Evan:

I feel like the whole idea of Voldemort seeking the Gryffendor sword is not going to happen. I think it was pretty clear that Voldemort had already created all the Horcruxes, considering he asked about them years ago while he was still in Hogwarts. So I doubt he'd wait this long just to make one out of the Gryffendor sword. I think he'll have used something else already. I do, however, agree that Hogwarts will reopen...although, sadly, i bet it will be a lot less crowded and very changed.

in addition, I think Dumbledore is gone for good. I also think Sirius is gone for good. I remember reading in one interview that JK Rowling used Sirius's death to kind of stress the shock and surprise that death is. She had him die in such a kind of quiet way with no fanfare, no nothing, because that's how it really is sometimes, it just sort of happens when you look away for a second. Not to mention, even though we'd all enjoy seeing Sirius and Dumbledore come back from the dead, I feel like we'd all end up being disappointed and/or cheated in the end if it were to actually occur, because it's just not how things work.

Okay, fine. If she's not going to bring Sirius back, I'd at least like some more explanation as to what the fuck that arch was and what the voices Luna talked about are.

Also, I know that she addresses this in the book, but is it possible that the sword is a horcrux? I can't remember what Harry and Dumbledore said about it.

EW on Harry

Okay, so these are all thoughts expressed in Entertainment Weekly about what will happen in the seventh book.

1. We'll learn more about Aunt Petunia. They say that JK Rowling told Katie Couric "There's more to her than meets the eye."

2. Regulus Black stole the real Horcrux locket. (Didn't Juliet say that first?) They also pointed out that in Order of the Phoenix, while cleaning out 12 Grimwauld Place, they found "a heavy locket that none of them could open."

3. They think Hogwarts will reopen for two reasons. The first is that JKR apparently announced that there will be a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in the last book. The second is that Voldemort might try to seek out the Gryffindor sword.

4. Dumbledore has been linked to phoenixes, which can be reborn, so maybe he will be back. They also pointed out that even though Dumbledore's painting is on the wall, its only been seen slumbering. Does it have to wake up to be dead?

5. They said that JKR said that minor characters would have bigger roles in the last book, including members of the Order. They suggested Aberforth Dumbledore, who I barely remember. Apparently he's the bartender at the Hog's Head who overheard the prophecy. Does anyone remember anything else?

It seems like its fairly obvious that Regulus stole the locket Horcrux. I'm kind of a little fuzzy on the details, but if the locket they found in Book 5 was the actual Horcrux, how did it get out of the house? Could it have been Kreacher somehow? Does anyone else remember more clearly?

I'm curious to see what happens with Aunt Petunia. It seems like we're going to learn a lot more about Harry's mom, so it seems logical we would learn about Petunia as well. I'm starting to wonder if maybe Petunia is a Squib and is just pretending to not really understand the magical world because she feels as though she's been rejected by it and doesn't want to alienate Vernon and the rest of the Muggles.

EW had some interesting ideas, but I'm actually a little disappointed they basically speculated from things JKR said. Its more fun to think of things on your own!

Juliet learned to post!

Oy. I have figured out how to post now, thanks to your very complicated instructions. And I resent the implication that a crush on Daniel Radcliff would be pedophilic. He's 15, I look like I'm 15, we'd be perfect for each other.

I don't believe Sirius is dead, I have decided.

And R.A.B. That could be Regelus Black, right? Who maybe wasn't a death eater after all?

I'm sticking by your Horcrux idea, Rachel. I think it's great.

Yeah, RAB is totally Regelus. I don't think Sirius is dead either. That whole "going through the arch = instant death" thing was a little fishy. There's definitely a lot more to that story. If Rowling wanted Sirius unequivocally dead she could have easily done it, but instead she had this whole mysterious arch thing.

Entertainment Weekly had their Harry Potter review in the last issue. They had a lot of interesting ideas (they have people who are actually paid to do this - JEALOUS!) about what will happen in Book 7. When I unpack the issue, I'll post some of their ideas.

And if Juliet looks 15, I'm like a fetus.

Evan said...

someone told me rowling is going to write 5 more books, one for each horcrux! BUT I DON'T BELEIVE IT!

what do you think?

