23, Malfoy Manor/What a Book

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 183549

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Troy Doyle <afn01288 at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> Zara:
> > 13) Can someone explain to me why Dobby's death is the one death 
> > in this book that originally did, and still does, move me to tears, 
> > even though I always found him annoying? 
> 
> afn:  It's been interesting to see that so many of us found this induced tears.  The death 
of Hedwig was a surprise (I initially thought though that Hagrid had died after the chase 
and crash), but not nearlly as moving to me as Dobb's death.  I cried my eye's out the first 
time I read it and can't read it now without doing so.

Geoff:
In my case I deny that I was moved at any point to tears, it was just 
something in my eye.

But I felt most for Hedwig. Possibly because her death was the first 
in the book which impacted with me. Charity Burbage was, in a sense, 
just a name.

Hedwig was, after Hagrid, only the second creature Harry encountered 
in the Wizarding World and reminded me of dogs in our world. I have 
two Border Collies who we have had from pups. They are faithful to a 
fault and have an uncanny knack of knowing what we are about to do. 
They follow uncomplainingly and are sometimes just there when you 
want to sit in silence. I see Hedwig like this. We have commented here, 
and on Main, that owls seem to possess a measure of understanding 
and Hedwig seems no exception to that. At the Dursleys, she has been 
the reminder of Harry's link to the WW especially when he has been 
cut off for one reason or another.

Nope. For me, it was Hedwig becoming an innocent casualty of war 
which hit me harder than even some of the human losses.

Looking at DH as a whole, my first reaction nearly a year ago was 
that I generally enjoyed the book. With re-reads, I feel there could 
have been some trimming in places but there are times when I will 
read a specific few pages because they are one which are my 
favourites,

I have said already  - more than once(!) - that the book really takes 
off for me with Harry's return to the forest and the walk through it 
but above all, the symbolism when the sun rises across the window 
sills of the Great Hall as Harry faces Voldemort for the last battle. It 
has the same feel of coming triumph as that when Gandalf appears 
in the rising sun at Helm's Deep in "The Two Towers".

But last year was the final stage of a journey in the company of Harry 
and friends which I would not have missed. Apart from the books, I 
have made many acquaintances and friends on the group; we have 
agreed - and disagreed - about the story and also, in some cases 
our contacts have spread beyond OT and Main to sharing thoughts 
on many other topics.

So I believe that the HP books have added to my own experience and 
I am glad that I went to see the second film (ssh!) back at the end of 
'02 because that's where it all started for me.

Geoff
[reaching for a tissue to get whatever it is out of his eye..
:-)]