HBP, at last

Having spent the better part of last night reading, I am ready to re-enter the fandom. Thank God.

I am a sucker for first impressions. Therefore, I wrote down my thoughts whilst reading to capture my initial reactions before they get muddled by too many discussions and too much theorising. I managed to simultaneously read the book and write down my comments up to chapter 18, and then had to give up, because it was getting really late. I didn't go back to revise my comments afterwards, so everything is perfectly unspoiled by my knowledge of the events to come.

( Wizards do like their drink, don't they? )