Agreed. Harry might have thought that Dumbledore would be able to account for Tom. No dice, Harry. It’s up to you, bub!
Julie
Still doesn’t make sense. Two of the times Dumbledore claims he didn’t want to spoil the triumphant moment were times when Harry had just defeated Voldemort. Sorry to spoil your defeat of Voldemort Harry, but I’m afraid you are destined to defeat Voldemort."
But defeating Voldemort is not the same as killing him. The prophecy means that Harry won’t be able to live in peace until he personally kills Voldermort. And of course Harry can’t rule out the possibility that he will be the one who is killed. In fact from his pov. it’s much likelier given his relative weakness compared to Voldermort.
Exactly… making Voldemorts plans go wrong is different from obliterating him from the Earth (I want to see how this happens… because it probably won’t be the ‘Avada Kadavra’ curse, then again maybe the ‘Crucio’ in this book was foreshadowing).
I thought of a few things at work.
-Why did Mrs. Weasely go after the boggart by herself. Wasn’t it Lupin who told his DADA class that it was best to attack a boggart in a group as to confuse it? I know Mrs. Rowling wanted to get in the teaser about dying Weaselies, but it could have been done in a less contradictory way.
-I got a little of a Star Wars vibe when Fudge and Dumbledore were facing off in the headmaster’s office. Strike me down, Fudge, and I will become more powerful than you could imagine.
-Harry’s use of the unforgivable curse is probably just the begining. For those of you upset about the prophecy think about this: you, a 15 year old, have to kill one the the most powerful people in the history of the world. Not just defeat, but kill. And there is a good possiblity that you will be killed rather than him. Harry will have to learn to master his emotions in order to use the killing spell the right way.
-Since Harry can only die at Voldy hands do you see a little bit of Arthur from The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy working its’ way in. In theory he should be able to go play in rush hour traffic and not get killed, unless Voldy learns to drive. It could be interesting as prophecy butts heads with Hermoine’s logic in the next books.
Heh. You got Vader and Obi Wan out of that?
I got Yoda and Dooku.
I think he said it just for kids in school. I bet Mrs. Weasley, knowledgable in much magic, thought she was powerful enough to tackle it… and maybe she would have been if the boggart hadn’t changed to dead Weasley’s.
Dumbledore vs. Voldemort = Gandalf vs. Saruman. To me, anyway.
Well, I’m female, and I didn’t think either person was really “wrong”, in that scene, just human, and adolescent. Cho, being magical, probably hasn’t had her grounding in Sweet Valley High/First Love/Sweet Dreams, and therefore doesn’t realize that whenever the guy you like mentions another girl, she will always turn out to be either a platonic friend or a relative! And Harry is a typical fifteen-year-old guy, stating things baldly and not realizing how they might be misinterpreted.
And to refine some earlier statements I’ve made:
Having your first Real Date on Valentine’s Day is way too much pressure.
Cho seems to have a lot of suitors, and, as such, I don’t think she knows much more than Harry about what it takes to make a Relationship work. Again, not calling her a tease, but for her, guys are just there, and if they don’t capitulate, there will always be another one.
And I strongly suspect that she would be far less interested in Harry if it wasn’t for the Cedric connection.
But I did like the line about how he’s amazed that it’s so much harder to reach for her stationary hand than for a flying Snitch!
But I’ll tell you what I did think was jerkish behavior: Harry’s reaction when Ginny, Neville and Luna offer to go with him on the rescue mission. I mean, he was downright rude, even after Neville pointed out that their DA training, which they’d gotten from him, made their assistance valuable. And as it turned out, six people were necessary to handle that ballsup at the Ministry. Not, of course, that it’s standard for fifteen-year-old guys to thank people for anything…
THANK YOU! I noticed that as well. In fact, I was feeling awfully smug when I picked Tonk right off as this book’s traitor, when she leapt at the chance to help Harry pack. I mean, a shape-shifter? Who’s extra nice and so clumsy that no one takes her too seriously? She’d have been perfect. Ah, well, maybe next book.
