prillalar | Half-Blood Prince

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Half-Blood Prince

Okay, let's take this one thing at a time.

Half-Blood Prince SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

I haven't started reading other people's posts yet.

Before I get into specifics, I would like to say that I enjoyed this very much, a lot more than OotP. It felt smoother and there were no ADOLESCENT ALL-CAPS OUTBURSTS. That said...

It's the end of the world as we know it.

I refer, of course, to the Remus-Tonks romance. What the fucking fuck? I realise this was the Romance installment of the series, but I didn't think all the love-potions and teenage hormones flying around would cause two adult gay characters to force themselves into a het romance. Clearly, they are both Polyjuice replacements. Or clones. Or I got the Improbable Fanfic Edition of HBP. (Which I suspected earlier than that particular reveal. *g*)

It seems odd to say this given that our whole fandom seems to revolve around writing romance stories, but I could really have done without all the snogging in this book.

I thought Harry was awesome this time around. Much more in control of himself, doing good things, becoming an adult. His idea with the Felix Felicis and Ron was brilliant.

Hermione and Ron were also great and Ron seemed a lot less outside of things. But I was disappointed there were no apparent consequences of the flying brains. Hermione cheating Ron onto the Quidditch team was so very darling. I'm glad things look sorted between them now.

It seems obvious to me that we were meant to think that Voldemort was the HBP but I don't know why Hermione never considered it.

Draco was fucking awesome. Just so, so, so goddamn awesome. When he hexed Harry and left him on the train I almost teared up. Just because the boy finally got a backbone and some skills. I do hope he's redeemed before the end. But I'm disappointed he didn't try to kill Harry. I know that Voldemort didn't want anyone else to do it (or so Snape said) but still!

I'm still confused about Snape. Is he evil pretending to be good or good pretending to be evil? Evil!Snape is pretty darn cool, but I sort of feel like we were tricked somehow. Though all along every time adults tell Harry something and Harry says differently, Harry turns out to be right, so I guess that must be the case here.

I don't think we got a satisfactory explanation for why Dumbledore trusted Snape. (Or I missed it due to reading-fatigue.) I know Harry said that about the prophecy, but that seemed too weak.

Dumbledore was a user. He used Snape, he used Harry. And I think that's okay. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. But it would be good to know a bit more about his motives. Can't they ask Dumbledore's portrait stuff now?

I actually wondered if he'd been replaced by Voldemort himself for a while. I feel like the withered hand should be reminding me of something, but I can't recall what now. Not the Bible story, something else.

Also, back to Snape, I would be embarrassed to admit that when I was at school I ~~had a perm that made me look like Eddie van Halen~~ called myself the Half-Blood Prince.

I wasn't surprised that Dumbledore died; I expected him to go last book. The wizard has to die. (It always fucks me up that Morpheus never died. I kept forgetting he survived the first movie.)

No real development re Percy. *sniff*

Crabbe and Goyle as girls! !!! *hugs them both to death*

So looking forward the road trip next book. I like journey stories a lot.

Man, it's too soon to be thoughtful about this. It hasn't sunk in yet. I think I'll start my re-read tomorrow.

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Draco was *so* fucking spectacular. After getting almost no growth in OotP, it was like he suddenly exploded into a real human being -- growing, learning, wavering, trying to figure things out for himself and become a part of the Actual Adult World. Love. Love.

Yes, I'm so glad. I worried that JKR wouldn't do it for him -- she seems to dislike him a lot.

So much love for Draco this book. He is an actual human being now--a not very pleasant one who I'd still want to kick all the time if I knew him for real, but it was very much a "Tell me something to love about this child" book.

I was surprised that Hermione didn't consider Voldemort, too. Or that Ginny never figured out and threw a real screaming fit that her newish boyfriend is getting HOW close to a mysterious BOOK?

