To the Extreme

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 164868

Snow:
Let's really let our hair down and go to the extreme! The extreme is
where we need to go if we can even compete with Herself in knowing
the ending before it is written (well read, since we know it is
written).


Well, I have to disagree with your entire premise. I detest wild 
improbable theories that have to do with completely random premises, 
including such old favorites as:

1) Any "Good" character is secretly ESE!
2) Any "Bad" character is secretly good!
3) Anyone dead is actually alive!
4) Two seemingly opposite characters are in love!
5) Any random character is actually the son/mother/daughter/father of 
any other character
6) Any random character is: an unregistered Animagus/impersonating 
someone via polyjuice potion/under the Imperius Curse (usually this 
situation relates to items 1 or 2).

This will sound crazy I know, but I don't really find JKR's plot 
twists all that wild and incomprehensible. 

Perhaps it is because I didn't read any of the books until shortly 
before the release of HBP. I read the first five one after the other, 
and with no "three year summer" in which to ruminate on plot 
possibilites, I wasn't on the lookout for one twist or another. 

I think JKR does plenty of convential things in her 
stories...the "extreme" plot twists, like Pettigrew being Scabbers or 
Crouch Jr. being both alive and impersonating Moody all year long, 
come with concepts and characters that aren't fully explained, or 
explained at all, until the book in which they are revealed. Why 
would we suspect that Scabbers was a wizard who had faked his own 
death 13 years ago, when we didn't even know the word Animagus or the 
name Peter Pettigrew until PoA? Why would we think Barty Crouch Jr. 
had faked his death, when we didn't even know of such a person until 
GoF?

When JKR wants to give us a real "clue", it's obvious - like 
Aberforth being Dumbledore's brother, or Ron & Hermione (delusional 
H/Hr shippers aside) or heaven help us - R.A.B. 

This is not a knock on Rowling at all - far from it. I think she's 
*too good* a writer to whip out any fantastical premise that add 
nothing to the plot or themes, just for the sake of surprising us. 

Of course whenever I bring this up, I get the inevitable replies 
of "well anything is possible" or "what else is there to do before 
July 21" or my old favorite "well it probably won't happen, but it's 
fun to think about."

So I'm just a fusty old crank who doesn't like to have fun, or 
imagine the impossible, and will thus not be playing the game 
of "letting our hair down".

va32h, who has decided that she should perhaps dress as McGonnagal 
for the book release party, because her present attitude is very 
Minerva-ish.