Half-Blood Prince

Location: End of HBP, about to start Deathly Hallows!!
Pages Read: 3341, 759 to go. (An evening and two days to finish... I can do it!! xD)

Oh man. I LOVE this book. Absolutely love it. I flew through it -- it moves so much faster than OotP. Some would argue that not much goes on in this book, and that it's too fluffy...but I disagree. I think some fluff was important in this one, and here's why: Jo knew how serious and intense book 7 had to be, so this book was Jo's last chance to give us the witty, fanciful, happy, and hilarious side of the Harry Potter series that we all love. While many parts of this book are more serious, scary, and dark than any previous HP book, there's a large dosage of the more bouncy aspect of HP that got us hooked on the series in the first place.

Knowing that everything will change after this book, and that they'll never come back to Hogwarts as students after this, Jo has to give some closure to everything we knew and loved about life at Hogwarts; she does this magnificently, with many parallels and references to previous books that make us feel sentimental and whatnot. We get our last trip to Diagon Alley, and they're accompanied by none other than Hagrid, who accompanied Harry in his first trip. The trio wears the invisibility cloak as a group for (I think) the last time, and does anyone else get really sad/sentimental when it won't fit on the three of them without ankle showing?? :'( We get our last trip to Hogwarts on the train, during which Trevor the toad "made one of its frequent bids for freedom" as it did on their first trip. On our last day at Hogwarts, Dumbledore's funeral, we catch a glimpse of Hogwarts at it most beautiful -- a sunny day by the lake -- and we see pretty much everyone who Harry has known throughout his journey at Hogwarts, including the centaurs and the mermaids, and the book ends with the trio under the beech tree by the lake. This book is a sort of ending in itself. This book is sort of an ending in itself: an end to life at Hogwarts represented in the death of Dumbledore, and an end to the happier side of the series. j

Before I begin the intense analysis, here's one of my new favorite quotes. When Fleur comes into Harry's room for the first time: "She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow. To complete this vision of perfection, she was carrying a heavily laden breakfast tray." A vision of perfection indeed -- a beautiful woman, serving food. Wow, Jo. xD

Some observations/thoughts...

