Oyez, Oyez, the I Hate Horcruxes Society is Now in its Second Session

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 163341

lupinlore wrote:
>
> Well folks, it is beginning to look like Horcruxes are the key to
the seventh book, very unfortunately.  Personally, I strongly suspect 
> that the "Deathly Hallows" of the title are none other than the 
> Horcruxes themselves, which leads to all sorts of unfortunate 
> corollaries.
> 
> The most unfortunate is that I think we will have to suffer through 
> the hunting and destruction of all four of them -- each and every
one in wearisome detail.  I don't think we are going to have relief
from coincidences or "off-screen" developments.  I don't think two or
more of the horcruxes are going to be hidden in the same spot.  I
don't think the horcruxes are going to turn out to be unimportant
after all.  And I don't think anyone off-screen, be it Snape, Regulus, 
> Wormtail, or God in a Clown Suit, is going to destroy any of them. I 
> think the heart of the book is going to be four mini-quests after 
four seperate "hallows," followed by a major confrontation at the end.
> 
> Now this leads to some opportunities.  Ron/Hermione could be 
> developed in the course of the quests.  Also perhaps one of the 
> Hallows is hidden at Durmstrang, which could provide an appearance
by Victor Krum.  But much else we have been promised or kind-of 
> promised, including a Weasley wedding and an Umbridge come-uppance, 
> or that we desire, such as an end to Percy's arc, will have to be 
> sandwiched among, around, and between McGuffin chases.  
<snip>

Carol responds:
Oho! Finally, a point that Lupinlore and I agree on--the Horcruxes are
surely the least interesting of the questions and issues that need to
be resolved in DH. But I wouldn't leap so quickly to the conclusion
that the Horcruxes are the unhallowed "Hallows." It still sounds like
a placename to me, and I think "The Hogwarts Hallows" of a rejected
title indicates that it's the burial place or places of the Four
Founders (or three, if Slytherin isn't there). And I see no reason why
Harry would not need help from others, not only Hermione and Ron but
Lupin, Bill Weasley, and, yes, Severus Snape. I don't think that JKR
is going to let all those beautiful subplots die by turning DH into a
McGuffin hunt (and, though I hate to say it, the Horcruxes are not
true McGuffins as their destruction really is necessary to the defeat
of Voldemort. They're not *just* plot devices that the characters
think are important; they do serve an ultimate purpose.

Consider GoF, in which the TWT tasks served several plot purposes but
nevertheless set up an unavoidable three-part structure for the novel.
JKR managed to bring in a great many other important elements, from
the Death Eaters and the Unforgiveable Curses to the Pensieve and
Snape's past as a DE and spy for Dumbledore. (BTW, she also informed
us for the first time that Dementors are blind. I don't think we knew
that in PoA. Hermione certainly didn't.) So take comfort; she can
still tell a unified story, tying together many seemingly diverse
elements, despite the accursed Horcruxes (which, I, too, wish had
never been introduced).

Also, while I do see the Tarot/Founders connection, and consequently
am leaning toward the Ravenclaw Horcrux as being the wand rather than
the tiara (maybe the tiara is a red herring? Why mention not one but
two tiaras rather pointedly if they're not going to play some role?),
but we still have Nagini, who doesn't fit the pattern but will have to
be killed whether or not she's a Horcrux (and I do think she is, but I
won't go back there again). And that, I think, is where the Sword of
Gryffindor will come into play. DD has said that it isn't a Hocrux and
I believe him, but I do think it's a powerful magical object that will
be used to kill Nagini as it was used to kill the Basilisk. It isn't
encrusted with blood-red rubies for nothing. It has powers we haven't
yet seen, tied in with Fawkes, I'm sure of it. And it's the sole
remaining relic of Godric Gryffindor, which ties in with the relics of
the three other Founders that were turned into Horcruxes (two for
sure, one only probably), but it is not itself a Horcrux. 

Anyway, I hold a more optimistic view than you do of the plot of the
story. I have a feeling that it won't feel artificial and
prefabricated. And we do know of one more puzzle piece besides Snape,
Umbridge, and RAB that JKR is bringing into play--house-elves, which
she mentioned in an update to her website. And while I'm not fond of
house-elves and dislike SPEW rather passionately, that bit of
information should give you hope that the loose ends from OoP will be
resolved after all. And I do hope that a visit to Durmstrang is on the
agenda, though with Krum no longer a student and Karkaroff a carcass,
I don't know how that can be arranged.

Carol, who expects to learn more about Mundungus, Aberforth, and the
Order's activities in general, and to see more of Mrs. Figg, Rufus
Scrimgeour, Percy Weasley, and Viktor Krum, just to name a few people
other than the regulars