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tarotgalJust finished listening to HP6. This is the second time I've made it through this book (read it the weekend it came out, and this was my first time listening to it)
I'm DEFINITELY glad I re-read it! So much exposition and so many details. I remembered the big stuff: Ginny/Harry, Tonks being depressed, the potions book, Draco and the cabinet (& the bathroom scene), the introduction of horcruxes, the locket-retrieval scene, and Snape killing Dumbledore. I didn't remember: all the twists and turns (read: drama) of Quidditch and relationships, Harry inherriting Kreacher and Dung stealing from the house, the luck potion, the multiple attempts on Dumbledore's life, all the trips into the pensive and Voldy's background, the fact that Snape had been the one to overhear the prophecy, the fact that Snape took charge of Malfoy after the deed was done, the fact that Nev & Luna were the only DA people to respond and help.
Somehow, this time around I was less angry with Dumbledore, though still a bit pissed right up until the death scene. And somehow, this time Harry/Ginny sat a little better with me.
I'd forgotten how grown up Harry seems at the end of the book. Maybe it's the fact that I read all the books in order straight over the last 19 days... so I got to see him grow up all at once. Or maybe it's because I was listening to him say his lines, instead of just reading it, but this time I was really struck with how well he was taking on this immense responsibility- and not just in a "Voldy and I will have to fight to the death" sort of way like at the beginning of the book... he's more come into his own now and he's not doing it for anyone else or because of anyone else. He's doing it for himself, because he's the sort of person who will fight evil. I was rather impressed this time around.
I really liked book 6 when I read it the first time... but I still really like it. It's got its moments of brilliance, even though it feels unfinished.
My thoughts about the next book: (obviously no spoilers, because I haven't read it, LOL)
1- I want RAB to be Regulus Black, I really do. But even if it's not, the interesting point I took out of reading HP6 again was the fact that Dumbledore says no one person could retrieve the locket. It's pretty clear that even as resolved as D was, he couldn't have gulped down all that stuff in the basin without Harry's help. So how did RAB do it? And who was helping him? It had to have been a non-wizard or a child. And is the person who helped him still alive?
2- I'm still hoping for some joining of houses and creatures/species in the fight. So many themes in the books point to this, and I'd love to see it.
3- I think Snape's good. I'm probably wrong, but that's where I stand.
4- I still don't understand the prophecy completely. I get all the stuff about how it wouldn't necessarily come to pass yet Voldy acted on it, making it happen and causing his own downfall. I get the Neville part, and Harry being marked as his equal and having powers Voldy doesn't know about. And I get the "either MUST die at the hand of the other" part (notice it doesn't say BOTH must die). But the "neither can live while the other survives" part still bothers me. I mean, technically they're both alive now, right? Does that mean that they can't have normal lives while the other is alive? They're forced to give up their normal pursuits in order to pursue each other?
5- I find it interesting that Voldemort says 7 is the most magical number... and Harry was born in the 7th month of the year
6- I want to see Wormtail repay his life debt to Harry (finally)
7- I want to see Godric's Hollow very badly... and I have a feeling we might get clues about a Gryffindor object there
8- I would LOVE for one of the Horcruxes to be at Hogwarts and that was one reason Voldy wanted back in... however, I think it just as likely the only reason he wanted in was to get objects to make Horcruxes, not to retrieve already-created ones. Still... I want to go back to Hogwarts at least one more time :-)
9- I want Ron & Hermione to finally get together, damnit.
10- I want to see Lupin do something extremely nice and/or extremely noble. I'd prefer he not die, obviously, but if he does, I want the last Marauder to go down fighting or with good reason
11- I want that line Luna says to Harry in the 5th movie (you know, THAT line) to be an omen of something for the 7th book, either relating to Dumbledore (portrait?) or Sirius (preferably).
