HBP, at last
Jul. 20th, 2005 04:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
donnaimmaculataHaving 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.
Chapter 1: The Other Minister
- I’ve always assumed that the Muggle ministry collaborated more closely with the Ministry of Magic and not that it’s only the PM who is let in on the secret. I like how Rowling makes the whole encounter sound otherworldly and dreamy.
- Gerbil! Heh! For some reason that made me laugh out loud.
- Breeding Dementors cause mist? That’s quite a nightmarish image, actually.
- Yay! Kingsley works for the PM!
- I actually felt bad for poor Fudge.
Chapter 2: Spinner’s End
- OK, "Bella" and "Cissy" are priceless.
- So much for Snape Manor. But the books and the wine-drinking is all there.
- Wormtail stays with Snape? Is it the same as Remus staying with Sirius?
- I had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he returned, a rather more useful welcome-back present than endless reminiscences of how unpleasant Azkaban is." No words. Also, reflects the wizards' attitude towards mental damage quite well. Severe depressions? Just get a grip and stop whining.
- Assassin!Draco? Clad in black leather, I suppose.
- OMG! Snape/Narcissa! With Bellatrix as their "Bonder"! I love Rowling.
Chapter 3: Will and Won’t
- Side-Along-Apparition? WTF? That’s so fanon, it’s not true.
- Uncle Vernon in a dressing gown is somewhat cute.
- OK, Dumbledore rocks. "However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house." Indeed.
- I really love how the adults are always drinking alcohol. Whisky with Fudge, wine with Snape, mead with Dumbledore... Fantastic.
- Sirius left everything to Harry. Apparently, Remus was not a good enough lay to be remembered in his will.
- Why has Sirius never ordered Kreacher to shut up once and for all? And why didn’t they send Beaky to go and live with Hagrid one year earlier? It would have spared him one year of misery. Ah well.
Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn
- I just have to repeat that: Side-Along-Apparition? WTF!?
- Also, Apparition feels unpleasant. But Percy Apparated downstairs "just to show he can". Obviously, Percy enjoys suffering. Not that there have been any doubt about that.
- I think everyone in the wizarding world should have an epithet. The Boy Who Lived. He Who Must Not Be Named. The Only One He Ever Feared. The Man Who Was Pretending To Be An Armchair.
- Incidentally, "Horace Slughorn" sounds very much like a participant of the Reversathon. "Nemo Slugbucket" anyone?
- "Private lessons" with Dumbledore, eh? Will Harry end up on his hands and knees in Dumbledore's office for a change?
- I've never cared much about Dumbledore, but I loved him in these two chapters.
Chapter 5: An Excess Of Phlegm
- "It is I, Dumbledore..." - "It is I, Arthur, King of the Britons..."
- Something felt wrong in this chapter, and then I realised: Molly wasn't shouting. She felt so entirely out of character that I started wondering whether I'm reading the right book!
- Do they dislike Fleur because she really is a cow or because she's beautiful and nice and a good witch, I wonder.
- Heh! Ron is jealous of the "private lessons" with Dumbledore.
- In non-magical terms, would Harry's OWL results make him a B student? That's not bad, is it?
Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
- Assassin!Draco coming up!
- Aw. Remus is looking gaunt and grim. And he mentions Sirius in passing, without choking, paling or breaking out in tears. (Of course, it is entirely possible that he's miffed because Sirius didn't leave him all his money, and Remus is now worrying that he is a bad lay.)
- Fleur is plying Bill with wine. I wonder does she force-feed him baguette as well? Slinky French seductress.
- Remus and Bill always give the impression of being the most rational ones of the lot. Well, Bill not so much with regard to Fleur.
- Harry is Ron's captain. And Ron loves it. I want to read that fic now, where Ron calls Harry "Oh captain, my captain," in the bedroom.
- "Blimey. . . you can't even make a joke round here anymore." Could you ever have? I mean, Molly is not exactly famous for her sense of humour.
- Fleur is stroking Bill's nose? OK, I begin to see Ginny's point.
- Also, Bill often calls Ron stupid. "Use your brains, Ron," at the Quidditch World Cup, and now "idiot".
- I like Hagrid. Always have, always will. I'm glad he makes an early appearance. But regardless of that - what good would his pink umbrella be against Death Eaters' wands?
- Ron is showing too much ankle! *snerk*
- Draco bangs as hard as he can into Ron.
- 'Patented Daydream Charms'? On a pirate ship? Rowling is not only into HP fanfiction - she also dabbles in the PotC fandom! Also, I want one. Realistic daydreams, with drooling. How brilliant is that? (On the other hand, is it wise, selling them to teenagers? The house-elves will never get those stains out of the furniture.)
- Fred and George supply the Ministry with clever gimmicks. Who would have thought that? /irony
- "Special WonderWitch products"? No words. *scoops mind out of gutter*
- Just how large is an Invisibility Cloak? If three teenagers (and Ron and Harry seem to be fairly tall by now) can hide under it - surely 11-year-old Harry must have wrapped it around himself half a dozen of times on his solitary strolls.
Chapter 7: The Slug Club
- Rowling seems to be quite fond of slugs. They certainly often get a mention. Them and spiders.
- OK, so I'm not supposed to like Fleur at this point. But really, I can't but getting a warm fuzzy feeling when she's annoying Molly by being chatty and sweet, and Molly is unable to do anything about it.
- Trevor is back! I like Trevor.
- I'm sorry to say, but I don't like Luna. "It was like having friends," is a bit overdone. As is Neville's "She'd give anything to have you as a grandson." It's so begging for sympathy that I can't bring myself to offering any. ("Begging" not by the characters themselves, but by the author.)
- Ron is doing "rude hand gestures" all the time. He's such a teenager. *loves Ron*
- Blaise's mother's a slut! OMG! *dies*
- How the fuck did Harry manage to enter a full compartment and hoist himself into the luggage rack unnoticed? The Cloak doesn't make you untouchable, not does it stay wrapped snugly around your legs when you climb *shakes head*
- And so he fully deserved being caught and kicked by Draco. Because that was a seriously stupid thing to do.
