Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I am going to talk about this from two perspectives. As a reader of a series which has come to a close after a wonderful journey, and then as a person who loves to play in fandom in various ways and now has to be more creative about how to continue to do this. ;)
My first read-through of the book was lightning-fast, as always. I was reading more to devour than to absorb and consider. I *needed* to know the fates of my two favourite boys (Snape and Lupin... guh) and the Trio before I could rationally think about the finer points. Therefore, my memory on details are very fuzzy and hubby is now reading the book so I don't have it for immediate reference. My second-go-round won't start until Monday or Tuesday.
As a Reader... Much love for:
First of all, as a book, I liked it over-all. This is a surprise to me and for anyone who knows me, because I normally do NOT read books like this. I am a nurse in 'real life' and aggressively avoid death-and-dying stories of any kind. I see it enough in my work, thanks. I like my leisure time to be much more light-hearted.
This is an exception because I have *loved* this fandom and these characters since I found the books immediately after the release of Goblet of Fire. As long as JKR left the Trio *alive* and victorious at the end, I could have lived with just about anything else she did and still continued to enjoy the books and the series for many more years to come.
I was very worried going into this book. She left *so* many 'loose ends' and left herself an 'epic quest' sort of story which she has admitted, herself, in interviews, that she does not like to try and write. I loved HBP, because of all those seemingly random loose-ends, of course, because it gave everyone so much fanfiction fodder and RPG fun and you all know I *adore* my rpgs, especially, and fanfic reading as my RPG time permits. I would have hated to end this series with all those dangling threads still untied, though - even as I knew that tying them securely would close many of those fun play-places from a canon perspective.
By two-thirds of the way through the book, I was still worried, frustrated, annoyed... 'C'mon, JKR, throw us a *bone*, here...' Still no Horcruxes destroyed, everything falling apart around them, everyone turning against them.... *ack*....
And then the Doe arrived, and Oh My God, how beautiful was *that*? And *Ron* saved the day - Yay for Ron!
Yay for JKR who did not do my other great fear and turn Harry into some sort of Wesley Crusher! (Star Trek, Next Generation Reference for those of you who aren't geeky enough to know...) I was afraid she'd turn Harry into some sort of Super!Wizard...
Honestly, I should have trusted JKR more than that.
Throughout the story, the Trio are as true to character as ever, which was probably why my heart was heavy and fearful throughout the story. She did it so *well*.
The Malfoys - How much *love* for the Malfoys?? I am so very, very glad to see this much more human side of them! In the end, they wanted what everyone wanted - to keep their family safe and intact. I loved the humanity of it. Lucius, wandless and therefore so very vulnerable, gaining strength and courage from a touch of his wife's hand. Narcissa's love for her son which enabled her to forget her own fear, her own prejudice, her own hatred, to defy Voldemort.
"Does my son live?"
I got teary-eyed here!
Now I get to play more in the meaty dynamic of the Snape/Malfoy family relationship with gusto!
Hermione I have always loved Hermione. Annoying as hell at times, yes, but she always stands up for what she believes in, a stalwart road-block to the boys and their recklessness. *Think* Harry. It doesn't make *Sense*, Ron. Engage your brain so you can be safe and strong and prepared. Even to the extreme of standing by Harry's side when Ron was at-fault/unreasonable no matter how much it broke her heart to do it. *guh* ADORE Hermione.
And so strong! Bellatrix torturing her and she just doesn't *break*.
Ron Oh, dear Ron! He succumbed to Voldemort's gift for spreading fear and enmity - and then like a true Hero, he *overcame* his SELF, threw away his pride and totally saved the day. I *loved* Ron more than ever in this. I loved that JKR gave him an equal-role in destroying the Horcruxes. I love that JKR did not make it all-about-Harry, but let us see *all* of these three 'kids' grow into their own.
Ginny I've always loved Ginny. From her natural, initial little-girl hero-worship crush, I love how she's grown throughout the books. I love her and Harry together, and yes, I know it's a soppy repeat of James and Lily with a 'happier' ending. So what? I love it. :) I wish we could have seen more of her, but she was true to herself and more importantly, true to Harry. She was brilliant in the fight and held her own throughout the story. Loved.
Molly Gods, Molly annoyed the hell out of me at the start of the story. Mostly because I always see *myself* in Molly, and I could totally see myself trying to keep my kids away from things which would be dangerous to the point of being this over-protective and obnoxious. Well done and true to Molly-Weasley's everywhere, I loved to be annoyed with her! ;) And in the end... with Bellatrix... YAY! Molly!!!
