The obligatory HPB post

[geoviki]

Download that song and sing along with me: Lonely Women - Laura Nyro

Yes, I've read it. Yes, I liked it. Yes, you'd think I'd be articulate, but you'd be wrong.

You see, I think a few of you think because I'm a scientist that I'm really smart and can figure things out quickly. But this is sadly coupled with an unusually high level of gullibility which causes me to believe absolutely everything I'm told (please forget this factoid by the time you meet me at TWH). A skillful author can hoodwink me seven ways from Sunday and I'll be all, Oh, okay. Huh. As a result, I was totally ?!?!? until I got on LJ where you perceptive people could set me straight. And I'm a believer, too, now. But I'm still gullible.

I did come up with a few ideas, though, just so I can use a



First, I don't think Dumbledore went so far as to require an Unbreakable Vow from Snape about their agreement. Dumbledore is the poster child for free will and choice; he's almost Biblical in that respect. I think he always wants those around him to decide to do the right thing by choice rather than compulsion. I can't see him asking Snape to agree to anything where the price of not carrying through with it is death.

Second, all the pairing off left me cold. JKR is great with epic adventures, not so hot with romance. It really made me aware of reading a book for adolescents as the plot came to a screeching halt. And WTF happened to Tonks? Talk about a gutted character. I think this opinion (and it is just my view; YMMV) comes from reading too many excellent writers who know how to handle romance for her characters far better than this.

Finally, kudos! To the following fanfics -

Fanfic coming closest to the theme of HBP - rushlight75's Walking the Mirror's Edge.

Fanfic with the closest gadgetry to HBP: epicyclical's Draco Trilogy

My own fanfic that was the least jossed by the new book: that Draco/Lupin one, At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners

Luckiest ships: Draco/Snape, obviously (and yes, I do like that pairing, so lucky me, too!). H/D, of course, came up trumps, too, which was such an utter surprise. The rest? Ewww, het, as they say. (Joke! joke! If your heart is broken, don't post here!)

ETA: painless_j and pandarus remind me that the Harry/Snape future is so bright, it also has to wear shades.

Comments

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I think a few of you think because I'm a scientist that I'm really smart and can figure things out quickly. But this is sadly coupled with an unusually high level of gullibility which causes me to believe absolutely everything I'm told

I knew we were separated at birth! ;-)

And TWH!!! *squees* I'll see you there, girl!!!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

After I posted this and caught your response, I went off and dreamed about being at TWT. It's still so far away.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the story would be stronger without the Vow between them, but I can see JKR using it as a reason why Dumbledore was so sure of Snape all along. Still, it's not very much in his character, I think.

When I reread HBP, I know I'll skim over all the romance stuff. I can read Sweet Valley High for that. Monster, indeed!

[kamion.livejournal.com]

personally I this the Harry/Ginny ship is the worst JKR could come up with.
Althrough Ginny grew from a red eared 11 year old into a minute dragonlady, handling her boys pretty well and feministic, once she is paired with paired with Harry I she is dumbstroke 11 year old again from part two. Maybe I exaggerated but in part 6 a lot of characters all of a sudden look far less mature then in part 5 except Harry and Draco.

Ginny is not a first line character like Harry, Ron and Hermione, but in this part JKR treads her second handed.

I am in my second and take it easy reading now, but the first reading at saturday july 16 left me with the desire to throw a tantrum Draco Malfoy would be jealous for.
When the author decides to close doors on shipping that the damn right of the author but why did she do it with shippings that leak before they left the docks.

[kamion.livejournal.com]

Oh YEAHHHH!!!!
I am bending over backwards to get Remus back where he belongs.
IMHO in the strong and blackclad arms of Snape.... that relation already suffered soooo muchhhh.
And hopefully not hurting Tonks too much in the process, I liked the lass. but I am not that good of a writer.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Re Lucky ships: what about Snarry? It is called Harry Potter and Snape :)

Tried to catch you on yim yesterday but was unsuccessfull.

I agree with you that D wouldn't ask for Snape to take an Unbreakable Vow, but I believe he knew that Snape made such a vow to Narcissa.

[pandarus.livejournal.com]

Word! The very title is Harry/Snape!

I have to say, quite apart from everything else, this book has actually made me interested in the H/S pairing for the first time. Well, aside from the fact that the poor lamb is more than likely going to die in the next book, but on the offchance that both of them survive - yes. The chan thing that's a big part of Snarry fandom REALLY isn't my cup of tea, but in this book they are much closer to an equal relationship.

'course, for me the big shiny pairing WooHoo from this book is Snape/Lily. Bigtime. I think I have an OTP.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I added Harry/Snape; you all are right, of course. Just because I'm Draco-centric, I forget. And Harry will be of age in a few short months, so the chan is not-so-much an issue.

I think we'll be seeing lots of Snape/everyone stories in months to come.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I added Snarry for you and pandarus!

I was wondering whether D. knew about Snape's vow to Cissy. Do you think Snape told him or did he figure it out another way? Because I think he knew, too, since it makes the sacrifice that much more valuable.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Do you think Snape told him or did he figure it out another way?

I've no idea, I'm no good at canon speculations. But I do believe he did know.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

(I'm sneaking these in from work)

I think he knew too. Maybe Snape was warning D. about Draco and couldn't convince D. to expell him to protect himself.


I tried to catch you this morning on Y!M. It's been unbearably hot this week at home; the computer room especially, so I take it in small doses. It was 38 yesterday, today it's supposed to be 40! It's already 34 at 10 AM. I hear it's even hotter farther south.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Oh god, it's way too hot. It's been about 28 here and I'm already half dead :/ Do you have air cooler/conditioner?

Maybe Snape was warning D. about Draco and couldn't convince D. to expell him to protect himself.