Chapter 8 - Victorious Snape
- What a titillating chapter title that is!
- Snape is on first-name basis with Tonks. Because it pisses her off, presumably.
- DADA!Snape. Does that mean he's going to die, now that he's had his dream fulfilled?
- And he raises his hand in "lazy acknowledgment", oh my God!
- Will anyone be taking Care of Magical Creatures? If even Ron, Harry and Hermione won't?
Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
- A-ha! The mystery of HBP revealed.
- Minerva rocks. And Neville should get a grip.
- So Harry's going to be an Auror after all. I would have expected that Snape remained Potions master for one year longer, if only to prevent that Harry got his Potions NEWT
- Snape's voice caresses the Dark Arts. Now there's an image worth cherishing.
- Are all sixth-year students who take DADA in the same course? We get to see the Slytherins dealing with the Dark Arts for real at last.
- If the student performing the hex doesn't speak, how do you know that his or her partner repelled the curse successfully? In other words, how do we know that Hermione repelled Neville's hex? And why does she get a mention for doing it, while Neville's achievement (i.e. hexing without speaking) gets overlooked?
- "There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor." Hee! *loves Harry*
- A love potion to complement the 'Patented Daydream Charms' and "Special WonderWitch products" portfolio. Rowling really was on a roll, wasn't she?
- We learn something about wizard drugs. A potion that makes one happy for days, I ask you! And they award drugs for good achievements at school? I want a magical education, too.
- I realise that I keep pointing out sex, drugs and alcohol-related matters. I can't help it.
- Take that, Hermione! Books don't tell you everything.
- I love that Ron is cursing "fluently".
- Lily was good at Potions. Clear indicator for Snape/Lily, right?
- "You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?" Now, that's an odd way of phrasing it. Just because it's handwritten doesn't mean it has to be less true than something that is, y'know, printed.
Chapter 10: The house of Gaunt
- I love that Harry is beating Hermione at Potions.
- More booze: Trelawney's "whiff of cooking sherry".
- And a mention of Bob Ogden: as in "Old Ogden's"
- Aren't all pureblood wizards forced to marry their own cousins? They ought all to resemble Merope and Morfin, surely.
Chapter 11: Hermione's helping hand
- "You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable." Actually, I picture Harry as quite tall and handsome now.
- Aw, ickle Ron. He's tall and scarred, too!
- Hermione has not one hormone in her. I mean, really, a teenage girl does not enumerate the fanciable qualities to her male friends without getting a tad bit conscious.
- Harry is hoping for letters from Lupin. So do I - hoping for a sign of life from Lupin. Rowling should bring him back into action soon.
- Hermione is envious, because Harry's got a better book. Honestly, this girl is so petty.
- And she plays dirty to get Ron on the team. I'm not averse to playing dirty, as such, but I am if Miss Self-Righteous is doing so.
- Hermione has not only ridden Buckbeak once, she also stayed in the same house as he all summer. Has no-one apart from Sirius ever gone to visit Beaky in his room?
- Poor Aragog. I rather liked him. I think if I went to Hogwarts, I would have stayed in Hagrid's class (together with boys like Charlie Weasley and Sirius, who, I bet, would have loved to be allowed to handle dangerous creatures every now and then).
- I must say I heartily dislike Slughorn. I've got this deeply rooted aversion against those bustling, demanding people. I prefer quiet reserve. (Speaking of which - where is Remus?)
Chapter 12: Silver and opals
- When Harry casts Levicorpus on Ron, why does he have to look up the counter-jinx? Would a simple Finite Incantatem not be sufficient? And is there a difference between Mobilicorpus and Levicorpus?
- Slughorn: unable to take a hint. If you keep inviting a person over and they won't come three times in a row and have always an excuseand never phone you back that means they're not interested and trying to indicate this to you in the politest way possible. Honestly.
- Mundungus smells of spirits and Harry, Ron and Hermione drink butterbeer. Just trying to keep track on the booze.
- Incidentally, Mundungus told Sirius explicitly that he wanted to sell the goblets. Sirius didn't seem to mind.
- Has Tonks assumed the capacity of a guardian angel? Popping up whenever there's trouble and disappearing in the next moment.
- "But since when has Malfoy been one of the world's great thinkers?" A truer word has never been spoken.
Chapter 13: The secret riddle
- I've just remembered my resolution to pay more attention to Ron and his throwaway lines that turn out to be true.
- OK, a point to illustrate the Death Eaters' incompetence: Katie touched a necklace and had to be removed to St. Mungo's. The kids who were injured by a bunch of curse-throwing Death Eaters during the battle at DoM were nursed back to health at Hogwarts. What is Voldemort playing at? Can't he get minions capable of causing real damage?
- Because I am unable to keep my mind out of the gutter with regard to the "private lessons": What happens to the body when a person enters the Pensieve? My theory is that you don't physically fall headfirst into the Pensieve, but merely that you send your mind wandering in there. It's like watching an all-round, extra-realistic 3D movie. So, Harry's body remains by the desk, while his mind is roaming someone else's thoughts and memories. Perfect opportunity for a dirty old man to take advantage of that helpless handful of young flesh.
- Dumbledore's stunt with Mrs Cole reminds me of Susan Sto Helit's approach to Madam Whatshername, the Head of the academy. Also, there's gin being drunk. Just as at Madam Whatshername's.
- I like the hints of what Tom Riddle has been doing to the other kids at the orphanage. Very creepy. The cave incident with Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop, about which we don't learn anything, makes me think of "Picnic at Hanging Rock".
- Another little Pratchett moment: Tom Riddle reminds me of Mr Teatime, who grew up being the weird kid at school, with no friends, and whose mind was twisted like a corkscrew.
- Dumbledore lets Tom go alone to Diagon Alley. Irresponsible? Hm. It might be because I have no children and I don't think in terms of protecting them. But I do remember what it was being a child, and I remember that I hated it when adults didn't believe that I was capable of behaving responsibly and thinking rationally. Children are more intelligent than adults give them credit for, IMO. Tom is used to doing things and going places on his own, after all.