Percy - well, we knew it had to happen. This bit I think was not as well done as I would have liked, but I'm glad we got it at all.
Neville Again, much love. I wanted Neville to be the one to face Bellatrix at the very last, but I loved seeing him run about with the various plants at the final battle. I loved that *Neville* had become the driving force of leadership for the DA. I love that he stood up to Harry and made him allow them to help/prepare for the final show-down. Love.
How amazing was GRAN??
Luna - she was beautiful. I loved finally knowing about the 'radishes' she wore in her ears! And I loved her father. Loved their house. Loved the tiara-thingy. Loved the 'Crumple Horn Snorkack' horn. I even love that poor Mr Lovegood went the way of Narcissa Malfoy in reverse - he, too, was willing to abandon all his life-long held beliefs and principles - to give up *EVERYTHING* to save his daughter.
Anyone who believes that 99% of parents would not do that very thing if in such a situation does not have kids. The Wealeys did not abandon Harry, it is true, but Harry is one of *theirs*, and they were unaware that any of their children were in that sort of danger throughout the book. When you *know* your child is held captive for your good behaviour... all bets are off.
Severus Snape Oh. My. God.
Okay, I hated the ignominious means of his death. He needed a very heroic redemption. Nonetheless, I loved the Prince's Tale. Though I know it is true throughout our fandom of Snape-shippers of all sorts, I was so *glad* to know "I" had 'called it' so close-to-home in my over-all opinion of the Snape/Lily relationship. (*wink*)
I'd even started a ficlet that never got posted anywhere, right after OotP, in which Snape and Lily knew each other as children, pre-Hogwarts, and that it was he to whom Petunia referred to as "that awful boy" when she mentioned Dementors. In that snippet of never-posted stuff, I even had Petunia with a bit of a crush on Snape, herself. Go me!
I *loved* that Lily called Severus her *best friend*!! Go me again! LOL. Okay, like I said, I know lots of folks have called this. I was afraid JKR would make it a very ugly, obsessive, stalker-ish unrequited love thing. I do realise that yes, Severus loved her romantically, but it was such a pure and elevating love that he was able to accept her friendship. The breech was inevitable, of course, and I was not so happy to see Lily as so wholly unforgiving, but over-all, I really loved this whole scene.
Snape was redeemed in every way. Enough questions and tiny details are left unknown, in my mind, to give me years of joy in fandom (to be discussed shortly - Snape, of course, is not *really* dead...) while giving me, the reader, a sense of peace and closure.
Severus Snape - Dumbledore's Man. *love*
Kreacher - Gracious!! How fabulous was Kreacher! A little kindness goes a long way, yes?
Hero!Dobby!
The Ron/Hermione kiss when *RON* considers the needs of the house-elves of Hogwarts!
Alas, now we must discuss the things not-loved
And, of course, first here is the entire Remus/Tonks dynamic, or rather, utter and complete lack thereof.
Remus - Oh, Remus. I adore you. But you are a spineless prat sometimes. Always running away from confrontation, trying to push people away to keep them from getting close/being affected by your curse and the danger which surrounds you. But damn it, if you *love* someone, you have got to *show* it, and if you *don't*, then stop trying to pretend you *do*.
I did not like the twist in Remus' character from HBP, on. I do not think the man who did so much for Harry in PoA, and who supposedly 'learned' from his mistakes, and who stood up to Sirius and Molly in OotP, would truly be this *spineless*, now. Remus who, of all the MWPP, knew what it was to love and forgive and draw strength from his friendships and loves.
I do not like the idea of a Remus who is either not in love with a woman but marries her anyway, or who is so fearful and *broken* that he can't *show* that he loves her. This does not seem to 'jive' with his character - and yes, I realise he is *JKR's* character and she can write him however she wants, but it seems inconsistent. What we were taught about Remus in PoA and OotP does not jive with how he behaves toward/what we are expected to believe in relationship to Tonks.
Tonks Please do not misunderstand me. I *loved* Tonks in OotP. My impossibly long Snape/OFC fanfic that I wrote before the release of HBP puts Remus and Tonks together. I *loved* the idea of that 'ship after OotP, despite the age difference. Remus is so serious and has had such a hard life. I liked the idea of him with someone light-hearted and teasing and gentle and utterly in love with him - and visa-versa. I loved the way he 'teased' her by introducing her as 'Nymphadora' when we first meet her. You can't tell me he didn't know she hated the name! I could easily see Tonks being strong and persistent and playful and wonderful and *earning* Remus' undying love.