• Chapter two…The big twist, when we all started thinking maybe Dumbledore was wrong about Snape. There are a couple giveaways, though, about Snape’s true colors... When explaining his position to Bellatrix, he says that the info he passed to Voldy has been helpful, but he says: “…and it certainly helped dispose of Sirius Black…” Fishy… It was definitely Kreacher’s information that helped them lure Harry to the Dept. of Mysteries, and Snape alerted the Order to the situation, which he certainly wasn’t obligated to do if he was a Death Eater; he pretty much saved the day for the good guys, but here he tries to tell Bella that he was helping the bad guys. The second giveaway – his hand twitches during the 3^rd part of the Unbreakable Vow, where he promises to do the deed if Draco should fail.
• A tangent on Snape and Dumbledore: I am SO glad that Snape turned out to be good, as I had predicted he would. In chapter two, Snape says this: “And you overlook Dumbledore’s greatest weakness: He has to believe the best of people.” If Snape had turned out to be bad, then this statement would have been validated, which would have been SO DUMB. It is not a weakness to trust and believe the best of people, it is a strength – as long as you know where to draw the line, which Dumbledore does. Dumbledore isn’t dumb – he saw through Tom Riddle, so why shouldn’t he have seen through Snape if he had been bad? Of the young Tom Riddle, Dumbledore says: “Let us say that I did not take it for granted that he was trustworthy.” Dumbledore doesn’t take trustworthiness for granted! He needs proof, and he certainly had that for Snape. Also: Snape’s goodness demonstrates one of the main lessons of this series, one of which is that THE WORLD IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE. Sirius says it – the world isn’t just full of good people and Death Eaters. The Ministry is an example of people who are generally good-intentioned, but who obstruct justice and are often selfish; Snape is an example of an unpleasant, grudge-holding person who is also one of the most selfless heroes of the series. There Jo goes again, teaching us realistic life lessons.
• It’s also clear, upon re-reading this, that Dumbledore knew he was going to die. Only days after receiving his fatal injury, Dumbledore tells Harry that they’re going to have private lessons – he has to pass on the torch of knowledge of how to defeat Voldemort. I do think, however, that Dumbledore’s death comes sooner than he anticipated, because he never got around to telling Harry how to destroy Horcruxes or where to go next. I think he realized he was going to die right when he saw the Dark Mark, because he immediately told Harry that he needed to see Snape – he would have told him to do the deed, to get the Death Eaters out of there asap, and make sure Harry is protected, which is what Snape did. He even had a defenseless, wandless Harry at one point – he easily could have brought him to the Dark Lord. The fact that he didn’t was Jo’s biggest giveaway about Snape’s true colors, IMO.
• Another giveaway, and something the movies left out, which I thought was a big mistake -- Snape's anger at being called a coward. "DON'T --" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them -- "CALL ME COWARD!" He then hurts Harry with a whip-like spell; he originally was going to escape without harming Harry, but Harry's comment gets to him. He's upset because he can't really take any credit for the INCREDIBLY brave things he's been doing, particularly killing Dumbledore.
• On Snape hurting Flitwick – before book 7, some people cited this as proof that Snape was bad, and it’s still a bit of a head-scratcher. Here’s my two cents – Flitwick alerted Snape to the Death Eaters being in the building, so Snape probably knew right away that it was time to kill Dumbledore. He wanted to make sure none of the Order could stop him from killing Dumbledore. Also, he didn’t know what the situation looked like upstairs – he probably wanted to be alone when he got up there. He easily could have killed Flitwick, as well as Hermione and Luna, but he didn’t – he did what he had to in order to separate from those who could have stopped him doing what he needed to do, without seriously hurting anyone.
• I love that Jo humanizes Draco in this one. He was always just the mean dude, whom the readers all hated, but we get to see a sadder side of him – he just wants to protect his family. This was a big error in the movie – on the tower in the movie, Draco just said Voldy would kill *him* if he didn’t do it, but in the book he said Voldy would kill him and his *family*. Sure, he’s a git, but he loves his family and can’t resort to killing. Between Draco and Snape, Jo shows that even the most apparently-bad people can still have hearts somewhere underneath it all, and that we shouldn’t be quick to judge people.
• Does anyone else ever feel sorry for Hermione’s parents? Not just because she obliviates them – but because, while they *do* have their memories, Hermione spends almost no time with them. She ditches them over Christmas in book 5 to go to Sirius’s place, and she only spends two weeks with them over the summer before going to the Burrow. And she’s their only child. :(
• The Peverells are mentioned! Marvolo Gaunt says that the ring has the Peverell coat of arms on the stone. Also, Ravenclaw’s diadem is mentioned! Harry puts it on top of the stone bust when hiding the potions book. Very subtle, Jo.
• Dumbledore talks a lot in this book, but he’s such a great character. He’s basically Jo’s means of inserting wisdom into the book. I’m so glad he told Harry that the prophecy doesn’t force him to do anything but rather that he had to do something because his love for his friends and deceased family tells him that it’s the right thing to do. “It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high.” Because of Harry’s love for his friends and family, he does the right thing – walks in with his head held high – and succeeds in defeating Voldemort.

Great book -- probably my favorite next to book 7. Onto the greatest book of them all! :D

Order of the Phoenix -- Part 2

Location: End of OotP, about to start Half-Blood Prince!
Pages read: 2689, 1411 to go.

Okay, I take back some of what I said about OotP...it gets a lot better toward the end. Needless to say, the way the school unites against Umbridge is always incredibly satisfying to read; I love that she gets chased off by Peeves with McGonagall's walking stick. Also, the climactic battle stuff is one of my favorites of all of the books -- it's just so exciting and so well written. And Dumbledore and Harry's chat at the end is one of my favorite chapters of the entire series. This was the first time that, emotionally, I got into it with Harry... the way Jo describes his emotions is so realistic. Maybe it's because I'm older and have been through more stuff since the last time I read this book... because I used to think Harry was just an angsty, whiny teenager who needed to calm down. But somehow I clicked with Harry and really felt for him, and books don't usually do that for me.