Chapter 14: Felix felicis
- "Slug Club" does not exactly sound like something you'd like to belong to, does it?
- Harry ponders what might happen "under the influence of butterbeer" in Slug's dimly lit room.
- Ron almost calls Ginny a "scarlet woman". ("That's what my mum calls them".) Rowling has so come across anti-Ginny rants. Also, "Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?" Hee!
- Harry/Ginny coming up, right? I am glad. I always liked this pairing.
- "The monster in his chest purred." Aww!
- Hermione really should get a grip. "You spiked his drink! It's illegal!" As though she's never done anything illegal herself, Miss Blackmailer. What assholery behaviour, especially right before the match.
- Yay Ron! I'm glad he gets some snogging done at last.
- God. Not only is she bossy, hypocritical and petty, she also likes causing physical pain when she's jealous.
Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
- Pince/Filch? O_o!
- What's gillywater? I bet it's alcohol.
- And there go Chocolate Cauldrons, filled with firewhisky.
- Ron gives himself a handlebar moustache. Isn't that very, ah, porn-star?
- Ahaha! I find the idea that Harry might have dyed one of his eyebrows yellow for a party highly amusing.
- So he goes to the party with Luna. But Ginny will be there as well. Is this why Ginny has been in the Slug Club all along?
- Parvati! I've always liked Parvati. She's smart and courageous, and I would hope for her to get more screen time. I was secretly hoping for Harry/Parvati, but Harry/Ginny will do just fine.
- A vampire who is not Snape and who's Minister of Magic. That'd be too good to be true.
- But Eldred Worple will do, especially if he brings his gentleman friend.
- Heh! Sanguini looks at the girls with "a rather hungry look in his eye". What did Otto Chriek say? "Zer bosoms going in and out and up and down!" Where is the dwarf choir when you need one?
- Booze, booze all around! But then again, it's Christmas.
- Snape is at the Christmas party! Squee! I wonder: is he wearing a party hat? He's probably downing liberal amounts of firewhisky, the poor man.
- Draco is dragged by the ear. He's sixteen years old. That's not something you do, even to such as annoying twit as Draco.
- Draco looks ill. He's got "dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly greyish tinge to his skin". This is, in fact, exactly how I imagine Draco usually looks. I've never read him as even remotely attractive, I've always had this impression of a sickly child with greyish skin, who looks as though he had a vitamin deficiency.
- Snape decides how "hard" to be.
- The Invisibility Cloak covers three teenagers, two of them tall boys, but it's small enough to fit into a pocket. Magic, I presume.
Chapter 16: A very frosty Christmas
- "Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock -" Ahaha! Harry and Ron are so funny. (This is entirely non-ironic. This exchange really made me laugh.)
- Why does Bill have to squeeze in with Fred and George the night when Remus arrives? Why isn't he sharing a room with his fiancée? And if there is sharing to be done, why not Bill and Remus? I presume that Bill still has his old room, which he, supposedly, use to share with Charlie - ergo: two beds. One for Bill, one for Remus. They can even push the beds together, if they like.
- Hermione's not staying at the Burrow. Bless.
- I love the garden gnome decorated to be an angel.
- Aw. Remus is thin and ragged looking. *hugs Remus*
- Marvellous song lyrics. "Oh come and stir my cauldron." I can so picture a Sue sing that to Snape.
- Eggnog!
- Remus is so cool. Like, seriously. A "badly behaved rabbit".
- Interesting as the werewolf info is, it's just contradicted the concept of an eternal WIP of mine, where Remus negotiates with the werewolf community. Hmm...
- Awww! Kreacher sends Harry a present! Awww! And hee!
Chapter 17: A sluggish memory
- Percy has not come crawling back. Very good.
- Password: Abstinence. As if!
- "She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks"
- I can't help liking Dumbledore in this book. He's giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. He gets impatient and brisk, which is a good thing.
End of first-time reading commentary. I gave up writing down my first impressions at this point, because it was getting seriously late. The rest are some general impressions written in hindsight.
- After Slug gives Ron the antidote, he offers the boys booze: "I've got Butter-beer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead..." And he's only just rolled out of bed! They haven't even breakfasted yet. Almost enough to make me like him.
- I like the Horcrux concept. However, it doesn't sound exactly safe, does it? How easily can they be destroyed by accident? I wouldn't like storing my soul somewhere where I don't have control about it. I think.
- I like Ginny. Very much so. She's pretty and clever, and I'm glad she's ended up with Harry at last. Plus, the roaring, purring and preening "beast in Harry's chest" amuses me greatly.
- OK, Draco gets depth, while remaining the whiny, clueless baddie-wannabe. Very good.
- Kreacher and Dobby as Harry's secret agents. LMAO
- Crabbe and Goyle transform into girls. That's as close as they ever get to having sex, I assume.
- Is Narcissa still alive by the end of the book? Because in chapter two, it says: "She was so pale that she seemed to shine in the darkness; the long blonde hair streaming down her back gave her the look of a drowned person." Makes me think of the Inferi in the lake.
- OK, Draco/Harry is so canon now. I can see that. But what about Draco/Snape? Perfect hurt/comfort or, alternatively, abuse fic set-up.
- I love Dumbledore for taking Harry on a dangerous mission. About time, too.
- Assassin!Draco proves as inefficient as one could have expected. He should have worn black leather after all.
- I wish I had written down my first reaction to Snape's killing Dumbledore. I think it was stunned admiration. I love Rowling, seriously. Has anyone expected Snape to kill Dumbledore, even if he had proved traitor? It's fantastic. She's made me like Dumbledore at last, only to kill him off. By Snape. And at the same time, it teeters on the verge of ambiguity, because of the Unbreakable Vow. (I'm sure Snape's motives and loyalties have been discussed all over the place already. My first and so-far unspoiled view on the matter is: He knew what he was doing - he could have refused to make the Vow, or he could have refused to fulfil it and die, sacrificing himself for Dumbledore. Consequently, Snape is guilty of murder. I love Rowling for that, it's so devious.)
