Deathly Hallows Reaction and a thought or two

[ameliagoldfeesh]

No: HPFGUIDX 173191

Hi,

I used to lurk in here a lot up to about OotP when both my life and 
HPfGUs got too busy for me.  I've been here since Nov. 2001 and I'd 
just like to say thank you and "good job" to the list elves and 
everyone who keeps this place running.  This site spoiled me to all 
other Yahoo groups by its remarkable high standards in discussion and 
posting.

I think DH is the best of the seven books by far.  I didn't mind the 
Epilogue and didn't realize it would work up so many people.  I like 
how she left so much open at the end.  If everything had been too 
neat and tidy I'd been worried that she never planned to write 
another word about the Potterverse.  

I also didn't mind the extended camping scenes.  To me it really gave 
a feeling that Harry was trapped without a clue of what the heck to 
do other than stay alive and hope something would point him in the 
right direction.  I could see it as almost nightmarish and 
claustrophobic *and* the whole wizarding world was depending on him 
and he *didn't* have a clue nor anyone older and wiser to look to 
that he knew of.  

The thing that disappointed me the most has been said by previous 
posters: the fate of Slytherin House and the House System.  I thought 
it would at least lead up to a few or even one, Slytherin who would 
obviously stay behind at Hogwarts and not evacuate.  I had thought 
I'd seen that as one of the main themes, thought JKR was leading us 
down that path, with the talk of House unity, the Sorting Hat talking 
about it and the talk of doing what is right over what is easy.  I 
would have even accepted Draco redeeming himself and being a not so 
horrible Slytherin of Harry's age (even though I could never stand 
him and *loved* seeing the Malfoys brought so low in this book- talk 
about reaping the whirlwind).

I had to come back to this list again because as I was reading the 
book I was remembering all the old theories. What?! It IS 
Puppetmaster!Dumbledore and TEWW EWWW and LOLLIPOPS and PINE and some 
MAGIC DISHWASHER- not to mention Bloody Ambushes. *L*  Wonder if it 
torked JKR off occasionally to see how many things the theorizers got 
right long before she wrote about them.

Dumbledore is probably what shocked me most.  I'll have to do a 
reread to see what I think of him.  Also, though I was sure, I was 
positive, at the end of HBP that Snape did everything on AD's orders, 
JKR had me wondering about Snape. I was so surprised at the 
undramatic and the "you're in the way, I don't need you anymore" 
manner of death that it didn't hit me he was for sure good until the 
Headmaster's office opened at the password of "Dumbledore."

One of my favorite lines in this book is from pure nostalgia.  It is 
when the Trio are at the Whomping Willow and Hermione says, "Are you 
a wizard, or what?" to Ron.  Took me back to the first book when I 
couldn't believe I was reading a little kids book that was going to 
be so obvious and straightforward...until it *wasn't* Snape as the 
villain.

A Sawyer --also known as a Goldfeesh
   (Who hoped, if Hagrid was going to die, it would have been when 
Aragog's children carried him off and was a somewhat disappointed 
when he turned up alive and well)