sigelphoenix

I stayed up until 1:00 last night finishing the book, and then discussing it with kyonkun. *iz ded*


First, to get it out of the way: If I had known, back when I first started reading Harry Potter, that Lupin would eventually marry a woman called Dora, I think my little 18 year-old heart would have burst with joy. XD XD XD

*cough*

As for Lupin's story, I felt that it had the least closure out of the main characters. Part of what was "missing" was thematic - I'm used to him being the survivor, the one who endures the loss of everyone around him. (To that end, I half-expected Tonks to die and leave him to raise their son.) Having him die with his wife, reunited with the rest of the Marauders ... that was almost happy, for him.

The other missing part was technical - we never learned how he and Tonks died. As kyonkun and I discussed, I'm glad that we didn't see it happen - that would have been too convenient, and ruined the shock of suddenly seeing their bodies. But I wish someone had been able to tell Harry some details, like Bill did about Mad-Eye's death.

Parts that made me wooby:
-McGonagall screaming when she thinks Harry is dead. I love that woman; she's one of my favorite characters in the books. Possibly because I see her as myself in a few decades. XD "CHARGE!"
-Hagrid leaping onto a Death Eater in the beginning, or crying over Harry in the end, or - to a lesser extent - trying to save Aragog's children. He's such a wonderfully wholehearted character.
-Neville being brave - throughout the school year, but particularly in his confrontation with Voldemort - without expecting recognition or even survival. He knows his task is important, but also that he won't bring Voldemort down, and that he can only expect torture or death.
-"Here lies Dobby, a free elf."
-Luna's paintings of her friends. She's such a sweet girl, without being cloying or cheesy.
-"Always." You know what I mean. <3
-Harry calling Snape the bravest man he ever knew to Albus Severus (an awkward, if touching, name ^^;). I felt that was a fitting reaction for Harry, because he wouldn't do a 180 and suddenly love Snape, but he would respect him a lot.

The more I think about Snape's death, the more I like how Rowling handled it. At first, I felt it was too sudden and anticlimactic. He gets bitten by Nagini for the Elder Wand, which turns out to not even be necessary? But then, that's fitting, in a way. Snape has had a shit life. Things don't go his way, and even the people who like him are repelled by his bitterness. He's selfish and cruel. None of this prevents him from being braver, stronger, and more loyal than almost any of the other characters in the book - but it does mean that he's no epic hero, and he wouldn't get an epic hero's death. His last words weren't apologies or explanations; all he wanted in the end was Lily.

Random bit: This makes me think of the image ratzeo found of Batman that said "Lawful Good doesn't mean Lawful Nice." What is Snape's alignment, anyhow? The D&D definition of Good is very rigid and limiting (a subject upon which I've ranted at ratzeo at length), and I think it would exclude Snape - and Dumbledore, for that matter.

I really liked the scene with Hermione kissing Ron, and the reason for it. However ... Rowling totally dropped the ball and failed to have them warn the house elves after all. The result is that Ron's concern for the elves (which was real) ends up as nothing more than the author's ploy for the sake of her pairing. And considering the slavery aspects of the house elves' existence, this comes off as an ugly display of white ignorance, and makes the scene feel cheap.

On a completely different note, kickass older women FTW. McGonagall, Neville's grandmother, Trelawney, Molly Weasley ...

And who in the name of Merlin's saggy left testicle are "Hugo" and "Rose"? Are Fred, Remus, Alastor - hell, Dobby - not good enough names, hm?

I'm probably forgetting other things, but I'm sure I'll squee about all of them to someone eventually.


Hello again, f-list. *starts catching up*