And then JKR 'killed' her for me in HBP. Tonks, as a character I loved and respected, died in the Hospital room scene in HBP. Yes, my fandom OTP is Snupin (Snape/Lupin gay relationship for those who aren't 'in-the-know'), but I realise that there is no way JKR would ever put that in the story. I could have lived with anyone/anyway she patched people together if it made *sense*.
But in HBP, JKR took a vibrant, vivacious, strong, intelligent young woman and turned her into a spineless ninny. Tonks was the first person to be accepted/complete Auror training in three years! This is not a wimpy, unintelligent person who is going to let personal 'feelings' interfere with her ability to do her job. Or her innate magic!
I hated how weird and mopey Tonks behaved throughout the book of HBP. Hated how she didn't punch Snape in the nose or something equally confrontational when he sneered at her about her Patronus... "It looked *weak*..."
(loved that line. Love it more, now, knowing *Snape's* Patronus is a *Doe*! Hypocrite much, Snape? LOVE YOU...)
When we found out *why* Tonks was so mopey/wimpy, I wanted to literally *vomit*. *This* is not at all the way to win the heart of a Remus Lupin, man who believes he needs to keep people away to keep them safe like so many other characters in the books... Look at how strong Ginny was and how much Harry *loved* her, and how strong she *stayed* even as her heart was breaking... and Ginny's only a *child*...
I have not been able to fully respect the Tonks character since HBP. Moreover, I was very disappointed that JKR was so clumsy with this. Had she given us *anything* to indicated that there was some reason and purpose and believability to the emotions behind the 'ship, I would have accepted it better.
This, of course, is actually good for me in my OTP, fandom-wise, to be discussed shortly, but in the book I thought it was badly done, throughout.
Not *ONE TIME* in either book where the relationship is a true RELATIONSHIP, does Remus *ever* display the slightest sign of affection for Tonks. This, more than anything else, makes me mad that Tonks would put up with that shite. No woman ought to be with a man who can't/won't love her!! In the hospital wing scene at the end of HPB, not *ONCE* does Remus say a word about wanting her/wanting to be with her. It is all denials and discomfort on his side, while Tonks throws herself at him and everyone in the room pushes, encourages and berates. He looks a little more relaxed at the funeral where they are holding hands and Tonks is happy and pink-haired again, but not *happy*. Tonks is in charge, Tonks has got her man, Tonks is leading/pushing/driving the relationship.
Ladies - we've all been there... this is *not* a relationship that would ever last!
Then, here in DH, Tonks is delightedly showing Harry her ring... and what does Remus do? He brushes aside their congratulations, breaks off conversation about it at all, and *apologises* for it!! 'Sorry I didn't tell you, it was a very quiet wedding...'
The whole scene when they talk about Tonks is going to have a baby, Remus does not say *we* are going to have a baby, or Tonks is going to have *my* baby - his every word and action is trying to distance himself from the whole situation. Again, he is true to *his* character - trying to push away people he cares about for their own safety, and I have no doubt he cares about her. But even when he was furious with Sirius, he could show/speak of his love for his friends. He couldn't even give Tonks *that*.
When Remus arrived to announce the birth of his son, that is the first time we see him *happy*, and he is then all-about the baby. A brief mention of 'Tonks is fine'... but no proud husband gushing about his wife *and* son... it's all about the baby.
This was very clumsily done, IMO. I think this really weakened the Tonks character as a whole - though, my husband says, and he is right, there are lots of women "out there" who would and DO act precisely like this. Like Lydia Bennet and Wickham, they were "brought together by the strength of *her* affection, not *his*...". Affections that died over time on both sides, as all relationships started on such equal footing must.
The Deaths, in general:
Gods. So *many*. This will be a hard book for me to re-read and enjoy as frequently as I have done the others. It is so *painful* throughout. Hedwig! Moody! Dobby!
However, I have to disagree that it was a 'bloodbath' or 'over-done' or a 'death-fest'. She has been telling us, over and over, that this is death, it is dark, Voldemort is the most terrifying force the Wizarding world has ever known, and she had to make us *feel* and *believe* that. It had to *hurt*, a LOT, or we she would not have been true to VOLDEMORT's power.