-evan

Absolute wishful thinking. Utter bullshit. Totally not going to happen. I feel like she is ready to have a life outside of Harry Potter. She's always been uber adamant about there only being 7 books. I have very little faith in your little friend.

yay comments!

evan said...

this is evan and i am commenting.

okay, i understand the horcrux idea, it's a very good one, but i still don't believe it. i don't think rowling would have it that way because its a theory that is too popular, its almost predictable. but not just that, from the way dumbledore described horcruxes it seemed like a fairly dark and difficult thing to do, so i feel like it doesn't just happen by accident. i mean you don't just accidentally rip your soul in two, it sounded like a complex tear of the soul and putting it in a predetermined object.

what i have read and find interesting is a lot of people theorizing that snape is actually good. that dumbledore told him to kill him, and they keep bringing up the argument hagrid overheard in the middle of the book its on page 405. we never found out what this was about but people are saying dumbledore might have told snape he that if it came down to it he might have to kill him to keep his cover etc etc. it seems unlikely, but i think there's more to it than the horcrux idea. i think it will also lead to a more interesting story, especially since harry hates snape now and i feel like snape will be killed or sacrifice himself and harry won't realize till the end that snape was actually helping. not to mention at the end when snape is blocking all of harry's curses he says something like "blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, potter!" referring to the occlumency and nonverbal spells, so some people think this sounded like advice.

so i don't know, if you really think about it for a while it seems horribly possible, making the waiting for the 7th book that much more unbearable!

man, i don't know what to think anymore. thats a really good point - it would totally suck to accidentally split a soul in two, and is probably fairly unlikely.

jk rowling is an absolute genius. in fact, they should make an absolut genius ad with her picture on it, with her having a scar on her forehead in teh shape of an absolut bottle. that most likely wouldn't happen, though, because she probably wouldn't endorse alcohol.

also, i had a really good harry potter conversation with sara on friday night, but given that i was kind of drunk when i had it, i honestly can't remember what we talked about.

Oh, the horcrux idea

So it seems as though a lot of people are skeptical of the Harry = Horcrux idea. Both Gabrielle and Evan have expressed concerns. The major concern that seems to come up is htat Voldemort spent the first 5 books trying to kill Harry. If Harry was a horcrux, why would Voldemort try to kill him? The other concern is, of course, the prophecy. Only one can live, etc. If Harry dies, a piece of Voldemort dies.

These are, of course, valid points. But I have counterarguments.

What if Voldemort unintentionally turned Harry into a horcrux with the failed avada kedavra curse? Perhaps he doesn't even realize that it happened. Then the prophecy... we know that even if a horcrux is destroyed, Voldemort can still survive. Remember when Dumbledore was talking about the dangers of using the snake as a horcrux, because a snake was sentient etc. Well, maybe if Harry is a horcrux, he's a kind of fucked up one - a horcrux with a soul, and the normal rules of horcruxes don't even apply. I don't know. Evan also pointed out that if she did try to set this up, it would feel a bit forced - essentially a last minute hail mary that goes against everything we've believed from the first five books of the series. Thats also a good point. JK Rowling seems to have planned things out a bit better than that.

Evan is a big fan of Neville and Luna. They're both great supporting characters. I love how Neville's grown into a very capable wizard. I wish that she had introduced Luna earlier in the series. Not necessarily as a major character, but as one of those random kids who we hear about in the background. Not a huge deal, though. Evan introduced the interesting idea that Neville is going to die to sort of reaffirm that Harry is the one. I can see this happening, although of course I hope it doesn't. I think I'd really like to see Neville be able to avenge his parents. I suppose its possible that he could die in battle with Bellatrix Lestrange, and they both go out at the same time. That actually might not be bad - definitely dramatic.

Incidentally, it seems as though some people aren't sure how to post comments. Just click on hte "# comments" notation under each entry and it will let you write something. :)

in st. luke's...

writing a thesis sucks. it sucks hard. boooo. :(

Juliet's Harry Potter thoughts

So Juliet was kind of wimpy and totally refused to post, so I'm going to pass along some of her thoughts. She was quite enthusiastic about the Harry = horcrux idea, as most people seem to be. She also pointed out that its very convenient that Voldemort only seems to orchestrate a major attack in the spring time, at the end of the school year. Perhaps he hibernates in the winter?

We also both have freakish, kind of pedophile like crushes on Daniel Radcliffe. We also have crushes that are slightly less pedophilic on Sean Biggerstaff and Christian Coulson, who respectively play Oliver Wood and Tom Riddle. Sadly, Juliet claims that both are gay,although we couldn't find any proof. If anything, Sean Biggerstaff might do some gay porn, but I'd lke some proof as to whether he's actually batting for the other team.

more harry thoughts

Jill said...

Do you think it's possible that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him if things got too bad? Because remember when Harry said, "I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey" (or whatever her name is) and Dumbledore said, "No, take me to Severus." So maybe they had some sort of deal? I hate to think that Snape is really super evil and Dumbledore was wrong to trust him. Also, maybe that's why Snape wouldn't let Harry do the really bad spells--he was protecting Harry from doing something awful at Dumbledore's request? I don't know for real, but I'm hopeful...