I am hereby predicting that Neville IS, in fact, The One. The argument against him seems to be just that he hasn’t been marked like Harry was. Well, what’s to keep Voldemort from marking him in the future? Here’s how I see the Big Final Showdown playing out: Voldy and Harry are facing off. Minor characters are fighting in the background. Neville comes rushing in in the nick of time to save Harry and is seemingly brushed aside, with some violence, by V. V and H resume fighting. Again, V is about to whack H. Neville, with a brand new scar or other mark, comes rushing back in, blindsides V, and kills him. Go Neville!!!
I freaking LOVE Prof. McGonnagal, or however that’s spelled. I loved the fact that she told off Umbridge right there in her office in front of Harry. I love the fact that she balances her responsability as a teacher with sympathy and genuine caring for her students.
I also loved that the other Prof left a damp spot as a memorial to the Weasley twins. That was another example of that two-way relationship between faculty and students that I really like. Besides, the twins NEEDED a memorial after that stunt. Awesome.
I’d like to see Harry approach Snape, on his own, and offer a sincere apology for misjudging him over all these years. It’d be hard to write a scene like that, but I think it needs to be done.
The death? Eh. I can see why I’m supposed to care about it, but I don’t, really. Harry needs to realize how many other people there are out there who genuinely care about him. There was a hint of that at the end, which was nice. I also liked that Mrs. Weasley said he was like another son to him, and that she saw Harry’s body, along with her families’.
I also like the scene on the train at the end, where the whole DA attacked Malfoy and his cronies.
Dang, this post has gotten long. I better stop.
I dont think Neville is the one, simply because can you imagine it? All these years weve been reading and watching the whole thing from a Harry Potter viewpoint, It would be like the books were a wste of time if all the responsibility were to fall on Nevilles shoulders, personally Id just like to see him there at the very end helping harry defeat Voldemort in whatever way he can… or else finding a cure for his parents illness.
I was thinking about how Sirius dies, and were supposed to be really effected byt it, but some of us, me included arnt really bothered by it, because hes not the nicest character in the book, is he? He seems like a spoilt child at times when he gives out to people for not letting him help outside the Order, Hes on the run from the law, what des he want? to go back to Azkaban? Ok I suppose he could just escape again but howsever, I think Mrs Weasley was right, he was trying to make Harry into James. The only reason I was sad he died was because Harry now had to go back to the Dursleys for the Summer, but seeing as how we find out in the end of the book about how he has to go back anyway, its not a very redeeming factor for him. Im going to shut up now because Im not sure how much sence Im making. 
NitPick Why can Harry only see the Thestrals now, because he saw Cedric die, but apparently he saw his mother being killed to, I know he was only a baby, but still he witnessed a death, or do you have to remember it? just wondered
Yep. I wondered if it ties into him always having saved the day by himself (yeah, Hermione was with him in PoA, but that was a hushed up rescue as far as the rest of the school). We saw twinges of jealousy when Ron was made prefect instead of him, On the train, he had to get a compartment with Ginny and Neville…and he’s not being treated as “The Boy Who Lived” but an unbalanced adolescent.
Now, his friend/godfather is in trouble and he intends to be the one to save him. But these others are pushing into his deal.
As was said, he has the ‘hero complex’. Since he’s done it so much, he’s looking the play the hero. Voldemort banks on that to get him down to the Ministry. It’s his main ‘flaw’. One that seemingly looks like it can be exploited further.
So? How is it really a damper to point out that Harry is destined for a showdown with Voldy when everyone’s been talking constantly about how that’s exactly what Harry does?
It is to him! I’m sure he thought Dumbledore should take care of it. Of course, now he realizes he can count on the big guy.
I just finished the book and here are my thoughts.
I loved it.
Yeah, it was a bit long, but I didn’t mind.
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I thought Harry’s angst was dead on.
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In every chapter I thought someone new was going to die. I was kinda hoping it was Hagrid, as he seems to really have gone cardboard.
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I thought the way Harry didn’t understand girls ( Cho) and the way Hermione didn’t grasp the joys of Quidditch as much as the guys was great.
