HP7--Spoilers

[vicki]

I just finished. Anyone else done?

Right now, all I can say is WOW!! That thing knocked me down and called me Edna. Must go and decompress a bit.

[azdolphin]

Several of us in our house read it in a marathon session yesterday -- we all LOVED it!!! I think I liked it best of all the books. She really mixed things up, and while some things happened (or didn't) that I expected, there were other things like, "Wow, never saw THAT coming!" It was amazing!!

It is sad, though, to know it was the last one...

[vicki]

Yep, it's defintely my favorite of all the books. It was amazing! I did predict the Snape-Lily thing way back in the series, but it was so gratifying to see how well she tied it all up and vindicated Snape in just half a chapter of penseive scenes.

And the Battle of Hogwarts. Wow. Neville whacking Nagini. Wow. Mrs. Weasley kicking Bellatrix's butt. Wow. The last big showdown. Whew! It was just fantabulous!

Yah, I'm extremely bummed about it being the last one. I'm also a tad irritated that we don't know what kind of work Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny ended up doing. I kind of wonder if some of them wound up as aurors. Or if Hermione became a magical civil rights lawyer.

[jtb1951]

I just finished reading, since I didn't get to start reading the book until late last night; we had a visitor with us and couldn't begin until she left for her flight back home.

Holy cow!! I am SO impressed with J. K. Rowling; she concluded the whole story with more twists, and surprises, and a totally satisfactory ending than I could have ever imagined!! It's going to take awhile for my adrenaline to stop pumping. Sometime soon I will be going back and re-reading it at a more leisurely pace, and just savor every page again!! In a word: WOW!!!

John.

[KarenB]

I loved the Snape Pensieve scene! It worked so well. Loved Neville!! He always seemed like someone with hidden depths. And, yeah, I too wanted to know what they ended up doing. Harry as Minister of Magic? just because he wouldn't have wanted it? or maybe he became a SAHD and Ginny went to work. Hmmm, have to mull that one over a bit. I'm going to let it all percolate for a while and then go back and reread since I was flying thru it this time.

[meagb]

I got the book at midnight and I had it finished by Saturday evening but I read it with more care than when I read books 4, 5 or 6 for the first time because it was the last time I was going to read a Harry Potter book for the first time! I agree with what everyone has already said, I loved Neville killing Nagini and Mrs. Weasley kicking Bellatrix's butt. Vicki, I'm really impressed that you predicted the whole Snape-Lily thing, I never saw that coming! I'm one of those people who cry at everything in books and movies so I was a waterworks the whole book. I loved how she threw in details that I had never even thought about before like the whole Grey Lady/Bloody Baron thing and how Ravenclaws have to answer a question to get into their common room. I think the chapter with all of Snape's memories in the pensieve is one of my favorite chapters of the whole series and I love how she wrapped up her books long soapbox about treating house elves with respect by having a great relationship between Harry and Kreacher! I love J.K. Rowling!

[vicki]

Oh, I loved all the details, and would loved to have seen even more. We may be in luck in that respect--the Leaky Cauldron posted today that JKR is thinking about eventually doing an HP Encyclopedia, with lots of stuff from her big box of made-up history and background, as well as bits from the cutting-room floor. I'd personally love to see a huge entry on Prof. McGonagall, as I think she was sort of neglected in the books.

I love how she wrapped up her books long soapbox about treating house elves with respect by having a great relationship between Harry and Kreacher!

Oh, that was cool! And I love that it was Ron's protective comment about the Hogwarts house elves that spurred Hermione to finally lay one on him. Hehehehe! I was just reading the Sorting Hat chapter to DD tonight and Ron groaned when Hermione got into Gryffindor, which is pretty funny in retrospect. I'd love to find out what jobs Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny ended up with--I'd like to think that Hermione wound up working somehow in magical civil-rights law.

Vicki, I'm really impressed that you predicted the whole Snape-Lily thing, I never saw that coming!


Actually, I'm kind of amazed that I pegged it, myself. I'm usually the last to figure that sort of thing out and am always agog when the killer is revealed in any mystery. I'd starve if I were a detective. And I was one of those in the theater who exclaimed aloud at the end of The Sixth Sense--a lot of people said they had it figured out by the middle of the movie, but I was entirely gobstopped.

One of the things I like about book 7 is that, in response to someone who asked whether Harry dies in the book, I could tell them that he did, but he also didn't. Hehehehe--that spoiled the spoiler.

I will have to say that when I read the part where D'dore said Harry had to die in that pensieve scene, I swore out loud and had to go running around the house, I was so weirded out. Luckily, it turned out okay. If it hadn't, I would have been most seriously messed up and put out.

