Click the title to go to the story at the Leaky Cauldron where you can see the artwork, if you haven't already. I've been waiting for the Deluxe Edition Cover Art since early May, and it's finally here.
And I'm speechless. I don't know what to say about it, or write about it.
It's great! A really cool picture, makes a great desktop background!
And I never expected this. I sat looking at it and wondering -- "is it a Thestral? But it doesn't look like a Thestral. It's too big to be a Thestral, and it has horns. But They're riding it. Remember how fierce they were in GoF, remember how scared they were at the thought of confronting one. But they're riding it in this picture, how can that be?
Did Charlie tame one for Harry to use in the final battle? Is it Norbert and it remembers Harry from 6 years ago? Norbert wasn't very tame, though, remember -- Hagrid saying he was at a "difficult stage", and how it sounded like he ripped apart the stuffed animal Hagrid put in the crate to keep him company on the flight to Romania.
I just can't really come up with any scenario that gets the trio on the back of a dragon. I guess that's why I'm not the author of these books.
I can't wait to find out what this is all about.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Further thoughts on my theory below
The idea of Aunt Petunia at Number 12 Grimmauld Place is so tantalizing, I've been thinking of it a bit more.
I've been convinced for a while that a Bundimun (see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I think it's on page 5) lives at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When Harry arrives he hears something scuttering behind the skirting board, and I don't think it was Mr Samuel Whiskers and his wife Anna Maria. There was also a musty odor, I believe, which fits the setting but is also a sign of a Bundimun lurking nearby.
So the question is, did Mrs. Weasley, Sirius or any of the Order Members recognize the signs and try to get rid of this pest? We hear nothing about that, so we don't know. FB makes it sound like a building can actually be destroyed if a Bundimun is allowed to continue to inhabit it. Or maybe it's just that the Ministry needs to be contacted to bring in the big guns.
How would Petunia and her rubber gloves react when confronted by a Bundimun? Or where will they go if the house actually collapses because of it? I've got all kinds of ideas in my head and they can't all happen because some of them are mutually exclusive.
I'm thinking of my back-door neighbor in college who came over to borrow something and discovered that I and my roommates were in pursuit of a mouse that we'd heard in our kitchen cabinets. This young lady actually stood on a chair and screamed. I thought that only happened in cartoons! I wonder if that would be similar to Petunia's reaction. Or would she faint? Fainting's dangerous, then they can crawl over your body while you're out -- but she might not stop to think of that.
I've been convinced for a while that a Bundimun (see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I think it's on page 5) lives at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When Harry arrives he hears something scuttering behind the skirting board, and I don't think it was Mr Samuel Whiskers and his wife Anna Maria. There was also a musty odor, I believe, which fits the setting but is also a sign of a Bundimun lurking nearby.
So the question is, did Mrs. Weasley, Sirius or any of the Order Members recognize the signs and try to get rid of this pest? We hear nothing about that, so we don't know. FB makes it sound like a building can actually be destroyed if a Bundimun is allowed to continue to inhabit it. Or maybe it's just that the Ministry needs to be contacted to bring in the big guns.
How would Petunia and her rubber gloves react when confronted by a Bundimun? Or where will they go if the house actually collapses because of it? I've got all kinds of ideas in my head and they can't all happen because some of them are mutually exclusive.
I'm thinking of my back-door neighbor in college who came over to borrow something and discovered that I and my roommates were in pursuit of a mouse that we'd heard in our kitchen cabinets. This young lady actually stood on a chair and screamed. I thought that only happened in cartoons! I wonder if that would be similar to Petunia's reaction. Or would she faint? Fainting's dangerous, then they can crawl over your body while you're out -- but she might not stop to think of that.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
My theory about how Deathly Hallows will begin
A couple of things have been whirling around in my mind, and today they settled down and formed themselves into this theory. I think it makes a lot of sense, I wonder what anyone else thinks?
