Thanks Alice for hosting this potteralong and beware for there are spoilers.
I didn't write down any notes for this section. I kept thinking "Oh that's a good point. I should write it down so I don't forget." And then I proceeded to do whatever it was I decided was more important than following through with writing shit down.
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| Mostly this |
So, let's see what I can do.
How bad did you feel for Xenophilius? I did not correctly remember this chapter at all. For whatever reason I was thinking Xeno tried to turn Harry over for selfish reasons that had nothing to do with the fact that his daughter had been kidnapped and was probably being tortured RIGHT NOW. I'm not saying I forgive him for calling the Death Eaters. I'm just saying he was between a rock and a hard place, and I don't know what I would have done.
I'm very happy Hermione let the DEs see Harry and therefore the odds that they'd kill Xeno are slightly less? I hope. I'm just generally happy Hermione is there for everything because seriously, Harry and Ron would be so lost without her.
Greyback making vague rape threats towards Hermione: DO NOT LIKE. Obviously I'm not supposed to like it, but maybe we could stick with just the Cruciatus curse?
The Taboo curse on Voldie's name is actually really clever. Good job, Death Eaters.
I don't know what it was, but I didn't cry during Dobby's death. I remember bawling the first time around. Maybe because I knew it was coming. Maybe because I was on the subway. But it didn't hit me like I thought it would. I didn't tear up until Dean and Ron jumped down to help Harry dig Dobby's grave. And then it sort of subsided until Luna spoke. Luna and Neville can always make me cry.
So, that blind and abused dragon guarding the Lestrange vault. There's no wizarding version of ASPCA, huh? They need some Sarah McLachlan guilt commercials.
I like Aberforth, that goat lover. I don't like that he's given up and is ready to give in to Voldemort's reign, but he helps out H/R/Hr. And he gives us more insight into Dumbledore's past. As with everything, it's not quite the rainbows and unicorns version that Elphias Doge told, and we all knew it wasn't like Skeeter's horrible rendition, but instead it falls somewhere in between. I enjoy these shades of gray.
NEVILLE IS BACK! And he is roaring with delight. Neville, you're the best. And thank you for ending this section on a (relatively) happy note.
Also this, because I'll never tire of looking at hot Neville
Until next week. I'm going to have to start stocking up on crying GIFs because no matter how many I have, there are not enough for what is coming.
Title quote from page 480
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Scholastic, 2007
Logging you in...
readingrambo 112p · 613 weeks ago
And yeah, I thought it'd be good to end on him popping up. Especially after all that torture & death shit.
That cat gif is still my favorite gif.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
jennysbooks 89p · 613 weeks ago
I have mixed feelings about Xenophilius also. It's not like the Death Eaters said "Bring us Harry Potter or Luna dies." Xenophilius isn't ultimately involved in what happened to Luna -- it's just because the Death Eaters didn't want her stirring up trouble at Hogwarts. So he kind of came up with this plan of giving Harry to the Death Eaters all by himself, which makes it a shittier thing to do. (I don't fully understand why the Death Eaters wouldn't just kill Luna, by the way. They don't need her for anything like they do Ollivander. Is it just the thing of not wanting to kill purebloods?)
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
Why didn't they just kill Luna? Maybe Draco convinced them to just keep her prisoner. I dunno how, but he didn't tell them right away that they had Potter so I think he's trying to not get everyone killed.
Kayleigh V · 613 weeks ago
Kayleigh_M 92p · 613 weeks ago
I always love Neville, but book 7 Neville is Neville like he's never Neville'd before.
I love the Xeno section because normally in a book/movie when someone rats on the hero to save someone else you automatically get indignant and all "BUT HE'S TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD YOU ASS" but this time it's like Umm, no, Luna can't be tortured, pick someone else please. It really highlights how fucked up a choice Xeno has, and the fact that it's Luna a girl we love, and we've just seen her gorgeous bedroom and heard about her mum, and she's only 16 and never did any harm...yeah, JKR does a really good job of emphasising how shitty a decision this would have been for Xeno to make.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
I feel SOOOO bad for Xeno. I mean he's all alone and now his Luna's been taken from him and he doesn't know where she is or if she's OK or if she's being tortured. I mean it's one thing to say this is for the greater good, but it is hard to sacrifice your kid for that. And he didn't even try to trap Harry. He didn't lure him there. Harry just showed up one day so it's not like Xeno had been planning to hand Harry over. A solution walked up to his front door and he panicked.
Jennifer · 613 weeks ago
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
Emily · 613 weeks ago
I'm with you on Xeno. I'm sure very young readers will generally not understand or empathize with his position, but I think the older I get, the more I do.
Also, your cat gif is still amazing. LOve that one!
LIke you, I'm glad we ended on Neville. He should get all of the points, always.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
Xeno's scene breaks my heart. He just wants his daughter to be safe.
Loni · 613 weeks ago
I also appreciated the Taboo curse on the name. Harry was one of very few people (maybe just him and Dumbledore) who ever actually said the name.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
I think it was most of the order members that would say Voldie's name, so it was such a genius move to make it Taboo. Someone else in the readalong pointed out, it means the Death Eaters are focused on catching the important people, instead of every small fry.
Laura · 613 weeks ago
Anyway. The Greyback rape threats were AWFUL and I was like NOOOO. No. Do not want.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
Kayleigh V · 613 weeks ago
And yeah, SO glad we ended with Neville. That freaking guy. I'm fairly certain our posts next week will all be a bit Neville-centric. All the better.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
Anytime I start talking about too much sad stuff next week, I'm posting a picture of hot Neville. So what I'm saying is, next week's post is going to be 49% crying gifs, 49% hot Neville pics, and 2% actual text
raychraych 52p · 613 weeks ago
Neville leaping from the picture frame and roaring with delight maybe my highlight of this book. This bleak, death-riddled book.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago
libereadingrayna 58p · 613 weeks ago
And UGH yes Greyback is probably the most disgusting thing about the entire series. His comments about Hermione made my skin crawl. Luckily I think the rest of the death eaters seem to be revolted by him, too, so maybe they don't really let him rape people? Blechhh.
What Red Read 121p · 613 weeks ago