What Red Read: We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided

Friday, March 15, 2013

We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided

Happy Friday! Happy Harry Potter day! Thank you Alice for hosting this readalong which is all the fun. We now move on to the final part of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Be warned, there are spoilers.

The end of this book is where shit starts to get real in HP land.

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Even in the earlier books, when Harry is fighting Voldemort, things are fun and the kids are playing detective and the danger doesn't seem as real. It's there lurking, but there are other more pressing matters to deal with. The majority of Goblet of Fire was like that as well. Sure, someone wants to harm Harry, which is why he was put in the cup and the whole point of the book. But it seemed far more important that Harry do a good job in the tournament and make sure he find a dance to the ball. But not the end. The end is when everything goes dark and you realize exactly what is at stake and what it means for Voldie to be back.

I ended up listening the this last section entirely on audiobook. I didn't mean to but I ended up spending extra time on the train, which meant more time to listen. Then I thought about reading the end of it at home, cos you know, the sadz and I don't need to be crying over imaginary people while on the subway.

But I really wanted to finish the book. I knew how it ended but I still didn't want to read something else in the meantime. However, the audio isn't as bad as if I had been reading it. I think had that been the case, it would have been a lot of awkward ugly crying going on.

My favorite part of the book is what happens after Harry comes back and he's told his story to Dumbledore. It's Harry trying to process everything he's been through, it's Fudge being a jackass and not believing him, it's Sirius being so protective of Harry, it's Snape acknowledging he was a death eater and agreeing to take up whatever dangerous post he had previously held when Voldie was in power the first time, it's Dumbledore's speech that everyone remember Cedric Diggory.

Clearly this isn't the happiest part of the book but it's the part I find myself going back to.

Lighter note, for the second and third challenge, what exactly were the spectators watching? The first one it made sense, cos they could actually watch the champions try to get the egg from the dragon. But then at the lake they were underwater the whole time. The merpeople had to tell Dumbledore what took Harry so long, so I think it's safe to assume there weren't some sort of underwater cameras letting the people watch the action. Same deal with the maze. If they COULD have seen what was going on in the maze, then they would have see Mad-Eye clearing the way for Harry while attacking the others, and Krum getting all imperious-ed.

Other than the "the spectators can't spectate anything" I don't really have any random thoughts to list out. Probably because I am just focused on that ending.

Next up Order of the Phoenix which is my favorite book but also one I sorta hate FOR REASONS that are obvious if you've read the book. If not then just know REASONS.

Title quote from page 723

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Scholastic, 2000

Comments (20)

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Emily · 627 weeks ago

I'm not sure why it occurred to me about the spectator thing for the last two tasks. For the one in the lake, it doesn't make sense. But in my head for task 3, the maze hedges weren't as high in mind while reading as they were in the film. More like 8 feet tall--tall enough so that the champions couldn't see over them, but still low enough that spectators could watch from the stands. And since it took place on the quidditch pitch, I assumed those stands were pretty high up (unlike in the film).

And maybe Crouch cast a spell on him to make him unnotticed by the spectators? Like the same one Dumbledore cast on himself so that Harry didn't see him during the Mirror of Erised scenes? Dunno--maybe that's a stretch.

But agreed on the ending of this book--and on the rest of the endings yet to come.

1 reply · active 627 weeks ago

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

I was at first thinking they could see over the hedges in the third task, but then remembered all the stuff that's supposed to happen that they shouldn't be seeing, so maybe not?

I am sad thinking of the endings of the next books. I've never reread the next books. I've made it a little way through 5 but I know what's coming and just can't.

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jennysbooks 89p · 627 weeks ago

Oh God there are just so many feelings. Every part of the aftermath gets me so verklempt. Esp when Harry doesn't want Sirius to go but then he's like, No no. I get it. Yeah, go. Oh Harry. He's just so brave. Sniffle.

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

You're so right about Harry not wanting Sirius to go. And all of Sirius in this book. I think I was remembering more of the movie version where Sirius is in it for like 4 seconds. But here he's constantly watching out for Harry and is SO GREAT. I'm so afraid of the next book.