Snape is a good guy pretending to be a bad guy pretending to be a good guy pretending to be a bad guy. Even he's confused at this point. At this point I think he and Dumbledore set it up so that Snape would be the straw man scapegoat, AKA the most hated man in the wizard world, so that Draco wouldn't have to be a killer and so Snape would be close enough to Voldemort to push a vase on his head while Harry's trying to kill him. But I understand completely if that sounds like crazy fangirl talking. I love that there is quality doubling/shadowing of Harry with Snape as well as Harry with Voldemort now. I wonder if the next book will have doubling/shadowing of Snape with Voldemort: that would fit in with how the big piece of backstory we're still missing is how Snape joined Voldemort, and how Snape abandoned him. (If he did. Could still be evil. Crazy fannit disclaimer!)

Snape is the ultime Revenge of the Nerds movie.

The withered hand kept nagging at me too. Jesus heals a man's withered hand in the Bible, but I don't think that's what it's reminding me of--it's another book, or a movie.

I consider Snape to be in a state of quantum uncertainty, waiting for the waveform to collapse. I don't think I'll settle on one or the other before we know for sure. Otherwise, my head will explode. *g*

The hand -- I still can't think of what it's reminding me of. Something Arthurian?

don't forget Snape and Dumbledore both are Legilimens - that long gaze before Snape did the AK - they could have been communicating. Also, the argument about what Snape doesn't want to do and Dumbledore tells him he must - parallels Harry with the potion in the cave.

I really need to read the book again. I still don't have everything fixed enough in my head to properly theorize.

Ah, thank you. It was my theory that Snape and Dumbledore had discussed the AK beforehand, and you clinched it for me.

Actually, I couldn't stand Ron and Hermoine in this. Open warfare in the wizarding world, and when has Harry ever lead them astray over the mischeif making, or worse, of others, and yet whenever he mentioned Malfoy, all they would do was go, "Oh Harry, don't be silly", and then absorb themselves in acting like stupid teenage hormonal prats. Even at the very last, when Harry asks them to keep and eye on Malfoy while's he's off with Dumbledore, they go to interrupt and he has to override them. Drove me mad, I swear.

Also, yes, Remus and Tonks made me double check that I was actually reading the real book rather than a somewhat misguided fanfic, especially since I swear I've read a fanfic that uses them as a background pairing with more or less the exact I love you! But I'm too old! And a warewolf to boot! scenario complete with depressed Tonks. However, Remus is definitely everyone's favorite gay uncle, not Tonk's plushy warewolf (as much as I love Tonks) and I refuse to be convinced otherwise.

I think Snape wouldn't have done it had he not made the Unbreakable Vow. Afterall, it was indicated that he actually didn't know what Draco was up to, which means he lied to Narcissa about knowing what the big super secret plan was all about. Though it would have been extrodinarily stupid to make the vow without knowing... but maybe he thought it was something else or...? Waugh. I don't want Snape to be evil. Dumbledore must have had a reason for his unshakable faith. Surely. Right?

I was expecting Dumbledore to die in the last book. That he did in this one actually shocked me quite a lot. Granted a chunk of that is because the boy, who had read spoilers since he doesn't much like reading the books, told me (when I was halfway through reading the book) that someone would die, assuming I already knew, which I sort of did since Rowling mentioned that someone would die in every book for four on, but had forgotten, and then rectified his mistake by teling me it was an inconsequential death. Rrrr.

You know, even if Snape is on the side of good and loyal to Dumbledore, I still think he hates Dumbledore. He probably hates himself too, for having to rely on Dumbledore. Which doesn't mean it's easy to kill *anybody*, but still.