- So Snape did teach Harry something about potions, after all. But just how silly a nom-de-guerre is Half-Blood Prince?
- I used to like Bill, because he was cool, pretty and arrogant. He's lost the cool factor when being fed turkey by Fleur, and now he's also lost his looks. Shame.
- However, I like how there is a connection between Bill and Remus now. I'm looking forward to it being exploited in fics.
- "Harry had never seen Lupin lose control before; he felt as though he was intruding upon something private, indecent." Probably the one sentence in the whole novel with the heaviest impact on me.
- So Fleur is all right, after all! Despite being beautiful and accomplished! Thank you, JKR.
- My gut reaction to Remus/Tonks: Ew! No. - I don't want it to be canon, not because I am averse to the pairing as such, but because I don't want Remus to be involved with anyone in canon, so that he can still be written in plenty different pairings in fics. On another hand, Remus/Tonks puts an end to the ubiquitous theirloveissocanon Sirius/Remus, which I can't but appreciate. (Remus holding hands with Tonks, however, is not something I will get over in a hurry.)
- I didn't feel the need to cry during Dumbledore's funeral at all. I liked Umbridge's being there, though. Nice touch.
- So Harry's on a mission now, eh? Travelling the land on the quest for theholy grail Horcruxes.
And now - on to reading other people's posts.
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.
Chapter 1: The Other Minister
- I’ve always assumed that the Muggle ministry collaborated more closely with the Ministry of Magic and not that it’s only the PM who is let in on the secret. I like how Rowling makes the whole encounter sound otherworldly and dreamy.
- Gerbil! Heh! For some reason that made me laugh out loud.
- Breeding Dementors cause mist? That’s quite a nightmarish image, actually.
- Yay! Kingsley works for the PM!
- I actually felt bad for poor Fudge.
Chapter 2: Spinner’s End
- OK, "Bella" and "Cissy" are priceless.
- So much for Snape Manor. But the books and the wine-drinking is all there.
- Wormtail stays with Snape? Is it the same as Remus staying with Sirius?
- I had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he returned, a rather more useful welcome-back present than endless reminiscences of how unpleasant Azkaban is." No words. Also, reflects the wizards' attitude towards mental damage quite well. Severe depressions? Just get a grip and stop whining.
- Assassin!Draco? Clad in black leather, I suppose.
- OMG! Snape/Narcissa! With Bellatrix as their "Bonder"! I love Rowling.
Chapter 3: Will and Won’t
- Side-Along-Apparition? WTF? That’s so fanon, it’s not true.
- Uncle Vernon in a dressing gown is somewhat cute.
- OK, Dumbledore rocks. "However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house." Indeed.
- I really love how the adults are always drinking alcohol. Whisky with Fudge, wine with Snape, mead with Dumbledore... Fantastic.
- Sirius left everything to Harry. Apparently, Remus was not a good enough lay to be remembered in his will.
- Why has Sirius never ordered Kreacher to shut up once and for all? And why didn’t they send Beaky to go and live with Hagrid one year earlier? It would have spared him one year of misery. Ah well.
Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn
- I just have to repeat that: Side-Along-Apparition? WTF!?
- Also, Apparition feels unpleasant. But Percy Apparated downstairs "just to show he can". Obviously, Percy enjoys suffering. Not that there have been any doubt about that.
- I think everyone in the wizarding world should have an epithet. The Boy Who Lived. He Who Must Not Be Named. The Only One He Ever Feared. The Man Who Was Pretending To Be An Armchair.
- Incidentally, "Horace Slughorn" sounds very much like a participant of the Reversathon. "Nemo Slugbucket" anyone?
- "Private lessons" with Dumbledore, eh? Will Harry end up on his hands and knees in Dumbledore's office for a change?
- I've never cared much about Dumbledore, but I loved him in these two chapters.
Chapter 5: An Excess Of Phlegm
- "It is I, Dumbledore..." - "It is I, Arthur, King of the Britons..."
- Something felt wrong in this chapter, and then I realised: Molly wasn't shouting. She felt so entirely out of character that I started wondering whether I'm reading the right book!
- Do they dislike Fleur because she really is a cow or because she's beautiful and nice and a good witch, I wonder.
- Heh! Ron is jealous of the "private lessons" with Dumbledore.
- In non-magical terms, would Harry's OWL results make him a B student? That's not bad, is it?
Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
- Assassin!Draco coming up!
- Aw. Remus is looking gaunt and grim. And he mentions Sirius in passing, without choking, paling or breaking out in tears. (Of course, it is entirely possible that he's miffed because Sirius didn't leave him all his money, and Remus is now worrying that he is a bad lay.)
- Fleur is plying Bill with wine. I wonder does she force-feed him baguette as well? Slinky French seductress.
- Remus and Bill always give the impression of being the most rational ones of the lot. Well, Bill not so much with regard to Fleur.
- Harry is Ron's captain. And Ron loves it. I want to read that fic now, where Ron calls Harry "Oh captain, my captain," in the bedroom.
- "Blimey. . . you can't even make a joke round here anymore." Could you ever have? I mean, Molly is not exactly famous for her sense of humour.
- Fleur is stroking Bill's nose? OK, I begin to see Ginny's point.
- Also, Bill often calls Ron stupid. "Use your brains, Ron," at the Quidditch World Cup, and now "idiot".
- I like Hagrid. Always have, always will. I'm glad he makes an early appearance. But regardless of that - what good would his pink umbrella be against Death Eaters' wands?
- Ron is showing too much ankle! *snerk*
- Draco bangs as hard as he can into Ron.
- 'Patented Daydream Charms'? On a pirate ship? Rowling is not only into HP fanfiction - she also dabbles in the PotC fandom! Also, I want one. Realistic daydreams, with drooling. How brilliant is that? (On the other hand, is it wise, selling them to teenagers? The house-elves will never get those stains out of the furniture.)