Sirius's death made more of an impact on me this time around than it ever has. Harry never gets to say a proper goodbye to him after Christmas... he could have been using the 2-way mirror the whole time... and of course that it's partially Harry's fault that Sirius died. Also the fact that, had Sirius survived, he probably could've come out in the open at last. There's so much regret and guilt there, and Jo writes this very realistically. No character or situation in her story is ever perfect -- it's always very real and relatable. So often when we lose someone, we regret not saying something to them, or we feel like we could have done something differently to help them. Jo gives us characters that we can relate to for things like this, who have to go through things and make fatal mistakes to grow and learn lessons the hard way. In this way, her stories, while fantastical and fictional, have a very real quality to them that makes them not just kids' story books, but stories about life from which we can learn and grow.

Some observations to discuss...

• During Occlumency lessons: “Do not say the Dark Lord’s name!” spat Snape… “Professor Dumbledore says his name,” said Harry quietly. “Dumbledore is an extremely powerful wizard,” Snape muttered. “While he may feel secure enough to use the name…the rest of us…” He rubbed his left forearm, apparently unconsciously, on the spot where Harry knew the Dark Mark was burned into his skin. Uhhhhh….why is Snape so reluctant to say the name, and what does that have to do with his Dark Mark? The other Death Eaters are afraid to say it too – Bellatrix is adamant about it in the Hall of Prophecies. It could be that they’re not allowed to say it, and if people with the Dark Mark say it, Voldemort somehow knows and can hear them or something. We know it’s possible to have magic associated with the name (the taboo). There almost has to be something more to this quote than just the fact that Snape doesn’t like the name. Any thoughts?
• On Harry and Ginny… Jo understands Harry and knows what he needs in a woman – someone strong, who isn’t afraid to call him out and confront him, who knows what’s good for him, but can still empathize with him; someone with whom he can share everything. Hermione tells Harry that Ron and Ginny told her that he’d been hiding ever since he found out at St. Mungo’s that Voldemort was “possessing” him, and that he was “the weapon.” ““They do, do they?” said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.” Also: “Well, that was a bit stupid of you,” said Ginny angrily, “seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.” Seems angry, but Harry needs someone straightforward and blunt, and she can relate to him better than most. He and Cho have nothing in common, and she’s never straightforward with him. Jo drops the hints, as usual… Talking to Ginny about wanting to talk to Sirius makes Harry feel better…and they catch each other’s eyes understandingly a few times. Ginny’s the type of person who can understand Harry and bring out the best in him.
• Also – I have this weird theory that Ron, deep down, wants Harry and Ginny to get together. Upon finding out Ginny is dating Michael, Ron says, “I thought Ginny fancied Harry!” Then, when Hermione’s talking about Harry asking Cho out: “What if he doesn’t want to ask her?” said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face. Why wouldn’t he want his best mate to get the hot girl? O_o Then, the biggest clue of all comes on the train ride home. Finding out that Ginny and Michael broke up, Ron says, “Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot…Good for you. Just choose someone – better – next time.” He cast Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it. (Furtive means he didn’t want Harry to see him looking – shifty and secretive, perhaps slightly guilty.) IMO, that’s irrefutable proof that Ron wants them together, because it comes before Ron finds out that now she’s with Dean.
• During Harry and Dumbledore’s chat, one of the first things Dumbledore says is: “I know how you are feeling Harry,” said Dumbledore very quietly. “No, you don’t,” said Harry…White-hot anger leapt inside him. Dumbledore knew nothing about his feelings. Well, it turns out Dumbledore can relate to Harry better than Harry thinks. He knows how it feels to be responsible for someone’s death – his sister’s. When I used to read this, I used to be more on Harry’s side on this point – that Dumbledore is just trying to sympathize and calm him down. But Dumbledore can actually relate.
• “Whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape…never…” Actually, Harry, you’re going to name a child after him...
• The prophecy!! "Neither can live while the other survives..." I've always struggled with this phrase. Both of them are alive, aren't they?? I guess it just means that neither of them can rest or live the life they want to if the other one is still alive, in a sort of "this town ain't big enough for the two of us" kind of way...or that neither of them can stand the fact that the other is alive. Until one of them is dead, killing each other is pretty much their top priority. The phrase still bothers me, though. :P Also, Harry worries about the fact that he might have to become a murderer... I love that. It just shows how different he is from Voldemort -- he's not comfortable killing ANYONE, even his worst enemy, the guy who killed his parents. I always knew it would be a situation of Voldy trying to kill Harry but accidentally killing himself. Jo wouldn't let her hero use "Avada Kedavra."

