Hmmm. What's your favorite *now*?

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 182996

> > SSSusan asked: 
> > > That question is:  Now that we're almost a year out from the 
> > > release of DH and the completion of the series, which of the 
> books has become your favorite?

zgirnius:
It's still DH, as it was after my first reading of it. I found it a 
fitting, gripping, and satisfying conclusion to the saga. Rowling 
managed to deliver some cool surprises (the fall of the Ministry, 
Kreacher's story, and the life story of Albus Dumbledore) as well as 
fulfill expectations that I had developed in the course of the series 
(Snape's story, the role of the Malfoys in DH, and Harry's sacrifica 
and non-death).

It also had all sorts of lovely moments for characters I liked - 
Neville's heroism, Hermione's immense controbution to the success of 
the Trio, Ron's destruction of the locket Horcrux, Molly's defeat of 
Bellatrix, and every last bit of "The Prince's Tale".

> > SSSusan asked:
> > > Then, if you're game, how 'bout these:
> > > *Which is/has become your least favorite book of the series?  
> > > Again, can you express why?

zgirnius:
My least favorites are the first two. I put each down with no 
intention of ever reading another book of the series, though I could 
not say I disliked them, precisely. My reaction was more, "Oh, so 
that is what the fuss is about. I suppose, as a kid, I would have 
loved them too." Now I love them with the rest, as parts of the 
series, but not as much as some others. I think, for me, the problem 
was that the endings wrapped things up too neatly. PoA, with the 
escape of Peter and the second Prophecy, gave me a feeling that 
things were going to get more serious on the Voldemort front, and GoF 
delivered.

PoA was the one that hooked me as a regular series reader, and HBP 
inspired me to become an addicted, obsessive, endlessly discussing, 
fanfiction-writing online fan. <bg>

> > SSSusan asked:
> > > *Is there a character you find yourself especially fond of now 
> that it's all over?  Pourquoi?

zgirnius:
Snape. Not that this was a big change for me. 

> Potioncat:
> Dumbledore. I don't think that's very popular either. 

zgirnius:
Add me to the list. Snape's my favorite, but Albus is the one whose 
status changed as a result of DH.  He was never a favorite character, 
I found him bland and uninteresting despite the occasional too-cute 
eccentricity. Now I like him.

>Potioncat:
> I'd like to hear her 
> thoughts about DD and Snape. And I bet she's so mad at them for 
never 
> confiding in her, that she never ever speaks to either of their 
> portraits. 

zgirnius:
I don't think she would have this reaction, actually. Unlike Harry, 
she always knew she was not being told everything, and seemed to 
accept it. So I don't think, in retrospect, that she would feel she 
should have been told.

I also think she would regret her last words to Snape, though whether 
this would cause her to want to talk to him, or avoid him, is not 
clear to me.

> Potioncat:
> I was surprised at how sad I was at the end. Even the sugary 
> epilogue 
> didn't help. Things had gotten so dark before the end. I guess, 
goofy 
> person that I am, that I went into mourning.

zgirnius:
This was the biggest surprise for me, too! Though, to get me over the 
biggest cause of my post-DH depression, it was not a sugary Epilogue 
about the living I needed, but an even more sugary scene of the 
afterlife.... I wouldn't actually want it in canon, though. It was 
sad, but a good kind of sad.

Hmm - scenes I avoid: I agree with everyone who says "Hagrid's Tale". 
(All other chapters ending in "Tale" are favorites.)

hickengruendler:
@ Carol: You are not the only one, who likes "The Other Minister". We 
are at least two.

zgirnius:
Make that, three. I thought it was a really fun way to start HBP, 
though my favorite opening chapter is DH's, for really great creepy 
atmosphere and fulfilling my long-held wish of seeing a scene of 
Snape with Voldemort.