's made quite plain that he _loves_ Harry very much,
> and is markedly touched by Harry's love for him.
>
Like when the Minister accused him of being Dumbledore's man, and Harry 
told DD he was....

> AND...
>
> 1. He let Snape teach DADA; that left Potions open.
> I'm quite sure Dumbledore knew above Snape's old
> textbook, and that he'd not be inclined to pass it to
> Harry! Also, of course, there's the fact of the
> jinx/curse on the DADA teacher...that would leave
> Snape "free" to carry out DD's murder, via DD's
> request.

Well, not all the DADA teachers have died; Lupin and Umbridge are still 
kicking around.

> 4. Utterly favorite quote:
> RE: DD (Slughorn: "Oh, there you are, Albus. You've
> been a very long time..."
> DD: "...I was...reading the Muggle magazines. I do
> love knitting patterns."

Do you think he's looking for patterns for woollen socks?

Now, regarding ships: I thought JKR did a great job of describing a
teenage boy coming to awareness of a girl he'd never seriously
considered before - the "monster in his chest" when he noticed he felt
jealous of her and Dean. I too think they'll be back together at some
point, preferably sooner than later, but these are children's books
after all, so I think he'll come back to her once VM is kaput.

With regard to Ron and Hermione, I thought that was also done well. Ron
was jealous of her past with Krum and wouldn't approach her; got
ambushed by Lavender, whose attentions were doubtless very flattering
but not what he really wanted; she was who he asked for as he stirred
after being poisoned; she was who he leaned on during the funeral. I had
the impression they were a done deal by the funeral, actually.

Now... Snape. I goggled a bit when he offed Dumbledore, but came to
similar conclusions I've seen here already. That DD knew what Malfoy was
up to and made Snape promise to a) spare Malfoy being a murderer and b)
keep the Unbreakable Vow, sparing his own life. I hadn't considered that
he was *ready* to die after taking that potion, though. Either way, I
think he meant for Snape to do the job. Furthermore, DD definitely
sacrificed himself for Harry and in doing so kept Harry safe (Malfoy
didn't know he was there) and provided Harry with as many answers as he
could. And Snape, too, for all he hated Harry, was IMO trying to help
him - reminding him about nonverbal magic and the need to learn
occulmency. The whole "coward" conversation - I think Snape was actually
devastated about actually having killed DD and was, in his own way,
screaming his anguish at his little nemesis calling him cowardly when he
had just done the hardest thing he'd ever have to do.

I wonder if either he or Malfoy will be helping HR&H find the Horcruxes
in the next book. And does Harry know how to destroy them? It took
basilisk venom to destroy the diary, and DD lost use of his hand to
destroy the ring. If he doesn't, whom will he ask? I doubt Arthur knows....

Did anyone notice that we didn't learn anything new about Petunia in
this book? Many folks predicted we'd learn some huge secret about her. 
And how about Lily... all we got about her was Slughorn's recollections, 
and I felt his recollections were somewhat
suspect, since his priorities were more along the "who can help me" 
lines than "who is worth my helping". Thoughts?

Was anyone else surprised that the DA didn't reappear? I was. Especially
with Snape as the DADA teacher. And that Harry was made Quidditch
captain. I thought Ron would have had it since he's such a strategist
and better versed in the game. Or maybe that they would have shared.

And there was NO mention of prefects at all, except R&H going to the
prefects' carriage on the way to Hogwarts. Many suspected Ginny would
get the badge, but apparently that was last book's story.

Now - 7th year! Will HR&H actually NOT go back to Hogwarts? Will the
school be open? Will McGonagall entice them, threaten them, bribe them,
cajole them to return? Will Hermione be Head Girl? (which position was
not even mentioned in this book was it?) What about Quidditch? Will
Slughorn remain as Potions teacher, or will he take DADA next year to
help Harry? Will the jinx on the position end when Harry kills VM?

And onto Bill Weasley - I have to believe that his
bitten-while-attacker-not-transformed status will prove vital in the
war. Will his blood provide some cure or vaccine to protect others who
might be bitten? Will he and Lupin together be able to sway the other
werewolves away from VM? Can he now fight them without worry of being
actually turned into one - the bite serving as a preventative or something?

And where was my beloved Charlie during all this? Will he turn up next
year with the dragons?

Do we know how long JKR is giving herself to write book 7?

I was delighted to see the twins providing more than just laughs with
their inventions. But even so we didn't see much of them.

I felt a bit like I did about "The Empire Strikes Back" - this was an ok
story but served mainly to set the stage for the next one. Plotwise, we
learned that Harry can cut corners in potions, Malfoy has almost
certainly taken the Mark but doesn't want to be a killer; (what WAS that
with Moaning Myrtle, anyway? will we find out?) Snape is secure in VM's
good graces but still not necessarily a complete bad guy; and Harry has
a grand quest now to find the other Horcruxes. Did I miss any essential
threads? I did jam through the book in six hours....


Michelle