*LOVED* making the name 'Taboo'!!
Dobby was the first to strike me *hard*, but I loved that throughout this book, everyone who has ever loved, cared about, supported Harry had an important role to play - even if it was dying to save him like Hedwig and Dobby.
Fred was the worst for me, emotionally. Going into this book, I had a list of characters in my head that I *needed* to live, to be ever happy with the books in general or the fandom-at-large, ever again, which were primarily the Trio and Ginny.
I also had a list in my head of who I thought would die because they needed to, in order to emphasise the point/painfulness of the war, and also those who were 'expendable'. Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Remus (*sob*) were all on the 'expendable' list. They'd had their important roles in Harry's life and were close enough to hurt him with their deaths but not destroy the 'happy' ending.
Snape, since the end of HBP, has been on the 'must die' list. Just as I knew Dumbledore *had* to be the one to die in HBP, because Harry was far too dependent on him, I knew, as we all knew, that Snape's fate was sealed. I'm so disappointed that his death was so undignified, un-heroic, but really, much as I *LOVE* Severus... this was far more in-character for him. He's too self-preserving to have done what I wanted to see - throwing himself in front of a curse or something like that in a grand Heroic gesture. That is the purview of Gryffindors! Besides, he needed the opportunity to give the memories to Harry, as he did.
(LOVE that Snape was the one to deliver the sword to Harry!!)
I knew we had to lose a Weasley. Molly told us that in OotP, and it has been inevitable since then. I considered any of the three oldest boys 'expendable', and that a loss of *one* twin would be the hardest thing to bear. Neither or both, but not *one*, leaving one behind to try and carry on. Those boys are two halves of a whole. Would George be able to continue WWW without the leadership of Fred?
*sobs*
And Fred, in my mind, is the one 'important' death that will be hard to overlook in fanfiction writing/rpg play. His death was *real*. We saw it happen. We saw the brokenness of his body. We saw them move the lifeless form out of the way to be given proper treatment and burial later. *This* dead-body *was* a dead-body.
Then again, he's a Weasley and inventor of WWW products. A creative person could circumvent even this.
"What, Harry, didn't we tell you about our Death Defying Doppleganger? Our top-secret product, but if you'd have stayed a few days longer we'd have given you one, mate," says Fred.
"All you do is put a bit of your hair in the mouth of the dummy, see, and it turns into an exact replica of you," added George.
"If you think you're about to kick the bucket, you say 'Oh, no, the Grim!' and you're immediately Apparated to wherever you've stored your Doppleganger...," explains Fred.
"So make sure you've put him somewhere nice and comfy..." interrupts George.
"And it takes your place, lightning-fast. We used Portkey charms, so it'll work anywhere, even in Hogwarts. That way whoever was trying to do you in thinks you're dead, see?"
"We recommend not telling anyone you're alive until after the Memorial service," says George. "That way, you get to hear all the nice things people say about you...."
"And see which of the pretty girls cry the most," adds Fred with a lecherous grin.
Epilogue
Yes, soppy and mushy and total cheese-fest, but hell, after a book of that intensity, we *needed* a cheese fest! *I* needed it! During the chapter where it is almost perfectly clear that Harry will *die*, I was too *angry* with JKR to be very sad! I was furious that she would kill off the main character of a "children's" book!! That would have forever destroyed my re-enjoyment of a series which has provided me literally *hours and hours* of entertainment via audio book as I commute/road-trip, etc.... She redeemed herself quickly enough, thank God, but my emotions were so *raw* by the end, that I *needed* that cheese-fest.
So, how does this affect my fandom, fanfic enjoyment, roleplaying games?
Firstly, back to the Epilogue cheese-fest.... And again, I only fast-read it once, so manybe I'm mis-remembering facts and some of the things I thought she didn't mention actually *are* there, in which case I'll have to reconsider, but...
JKR is a goddess. She is *brilliant*. She is also *highly* amused by and tolerant of all the fanfic writing out there. How do I know this?
Not *once* in the epilogue did she specifically *say* who-was-married-to-whom!!!!
Think about it!
I was *laughing* by the time I finished reading! Thank you JKR!!!
Oh, yes, we know who had children together, of course. And children reading this children's book will assume the proper married couples.