How could he ask D to expell Draco if he had made the Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa to protect him?

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Good point. Still, "protect" leaves a lot of wiggle room. He could be theoretically protecting him from Dumbledore after warning D. that Draco was going to try to kill him.

I'm probably reaching.

I have A/C at work and we have it at home in the living room/kitchen, but it doesn't reach upstairs. I've become very clever with multitudes of fans, but it doesn't get really bearable until about 10 PM.

[tipgardner.livejournal.com]

Choice! You're so very write. But that doesn't mean that he didn't tell Severus to do what he needed to. -shrug-

You're all smart and stuff. You also still feel the wonder and magic of fiction. That's super cool.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Oh, there was a bond between them, surely. Just not the compelling Vow. I think for Dumbledore, a man's word alone is worth far more.

And thanks!

[spinfrog.livejournal.com]

A skillful author can hoodwink me seven ways from Sunday and I'll be all, Oh, okay. Huh. As a result, I was totally ?!?!? until I got on LJ where you perceptive people could set me straight.

So true!! You'd think a degree in logic/philosophy and many years of writing code would make me better at figuring things out, but until I got on LJ and read other ppls' theories, I was all "oh, so Snape is evil huh.." and "who the hell could R.A.B. be?"... heh

and I agree about Tonks - she was sort of a neat character before, but then JKR just kind of... left her hanging, and used her up :(

on the other hand, even after reading all the stuff other people posted about HBP, I still don't see H/D in the books.. I mean, Harry and his friends have hexed Draco so badly at the end of (what feels like) every year, that he probably ended up in St. Mungo's... now Draco broke Harry's nose and left him... then they nearly killed each other in that bathroom duel... Harry obsesses over Draco in HBP in the same exact way he obsessed over the corridor in his dream in OoTP. He is obsessed over something because he can tell that there is something really important and "bad" happening" and nobody will tell him what it is... I mean, I love reading H/d (D/h? *g*) fic, but it's not in the books, any more than Harry/DepartmentofMysteriesCorridor is in the books :PP

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I mean, I love reading H/d (D/h? *g*) fic, but it's not in the books

Well, no, I see that, too. It's just that we H/D writers are such an easy-to-please bunch. What I - and the rest of us - see and are excited about is that it opens the door for the future. I know I was expecting Draco to be either 1) killed, 2) hardened into Mr. Junior Death Eater, or 3) ignored, that the idea of him having a crisis of faith in what he was expected to do was exhilarating. And Dumbledore dies for him! Our sweetie!

[kamion.livejournal.com]

I mean, I love reading H/d (D/h? *g*) fic, but it's not in the books, any more than Harry/DepartmentofMysteriesCorridor is in the books :PP

sometimes a good slashy pairing is much too impertant the let get the undeniable fact from the canon get in the way.

I also guess that good authors can make whole volumes from that tiniest drop of pity Harry felt in the last chapter without mutilating the canon fact.
Those approces I personally like the best.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I'm another profoundly gullible reader

Let's hear it for us! The perfect readers! What do other people like us do without LJ folks around to explain it?

[luci0logy.livejournal.com]

And WTF happened to Tonks? Talk about a gutted character.

Surely there has to be more to that than unrequited love, it seems such a cop out. I mean I'm glad that Remus is finally going to get some TLC, god knows the poor bloke could do with it, but to have Tonks, previously such a breath of fresh air, portrayed in such a weak way seems almost criminal.

Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore...

Surely this would be enough time for two accomplished legilimens to read each other's thoughts. I think Dumbledore knows knew about the Unbreakable Vow, just as he knew what Draco had been up to. He also knew that Draco was about to capitulate and lower his wand completely (well I think he was) so, knowing he was dying anyway, I'm sure he wouldn't want Draco forced into the position of becoming a murderer.

I love rushlight75's Walking The Mirror's Edge, along with the original Through A Shattered Mirror. It's one of the few that touch on Snarry that I enjoy re-reading.

And yay for our boys too. At last Draco is more than a 2D character and for once Harry obsesses over him. There is hope.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

more to that than unrequited love, it seems such a cop out

In one of the interviews she gave this week, I remember seeing that she thought Tonks behaviour would be a red herring. It's a sad thing to do to your character, IMO, for that.

And I think this book will launch a thousand H/D's for sure. Folks who all but abandoned writing HP have made noises in that direction! All to the good.

[luci0logy.livejournal.com]

I am so obsessed with redeeming Snape, it's not even funny

I'm certain we'll be proved right in book 7. What I want to know is how come Voldemort & co didn't know about Snape's muggle father.

[aurani.livejournal.com]

Legilimens!!

I am so obsessed with redeeming Snape, it's not even funny. And so I love you. *files your observation away~*

[aurani.livejournal.com]

ME, TOO! I was SOO, "OH MY GOD, JKR, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT WITH SNAPE?" And then I came onto LJ and was, "Oh, that must be right!" Found lots of sort of proofs, sort of. I mean. It seems like there could be no other way now, but maybe I was just looking for Snapey redemption.

Also, YAAAY, you're the first person on my f-list who was also upset with the Rowling romance-y thing. I felt like. The whole "Suddenly, Harry is JEALOUS and he's NOT SURE WHY... but nevermind he is!" seemed very reminiscent of fic and. Oh, well. ^^;

For Tonks... I was outraged at first because I expected better from her, but then. I guess her "one true love" was out on a really dangerous mission. Still, it bothers me that she was "wasting away with grief."

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't connect with Pining!Tonks at all. I mean, I get it that we were supposed to suspect her, the old red herring (pink-hairing?), but it came at the expense of whatever decent, tough-gal characterization had been presented in the last book. And there really aren't too many good female characters in the books to begin with.