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I’m glad Filch got some fine lines. He is a hoot. Not much of Mrs. Norris this time around. “Approval for whipping…approval for whipping…I can do it at last…they’ve had it coming for years!”
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When explaining the series to my husban ( a muggle in the finest sense) I said that this book was really dealing about the Freedom of Speech, Personal Freedoms and Censorship issues. Y’know: Bush and Ashcroft being Cornelius Fudge and Delores Umbridge. And the Daily Prophet is really Fox News in disguise. All that is missing is a Bill O’Reilly character. Mr. Ujest just looked at me and went, " This is a children’s book?"
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I thought the fight at the Ministry of Mysteries was rather flat.
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Snape and the Weasley twins are three of the best written characters.
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When Dumbledore fought Voldemort, I was rather disappointed that we did not hear him give the spell, only seeing it happen.
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I was so wracked with nerves on who was going to die that I finally caved in an skimmed to find out it was Sirius and then went, " Ok, no big loss." I think Hagrid’s death would have been a greater loss. Dumbledore’s tragic.
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When Neville did his first spell correctly at the DA, I applauded him. I am so happy he is finally coming into his own. And the Prophesy thing added a very nice twist to keep things interesting.
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When they were at the MoM and passing the tank of brains, I was positive it was the brains of the people that had gone mad by torture by Voldemort. I was hoping that Neville might be able to get his parents back.
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Ginny really started to shine and I am really happy for her. I think she will end up with Harry.
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I absolutely adore Fred and George Weasley. When they tell Hermione, ’ You don’t get it, do you. We don’t care about staying anymore…" part, it was ab-so-lutely brilliant. And the BOOM! And then their outstanding departure from Hogwarts. Best departure ever. I want to have their babies
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If Petunia Dursley has a sister that is a witch, then could Aunt Petunia, as a possible witch or a squib have a child that has powers that come later? Dudley could be a force for Voldemort to use. Evil, stupid, malevolent, selfish, greedy.
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The end scene at the train station with all of the Weasleys and everyone else warning the Dursley’s just brought a tear to my eye.
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I really liked it over all. Everything to me seemed done just so. Like stepping entirely into the world and seeing through Harry’s eyes. When others here state that the editing in the first few chapters were crap, I must be missing something. I think they are fine. Readable and a good jump into the book. Maybe I am dense, I dunno.
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I didn’t think McConagall was that old. Teaching for 39 years. Wow.
I shall now being my jonesing for the next one.
Yeah who’s “everyone” here? Like I said it may be clear to readers but it’s not to the characters themselves. I don’t remember anything to suggest that Harry or his friends believe that there will be an inevitable showdown with Voldermort where one of them dies.
About could Petunia have a child that was a wizard or a witch, well Im not going to say yes or no but I can tell you this:
On the DVD of ‘The Chamber of Secrets’, there is an extended scene with Colin Creevy (the kid who idolised harry and used to take all his pictures), and it says he was Muggle born and his parents thought he was just mad or weird because he could do all this strange stuff, but he was actually a Wizard, so he went to Hogwarts. Anyway in the book The Goblet of Fire, We’re told about Dennis Creevy (he was the little kid who fell in the lake on the way to the school on the first night), Colins little brother who has joined Hogwarts. Now assuming that Colin and Dennis have the same parents, and that those parents were muggles, then yes it is possible for Petunia to have magical powers, or to give birth to someone with Magical powers.
that all assumes that the extended scene thats on the DVD is actually in the book, i cant remember if it is or not
My previous post was in response to Apos in case it isn’t clear.
“I didn’t think McConagall was that old.”
Neither did I until I saw Maggie Smith in the film.
“find out it was Sirius and then went, " Ok, no big loss.” "
Before I read the book I would have agreed but the book does a good job of fleshing out some of his background. Above all his death matters because it matters so much to Harry. The scene in the last chapter where he tries desperately to make contact is deeply moving. So ,on a smaller scale, is the moment where Phineas refuses to believe Sirius is dead and goes back to his house.