But those of us who are creative in our fandom play... who is to say that Harry and Ginny didn't amicably divorce years ago, and are just meeting together to wave off their children to Hogwarts? Or any of the other couples mentioned?
And NONE of the 'dead' characters from the battle are mentioned in the epilogue. "It's been so many years without Remus..." or whatever. Not a drop.
*loved* "Albus Severus"!! I *did* cry, then!
So, for purposes of my fandom-living on:
1. Severus Snape, the consummate Slytherin and utterly gifted Potions Master, would never, ever, ever die from blood-loss/snake venom. Sorry. Didn't happen. He'd taken a Bezoar, prophyllactically when he first realised what was happening, and had a capsule of 'draught of living death' just inside his cheek, which he bit-through as soon as Potter had all the necessary memories. Lucius and Narcissa, who owe him a life-debt for his protection of Draco, would have recovered his body, healed his wounds, and then given him the antidote to the Draught of Living Death. Easy as pie.
Severus lives on. ;)
2. Remus (and Tonks for those of you who don't agree with my assessment of the above or my OTP) were only 'mentioned' as dead-in-passing. 'Bodies' laying on the floor, with no obvious or at least mentioned injuries, and only during the heat of the sporadic not-quite-pauses in the battle.
Also, I don't remember, but I don't *think* Remus was among Harry's beloved 'dead' who showed up as Harry entered the forest.
Not dead. Make up any reason that works for the time, but not-dead.
Actually, "killing" them on the battlefield, IMO, gives us *more* room to play with them in fandom than having them 'happily ever after' with a gaggle of kids at the train station 19 years later would have done.
Remus, also, for the purposes of my OTP, married Tonks because he was lost, lonely, and hurting, and couldn't figure out *what* he wanted anymore. Albus' death was a blow from which he didn't think he would ever recover, and Tonks was Sirius' cousin, a connection to a time when he'd been happiest and people whom he'd loved the most. He *wanted* to love her, and thought he would grow to love her in time... and just couldn't.
The world is riddled with real-life stories of gay men who got married because they thought it was something they had to do, and later realised the real reason they were so unhappy. ;) He tried to get her to use a Weasleys Doppleganger, but there wasn't time to use the activation-words. She couldn't use the Draught of Living Death Potion that had been provided by an anonymous source for both she and Remus, because she's still breastfeeding the baby and it would have been too much risk for him....
Overall, I loved the book, despite how heavy and dark it was. I am not devastated by the deaths of 'my boys' because I had emotionally and mentally prepared myself for it. Snape, at least, *had* to die, no matter how badly I wished he would have lived.
I can't imagine what character was intended to die and yet was given a reprieve, because I think she killed off all of them. heh.
More than anything, though, I'm so thrilled with JKR's brilliance. She closed most of the loopholes while leaving *a few* for us to play with. (What was DD's final Legilimency communication with Severus, for example? Or Severus' final communication with Harry?) She gave the non-fanfiction/rpg people, the 'just readers' and the children the closure needed to make the series a tight little package right to the end.
And I will forever believe that she *deliberately* left things *just* vague enough in the epilogue by what she did *not* specifically spell-out (yes, Teddy Tonks spent lots of time with Harry and Ginny... but that doesn't *have* to mean that his Dad wasn't around...) to leave us plenty of room to play for years and years to come.
Because JKR loves us and understands our adoration for her characters. She loves them, too, and I think she wants us to keep them alive forever. :)
OH! P.S.!
'Sev', from someone he *loves* is now accepted canon! Ack! *dies laughing at self!*
I have always thought Severus would not 'tolerate' his name being shortened. This was so cute and squee-worthy throughout. I loved it.
Not spell-checked, and not cross-referenced with facts-to-book because hubby is reading it now, so again, read at your own risk...
Edit 7/23/07 One more thing... I'm thrilled at having all this new information for our rpg at fiery_inception! I can't wait to *play* with things! The game will definitely continue for a long-time to come, helped a lot by all this new fodder!
Eep! Okay, re-read some important bits and obviously comments here, Remus was among Harry's 'beloved dead'. However, for purposes of my fanfic-writing/fandom roleplay, I am going to choose to believe it was merely a Near-Death-Experience for Remus. ;) In the words of Miracle Max, he was only 'mostly dead'. *grin* Long enough to be there for Harry when Harry needed that support, and then "it's not your time, yet, Remus...." heh.
Okay, yeah, I'm stretching, but that's the beauty of fandom, right? *grin*