Overall -- the beginning and middle of this book aren't the greatest and probably could have been cut a bit...but it's all worth it for the last third of the book. :) Onto HBP!

Order of the Phoenix -- Part 1

Location: OotP page 570
Pages Read: 2388, 1712 to go.

Order of the Phoenix.... hmm. Not my favorite in the series. xD It's a great read, and tons of important and interesting stuff happens in it, but I think Jo went a little over the top. GoF made you want to keep reading because it was so exciting, and there were all these little mysteries...everything just kept your attention. This one has the mysteries, but in my opinion, it kind of drags on a bit in places. It's probably my least favorite, not including books 1 and 2, because it's DEFINITELY more interesting than those. :P One redeeming qualities: this is the first book that doesn't make an effort to re-introduce concepts and characters. x)

That's not to say that there's not fun stuff to talk about!!

Observations:

• “Dumbledore’s got a shrewd idea,” said Lupin, “and Dumbledore’s shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.” That is the amazing thing about Dumbledore – quite often, he doesn’t have proof of something, but he can see the bigger picture. He knows how the human mind works so well that he can usually predict what someone’s going to do and how he should deal with situations.
• I love this line. After finding out Ron is prefect and not Harry: “No,” said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, “no, it’s not…Ron’s done loads of…he’s really…” LOL. Loads of…what? Really…what? She couldn’t think of anything he’s done or a redeeming quality about him. That’s so funny. Brings us back to the role of Ron in the trio…he has no obviously outstanding qualities, so he sometimes seems useless.
• So, if anyone has ever heard of Cog’s Ladder (it’s a model for group development), I would say that this book definitely represents Stage Three. Harry’s always being selfish and having a go at Ron and Hermione, and they confront him about it; at the same time, Ron and Hermione are constantly bickering, and Harry tells them to shut up. Stage 3 is where some conflict or power struggle occurs, and it helps the group figure out their roles. Jo might be familiar with Cog’s Ladder, because according to that model, they *had* to go through some sort of conflict in order to reach the higher levels of group dynamic, where they can work together seamlessly to defeat Voldemort.
• Another wise quote from Sirius: “Yes, but the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters.” This is an important theme in this book – the Ministry isn’t necessarily evil, they’re just choosing the easy path instead of the right, hard path, so they’re getting in the way of good being done.
• After the kiss: “He returned to the common room half an hour later…” HALF AN HOUR!! I never noticed that/realized what that implied. Way to go, Harry! xD

Lots of good foreshadowing!

• Mr. Weasley says: “If Dumbledore’s out of the way – well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field.” Foreshadowing… I’m pretty sure other characters say this in this book as well; really shows the impact of his death.
• Moody says: “Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn’t had the manners to return my best one…” So there are good and bad invisibility cloaks! Hmm. Also, on Fred and George’s Headless Hats, Hermione says (in reference to an “Invisibility Spell”): “…I’d imagine the charm wouldn’t have a very long life though…” Both of these quotes suggest that invisibility-related objects shouldn’t last forever – clearly, there’s something special about Harry’s, and Jo has set us up for that.
• Scrimgeour is mentioned. On the morning of Harry’s hearing, Lupin says to Tonks: “What were you saying about Scrimgeour?”
• While cleaning the drawing room, it describes a bunch of things that they found in some cabinets: “…also a heavy locket that none of them could open…” (Page 116 US hardcover). Then, two paragraphs later: “Several times, Kreacher sidled into the room and attempted to smuggle things away under his loincloth, muttering horrible curses every time they caught him at it.” BAM! There’s the locket, and Kreacher got it.
• During Snape’s inspection: “Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you [to the Defense Against Dark Arts job]?” asked Umbridge. It just occurred to me why! He wanted to keep Snape around, and he knew the job was jinxed. Then he lets him have it in book 6 because he knows Snape’s probably going to have to kill him.
• Dumbledore uses his silver instrument, and a serpent comes out of it. “Naturally, naturally,” murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. “But in essence divided?” ….then the snake splits into two snakes, coiling in midair. Hmm! This obviously has to do with Harry being a Horcrux, but what *exactly* does he mean by “in essence divided?” My thoughts… This is the moment when Dumbledore discovers the nature of Harry and Voldemort’s connection. Harry’s soul and the piece of Voldy in him are connected and fused together in a way, but they’re still divided in “essence”; the nature of Harry’s soul hasn’t been changed into a Harry-Voldy fusion. Harry is still a separate person from Voldemort, and while the souls are connected, they are still two different souls in one body, not a Harry-Voldy hybrid, if that makes sense. This is important because it means the piece of Voldy’s soul in Harry can be killed while Harry’s soul survives, which is what happens in book 7, thanks to Lily’s blood protection in Voldemort. Since Harry’s soul and the piece of Voldemort are “in essence divided,” you can kill one without harming the other. If the souls were “in essence united,” Harry would actually have to die and stay dead. xD Any other thoughts/theories on what was meant by “in essence divided”?
• On Harry being a Horcrux: There is SO MUCH in this book about that. Multiple times, when feeling Voldy’s thoughts and telling people what’s going on with Voldemort, “the words came…as though a stranger was speaking them through Harry’s mouth, yet he knew they were true.” This supports the “in essence divided” thing. He’s not the one saying it, there’s something else in him that’s like a stranger – it’s separate from who Harry is, yet he can know what it feels as though it was a part of him.

