Friday 17 May 2013

"'Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven.'"

Oh, Deathly Hallows. You are so much more intense than your predecessors already, and we're only 10 chapters in! There's not only more ACTION in this book already, but, and I think we've all been feeling this, MORE OF THE CRYING. I just... Harry keeps thinking of his parents, and Sirius, and that's upsetting enough, and then there are other things about stuff that happens later and I don't even remember most of what happens later, but I still find everything really really sad. I literally started crying a bit at 'I open at the close', and nothing has happened with that yet! Or will for ages!

I'm really just not emotionally prepared for this AT ALL.
I don't know if this is just me, but the Bit At The Burrow felt kind of different to me in this book. I think that, in all other cases, I'm pretty much like 'GET TO HOGWARTS ALREADY' (I'm sorry, I really like Hogwarts) but this time it felt very calming and safe, almost definitely because what's coming isn't the other familiarity of Hogwarts, but the great unknown of the outside world, which, as is made extra-clear by Mad Eye Moody's death (WHICH I FORGOT ABOUT) is very very dangerous now. I mean, even the Malfoys are scared of Voldemort at this point. That can't be good.

It's bullet point time, I think, but first I'm going to start doing a body count for each section of the book, just so as, you know, we can keep track of who's dead. JUST LIKE VOLDY PROBABLY DOES.
Death Count: 4- Charity Burbage, Hedwig (NOOOOO), Mad Eye Moody, Rufus Scrimgeour. (And, let's face it, probably others at the Ministry, too).

  • Have we talked before about how Hitler and Voldemort are not exactly dissimilar? Cause how's this one- Voldy's all like 'ONLY THE PURE BLOOD ARE ANY GOOD' and the dude toootally has a muggle father. Hitler's all like 'BLONDE HAIR AND BLUE EYES ONLY' and I think we all know that's not what he looks like. Just... I don't know, guys, crazy murdering assholes are stupid.
  • It's gross how much Bellatrix is like
with Voldemort. I just... NO BELLATRIX. You evil bitch.
  • I definitely didn't remember all this Dumbledore history. Am I right in thinking that it's not strictly  relevant to the story, but it IS really interesting? Or it's the most relevant ever and I'm just bad at remembering? 
  • Dudley! Has he redeemed himself for YEARS of bullying? He has not. But it's nice to think, as Harry and the Dursleys part ways forever, that at least one of them doesn't think he's the shittiest person ever to have lived. AND HE WANTS HARRY TO BE SAFE! Oh, it's just adorable, really.
  • Harry is very very much back to his not-wanting-people-to-risk-their-lives-for-him ways (which is very similar to his saving-people thing). And yes, it's all adorable and noble, but it is just extremely tiring. Because the thing that he doesn't at all get is that their not so much risking their lives for HIM so much as for the one thing that can stop Voldy. And yes, that is his burden, but it's not AT ALL one that he has to carry alone, obviously.
  • The Seven Potters is both EXCELLENT and ENTHRALLING and seriously, my heart was in my throat the whole time. And I have read it before! More than once! So so awesome.
  • Accio Hagrid? Accio HAGRID?! Can you even do that? Because I LOVE IT. And, oh man, Hagrid shouting at Lupin to leave Harry alone when he gets all rough with him. I just... I love you, Hagrid.
  • "The measures they had taken to protect their families made him realise, more than anything else could have done, that they really were going to come with him and that they knew exactly how dangerous that would be. He wanted to tell them what that meant to him, but he simply could not find words important enough."
Please. You're killing me.
  • Oh Dumbledore. You and your unexplained bequests. Oh, Scrimgeour. You and your annoying Ministryness. 
  • Ron had no idea who Luna was before OotP, but sure, let's invite the Lovegoods to Bill and Fleur's wedding! On the plus side... LUNA! We all need quality Luna time, I think.
  • There are some GREAT wand jokes in this section. I mean, really. "'You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either.'" and also "'I had not realised I ever discussed my vand vith fans.'" See, JK knows how to bring the funny still!
  • I want an evening bag like Hermione's. I need to carry a lot of stuff with me. And also, HOW CLEVER IS THAT?! I'm so glad Hermione's there to sort everything out.
  • I like that Harry is all sickened by Draco's fear and horror. I realise what this means from a Drarry viewpoint, but my thought is- would Draco feel the same way if he somehow had visions of Harry being all mistreated by Voldy? Because my gut feeling is that, no, no he would not. Or at least he wouldn't have before he started feeling all scared. And this is why Harry's the hero. 
As always, there is LOADS more to say, but I feel like I've already made you read ENOUGH. Go about your LIVES again, people!

19 comments:

  1. "Hitler's all like 'BLONDE HAIR AND BLUE EYES ONLY' and I think we all know that's not what he looks like. Just... I don't know, guys, crazy murdering assholes are stupid."

    LOL TRUTH!

    I want a bag like Hermione's as well. Why isn't this a thing yet? Surely someone can learn how to bend the rules of physics and make this possible?

    This section was so exciting and action-y but I'm already sick of crying. And there's more to come... le sigh.