- Fred and George supply the Ministry with clever gimmicks. Who would have thought that? /irony
- "Special WonderWitch products"? No words. *scoops mind out of gutter*
- Just how large is an Invisibility Cloak? If three teenagers (and Ron and Harry seem to be fairly tall by now) can hide under it - surely 11-year-old Harry must have wrapped it around himself half a dozen of times on his solitary strolls.
Chapter 7: The Slug Club
- Rowling seems to be quite fond of slugs. They certainly often get a mention. Them and spiders.
- OK, so I'm not supposed to like Fleur at this point. But really, I can't but getting a warm fuzzy feeling when she's annoying Molly by being chatty and sweet, and Molly is unable to do anything about it.
- Trevor is back! I like Trevor.
- I'm sorry to say, but I don't like Luna. "It was like having friends," is a bit overdone. As is Neville's "She'd give anything to have you as a grandson." It's so begging for sympathy that I can't bring myself to offering any. ("Begging" not by the characters themselves, but by the author.)
- Ron is doing "rude hand gestures" all the time. He's such a teenager. *loves Ron*
- Blaise's mother's a slut! OMG! *dies*
- How the fuck did Harry manage to enter a full compartment and hoist himself into the luggage rack unnoticed? The Cloak doesn't make you untouchable, not does it stay wrapped snugly around your legs when you climb *shakes head*
- And so he fully deserved being caught and kicked by Draco. Because that was a seriously stupid thing to do.
Chapter 8 - Victorious Snape
- What a titillating chapter title that is!
- Snape is on first-name basis with Tonks. Because it pisses her off, presumably.
- DADA!Snape. Does that mean he's going to die, now that he's had his dream fulfilled?
- And he raises his hand in "lazy acknowledgment", oh my God!
- Will anyone be taking Care of Magical Creatures? If even Ron, Harry and Hermione won't?
Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
- A-ha! The mystery of HBP revealed.
- Minerva rocks. And Neville should get a grip.
- So Harry's going to be an Auror after all. I would have expected that Snape remained Potions master for one year longer, if only to prevent that Harry got his Potions NEWT
- Snape's voice caresses the Dark Arts. Now there's an image worth cherishing.
- Are all sixth-year students who take DADA in the same course? We get to see the Slytherins dealing with the Dark Arts for real at last.
- If the student performing the hex doesn't speak, how do you know that his or her partner repelled the curse successfully? In other words, how do we know that Hermione repelled Neville's hex? And why does she get a mention for doing it, while Neville's achievement (i.e. hexing without speaking) gets overlooked?
- "There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor." Hee! *loves Harry*
- A love potion to complement the 'Patented Daydream Charms' and "Special WonderWitch products" portfolio. Rowling really was on a roll, wasn't she?
- We learn something about wizard drugs. A potion that makes one happy for days, I ask you! And they award drugs for good achievements at school? I want a magical education, too.
- I realise that I keep pointing out sex, drugs and alcohol-related matters. I can't help it.
- Take that, Hermione! Books don't tell you everything.
- I love that Ron is cursing "fluently".
- Lily was good at Potions. Clear indicator for Snape/Lily, right?
- "You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?" Now, that's an odd way of phrasing it. Just because it's handwritten doesn't mean it has to be less true than something that is, y'know, printed.
Chapter 10: The house of Gaunt
- I love that Harry is beating Hermione at Potions.
- More booze: Trelawney's "whiff of cooking sherry".
- And a mention of Bob Ogden: as in "Old Ogden's"
- Aren't all pureblood wizards forced to marry their own cousins? They ought all to resemble Merope and Morfin, surely.
Chapter 11: Hermione's helping hand
- "You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable." Actually, I picture Harry as quite tall and handsome now.
- Aw, ickle Ron. He's tall and scarred, too!
- Hermione has not one hormone in her. I mean, really, a teenage girl does not enumerate the fanciable qualities to her male friends without getting a tad bit conscious.
- Harry is hoping for letters from Lupin. So do I - hoping for a sign of life from Lupin. Rowling should bring him back into action soon.
- Hermione is envious, because Harry's got a better book. Honestly, this girl is so petty.
- And she plays dirty to get Ron on the team. I'm not averse to playing dirty, as such, but I am if Miss Self-Righteous is doing so.
- Hermione has not only ridden Buckbeak once, she also stayed in the same house as he all summer. Has no-one apart from Sirius ever gone to visit Beaky in his room?
- Poor Aragog. I rather liked him. I think if I went to Hogwarts, I would have stayed in Hagrid's class (together with boys like Charlie Weasley and Sirius, who, I bet, would have loved to be allowed to handle dangerous creatures every now and then).
- I must say I heartily dislike Slughorn. I've got this deeply rooted aversion against those bustling, demanding people. I prefer quiet reserve. (Speaking of which - where is Remus?)
Chapter 12: Silver and opals
- When Harry casts Levicorpus on Ron, why does he have to look up the counter-jinx? Would a simple Finite Incantatem not be sufficient? And is there a difference between Mobilicorpus and Levicorpus?
- Slughorn: unable to take a hint. If you keep inviting a person over and they won't come three times in a row and have always an excuse
- Mundungus smells of spirits and Harry, Ron and Hermione drink butterbeer. Just trying to keep track on the booze.
- Incidentally, Mundungus told Sirius explicitly that he wanted to sell the goblets. Sirius didn't seem to mind.
- Has Tonks assumed the capacity of a guardian angel? Popping up whenever there's trouble and disappearing in the next moment.
- "But since when has Malfoy been one of the world's great thinkers?" A truer word has never been spoken.
Chapter 13: The secret riddle
- I've just remembered my resolution to pay more attention to Ron and his throwaway lines that turn out to be true.
- OK, a point to illustrate the Death Eaters' incompetence: Katie touched a necklace and had to be removed to St. Mungo's. The kids who were injured by a bunch of curse-throwing Death Eaters during the battle at DoM were nursed back to health at Hogwarts. What is Voldemort playing at? Can't he get minions capable of causing real damage?
