Sectumsempra
I finished Half-Blood Prince last night. Now that the shock has subsided (and for what it's worth, I even dreamt about it; I don't think that's ever happened to me with a novel before) I'm ready and eager for some discussion and debate.
Okay, hands up if you didn't expect Dumbledore to die. *crickets* Right; we've been predicting it since Book 3 or thereabouts. The wise old master always has to die before the young student can come into his own-- it was true for Gandalf, it was true for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and it was true for Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore, may he rest in peace. But dammit, I don't want to believe that Snape murdered him. I know Dumbledore has shown notoriously bad judgment in his faculty appointments. He never knew that Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort, nor did he realize that Mad-Eye wasn't really Mad-Eye, but he trusted Snape for years, even to the point of allowing him into the Order. No, I'm convinced that Snape was under the Imperius Curse. He would make the perfect patsy, too, since everyone knew he was a former Death Eater, and nobody would ever believe any subsequent pleas of innocence after seeing him Avada Kedavra Dumbledore in cold blood.
Here's the other thing I figure: Even if Snape hadn't shot him, Dumbledore didn’t have long to live anyway. Why? Because he broke an Unbreakable Vow. Remember the very first scene in the book? That wasn’t Snape! It was Dumbledore with Polyjuice, knowingly sacrificing himself to save both Harry and Snape. Why did you think his hand was all burnt? Don’t tell me you believed that whole "I-was-disenchanting-the-ring-and-it-shocked-me" nonsense for even a minute. No, I’m convinced that "Snape" in that scene was Dumbledore in disguise, and that the burnt hand was the result of the Vow.
Other points briefly:
- Scrimgeour is a total bastard, and Harry handled himself perfectly.
- I feel like a fool for not realizing that Snape was the Prince. It was a Potions textbook, after all.
- Of course, if this had been the real world, Harry never would have seen that book, since the publisher would have put it through twelve or thirteen new editions to beat down the used-textbook market. Maybe textbooks are updated by magic in the Wizarding world.
- Ron/Hermione was inevitable.
- Harry/Ginny was pretty cool, actually, but the break-up was one of the worst things I've ever read. She knows he'll come crawling back as soon as Voldemort is dead, and if he doesn't, he's an ass.
- Greyback could have a whole novel to himself.
- I want some Felix Felicitas. Or, failing that, at least some candied pineapple.
Comments, disagreements, etcetera, welcome.
Okay, hands up if you didn't expect Dumbledore to die. *crickets* Right; we've been predicting it since Book 3 or thereabouts. The wise old master always has to die before the young student can come into his own-- it was true for Gandalf, it was true for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and it was true for Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore, may he rest in peace. But dammit, I don't want to believe that Snape murdered him. I know Dumbledore has shown notoriously bad judgment in his faculty appointments. He never knew that Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort, nor did he realize that Mad-Eye wasn't really Mad-Eye, but he trusted Snape for years, even to the point of allowing him into the Order. No, I'm convinced that Snape was under the Imperius Curse. He would make the perfect patsy, too, since everyone knew he was a former Death Eater, and nobody would ever believe any subsequent pleas of innocence after seeing him Avada Kedavra Dumbledore in cold blood.
Here's the other thing I figure: Even if Snape hadn't shot him, Dumbledore didn’t have long to live anyway. Why? Because he broke an Unbreakable Vow. Remember the very first scene in the book? That wasn’t Snape! It was Dumbledore with Polyjuice, knowingly sacrificing himself to save both Harry and Snape. Why did you think his hand was all burnt? Don’t tell me you believed that whole "I-was-disenchanting-the-ring-and-it-shocked-me" nonsense for even a minute. No, I’m convinced that "Snape" in that scene was Dumbledore in disguise, and that the burnt hand was the result of the Vow.
Other points briefly:
- Scrimgeour is a total bastard, and Harry handled himself perfectly.
- I feel like a fool for not realizing that Snape was the Prince. It was a Potions textbook, after all.
- Of course, if this had been the real world, Harry never would have seen that book, since the publisher would have put it through twelve or thirteen new editions to beat down the used-textbook market. Maybe textbooks are updated by magic in the Wizarding world.
- Ron/Hermione was inevitable.
- Harry/Ginny was pretty cool, actually, but the break-up was one of the worst things I've ever read. She knows he'll come crawling back as soon as Voldemort is dead, and if he doesn't, he's an ass.
- Greyback could have a whole novel to himself.
- I want some Felix Felicitas. Or, failing that, at least some candied pineapple.
Comments, disagreements, etcetera, welcome.