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A few things I wanted to comment on:
1. Somebody mentioned clunky prose. As I've re-read the books this last couple weeks, and also read other people's comments, I've come to agree that the prose is often "clunky" I think that some of the later books could have been much more tightly plotted, and that there are whole sections where nothing important happens that should have been condensed or cut. I mean how many times do we have to see Ron and Hermione annoyed at each other, or Harry feeling teenagee angst while putting off or not being able to solve a mystery? Even while reading it the first time, there were parts when I felt like shouting, "Get on with it woman!!!"
2. Regarding Snape's Potions Book: Why didn't he write his own book? This one is at least 20 years old, and doesn't look like it has even been updated with a new edition. If he had that many ideas while he was taking the class himself, he must have similar revisions to make for the whole series. Failing that, he could have at least given out hints during lectures or lab setups. As it is, he's a particularly bad person to hire as a teacher if he won't even share the basic shortcomings of the textbook with the students he likes (the Slytherins).
3.Why can't he see Harry as Lily's son rather than James's? I think that if Harry had ended up in Slytherin, Snape might've had a chance of seeing him that way. As it was Harry looked so much like James, and very early on was involved in a) a rivalry with Malfoy b) playing quidditch, I think that even Harry's eyes became a liability to him reminding Snape of how much he'd lost, and who he saw as taking her from him. I think he blamed James for not being able to protect her, and Harry for being the reason Voldemort went there in the first place. He was doing what he could against Voldemort -- which was taking a huge toll on him emotionally, There was no more he could do against James, but he could make sure Harry suffered for his part in Snape's pain, and for continually reminding him of it.
4. I think that Neville's character arc is one of the very best in the series. As early as book 1, he tries, and is rewarded for, bravely standing up for what's right. He has as much reason as Harry to want to fight Voldemort (maybe more since he's had to live with the damage to his parents all these years). Growing up in his house could not have been fun with everyone scaring the magic out of him. Yet in each book he slowly finds ways to succeed: focusing on what he's good at, and working really hard at the rest. Once he started getting having real success at difficult spells with teh DA, and real encouragement from his Gran (after the Department of Mysteries success), it's natural that he would continue to focus on those areas. Here's somebody wh you can really see how their motivations and realistic human emotions turn into logical decisions. Hooray for characters that make sense!!!
5. I agree that Hogwarts was the ideal place for the last battle. The school building itself could help with the fight, and most of the main characters we've come to know had a logical reason for being there (and sending out all the little kids to contact their parents and the OOP got the rest there). Also, it's where the whole series was set, so she couldn't leave it out of this book altogether.
6. Why were the Deathly Hallows there? a)to provide a compare and contrast between Voldemort and Dumbledore. They both wanted power, specifically over death. They both had the natural ability and charisma. But when Dumbledore saw what it would cost, he gave it up, and tried to fight against others who tried to go down that path. It's what he told Harry all along - it's your choices that determine who you are. b) to let Harry know why Voldemort wanted Dumbledore's wand, and let Harry know how to defeat that advantage. c) Getting all three didn't do any good. You can't have true power over death in any meaningful way and still be a good person. Anybody you bring back with the stone will be sad, to keep the wand you have to either refuse to use it or be a ruthless killer, and if you use the invisibility cloak all the time, you can't have a meaningful relationship with anyone. that's why d) Dumbledore did not send them on a quest to collect them. He let them know they existed so they'd know how to counter them, but their real job was to get rid of the horocruxes that were another evil way of cheating death. e) A major theme of the series is that death is sad for the ones left behind, but it's a natural part of the cycle of life. Happy people don't come back as ghosts -- they move on. You can't spend all your time wishing for dead people to come back and staring at them in the Mirror of erised. Losing your soul is worse than being dead, etc.
OK that's all I have to say for now. Keep it coming!
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