- Because I am unable to keep my mind out of the gutter with regard to the "private lessons": What happens to the body when a person enters the Pensieve? My theory is that you don't physically fall headfirst into the Pensieve, but merely that you send your mind wandering in there. It's like watching an all-round, extra-realistic 3D movie. So, Harry's body remains by the desk, while his mind is roaming someone else's thoughts and memories. Perfect opportunity for a dirty old man to take advantage of that helpless handful of young flesh.
- Dumbledore's stunt with Mrs Cole reminds me of Susan Sto Helit's approach to Madam Whatshername, the Head of the academy. Also, there's gin being drunk. Just as at Madam Whatshername's.
- I like the hints of what Tom Riddle has been doing to the other kids at the orphanage. Very creepy. The cave incident with Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop, about which we don't learn anything, makes me think of "Picnic at Hanging Rock".
- Another little Pratchett moment: Tom Riddle reminds me of Mr Teatime, who grew up being the weird kid at school, with no friends, and whose mind was twisted like a corkscrew.
- Dumbledore lets Tom go alone to Diagon Alley. Irresponsible? Hm. It might be because I have no children and I don't think in terms of protecting them. But I do remember what it was being a child, and I remember that I hated it when adults didn't believe that I was capable of behaving responsibly and thinking rationally. Children are more intelligent than adults give them credit for, IMO. Tom is used to doing things and going places on his own, after all.
Chapter 14: Felix felicis
- "Slug Club" does not exactly sound like something you'd like to belong to, does it?
- Harry ponders what might happen "under the influence of butterbeer" in Slug's dimly lit room.
- Ron almost calls Ginny a "scarlet woman". ("That's what my mum calls them".) Rowling has so come across anti-Ginny rants. Also, "Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?" Hee!
- Harry/Ginny coming up, right? I am glad. I always liked this pairing.
- "The monster in his chest purred." Aww!
- Hermione really should get a grip. "You spiked his drink! It's illegal!" As though she's never done anything illegal herself, Miss Blackmailer. What assholery behaviour, especially right before the match.
- Yay Ron! I'm glad he gets some snogging done at last.
- God. Not only is she bossy, hypocritical and petty, she also likes causing physical pain when she's jealous.
Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
- Pince/Filch? O_o!
- What's gillywater? I bet it's alcohol.
- And there go Chocolate Cauldrons, filled with firewhisky.
- Ron gives himself a handlebar moustache. Isn't that very, ah, porn-star?
- Ahaha! I find the idea that Harry might have dyed one of his eyebrows yellow for a party highly amusing.
- So he goes to the party with Luna. But Ginny will be there as well. Is this why Ginny has been in the Slug Club all along?
- Parvati! I've always liked Parvati. She's smart and courageous, and I would hope for her to get more screen time. I was secretly hoping for Harry/Parvati, but Harry/Ginny will do just fine.
- A vampire who is not Snape and who's Minister of Magic. That'd be too good to be true.
- But Eldred Worple will do, especially if he brings his gentleman friend.
- Heh! Sanguini looks at the girls with "a rather hungry look in his eye". What did Otto Chriek say? "Zer bosoms going in and out and up and down!" Where is the dwarf choir when you need one?
- Booze, booze all around! But then again, it's Christmas.
- Snape is at the Christmas party! Squee! I wonder: is he wearing a party hat? He's probably downing liberal amounts of firewhisky, the poor man.
- Draco is dragged by the ear. He's sixteen years old. That's not something you do, even to such as annoying twit as Draco.
- Draco looks ill. He's got "dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly greyish tinge to his skin". This is, in fact, exactly how I imagine Draco usually looks. I've never read him as even remotely attractive, I've always had this impression of a sickly child with greyish skin, who looks as though he had a vitamin deficiency.
- Snape decides how "hard" to be.
- The Invisibility Cloak covers three teenagers, two of them tall boys, but it's small enough to fit into a pocket. Magic, I presume.
Chapter 16: A very frosty Christmas
- "Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock -" Ahaha! Harry and Ron are so funny. (This is entirely non-ironic. This exchange really made me laugh.)
- Why does Bill have to squeeze in with Fred and George the night when Remus arrives? Why isn't he sharing a room with his fiancée? And if there is sharing to be done, why not Bill and Remus? I presume that Bill still has his old room, which he, supposedly, use to share with Charlie - ergo: two beds. One for Bill, one for Remus. They can even push the beds together, if they like.
- Hermione's not staying at the Burrow. Bless.
- I love the garden gnome decorated to be an angel.
- Aw. Remus is thin and ragged looking. *hugs Remus*
- Marvellous song lyrics. "Oh come and stir my cauldron." I can so picture a Sue sing that to Snape.
- Eggnog!
- Remus is so cool. Like, seriously. A "badly behaved rabbit".
- Interesting as the werewolf info is, it's just contradicted the concept of an eternal WIP of mine, where Remus negotiates with the werewolf community. Hmm...
- Awww! Kreacher sends Harry a present! Awww! And hee!
Chapter 17: A sluggish memory
- Percy has not come crawling back. Very good.
- Password: Abstinence. As if!
- "She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks"
- I can't help liking Dumbledore in this book. He's giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. He gets impatient and brisk, which is a good thing.
End of first-time reading commentary. I gave up writing down my first impressions at this point, because it was getting seriously late. The rest are some general impressions written in hindsight.
- After Slug gives Ron the antidote, he offers the boys booze: "I've got Butter-beer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead..." And he's only just rolled out of bed! They haven't even breakfasted yet. Almost enough to make me like him.
- I like the Horcrux concept. However, it doesn't sound exactly safe, does it? How easily can they be destroyed by accident? I wouldn't like storing my soul somewhere where I don't have control about it. I think.
- I like Ginny. Very much so. She's pretty and clever, and I'm glad she's ended up with Harry at last. Plus, the roaring, purring and preening "beast in Harry's chest" amuses me greatly.
- OK, Draco gets depth, while remaining the whiny, clueless baddie-wannabe. Very good.