I'm sad to see the end of the HP series finally come. It was a highly satisfying end, but it has been such a wonderful phenomenon for the book-world--kind of like our Star Wars. But all good things must come to an end, I guess. Waaah! :..(

[Meredith47]

Hi! (waves) I wish I had found you guys earlier so I could have a place to burble at 10 pm on the 21st. I was this odd 59 year old lady who got dressed as a witch and went and stood in line at the local independent bookstore (Vroman's, love them forever) at midnight and then did NOTHING but eat sleep and read until it was done. Reason number 447 why I love my husband, who gave me no grief for this whatever. For some reason I was totally terrified that someone would tell me what happened. I have to agree that when they said Harry had to die I said "oh, noooo" but somehow I knew there was a fooler in there. And I KNEW Dumbledore was insisting that Snape kill him, but durned if I could figure out why that might make sense. I wasn't really surprised Snape was in love with Lily - I kept noticing he did nothing worse than cut George's ear off (except re D, of course, now explained). Can someone help me out with the wand thing? Is it in book 6 that they show Harry has grabbed Draco's wand and therefore is the legitimate master of the Elder Wand? (or you can just leave me be, I'm taking the last 3 on vaca with me). I concur, I certainly wish JK would flesh out some bits of this. There are a lot of spaces left vacant. cheers! --Meredith

[Kiyomi]

Well I finally had time to sit down and read book 7 a couple days ago. I was a little disappointed in it. Was I the only one? I was pleased that her writing improved as the book went on as it was very choppy in the begining however, I was a bit disapointed by how many of the major plot points I had predicted. I wish she had made the last chapter longer! I think my favorite part of the end of a series is finding out what happened to everyone in the end and how they are getting along. I would have especially liked to have known what happened to Arthur Weasly. He was one of my favorite characters and it would have been nice to know what he ended up doing later. And of course the burning question that many of my friends share, what did the trio end up doing for their careers???

[vicki]

And of course the burning question that many of my friends share, what did the trio end up doing for their careers???


Kiyomi, JKR has now answered this herself in an interview revealing post-HP7 details (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/)!

I look forward to getting that encyclopedia she's planning on writing!

Is anyone else here wondering how many millions JKR makes just this week? Like half the amazon bestseller list is HP7 or other HP books/sets.

[jtb1951]

Kiyomi, JKR has now answered this herself in an interview revealing post-HP7 details!

vicki, thanks for the link, after all, inquiring minds want to know!!!:)

I agree, an encyclopedia of all things Potter would be a lot of fun!.

John.

[Kiyomi]

Thanks for the link Vicki! So now she just needs to spill the beans on Arthur and I will be a happy camper :D

[KarenB]

I second (third?) the thanks for the link, Vicki, and how did you know Hermione would be a lawyer as well as the Snape/Lily thing? (alien brain link with JKR?):D

[kuttlewis]

I was astonished at all the positive turns. Just look at Kreacher go :)

[vicki]

So now she just needs to spill the beans on Arthur and I will be a happy camper


I'd like to see a very long entry in the encyclopedia about McGonagall. And JKR says that Dean Thomas has a very interesting background. I'd like to read about that. Need encyclopedia. Now. Of course, JKR's already said it'll be a while. Waaah!


how did you know Hermione would be a lawyer as well as the Snape/Lily thing? (alien brain link with JKR?)


I'd like to think that great minds think alike, but she actually telegraphed it pretty well. Hermione's formation of SPEW and her consistent interest in magical civil rights, along with her intellectual abilities, indicate the right combination of research and advocacy skills and passion for justice that makes for a great civil rights lawyer. Go Hermione! JKR worked for Amnesty International doing research into human rights abuses in Africa, so she has some experience in that regard, and her sister is a lawyer, so that also forms a good background for her to send Hermione in that direction, post-HP7.

The Snape-Lily thing I picked up from various textual and plot-related clues as well as some conjecture about the source of Snape's evident unhappiness and his seemingly irrational hatred of Harry. Various permutations of the theory have been discussed on HP boards over the years, so JKR laid enough clues in the early books to stir up at least some suspicion about Snape and Lily.


I was astonished at all the positive turns. Just look at Kreacher go


That was really cool--who would have ever guessed Kreacher would turn out to be anything but completely unpleasant?

[vicki]

Lookee--JKR did a live chat (http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript) through her UK publisher and answered gobs of post-HP7 questions. Not too shabby!

[kuttlewis]

Vicki,
You're amazing. How did you find all those links? Thank you.

[vicki]

Thankee, kuttlewis--'twas no biggie, however. My friend Julz from the HP thread in readerville.com found the interview link and I just rolled around on google and found the live chat. I'm so glad JKR decided to fill us in to some extent on the post-HP7 world--I was very curious!