So Ilana and I have been discussingthis a bit, and here is what we came up with:

ILANA (10:54:18 PM): so you think it was merely important that Dumbledore always held trust and beleived in good
WarpdNTime (10:54:41 PM): i don'tknow....
WarpdNTime (10:54:52 PM): maybe its to show harry that even dumbledore isn't all knowing
ILANA (10:55:39 PM): I'm sure that was part of it
WarpdNTime (10:56:09 PM): like, at some point, harry has to believe in himself, and trust his own gut instincts
WarpdNTime (10:56:30 PM): even when those he trusts are telling him otherwise
WarpdNTime (10:56:36 PM): in teh end, trust no one but yourself

Ilana also thinks that that is why Dumbledore started to encourage Harry to confide in Ron and Hermione - even if they're fallible, Harry needs to be able to trust someone.

There has also been some discussion about whether or not Harry is going to die. She very nicely illustrated this point here:

ILANA (11:05:21 PM): i think you should explain how i think Harry Potter has to die at the end of book 7
ILANA(11:05:23 PM): :-)
ILANA(11:05:29 PM): first of all, he and Voldemort are inextricably linked
ILANA(11:05:34 PM): secondly, he might be a horecrux
ILANA(11:06:08 PM): thirdly, in all the legends she cribs from, the hero suffers a fatal wound in the last great battle and sort of fades from existence...King Arthur sails off to Avalon, Frodo goes off to the undying lands, etc
ILANA (11:06:31 PM): all are physcially or psychologically wounded beyond repair
ILANA(11:06:38 PM): i feel like Harry has to play out the same way
ILANA(11:08:42 PM): i was wondering about "beyond the veil'
ILANA(11:08:45 PM): from book 6 as well
ILANA(11:08:51 PM): i mean book 5
ILANA(11:09:10 PM): Luna alludes to it at the end of 5 also, she says they're never really dead, and they talk about the voices

All of these are totally valid points,b ut i kind of feel like is not going to happen. First of all, it would be way too disappointing for everyone. Secondly, I think that Harry Potter is really a story of good versus evil, and Harry must live for good to fully triumph. The prophecy does leave it open for both to die, but I just don't think it will happen. I think I can see Harry having some sort of battle scar (something bigger than a lightening scar on his forehead - a limp or something) but he will live... and become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

Ilana also says that Peter Pettigrew has to have an important role in the next book, as he is indebted to Harry for saving his life, and must find a way to repay that debt. I agree with this.

My cousin Michelle had this to offer:

MICHELLE(10:45:50 PM): I know someone who thinks that it's really Neville and Voldemort is using Harry as a decoy

We both disagree with this statement. Even if there was a time when it could have been Neville, I think that Dumbledore was correct in saying htat when Voldemort was unable to kill Harry, the prophecy was set to mean Harry. Nonetheless, Neville will have his time to shine... and it will be glorious... but not as glorious as when Harry defeats Voldemort.

more harry

so after talking to others about harry potter, here are some more thoughts. ilana brought up the horrifying notion of 'harry must die, becuae he and voldemort are linked' that made me think, what if harry himself is a horcrux? i mean, it could totally work, and makes sense. dumbledore never said it was impossible for a horcrux to be another person. how fucked up would it be if that was the case?

another thing - don't hermione's parents miss her? it seems like she's never with them. she spent this summer with the weasleys, the summer before at grimmwald place with the order of the phoenix, and the summer before witht he weasleys for the quidditch world cup. dont't hey get sad that their daughter is never around? and what do they tell their friends? i mean, yeah, they can say she's at boarding school, but she's like, there constantly. and don't their friends want to know where she goes?

The Great Harry Potter Review

WARNING - I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW HARRY POTTER. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO CONTINUE, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

So, at about 7 pm, 17 hours after the book went on sale, i finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Fucking awesome, as expected. Using my ridiculous skills for things like this, I managed to be the first one out of the CU bookstore with the book at 12:02. Considering that I had to get myself to Long Island by 6:30 am, I made my way directly to Penn Station to get on the next train. My reading was only interrupted by Spencer, the uber hot 2001 Harvard football player who was a marine and now owns his own trading company, who also happened to be insanely plastered. A fun, if fruitless conversation (oh, moving to Louisiana in two weeks). Read for a few more hours, then drove to Roslyn, then read/ slept on the way to visiting day at Blue Ridge, managed to read a bit while at camp, and finished the book on the way home.