- Kreacher and Dobby as Harry's secret agents. LMAO
- Crabbe and Goyle transform into girls. That's as close as they ever get to having sex, I assume.
- Is Narcissa still alive by the end of the book? Because in chapter two, it says: "She was so pale that she seemed to shine in the darkness; the long blonde hair streaming down her back gave her the look of a drowned person." Makes me think of the Inferi in the lake.
- OK, Draco/Harry is so canon now. I can see that. But what about Draco/Snape? Perfect hurt/comfort or, alternatively, abuse fic set-up.
- I love Dumbledore for taking Harry on a dangerous mission. About time, too.
- Assassin!Draco proves as inefficient as one could have expected. He should have worn black leather after all.
- I wish I had written down my first reaction to Snape's killing Dumbledore. I think it was stunned admiration. I love Rowling, seriously. Has anyone expected Snape to kill Dumbledore, even if he had proved traitor? It's fantastic. She's made me like Dumbledore at last, only to kill him off. By Snape. And at the same time, it teeters on the verge of ambiguity, because of the Unbreakable Vow. (I'm sure Snape's motives and loyalties have been discussed all over the place already. My first and so-far unspoiled view on the matter is: He knew what he was doing - he could have refused to make the Vow, or he could have refused to fulfil it and die, sacrificing himself for Dumbledore. Consequently, Snape is guilty of murder. I love Rowling for that, it's so devious.)
- So Snape did teach Harry something about potions, after all. But just how silly a nom-de-guerre is Half-Blood Prince?
- I used to like Bill, because he was cool, pretty and arrogant. He's lost the cool factor when being fed turkey by Fleur, and now he's also lost his looks. Shame.
- However, I like how there is a connection between Bill and Remus now. I'm looking forward to it being exploited in fics.
- "Harry had never seen Lupin lose control before; he felt as though he was intruding upon something private, indecent." Probably the one sentence in the whole novel with the heaviest impact on me.
- So Fleur is all right, after all! Despite being beautiful and accomplished! Thank you, JKR.
- My gut reaction to Remus/Tonks: Ew! No. - I don't want it to be canon, not because I am averse to the pairing as such, but because I don't want Remus to be involved with anyone in canon, so that he can still be written in plenty different pairings in fics. On another hand, Remus/Tonks puts an end to the ubiquitous theirloveissocanon Sirius/Remus, which I can't but appreciate. (Remus holding hands with Tonks, however, is not something I will get over in a hurry.)
- I didn't feel the need to cry during Dumbledore's funeral at all. I liked Umbridge's being there, though. Nice touch.
- So Harry's on a mission now, eh? Travelling the land on the quest for the
And now - on to reading other people's posts.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:14 am (UTC)Especially every Ron-moment - big surprise, I know.
"I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:17 am (UTC)- Password: Abstinence. As if!
Hee!
Wonderful addition to the billion reactions to the book (and far more funny than mine, although I *did* keep writing them all the way to the bitter end *g*)
Oh, and speaking of Zabini's mother: here *g*
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:24 am (UTC)I am impressed. I gave up when I arrived at chapter 18 at around 1am and couldn't be bothered to keep typing in bed.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:24 am (UTC)Fleur, and Blaise's dodgy mum are the best things ever :D Fenrir is the one everyone else seems to love, but I can't cope with, at least in relation to poor old Remus. But heh, I predicted some of the slug-ness with the names for the Reversathon (there's an Urquhart in there too, someone pointed out)
I realise that I keep pointing out sex, drugs and alcohol-related matters. I can't help it.
To be fair, there is a shitload of all of them in there!
Now, that's an odd way of phrasing it. Just because it's handwritten doesn't mean it has to be less true than something that is, y'know, printed.
I'm getting the impression that not many wizards invent their own spells, relatively speaking. Aww, he's such a clever boy.
I wish I had written down my first reaction to Snape's killing Dumbledore. I think it was stunned admiration. I love Rowling, seriously. Has anyone expected Snape to kill Dumbledore, even if he had proved traitor?
What gets me is I don't think I've ever seen this in a fic. Millions of stories and she tops them all, as is right and proper. I can think of plenty of minor criticisms of the book, but for what she did with Snape here, for the utter outrageousness of it, this book is my favourite now. Fucking hell. And there are ambiguities enough for everyone to be arguing about what happened and what it all means. Just... excellent :D
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:32 am (UTC)There's alcohol in almost every single chapter. Sometimes for breakfast. It really cracks me up.
Blaise's mum is fabulous. And I'm very happy for Fleur - I've always had a soft spot for her.
I don't care about Fenrir, but he's tailor-cut for vicious non-con, with extra blood and bestiality, so yeah, I can see the appeal.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:38 am (UTC)I know... my god. You can't create a character like that without loving him to little bits, you just can't.
Eh, I used to live with an Italian who ate leftover prawn chow mein washed down with Newcastle Brown for breakfast, so *nothing* surprises me. Actually it would explain a lot if she was a witch ;-)
I don't mind the non-con or whatever (though I can live without the blood thankyouverymuch) but not with Remus on the receiving end.
Considering there isn't much Remus in the book, what there was brings up a lot of interesting thoughts. Holding hands with Tonks (grr) might have made her hair turn pink again, but I don't see it doing a lot for him...)
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:51 am (UTC)Holding hands with Tonks (grr) might have made her hair turn pink again, but I don't see it doing a lot for him...
Yes! Well said :-D
I love that Remus was bitten deliberately and that he actually had to go to live with the man who bit him when he went underground. HBP is Snape's book (what else, considering the title), but there also is much Remus stuff to work with. I fear he will be on the receiving end of all Fenrir-centred non-con, though :-(
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:36 am (UTC)Hah!
You made me the Slytherin Captain!!!