More to come! Next post, I'll analyze Harry/Ginny, Sirius and his death, and more Horcrux stuff. Should be a good time.

Goblet of Fire - Part Two (the good stuff)

Location: Beginning of book 5

Pages read: 1819, 2281 to go. 

I finished book 4 last night and started this blog post this morning as a word document but never got a chance to finish or post it. Went and saw Cars 2 -- it was pretty good. :P I'll be reading late into the night.

General Story Stuff

• Some of you may have heard this before, but there’s this theory that Jo uses Ron and Hermione to sort of let you know what’s coming. Whenever Ron is serious about something, he’s wrong, and the opposite for Hermione. Ron is SO sure that Crouch Sr. attacked Krum, but Hermione thinks it was someone else. The most interesting example of this has to do with Snape. On multiple occasions, Ron is so certain Snape is “evil,” but Hermione says we should trust Dumbledore’s judgment.
• When in the Pensieve, this is how he realizes that he’s in a memory: “Dumbledore did not blink, look around at Harry, or indeed move at all. And that, in Harry’s opinion, settled the matter. Dumbledore wouldn’t ignore him like that.” This reflects his growing bond with Dumbledore, but it also foreshadows just how hard it’s gonna be when Dumbles *does* ignore him in book 5.
• Fudge frustrates me SOO MUCH at the end of this book. UGH. He won’t believe Voldy’s back, he won’t remove the dementors from Azkaban…Bleh. Not really an evil character, just stupid. In an interview, I think Jo discusses that one of Jo’s main themes in these books is choosing between what’s right and what’s easy. Fudge is a prime example of a weak character who doesn’t do evil, but refuses to do what’s right because he’s selfish.
• So much of this ending foreshadows book 5. Telling Hagrid and Maxime they have a task, Dumbledore sending messages to the “old crowd,” Fudge claiming Dumbledore and Harry are crazy, Dumbledore having to work in secret against the ministry’s wishes, Harry never getting to stay with Sirius as long as he wants to... even Arabella Figg is mentioned. Jo has to wrap up SO many loose ends in the last few chapters – explain the Crouches’ story, Ludo Bagman, Rita Skeeter – and she does it so well… but she also opens up this whole new can of worms that makes you so excited for the next one. In the same way that book 6 sets you up for book 7, 4 really sets you up for 5.
• I thought this cool. “The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King’s Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September.” Symbolic weather! Everything has changed now that Voldemort’s back.

