I loved the back story to the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron, especially the Bloody Baron. Mind you, he did a terrible thing in life, but how interesting to find out he's spending all of eternity doing penance for it by choice. Sort of warms up his cold, creepy demeanor, huh?
Also, I thought I read/heard, on the subject of Hogwarts teachers, J.K. said one of the teachers would be married and that would be significant. If I'm not completely making this up, do we think the teacher was actually founder Rowena Ravenclaw, hence her daughter the Gray Lady? Because I saw no other mention of any professors being married.
Also, I loved Snape and McGongall's duel (who can tell I'm nearing the end of the book for the second time? ;-)! And Snape can fly! What is that all about? Just another tie between him and Voldemort? Reminder of what a powerful wizard he is? Easy way for him to save on plane fare? Any ideas?
Finally, and I felt even worse about this the second time around- a question about the timeline of Teddy Lupin's birth. How long do we think it's been between Lupin coming to Shell Cottage to announce Teddy's birth and Harry & Co going to Gringotts? Because that's Lupin and Tonks last day. The kids are at Gringotts in the morning, dropped off by the dragon in the country in the afternoon, they apparate into Hogsmeade and then It's On (sorry, I can't help myself). The first time I read it (speed read it) I was thinking there were a few months between the two, but now I'm realizing that's not possible. In fact, it's probably only a few weeks, maybe even a few days. And if that's the case, J.K. (God/Buddha/Vishnu/Allah/any and all saints above love and look after her brilliant self) was pretty damned ruthless. At least Harry's parents had a year with him! Lupin and Tonks had days. Yikes.
I love this book. I don't know if it will replace OotP as my favorite (a few more dozen reads will tell), but I've got to say, I am awfully, awfully pleased with how she ended it, ruthlessness and all.
Lupin & Tonks had very little time after Teddy was born.
I remember a mention of a further two weeks of planning, but can't remember if that was before or after Teddy's birth.
There is one thing that I'm fuzzy on.
There isn't a timeline for the fairytale about the deathly hallows.
We know Salazar Slytherin lived a thousand years ago.
When I first read the book, I thought that the three brothers were Slytherin's decendants. That would make Harry an heir of Slytherin.
But after thinking it over, I now think that the brothers came first, Slytherin was decended from the second brother. And then the Gaunts were later decendants, because that would make Marvolo's assertion true, that they were the last surviving decendants of Slytherin.
But either way, Harry is still related to Slytherin. That may be why the sorting hat wanted to put him in Slytherin.
I had wandered that too. Birdy pointed out, in an earlier comment, "I read somewhere else that some one finally figured out who did magic later in life. Ted Tonks, he was supposedly a muggle, healed Harry after the Voldemort ambush." That, I think, must be who did magic or had developed magical abilities and it was just subtly slipped in- you really had to be paying attention to catch it, which I certainly didn't! Thanks Birdy! Good point about the Peverell timeline. I hadn't considered the lay-out, but it did strike me, that in some distant way, Harry, too was related to Slytherin which means Harry was related to Voldemort. Of course, I guess in the wizarding world, it's all Six Degrees of Sal Slytherin, as we found out in OotP looking at Sirius's tapestry!
Wasn't Ted Tonks a wizard? I've returned my book to the library so I can't look it up again, but I seem to recall that he was a muggle-born wizard. But, I've also been known to be wrong before.
6 comments:
I loved the back story to the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron, especially the Bloody Baron. Mind you, he did a terrible thing in life, but how interesting to find out he's spending all of eternity doing penance for it by choice. Sort of warms up his cold, creepy demeanor, huh?
Also, I thought I read/heard, on the subject of Hogwarts teachers, J.K. said one of the teachers would be married and that would be significant. If I'm not completely making this up, do we think the teacher was actually founder Rowena Ravenclaw, hence her daughter the Gray Lady? Because I saw no other mention of any professors being married.
Also, I loved Snape and McGongall's duel (who can tell I'm nearing the end of the book for the second time? ;-)! And Snape can fly! What is that all about? Just another tie between him and Voldemort? Reminder of what a powerful wizard he is? Easy way for him to save on plane fare? Any ideas?
Finally, and I felt even worse about this the second time around- a question about the timeline of Teddy Lupin's birth. How long do we think it's been between Lupin coming to Shell Cottage to announce Teddy's birth and Harry & Co going to Gringotts? Because that's Lupin and Tonks last day. The kids are at Gringotts in the morning, dropped off by the dragon in the country in the afternoon, they apparate into Hogsmeade and then It's On (sorry, I can't help myself). The first time I read it (speed read it) I was thinking there were a few months between the two, but now I'm realizing that's not possible. In fact, it's probably only a few weeks, maybe even a few days. And if that's the case, J.K. (God/Buddha/Vishnu/Allah/any and all saints above love and look after her brilliant self) was pretty damned ruthless. At least Harry's parents had a year with him! Lupin and Tonks had days. Yikes.
I love this book. I don't know if it will replace OotP as my favorite (a few more dozen reads will tell), but I've got to say, I am awfully, awfully pleased with how she ended it, ruthlessness and all.
Lupin & Tonks had very little time after Teddy was born.
I remember a mention of a further two weeks of planning, but can't remember if that was before or after Teddy's birth.
There is one thing that I'm fuzzy on.
There isn't a timeline for the fairytale about the deathly hallows.
We know Salazar Slytherin lived a thousand years ago.
When I first read the book, I thought that the three brothers were Slytherin's decendants. That would make Harry an heir of Slytherin.
But after thinking it over, I now think that the brothers came first, Slytherin was decended from the second brother. And then the Gaunts were later decendants, because that would make Marvolo's assertion true, that they were the last surviving decendants of Slytherin.
But either way, Harry is still related to Slytherin. That may be why the sorting hat wanted to put him in Slytherin.
There is something else I'm curious about.
Jo Rowling said that in this book someone would do magic that had never done it before.
I must've missed that.
There was talk about it. Most thought it would be Filch or Mrs. Figg. Petunia was put up as a candidate.
I was rooting for Mrs. Figg.
But I missed where it happened, unless she said that and changed her mind.
Did anybody notice magic that I missed?
I had wandered that too. Birdy pointed out, in an earlier comment, "I read somewhere else that some one finally figured out who did magic later in life. Ted Tonks, he was supposedly a muggle, healed Harry after the Voldemort ambush." That, I think, must be who did magic or had developed magical abilities and it was just subtly slipped in- you really had to be paying attention to catch it, which I certainly didn't! Thanks Birdy!
Good point about the Peverell timeline. I hadn't considered the lay-out, but it did strike me, that in some distant way, Harry, too was related to Slytherin which means Harry was related to Voldemort. Of course, I guess in the wizarding world, it's all Six Degrees of Sal Slytherin, as we found out in OotP looking at Sirius's tapestry!
Wasn't Ted Tonks a wizard? I've returned my book to the library so I can't look it up again, but I seem to recall that he was a muggle-born wizard. But, I've also been known to be wrong before.
Ted Tonks was a wizard born to muggle parents.
At the beginning of the book, Voldemort asks Belletrix and Narcissa if they're happy about Tonks' wedding.
Bellatrix says they haven't seen their sister since she married the mudblood.
Apparently the mudblood is Ted Tonks.
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