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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter
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HPatDH: Part 6: Chapter 29 - Epilogue
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Ch. 29-I love seeing all Harry's old classmates.
-The Ravenclaw question instead of a password is cool.
Ch. 30
-''Why would Harry Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw Tower? Potter belongs in my House!'' and ''The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties.'' MINERVA PRIDE.
-Aww, finally. Reconciliation with Percy.
Ch. 31
-IT'S BATTLE TIME.
-The last quarter of this book flies by.
-I would have thought the basilisk venom would have dried up after 5 years... but okay. Let's go with it.
-Ron and Hermione's kiss! So perfect.
-The series couldn't end without a final confrontation between the trio and Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. At least Crabbe sort of helped destroy a Horcrux.
-RIP Fred. :-(
Ch. 32
-Bad way to go, Lavender.
-Of course Voldemort believes the violent history of the Elder Wand.
-RIP Snape, I guess. I mean, he was a nasty bastard the whole series.
Ch. 33
-RIP Tonks and Lupin. So sad.
-I enjoy this whole excursion into Snape's memories. So much is revealed but it hardly makes me like him more. I pity him but I don't like him.
-The Dumbledore Snape knew was much colder and much different from the Dumbledore Harry knew.
-So Harry is a Horcrux and has to die.
Ch. 34
-Harry is handing his impending death pretty well. I'd be freaking out more.
-RIP Colin.
-Having James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus with Harry is a huge comfort. Don't have to face death alone.
Ch. 35
-I assume the thing flayed child thing is the part Voldemort's soul that was in Harry.
-My reaction to most of what Dumbledore says in this chapter is, ''Eh, if you say so.''
-Love conquers all apparently.
Ch. 36
-McGonagall's anguish is too much for me.
-YEAH NEVILLE.
-Voldemort isn't as scary when he's present. He's more frightening when he's unknown, operating in the shadows.
-Yay, Voldemort is dead.
-Harry should just snap the Elder Wand in two and be done with it. Nothing could repair it.
Epilogue
-I don't like the epilogue. Everything is far too neat. And I hate the kids' names.
-'' 'Why are they all staring?' demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.
'Don't let it worry you,' Said Ron. 'It's me. I'm extremely famous.' ''
That line and Neville being Herbology professer are only parts of the epilogue I like.
I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the epilogue.
Mod
Well that's unfortunate. See if I try to set up a DC-area-ish meetup. :P
TK, between hating the epilogue and saying Stephenson is dead to ypu, you've really made Rob's shit list!
Mod
It's our differences that make it fun! ;)
I agree, TK. Personally, I like the fact that Rob and I almost never share an opinion about a book.
Mod
Rob wrote: "I have a feeling I'm the only one who likes the epilogue though.."I'm with you, I liked it. I know not everything needs to be wrapped up, but I thought it fit here and was her way of saying that she's not coming back to Harry's story.
Plus it might also be that I never want the series to end when I read it so it's nice to have that extra little buffer from the end.
The battle scene between Voldemort and Harry is so wonderful. I love how Harry gets to taunt him before it happens, make Voldy feel some of the fear and doubt he's put into others.
Mod
Rob wrote: "Well at least there is one other. I'd say most books I don't want to be wrapped up so neatly, but some I do, and this is definitely one of those."Yeah, exactly
Scott wrote: "Rob wrote: "Well at least there is one other. I'd say most books I don't want to be wrapped up so neatly, but some I do, and this is definitely one of those."Yeah, exactly"
I guess I disagree. I was happy to know that good won the day. I didn't need to know what happened and have a bow put on it. He lived. And that was the point. We don't need to know that he got hit by the Hogwarts Express the day after saving the world. ;)
Mod
Personally I'd want stories of his kids, or other people in his world where we find out a bit about him through their eyes, but as we likely won't get that, I'll take what I can get. Which is the epilogue.
I was really surprised the first time I encountered all the animosity everyone seems to have towards the epilogue. Still boggles my mind. Makes me wonder about the people who feel that way a little..