Horcrux/Voldemort  Stuff

• “It was Voldemort, Harry thought, staring up at the canopy of his bed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort…. He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all these lives….” Sure, there are other evil characters to blame for some stuff, but sometimes the good characters blame themselves for things. At the end of this book, Harry almost begins to blame himself for Cedric’s death; he also blames himself for Sirius’s death in OotP. But something Dumbledore said in book 3 is important here (I don’t have the exact quote) – that the consequences of our actions are so diverse and unpredictable that we can never know for certain what’s going to happen. It all comes back to Voldy.
• Voldemort: “…and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death…” More useful than Harry realizes, actually. He not only helped his son regenerate; his death was used for a Horcrux.
• Some Voldemort analysis. “Listen to me, reliving family history…” he said quietly, “why, I am growing quite sentimental… But look, Harry! My true family returns….” We get a taste of Voldemort’s sentimental nature; this becomes important when figuring out what the Horcruxes are and where they’re hidden. Second: his *true* family? Voldemort doesn’t want a family, he doesn’t care about them. He does a nice job of keeping them all afraid of him, and that’s how he holds onto power. The only reason people do what he wants is out of fear of him, or to get a slice of power themselves. The Death Eaters are united out of fear and selfishness; the Order of the Phoenix is united out of love and selflessness. Harry and Voldemort are juxtaposed in the same way.
• “You know my goal – to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked…” This goal, to “conquer death,” brings the Deathly Hallows to mind. He ends up so desperately wanting the elder wand because he thinks it’ll take him closer to immortality, but ironically, his quest for immortality leads to his death. This reflects his 2 key weaknesses – he fears death and tries to avoid it, and he discounts those he sees as inferior or weak. He’s blind to the fact that Draco was the one who actually conquered Dumbledore and his wand.
• “Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others.” As I read this, it struck me that this is very consistent with what we now know about Voldemort and his horcruxes. After trying to kill baby Harry, all that was left of him was the fragmented *piece of soul* that had remained in his body before the curse rebounded. The way horcruxes work is that the *piece of soul* inhabits an object or living thing, human or animal, and “possesses” it (i.e. he has control over Nagini, he’s able to make Harry see what he wants him to see in Book 5, the soul in the diary possesses Ginny…) As a *piece of soul*, the weakened Voldemort could do just that – inhabit and possess things and creatures (snakes, Quirrell…). This is further evidence that Jo knew exactly how the magic of horcruxes worked before she wrote this, and it foreshadows the concept of horcruxes.
• As Harry is escaping, right before he “Accio”s the cup: “Voldemort’s red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into a smile, saw him raise his wand.” Remember how in an earlier post I discussed how his “eyes gleam red” when he really wants something? I don’t think this passage was just Jo being dramatic; I think it’s consistent with the red gleam thing. Since Voldy’s eyes are totally red now, the gleam of red has turned into a “flaming,” or getting brighter red.
• Perhaps the most important bit of foreshadowing in this book... when Harry tells Dumbledore that Voldemort used his blood: “He said the protection my – my mother left in me – he’d have it too. And he was right – he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.” For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore’s eyes. “WOAH! Why is he happy about that?” thought young Zachary the first time he read this book. Well, now we know! It’s yet another connection between Harry and Voldy, and the reason Harry doesn’t die in book 7. The keys to Voldemort’s downfall are all foreshadowed in this book. 

And a pretty significant error I found interesting: "Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive.” What!! Harry should be able to see Thestrals now.


Onto Order of the Phoenix! *insert Hedwig's theme* (Whenever I start a new book, Hedwig's theme pops in my head... xD)

Goblet of Fire - Part One (the fluffy stuff)

Location: Goblet of Fire, page 534

Pages read: 1619, 2481 pages to go

I’m behind because I just spent 2 days in Illinois w/ family for the 4th -- very fun! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday. I have loved every page of this book so far. I can actually remember my first time reading this one, and how I felt.

This post is mostly about fluffy stuff – character development, Jo’s writing abilities, and why I love these books – so, even though I’ve already found some more interesting, theory-type stuff, I’ll save it for an awesome Part 2 GoF post.