But back to the book. It was definitely different than the previous books. Way darker. It might be year 6 of school, but classes are the least of these guys' problems. Its no longer about tests and evil professors (well, it is, but not so much). Its a war, and Harry is finally old enough to fight it. We've always known that Harry Potter is a coming of age story, but now Harry's finally gotten there. He's clearly more than just a student. He's a leader among wizards, and is finally mature enough to be recognized for it. No more of the whiny, frustrated Harry who is bitter because he's shut out of decisions about his life. At the same time, it doesn't have the innocence of the earlier books. They're getting older and their world is getting darker, and they have to deal with that. She still goes into the fun teenage stuff - jealous relationships and obsession with Quidditch, but the overall feeling is that the characters know that these things are really miniscule. The ending was totally shocking - not that Dumbledore died, but that Snape was the half-blood prince. I mean, the whole book, she's totally setting it up for the Half-blood prince to be Voldemort. She lays it down really thick - so thick that it seems absurd that Harry doesn't realize it himself. Then, at the end, you find out it was really Snape.

Okay, I guess I should mention that part of the reading of the end of the book occured at this restaurant we stopped at on the way home. Its been ages since I've read a book at the dinner table, but I actually did it tonight. It was in that restaurant that I read the scene where Snape - SNAPE! - uses avada kedavra on Dumbledore. It was awful. I couldn't believe it. I knew that she set it up for Snape to be a traitor, but I kind of thought she would work her way out of it eventually, that Dumbledore had figured out some loophole for Snape to act as a double agent. But no, Snape is just evil. Evil is evil is evil. No message of "I can hate your guts, but we still fight on the same side" Nope, he's just evil.

The Ron Hermione relationship was great! Loved it! Its totally about time. Harry and Ginny was a little bit more awkward, especially because I felt like there wasn't really enough closure with Cho. Still, it was nice to see those two together, even if it was only for a little bit.

I'm still really interested to know what the arch in the Ministry of Magic was. We know that when Sirius went through it he "died" but I'm ont sure I can fully believe it. I mean, if she wanted to kill him, she could have just had Bellatrix use avada kedavra and be done with it. Why the mysterious archway? It has to mean something more, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Sirius made an appearance in Book 7.

I can't believe that Dumbledore died! I feel like Harry is going to start suffering from the Josh Lyman "everyone I love dies and its all my fault" syndrome.

Okay, I can't think of anything else right now, except fuck, I want to read Book 7! My guess is we won't be seeing it until 2008 or so. :(

ah, when my friends become famous...

this will be the quote: "I always loved penguins, but when the bitter penguin keeper at sea world denied me access, i decided to change my life's path and move towards film and tv, mainly as an extra on a ewan mcgregor film"

I hate the MTA

I hate the MTA sometimes. First of all, I really dislike the vast majority of the people who ride on the subways, particularly obnoxious high school kids who think its their playground. Yesterday I was in a bit of a rush, trying to catch the D train at 59th St. There was only one turnstile, so there were a few people in front of me waiting to swipe their metrocards. There were also these really stupid kids throwing things at each other through the gates. One of the kids on my side trampled over my flip-flop clad foot in an effort to avoid the garbage that his friends were throwing at him. Luckily it was before and not after my pedicure. Still, it really hurt.

Its generally well known that any train named after a letter is going to have sucky service, so of course after waiting for five minutes, the D (or B) train still hadn't arrived. I had to leave the station and take a cab. Bastards. All I needed was to get from 59th to Rockefeller. Is that really too much to ask for? While I'm on it, I also would like to point out that the layout of Penn Station is absolutely absurd. Forgetting that you can't transfer from the A/C/E to the 1/2/3/9 (yeah, i still acknowledge the 9. bite me.), there is absolutely no reason for the express trains to be on separate tracks from the local trains. I doubt that anyone is going to stand on the express platform and decide on a whim that instead of going downtown, they'll just go uptown. It makes much more sense to have both downtown trains on one platform, and the uptown trains on the other. Doing the mad dash underground to get from the express platform to the local is just irritating, and in some cases almost deadly... I know from experience.

excitement!

i saw jill at the beach today! hooray!

incidentally, it was ridiculously hot.

technology blows

good lord, technology sucks ass. i've spent the past hour and a half trying to network my computers together, and all i've gotten is utter frustration. my old computer is like, way too old to do anything remotely functional or useful. gah! my new computer is like, amazingly technologically advanced, yet it can't use the bluetooth card in a way that doesn't defy common sense. (i would like to point out that this seems to be more the fault of belkin, the maker of the bluetooth card, than alienware, the maker of my computer). my old computer can't seem to network without crashing spectacularly. ick.

also, i'm about a week and a half behind, but i am fairly certain that ryan from amc joined fight club. what a fucking ridiculous show.

holy shit

in one month, i will be in new orleans. it will be my new home. i will live in the south... good fucking lord.