12- I want those damn mirrors from book 5 to come into play somehow cuz otherwise the irony for irony's sake is painful and even more heartbreaking... but considering that wasn't in the movie, I'm not getting my hopes up
Oh, and I don't want to be spoiled :-)
I'm DEFINITELY glad I re-read it! So much exposition and so many details. I remembered the big stuff: Ginny/Harry, Tonks being depressed, the potions book, Draco and the cabinet (& the bathroom scene), the introduction of horcruxes, the locket-retrieval scene, and Snape killing Dumbledore. I didn't remember: all the twists and turns (read: drama) of Quidditch and relationships, Harry inherriting Kreacher and Dung stealing from the house, the luck potion, the multiple attempts on Dumbledore's life, all the trips into the pensive and Voldy's background, the fact that Snape had been the one to overhear the prophecy, the fact that Snape took charge of Malfoy after the deed was done, the fact that Nev & Luna were the only DA people to respond and help.
Somehow, this time around I was less angry with Dumbledore, though still a bit pissed right up until the death scene. And somehow, this time Harry/Ginny sat a little better with me.
I'd forgotten how grown up Harry seems at the end of the book. Maybe it's the fact that I read all the books in order straight over the last 19 days... so I got to see him grow up all at once. Or maybe it's because I was listening to him say his lines, instead of just reading it, but this time I was really struck with how well he was taking on this immense responsibility- and not just in a "Voldy and I will have to fight to the death" sort of way like at the beginning of the book... he's more come into his own now and he's not doing it for anyone else or because of anyone else. He's doing it for himself, because he's the sort of person who will fight evil. I was rather impressed this time around.
I really liked book 6 when I read it the first time... but I still really like it. It's got its moments of brilliance, even though it feels unfinished.
My thoughts about the next book: (obviously no spoilers, because I haven't read it, LOL)
1- I want RAB to be Regulus Black, I really do. But even if it's not, the interesting point I took out of reading HP6 again was the fact that Dumbledore says no one person could retrieve the locket. It's pretty clear that even as resolved as D was, he couldn't have gulped down all that stuff in the basin without Harry's help. So how did RAB do it? And who was helping him? It had to have been a non-wizard or a child. And is the person who helped him still alive?
2- I'm still hoping for some joining of houses and creatures/species in the fight. So many themes in the books point to this, and I'd love to see it.
3- I think Snape's good. I'm probably wrong, but that's where I stand.
4- I still don't understand the prophecy completely. I get all the stuff about how it wouldn't necessarily come to pass yet Voldy acted on it, making it happen and causing his own downfall. I get the Neville part, and Harry being marked as his equal and having powers Voldy doesn't know about. And I get the "either MUST die at the hand of the other" part (notice it doesn't say BOTH must die). But the "neither can live while the other survives" part still bothers me. I mean, technically they're both alive now, right? Does that mean that they can't have normal lives while the other is alive? They're forced to give up their normal pursuits in order to pursue each other?
5- I find it interesting that Voldemort says 7 is the most magical number... and Harry was born in the 7th month of the year
6- I want to see Wormtail repay his life debt to Harry (finally)
7- I want to see Godric's Hollow very badly... and I have a feeling we might get clues about a Gryffindor object there
8- I would LOVE for one of the Horcruxes to be at Hogwarts and that was one reason Voldy wanted back in... however, I think it just as likely the only reason he wanted in was to get objects to make Horcruxes, not to retrieve already-created ones. Still... I want to go back to Hogwarts at least one more time :-)
9- I want Ron & Hermione to finally get together, damnit.
10- I want to see Lupin do something extremely nice and/or extremely noble. I'd prefer he not die, obviously, but if he does, I want the last Marauder to go down fighting or with good reason
11- I want that line Luna says to Harry in the 5th movie (you know, THAT line) to be an omen of something for the 7th book, either relating to Dumbledore (portrait?) or Sirius (preferably).
12- I want those damn mirrors from book 5 to come into play somehow cuz otherwise the irony for irony's sake is painful and even more heartbreaking... but considering that wasn't in the movie, I'm not getting my hopes up
Oh, and I don't want to be spoiled :-)