First of all, this is for you, Josh. Page 223: “Hermione raised her eyebrows.” It’s in the book! Emma was just playing the character!! xD

General things about the book:

• By the time Jo wrote this book, the series had taken off spectacularly; she sold it with the first three, and now she really lets herself go, finally showing us the extent of her writing abilities. The additional detail allows her to bring you further into the emotions of the characters. Examples: When Harry’s name comes out of the Goblet, I get butterflies in my stomach every time; it’s like I can feel the tension in the Great Hall because it’s written so well. I always feel super nervous when I read about the first task, and anxious when Harry can’t figure out a way to do the 2^nd task… and so frustrated along with them about Rita Skeeter. In the first 3, it was like she cut it as short as possible, only including things vital to the plot and character development. Now there are subplots that aren’t *vital* to the series’ overall plot but that make it such a joy to read.
• The movie KILLS this book. There’s no way they could have captured it all, but they didn’t even do justice to the stuff they *did* include. That, and the fact that SO much was left out, makes this even more fun to read.
• I love the way that, even though we return to the same characters and world in each book, there are ALWAYS a slew of new characters for each book, even book 7. In this we get Bill and Charlie, Bagman and Crouch, Karkaroff and Maxime… Just when you thought you were well-acquainted with Jo’s world, she takes you even further.
• Halloween hubbub again…this time, it’s the night that the Goblet of Fire reveals the champions’ names…and Harry’s name comes out.

Character stuff:

• While frustrated with Fred and George, Mrs. Weasley says, “I don’t know where we went wrong with them.” This is an interesting insight on parenting. Fred and George aren’t the ones she should be worried about – they end up successful, they’re happy, and they have their priorities in order. The one they should be worried about is, ironically, the one they've never seen as a problem, whom they’re encouraging as his priorities grow further out of whack – Percy.
• Jo ages these kids very realistically. They’re 14, like freshmen in high school! Jo subtly and gracefully transitions the characters into starting to like the opposite sex. The Yule Ball is super awkward for them – and it should be! They’re still figuring out who they are. Ron and Hermione…oh my gosh. How were there EVER Harry/Hermione shippers?? O_o I'll let Dawn cover this in detail. :)
• Knowing that “Moody” is actually Crouch Jr. makes this one really fun to read, because you see past the surface into what he's actually doing and thinking, but one part still sickens me – the way he makes the Cruciatus Curse last a little longer than necessary in front of Neville, whose parents he helped torture. And then he pretends comforts him, just to try and give him a book to help Harry. Disgusting, heartless…ugh. Sometimes some characters in this series seem even more detestable than Voldemort…I’ll say more on this when we get to Umbridge. xD
• More on Hermione. (If you can’t tell, she’s probably my favorite character in this series.) Between her research to defend Buckbeak in book 3, and all of her S.P.E.W. planning (short-term and long-term goals about Elf representation and changing laws), it’s clear that she was meant for a job in law, which she eventually gets. Also – Hermione is not only intelligent but also incredibly perceptive…she understands people really well, and she’s very tactful. She goes about the Harry-Ron fight very maturely – refusing to send messages, helping Harry see Ron’s side…but despite her maturity, when they’re done fighting, she bawls, yells, and hugs them; it’s clear that she’s still a 14-yo girl who was upset because her best friends were fighting. She also handles Rita Skeeter’s bashing very well; she doesn’t get embarrassed by the Slytherins. She’s already shown that she’s not afraid to stand up for herself, but this time, instead of just lashing out angrily as she did with Malfoy in book 3 (*smack*), she calculates her revenge. Jo balances her growing confidence and maturity with her diminishing emotional vulnerability VERY realistically, IMO. Other than Harry, I’d say Herm-o-ninny is Jo’s most fleshed-out character.
• Speaking of Harry… The following quote, which I’ve never really noticed before, is now one of my all-time JK Rowling favorites. While writing to Sirius: “He had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside his chest since last night, but he couldn’t think how to translate this into words…” AWW. I can TOTALLY relate to this, and y’all prolly can too – when want to tell someone how we feel, we want to release something we’re dealing with, but we’re not sure how. What’s more, Harry has never had a parent-figure to trust with emotional things like this, and now that he has one, he has to sneak around just to briefly talk to him face-to-face. Poor Harry.
• “There was much less laughter and a lot more hanging around in the library when Hermione was your best friend.” There’s Ron’s role! He’s the glue, the comic relief, the reason the trio can exist as it does.
• Some WISE words from Sirius. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." 

I forgot how fun this one is to read. Can't wait to finish it and start OotP tomorrow!