Week 28: Deathly Hallows, Ch. 30 - 36 & Epilogue

Holy fuck, Harry, what, where the fuck did that come from?

…Seriously, why is everyone suddenly throwing Unforgivables around like they're going out of style? Particularly when they can use any number of legal, not particularly dark spells to achieve the same result? If this was a fanfic, I'd close it.

What is this, Looney Tunes?

Great idea, Neville! Use a weapon that can kill your allies just as much as your enemies!

No, Dumbledore, it's mentioned in Lily's letter that you had the Cloak at the time of Harry's birthday, which was months earlier.

Hawt.

Oh the irony.

No, Harry, Voldemort is actually right, though not for the reason he thinks he is. It was his curse on the Ring that brought Dumbledore's death.

Yeah now go into one of the most dangerous professions.

Why.

 

At some point in these final chapters, the language starts ramping up in formality something fierce.

Don't think anyone forgot this, but still raises some interesting questions.

Boy, the Unforgivables are just fucking flying around now.

Less impressive than Voldemort and Dumbledore's duel, maybe, but still far more interesting than the basically-a-shootout most fics go for.

Wonder why the Baron felt the need to stab her when he was a fucking wizard. What, were spells for horrible murder not invented yet?

Rowling really had to pull this out of her ass. Like whoa.

Don't cockblock, Harry. Not cool.

A gargoyle? Aren't those animate?

What shitty minions.

another line to launch a thousand bad slash fanfics

lol

So is she alive or not?

Behold: the only description we ever get of Harry's maternal grandparents.

Lily is fucking ice cold to Snape, goddamn.

So much for this romp redeeming Snape!

Way to undercut the seriousness there.

So Dumbledore thinks Grindlewald did it?

lol

Also the mother of his child.

Subtle, Rowling.

People parade this around as Ron being some horrible dick, but as someone with a driving license those examinators are complete dickheads, so who gives two shits?

Al seems like a pretty decent kid here. In contrast to, y'know, Cursed Child, where by all accounts and summaries he's kind of a massive twat. Then again, he's a teenager there.


Also, to end in style: congratulations to everyone who participated in this reread, that being basically me, Atram Noctem, and Shinysavage (who'll probably come in a few days late like usual); I'd also like to mock those who did not, in fact, make it, the most prominent among those being the guy who actually set this up yet probably won't read this anyway. Looking at you, Taure.

 

I'd make some comment about feeling personally attacked and triggered, but since I haven't finished last week's section yet...

 

I'd forgotten that Neville the Herbolomancer was canon.

To those of you who did this: thanks. Lurked ALL the threads, was inspired by your finds and hindsights to start a belated re-read myself. Great addition to the library of DLP.

Top work, braz.

 

I just want to say that I second the sentiment. I didn't really reply to a lot of the threads, but I did make it a point to read all of them. I got some great reminders of all those things why I loved Harry Potter, even if a few things didn't age that well. And it gave me joy every time some annoying Fanon idea was outright disproved with a single sentence in the actual Canon.

To all the people who did actually comment in all the Re-Read threads, good job. For lazy people like me, we finally finished this fun little project. A shame it's over now, though.

 

M'eh. Rowling was absolutely determined not to have any of the Trio (or any of the kids) end up as 'killers'. Not overtly, anyway. Therefore - like so much in the series - credibility and writing quality was sacrificed so that everything could be shoehorned into what she wanted to write or could be bothered to write. 'Subtle', not really. More like lazy, unrealistic, uninspired ...

 

Chapter 30: The Sacking of Severus Snape

At least when Harry uses Unforgiveables, there's some practical or emotional reason for it, even it it's a bit morally dubious. This is just...well, it's pointless. She could just have stunned him, summoned the wands, and then tied them up. Literally one more, far easier spell than she already casts.

Chapter 31: The Battle of Hogwarts

But only if we assume that when he hid the diadem, the RoR took the form of an empty room instead of the "cathedral sized room" full of junk that it appears to Harry as.

Exactly!

Fuck Knockturn Alley, there's an actual canonical possibility for Harry picking up some obscure grimoires and objects.

Chapter 33: The Prince's Tale

There's a lot to be said for understatement in fiction, but when I first read DH I didn't realise they'd died until Harry used the Resurrection Stone in the forest.

Well...

So...Snape knew about Lupin being a werewolf, but still asks Lily what's going on with him. Could be argued that he's trying to lead her to the same conclusion, or that he thinks she wouldn't believe him if he said "I saw it happen!", but given the sloppy detail work in DH...

Possibly his best line in the series.

Chapter 34: The Forest Again

Once more for people at the back - it's genetic, not abuse.

Chapter 35: King's Cross

Why? You just get under it and then you're hidden, as far as we see.

Chapter 36: The Flaw in the Plan

Oh, OK. Come back Cursed Child, all is forgiven - we just missed the subtle foreshadowing.

Remember when people suggested that it was Molly's maternal instinct pushing her to greater heights of magical prowess? Guess it didn't work for Bellatrix.

Harry takes the accusation of being Dumbledore's man to its logical conclusion, by taking the first opportunity to deliver a torrent of exposition. Similarly, the parallels between Voldemort and Harry - especially OotP onwards Harry - become more apparent, as he neither understands nor cares what is being said to him.

Nineteen Years Later

Often seen as controversial, but I would say simply objective fact - whatever Snape's flaws, and they are many, he spent three years living a life that could have seen him killed by half the country simply for blinking at the wrong time. Your mileage may vary on how much it redeems him, but let's not argue that he was brave.

...'and they were both manipulative bastards, albeit well meaning to greater or lesser extent, so you should feel wonderful about the fact that I chose you to bear their memorial instead of your two older siblings. Have a great term, kid.'

And that's that! It's been a lot of fun, and a lot of interesting things have come out of it. If nothing else, between us we've put together a useful archive of quotes for canon debates.
BTT, Atram Noctem - fancy doing Cursed Child?

 

I'm up for it if you guys are, honestly. Though I feel like reading it as a book kinda misses the point, it being a stage play first and foremost. I'm thinking we split it in two parts, like the ebook I "stumbled across" online is.

 

And he [James] is previously described as tall. So, tall by English standards, I say 6 feet. Not like Albus nor Voldemort, but good enough height.

Excellente work there, lads. Thank you.

 

On the topic of Ron imitating Parseltongue, why didn't Harry just make a howler?

 

Because he had no idea what they were doing until after the fact. Presumably it would have worked though if they had thought about it.

 

And he was described as tall by Voldemort, so not much less than him.

I thought about it, really don't know if I can bear reading that pile of puke again. And it would all be just pointing out plot holes, which means every second word in the play.