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Laura · 627 weeks ago

I haven't ever thought about the spectators before, but hey, yeah! Although I definitely thought of the hedges as being not-that-high, and then people would watch them from above, but... Hmmm.

The bit after Harry comes back is incredible. It's like all the drama and action and setting up for OotP, all the time. I love it.

I am nervous but excited for OotP- because I haven't really LOVED it in the past, but I was WAY into the D-Dore and Fudge conflict in this book... So I just don't know! I just know how I feel about Umbridge and it is WORSE THAN HOW I FEEL ABOUT VOLDY.

1 reply · active 627 weeks ago

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

OMG Umbridge is THE WORST. Yeah yeah, Voldy killed (or is directly responsible for the killing of) lots of people but UMBRIDGE IS TERRIBLE.

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Kayleigh V · 627 weeks ago

Yes, too right about how for-serious dangerous it gets in this book. That's what makes the graveyard scene so good -- it's so shocking! How can Harry trick his way out of this one, I ask you? HOW CAN HE?!

As the above guys say, I always thought spectators were sitting in the quidditch stands during the third task, but that does cause questions about Moody's meddling. Also, they'd have seen Harry and Cedric disappear when they touched the cup. Though I guess there wouldn't have been much they could have done about it. AH MAN the sads.

1 reply · active 627 weeks ago

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

Harry is lucky Voldy's so proud and he just HAD to duel Harry instead of offing him like he did Cedric.

Poor Cedric. I mean, you're never really sad for him so much as you are sad because of what Harry goes through. But then you think about the fact that Cedric was totally innocent in this and the only reason he died was because he happened to be in Voldy's way.

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libereadingrayna 58p · 627 weeks ago

The hospital scene destroys me every single time. Especially the hug from Mrs. Weasley and when Snape and Sirius awkwardly shake hands.

And I meant to ask this in my post but got distracted by the GIFs and forgot: if Hermione trapped Rita Skeeter in the hospital scene, does Rita Skeeter know all about Sirius's whereabouts? I assume she thinks he's still a killer on the loose, so why wouldn't she disclose that info? I think catching the most dangerous fugitive would get her out of any trouble from being an unregistered animagus...?

3 replies · active 627 weeks ago

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

When did Hermione trap Rita? I know she had her epiphany around then but you think that means she did see Sirius? If so, Hermione should have used that reason for keeping Skeeter locked in that jar. Still messed up but at least there's more of a reason.

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Meg · 627 weeks ago

Ohhhhh yes good point. I kept wondering what that loud bang was that interrupted the hug, but if it was Hermione trapping Rita Beetle in the jar, that explains a LOT. But I was wondering about the whole talk on the train back from Hogwarts. Because Rita was there in the jar that whole time. Wouldn't she be able to hear absolutely everything they were talking about then too?

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

I wonder if Hermione was telling the boys a lie and she actually was keeping Rita in the jar and threatening to squish her if she ever wrote anything about them. Cos I mean, how would anyone ever be able to prove that murder?

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Kayleigh_M 92p · 627 weeks ago

The return from task 3 is epic and I was listening to this on my phone while going for a jog and I looked ridiculous crying as I ran along, thank god I was wearing sunglasses! I was at the Dumbledore speech for Cedric scene and man that knocks me out FOR DAYS! Also, the Slytherins are such douches at that feast. A KID DIED, STOP ACTING LIKE PRATS.

2 replies · active 627 weeks ago

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What Red Read 121p · 627 weeks ago

I wanted to scream at the Slytherins in that scene. Although I thought they only refused to stand for Harry, not for Cedric. Although still, I'm annoyed that JK has made the ENTIRE Slytherin house full of assholes. I mean, really, NONE of the Slyterins stood up?

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Kayleigh_M 92p · 627 weeks ago

They talk through Dumbledore's reveal of Voldemort as Cedric's killer, but yeah, it's mostly a refusal to stand for Harry, which is rotten and shitty and one of those moments when I'm like "yeah! Hate the Slytherins! They are the worst!"

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Jennifer · 627 weeks ago

The lack of anything to watch in tasks 2 and 3 drives me crazy too! Man that must have been boring. Maybe they were showing Dr. Who episodes on a mega-scren while they waited.

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