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    1. I feel like SOMEONE should have figured out how to make things bigger on the inside, and also how to make things that weigh weights, not weigh weights. Damn limits of humanity...

      I am also kind of sick of crying. BUT THE CRYING IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. I think... Whatever, I'm going to be the MOST sad when it's all overrrrr :(

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  2. WE TOTALLY SAID THE SAME THING ABOUT HITLER AND VOLDEMORT! Great minds and what not.

    You're so right with the 'risking their lives to get rid of V, NOT for Harry' but I guess when people call you the chosen one it's hard to maintain perspective. Maybe. I've read ahead, and man, he is also REALLY bad at comforting people.

    I agree, Draco would 99% not care. Or at least not as much/in the same way as Harry.

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    1. WE DID! But seriously, what is WITH that?! It's just like, DAMN guys, stop being so self-hating, yeah?

      I understand why it's difficult for Harry to maintain perspective, and the thing is, he IS still a person and not just a weapon, so obviously he's going to feel like shit when people die and he's still alive. But he's not seeing the bigger picture. Which I still GET, but it's just like, come ON Harry, haven't we been through this before?

      I feel like NOW that he lives in constant fear, he would care, but yeah, it's definitely different. But that's the whole point of the difference in their characters, I guess!

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    2. Through the course of this readalong, we've all been slowly becoming the same person.

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    3. Megs! You are SO RIGHT! That's fucking freaky. I LOVE IT.

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  3. I am so glad I don't remember too much of this book because I know there are sads to be had but they haven't been too bad yet. Probably because I don't remember everything that is coming so moments like the snitch didn't get to me. Yet.

    We need all those wand jokes to balance out all of the emotions. A sort of release, if you will.

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    1. BOOM indeed. And also, if you will, LOL.

      It's definitely a good thing that you don't remember too much. OR- is that going to make it worse because everything will be a shock again? I just don't know! (For the record, I don't remember EVERYTHING, or I'd probably be a lot worse! But yeah, the snitch thing gets me.)

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  4. Yes to all the wand jokes! I had fun finding gifs for those this week.

    I think Draco would have had a similar reaction if he'd seen Voldie do that to Harry, but only after the events from book 6. And did you notice that Harry thought of him as Draco and not Malfot? clearly that is a drarry textual support!

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    1. Hahaha, I sawwww! I can't believe I forgot Ron not being able to get his wand out though! BRILLIANT!

      Alright, alright, I see your textual support ma'am! I don't necessarily think Draco would have had that reaction after book 6, but he probably would have after the constant living-in-fear that's really apparent from book 7? But the thing is, Harry would ALWAYS have had the reaction that he has, because he doesn't want to even see MALFOY living in that kind of situation. OR maybe it's because he loves him. MAYBE.

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  5. I, too, am keeping a death count! But I completely forgot to include Charity Burbage and Rufus Scrimgeour...because I apparently don't care about their lives.

    That JGL GIF...I have dreams about that GIF.

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    1. I have been just WAITING for an excuse to use that gif forever. So THANK YOU, Bellatrix, you evil bitch.

      Poor Charity and Rufus! I mean... I don't care that much about them REALLY, but dude, you included an EAR and not two humans. That's preeeeetty weird, Megs!

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    2. But it was GEORGE'S EAR. And Snape Sectumsempra'd it. I think we can all agree that's upsetting enough to make the list.

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  6. This is EXACTLY right, because Harry, if you fail, the wizarding world as everyone knows it DIES. It is in everyone's best interests that you NOT FAIL so if a bunch of them perish in the attempt, it is all for The Greater Good.

    But not in a Grindewald sense.

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  7. There are so many excellent points in your post that I wish I could comment on them all, but my cat keeps hitting my hands with her paws as I type (this is her new fun game). SO I will keep it short.

    You're totally right about everyone protecting Harry because they know he's the Chosen One. I mean, some of them, like the Weasleys, care first and foremost about him as a person, but for people like Hestia Jones and Kingsley, it's what he symbolizes that really matters.

    I'm glad someone besides me is keeping a death count, because I get overwhelmed by the amount of goners in this book.

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  8. I don't even know what to say, man. You are so right about the bit at the Burrow - I'm sad to leave it.

    Maybe the Lovegood invitation came more from Molly and Arthur, on account of neighbours.

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  9. Yup, I have long theorized that Voldy is based on Hitler. I think I'm going to make a coherent argument about it for future posts...

    I think the Dumbly history is more relevant to how Harry's attitude about his quest than the quest itself. We get some bits from it but it's more about how Harry recasts their relationship than anything.

    And I think that Draco would be disturbed by Harry's fear and horror (see a couple hundred pages from now). Even before.... he always had that fake bravado, but we don't know what was underneath, but we do have a lot of hints at insecurity, so why not empathy too?

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  10. I like Harry's not wanting people to risk their lives for him. I do not find it tiring. I find it sensible. If I were Harry and I felt responsible for the deaths of my parents + one of my classmates + the only parent figure I remembered, I also would be pretty adamant about not wanting anyone else to risk their lives for me.

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