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:47 am (UTC)This is one thing that's always bothered me, how the Muggles seem so ... dim. I would have thought at least that the British Secret Service would know about it, and there would attempts at infiltrating the magical world, or maybe even have wizards and witches under the employ of the Muggle government working undercover, or experiment laboratories where wizards are abducted, and, and--
No more spy movies for me.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:58 am (UTC)I can't get past that. *giggles insanely*
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 09:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 09:29 am (UTC)because I am averse to the pairing as such, but because I don't want Remus to be
involved with anyone in canon, so that he can still be written in plenty
different pairings in fics. On another hand, Remus/Tonks puts an end to the
ubiquitous theirloveissocanon Sirius/Remus, which I can't but appreciate. (Remus
holding hands with Tonks, however, is not something I will get over in a
hurry.)
That was my reaction as well.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:47 am (UTC)drinks !
Date: 2005-07-20 09:57 am (UTC)There's nothing wrong with being tipsy. The english beat even us germans with it ( but ever heard of "frühschoppen"? it means beer for breakfast).
But i´m all for R/T. I always thought him being so detached, and as the chrismas-talk suggest, the werewolf community regards themselves more as beasts than as wizards, living underground. I think Remus deseves some normalcy in his life. and what could be more human than falling in love?
Re: drinks !
Date: 2005-07-25 03:45 am (UTC)I'm not opposed to Remus/Tonks, as such, but I'd rather Remus was not paired off in canon so that I could keep writing him in many different pairings in fanon. Same applies to Snape.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:17 am (UTC)jumping to conclusions, i am
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 08:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 03:22 am (UTC)*goes off humming "Lass die Finger von..."*
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:32 am (UTC)I got that. *g* (yes, have been reading Discworld books)
Perfect opportunity for a dirty old man to take advantage of that helpless handful of young flesh.
Argh. Bad mental image, there.
I don't think I have words for the amazingness of the Snape twist. And I can't believe the Snapefen are *still* complaining.
Swatkat
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:39 am (UTC)Are the Snapefen still complaining? I should think that this twist has convinced each and every reader that Snape is Rowling's favourite character ever! He is horrid, but he's also oh-so-tragic, and she loves him.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:38 am (UTC)Pretty much the theme of the book, no?!!
Snape is at the Christmas party! Squee! I wonder: is he wearing a party hat? He's probably downing liberal amounts of firewhisky, the poor man.
One of my favourite chapters. I love the way Snape was practically plucked out of the air and grabbed by Slughorn. And to think he wnet *back* the the party after the Draco thing!! Poor Snape.
Snape decides how "hard" to be.
*faints*
Love your comments. I never get as far as doing the same myself and it's easy to forget those first impressions. I love Ron as always but, like you, I really like Dumbledore this time round, he's much better like this while he's still being very manipulative.
Off to read some more and looking forward to the BF's comments - you hae to record them for us!!
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:36 am (UTC)You're so right - Snape going back to the party was fantastic. And I also loved the image of Slughorn grabbed him and forced him to socialise. With Harry! Snape looked really grumpy, I bet.
I wish I had managed to record my first impressions for the whole book. Maybe next time. It was good fun, and it'll be immensely interesting to go back and re-read them after a few months, when I will have discussed the book to death.
Dumbledore has some seriously cool lines. I think Rowling truly managed to portray him as wandering the thin line between brilliancy and madness this time.
BF hasn't so much as finished OotP yet. But he's interested in reading HBP at some point. In future. I will make sure to record his impressions, too.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 01:04 pm (UTC)Right.
Chapter 1: The Other Minister
was trying SO hard not to picture Hugh Grant.
Chapter 2: Spinner’s End
Snape. In his LAIR! This is the best Snape ever. Not the petty Snape we often see in the potions classroom, but Snape at his most powerful.
('Cissy' - hee!)
Chapter 3: Will and Won’t
'...any man who could look at Harry and say 'excellent' was a man with whom he could never see eye to eye.'
I love her.
Chapter 5: An Excess Of Phlegm
Fleur is perfection in this book. Of COURSE she knows she's good looking. And she does impressions too!
Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
I want to read that fic now, where Ron calls Harry "Oh captain, my captain," in the bedroom. - LINK MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 7: The Slug Club
Ron is so foul-mouthed and childish and brilliant in this. My heart swells with every rude gesture he makes!
Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
Snape's voice has a loving caress. Can't wait to hear Alan Rickman do that...
The House of Gaunt
How much do they remind you of the family in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
Chapter 11: Hermione's helping hand
'I'm tall,' said Ron inconsequentially. - those five words make me love him more than the thousands before them have!
Chapter 14: Felix felicis
See
Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
Pince/Filch - aaaah! Give the poor librarian a break...
That Vampire. Is Gay.
Snape is unfathomable. Just the way we like him.
Chapter 16: A very frosty Christmas
'I won't,' said Ron, 'let you see,' he added under his breath.
*adores*
I love Fleur. Just thought it needed saying again.
Lupin has a 'furry little problem'!! *line immediately spawns 4375872455 porn fics*
Also - I loved Harry 'outing' Goyle: 'Hello...you're very pretty, aren't you?' - but SO pedophilic!
I have never had much of an opinion of Snape before this book. Now I find him irresistably interesting...
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:27 am (UTC)Yes! Exactly! Especially when he got all flustered and stammering.
Snape was fantastic. It really was his book, wasn't it?
Fleur - beautiful and loving it. I loved her for that. And she annoys Molly, which is an extra bonus.
I will definitely link you should I ever come across the "captain, my captain" fic.
Ron is fantastic. I've always liked Ron, but I fell in love with him here. He's such a Boy (yes, with capital B). A tall Boy. Best. Sentence. Ever.
No surprise there, but: I loved Remus for telling Harry about his "furry little problem". Remus is so funny, in a very English sort of way.
Crabbe and Goyle as little girls is so incredibly pervy. I can't believe she wrote that.
I bet Rowling spent the last two years wading through tons of fanfiction and theories. A gay vampire! A haughty Blaise with a slut mother! Bonder!Bellatrix! And hey - Ron's birthday present from his parents? Dumbledore's mysterious watch? How cool was that?
no subject
Date: 2005-07-21 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:18 am (UTC)Did you post one yourself? I'd love to read it.
HBP
Date: 2005-07-25 01:25 pm (UTC)