Hmm, I wonder if Snape had to kill somebody in the last war. It would make a difference, if he'd had to do it before.

a;klagkeat percy. oh, how I hate him. what a pigheaded -- I'll stop there.

but SNAPE oh, SNAPE. ♥♥ My theory is that he only killed Dumbledore to save Draco from doing it, seeing that Dumbledore was already dying. Then again, I also have theories that Snape was hopelessly in love with Dumbledore and is crying alone somewhere.

yeah, Remus and Tonks. wtf. and Harry and Ginny? Even more wtf. It must be because she's a Weasley. They all have these strange sexual powers. I bet Harry will have a fling wit Ron's dad next.

Clearly, we will have to agree to disagree on the subject of sweet, wonderful, tragic Percy. :)

Yeah, everyone has a Snape theory. I must look more closely at it all soon.

No real development re Percy. *sniff*

It's sad - I was prepared for him to be just as nasty or worse than in OotP, but then redeem himself in Book 7. Now I think it is more likely that he will fade into the background of Harry Potter and the Cast of Thousands, and just be the butt of the twins' jokes.

I fear you may be right. Probably the best we can hope for now is a brief but redeeming death. :(

Man, Draco was amazing this book. <3

As for Snape, I'm totally confused. When I posted right after the ending, I was all "oh no you didn't, Rowling!" Because totally hammering the "OMG Snape was evil all along!" But I don't know. Harry's always been wrong about Snape before, and Dumbledore still never lost faith in Snape. Plus, Dumbledore knew what was going on with Draco, so he could have known about the Unbreakable Vow, and he looked like he was going to die anyway. Then there was the two Legilimens gazing at each other...

Gah. Canon right now I'm freaked out. Fanon-wise, Snape is still totally my bitchy emo love. I am totally crying for his morally ambiguous Dumbledore-killing ass.

Secretly, I want Dumbledore and Voldemort to be in league with each other and Snape to be their patsy. But then he'll turn the tables and defeat them both and retire to live out his cranky life alone and undisturbed, except for monthly sex visits from [insert the character of your choice.]

Haha, glorious.

Oh, Hal, I thought of you as I read both Ron and Draco moving onto the field of play for real. Draco was *awesome*; Rowling did a fantastic job humanizing him, giving him depth, making him sympathetic. The confrontations with Harry on the train and in the bathroom were utterly *riveting*. He's willing to play hardball with Harry, and to do so one-on-one, and Harry *takes him seriously*. It was all so, so, gorgeous.

Also? No one will ever convince me that Crabbe & Goyle don't love Draco in their own way on a level akin to how Ron and Hermione love Harry. They agreed to Polyjuice themselves into *girls* for him. I love that. And weirdly, I love it that Draco didn't want to tell them what he was really doing. He knows they can keep a confidence, so I like the idea that he doesn't tell them in part as a way of protecting them.

Yes, they both really grew up here, I thought. And Harry actually obsessing over Draco, realising that he actually need to keep an eye on him. Wow.

And yes to Crabbe and Goyle. They're so loyal and Draco must appreciate that. I have always loved them and now more so than ever.

I feel like the withered hand should be reminding me of something, but I can't recall what now.

I was the same way! (catching up after finishing HBP last night) And I can't think of what it is either. I was half-predicting that Dumbledore was EVOL because of the hand, but the way he acted through the latter half made me dismiss that theory.

>>I actually wondered if he'd been replaced by Voldemort himself for a while. I feel like the withered hand should be reminding me of something, but I can't recall what now. Not the Bible story, something else.<<

I don't know if you read the Sharpe books but any time any characters gets their hand messed with it means trouble, that's the only other lit thing I can think of. Except Norse mythology and Tyr.

Hmm, I've read a bunch of Sharpe, yes. And I'll check out the Norse mythology.

Withered hand = biblical
http://www.musicbysunset.com/Miracles/11%20Healing%20a%20Mans%20Withered%20Hand.htm

Actually, the first thing that popped into my head was the withered monkey's paw on the Simpsons that grants three wishes to the user (I think). But I don't thinkg Rowling was alluding to that.

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Half-Blood Prince

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If you'll excuse me dropping in

Re: If you'll excuse me dropping in

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