First thing. Ways Harry Potter is infiltrating my real life or how this readalong is affecting me: I was at Penn Station waiting for an NJ Transit train staring at this rotating iron works sculpture dealy they have in the waiting area. It's sort of a strange piece. There's a flying boat with beauty queens and a giant Mr. Peanut holding a tiny elephant. But that's not the part I focused on.* There's also a flying devil running on the same track as the boat, carrying a little man. I was trying to figure out why this would be part of the sculpture till I remembered the Jersey Devil is a thing, although I've never seen it portrayed like this one. Normally (because OF COURSE I have books on the subject) the Jersey Devil is described as hooved, head of a goat, with giant bat wings. Now, it's also described as walking on 2 legs, but I ignored this and thought to my self "Well, clearly the Jersey Devil is some offshoot species of thestral." Then I realized that I'm talking about fictional creatures and went back to staring at the board willing my track to show up already.
I took no notes while reading/listening this time around. Let's see if this makes the post any more or less coherent. Judging by my tangent above, I'm thinking less.
How bittersweet is it to see Harry unpacking his truck and getting ready for his journey? I mean, hooray because he gets to leave the Dursleys and never come back. But then leaving anywhere is sort of sad. And then of course we have Albus's obituary, in case you forgot that his death was sad. AND THEN Dudley tells Harry that he doesn't think he's a waste of space. There could be hope for the boy yet. Of course if you were worried about things getting too sweet, then Vernon is there to continue being an asshat because some people don't change.
Then we have the Seven Potters and it's SO INTENSE. First Hedwig is killed and you want to be sad but there isn't enough time because EVERYTHING IS STILL HAPPENING. You don't have time to catch your breath before Voldemort shows up and of course he can fly without a broomstick, because picturing him having to ride a broomstick is hilarious.
Then, to keep the tension up, Harry and Hagrid make it to the Burrow fine, but we have to wait and see if everyone else makes it back. And of course they all don't because JK hates us and wants us to suffer. Was that not clear when she killed of Sirius and Dumbles? Frorge loses an ear and Mad Eye is gone and shit. We keep losing people that know what they're doing.
Ron's comments about the book Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches: "You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either." I expect everyone to have mentioned this line in their own posts. Not all about wandwork indeed.
Hey look, everyone figured out how to send messages using their Patronuses. (Patroni?) You know how else you can send message to people quickly and without owls? Phones. Just sayin', wizards.
The ministry has fallen and Scrimgeour is dead and everything gets SUPER INTENSE again. The wedding is broken up by a Death Eater attack and H/R/Hr flee to London. Of course Hermione is prepared for this and has their bags all packed already. Because she took Mad Eye's lesson of constant vigilance to heart.
Kreacher's story is touching and makes you feel bad for the poor house elf. I mean, he's still an asshole and still hates Mudbloods, but what a sad story. And of course we get the explanation of who RAB is (Regulus, which I'm pretty sure everyone guessed) and how he managed to switch the locket. You know that Kreacher loved Regulus, but you also see how much Regulus really cared for Kreacher. He could have made Kreacher drink the potion in the basin a second time so he could put the locket in there, but he didn't.
Again, I don't remember much about this book other than lots and lots of tears. I am afraid of what is coming. Rowling, please be nice.
*Well, not completely but I mean, how can you ignore giant Mr. Peanut & a tiny elephant on a boat full of Miss America's? Exactly, you can't. Which is why it's mentioned here even though it has nothing to do with the point I'm making.
Title quote from page 40
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Scholastic, 2007.
