First thoughts upon finishing, while mail downloads

[Amanda Geist]

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I just finished, am downloading email, but wanted to post first impressions.

Loved how JKR managed to accurately convey the awkwardness of teenage
romantic interaction--I have had my body proportions go all awry and not
known how to swing my arms while I'm walking, etc., if someone was watching.

Am astounded that, in almost 900 pages, JKR has managed to *still* not give
me either confirmation or denial of my favorite theory. Blergh. Yet, I have
to say, the thought at the front of my mind upon reading Snape's worst
memory was, why was that the worst memory? Why, of all the many unpleasant
ones he must have, did he pick *that* one to carefully remove each time? Two
ideas present themselves: Harry didn't see the end of it, and even worse
happened; or it was because Lily was there and not only saw it, got
involved.

Am *waiting* for the vampire people to point out that "Snape never eats
here" comment as evidence. Although I saw no other shred of anything like
it.

Am *delighted* to hear Snape is a superb Occlumens, nicely reconciling the
people who said Voldemort can detect all lies, and the people who said Snape
could fool him, who were *both* right.

I would personally like to knock Harry in the head for not apologizing to
Snape after that. Seriously. Honestly. I can understand not thanking him,
when you're eleven, for not saving your life--but at fifteen, when you've
just stuck your head into a memory he removed for the explicit purpose of
preventing you seeing it, and discovered he'd possibly had a point in what
he'd been telling you and not *only* being nasty, and have been in exactly
that position and realize the sort of personal area you're treading on....I
*refuse* to condone Harry's total lack of any kind of remorse for this.

Okay, that's it, the mail's downloaded and I want to see what the rest of
you are saying.

~Amanda, irritated that the book is too big to hold in the tub