What does it make you wonder about them?
Mod
I understand hating it with a passion. After 7 books, the epilogue feels tacked on as an afterthought (for many of the readers who didn't like it). Life often doesn't wrap up so neatly and the epilogue doesn't feel realistic and it doesn't feel true to the characters. There's nothing wrong with writing a happy ending for your characters but this one doesn't work for a lot of people, for many different reasons. Doesn't mean that there's something wrong with someone if they hate it.
Mod
She simply chose to show him at a time of happiness in his life. Real life DOES work that way, though it doesn't tend to remain that way for long in my experience.
Personally I like leaving Harry at a happy point in his life, even if Ginny divorces him a few years later and the kids grow to resent him.
That could still happen. Or they could continue to live happily ever after. We don't know. I like to think it will be the latter. To me anyone who hates the epilogue seems to expect something like the former.
So to me the difference between not liking the epilogue and hating it so much is a lack of hope/optimism. The idea of Harry being happy is 'unrealistic' makes me sad.
I personally have had a lot of shitty stuff happen to me in my life. But I've also had a fair bit of good too. I like to think/hope for the happy ending. Or more realistically more good than bad, because life is ever changing.
Of course I haven't gotten to the epilogue again on this read, so maybe I'm not remembering it correctly, but I thought it simply showed Harry at a point in his life when one of his kids was going to Hogwarts for the first time.
It reads as lazy fanservice to me. The story concluded satisfactorily and all the loose ends were tied up. The epilogue is unnecessary. To each their own, of course. I'm glad that there are people who like it. I'm just not one of them. Should I re-read the series again, I'll skip it.
Mod
It's not like it's the end of the Dark Tower or something. Although I love that ending too. So maybe I just love controversial endings. But only in books.
I still think the end of the Sopranoes was dumb cop-out, but oh well it didn't ruin the series for me.
Only two endings ruined a whole series for me. How I Met Your Mother and Battlestar Galactica. I try so hard to re-watch BSG but I get frustrated and quit.
Dara wrote: "Only two endings ruined a whole series for me. How I Met Your Mother and Battlestar Galactica. I try so hard to re-watch BSG but I get frustrated and quit."Aw, I loved BSG's ending.
And I also really dug the Dark Tower's ending, but I can see why people would hate on it. Definitely one of those "the journey is more important than the destination."
Back on topic, I like the epilogue for a lot of the same reasons Rob does. It's cool to get to see these characters we grew to love as kids as adults. They are happy, things in the world are to a point where Harry can be known for something other than his scar and the two couples are still close. It's nice. The story didn't necessarily need it, I would've been content with the ending without it, but I still like it.
Mod
I had to stop listening just as Luna, Dean and Ginny show up at Hogwarts because I was at work. Not happy. I'll probably be listening during dinner tonight instead of watching TV. lol.
Mod
Mod
Finished yesterday, I really enjoy this last part.
We see a bit of Lilly and Petunia as kids through Snape's eyes. Petunia was bitter and jealous from a very young age.
It makes me wonder, though. What the hell happened to Harry's Grandparents? Do we know?
I could buy his paternal grandparents dying due to Voldemort. I guess the same could be said for his maternal grandparents since the death eaters like to kill muggles.
I still find it a big stretch though that BOTH sets of grand parents are dead in addition to his parents, yet Petunia is still alive.
I'm sure it's really just a convenience for his backstory, because either set of grandparents would have treated him properly.
Always had the same thought regarding the grandparents. Seems like a weird tidbit to never get mentioned
Sometimes people just die is how I take it. I never knew any of my grandparents. They all died before I was born. Just bad luck.
NOTE: While this section is meant to focus on the specified chapters of this book, this read is meant for people who have already read the entire series.
As a result, unlike most of our group reads, full spoilers for the series will be allowed without spoiler tags in every discussion post.
If you haven't read some/all of the books (What's wrong with you?) proceed at your own peril.