First, Dumbledore did not discuss Harry's inheritance from Sirius in front of the Dursleys by accident. He had a reason, even if we were to distracted by floating drink glasses to notice. Dumbledore had so many opportunities to speak to Harry that year, including in the Weasley's broom shed, that I just think it wasn't by chance that Vernon Dursley has now heard that Sirius is dead, Harry is his heir, the address of his ancestral home, the name of the Wizarding bank and that Harry has an account there with gold in it, and that a group calling itself the Order of the Phoenix has, and plans to again, use the aforementioned home as their headquarters. Remember, Dumbledore is the Secret-Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix. No one can find the place if they aren't told about it by Dumbledore, right? But now all three Dursleys have been told.
Second, fast forward to the end of HBP. Consider the fact that, according to formula, in every other book, we see Harry take the train all the way back to Platform 9-3/4, Harry goes through the barrier back into the Muggle part of King's Cross station and sees the Dursleys. He's always going off with them back to Number 4 Privet Drive when we last see him, right? But not so at the end of HBP. Why not?
What if Vernon has spent the year since we've last seen him trying to find out as much as he can about Harry's inheritance? What if he makes an attempt to get money from Harry, as payback for having raised him? As Harry's guardian, he'd be legally entitled to take charge of Harry's assets, even if it wouldn't be ethical. So that's one thought that I had.
Whether Vernon makes Harry take him to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, whether Vernon has already visited it during Harry's sixth year at school (and whether he'd be able to see it, given the anti-Muggle charms the Blacks may have put on it), or whether the Death Eaters just decide to attack the Dursley's house once Harry comes of age, I think it's very likely that the entire Dursley family will be in for an extended stay at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, for their own safety. Maybe their house gets blown up. Maybe one of the Death Eaters tries to kill Dudley.
Oh, to see Aunt Petunia in her rubber gloves attempting to scrub and scour the place from top to bottom! The aptness of this fate makes me laugh out loud every time I think of it!
First, Dumbledore did not discuss Harry's inheritance from Sirius in front of the Dursleys by accident. He had a reason, even if we were to distracted by floating drink glasses to notice. Dumbledore had so many opportunities to speak to Harry that year, including in the Weasley's broom shed, that I just think it wasn't by chance that Vernon Dursley has now heard that Sirius is dead, Harry is his heir, the address of his ancestral home, the name of the Wizarding bank and that Harry has an account there with gold in it, and that a group calling itself the Order of the Phoenix has, and plans to again, use the aforementioned home as their headquarters. Remember, Dumbledore is the Secret-Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix. No one can find the place if they aren't told about it by Dumbledore, right? But now all three Dursleys have been told.
Second, fast forward to the end of HBP. Consider the fact that, according to formula, in every other book, we see Harry take the train all the way back to Platform 9-3/4, Harry goes through the barrier back into the Muggle part of King's Cross station and sees the Dursleys. He's always going off with them back to Number 4 Privet Drive when we last see him, right? But not so at the end of HBP. Why not?
What if Vernon has spent the year since we've last seen him trying to find out as much as he can about Harry's inheritance? What if he makes an attempt to get money from Harry, as payback for having raised him? As Harry's guardian, he'd be legally entitled to take charge of Harry's assets, even if it wouldn't be ethical. So that's one thought that I had.
Whether Vernon makes Harry take him to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, whether Vernon has already visited it during Harry's sixth year at school (and whether he'd be able to see it, given the anti-Muggle charms the Blacks may have put on it), or whether the Death Eaters just decide to attack the Dursley's house once Harry comes of age, I think it's very likely that the entire Dursley family will be in for an extended stay at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, for their own safety. Maybe their house gets blown up. Maybe one of the Death Eaters tries to kill Dudley.
Oh, to see Aunt Petunia in her rubber gloves attempting to scrub and scour the place from top to bottom! The aptness of this fate makes me laugh out loud every time I think of it!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
What would ruin it for me
I've been thinking about various ways the last Harry Potter book could end and wondering if I could be severely disappointed. I've come up with a short list of things that, if they happened, I'd be so severely disappointed I'd feel it was a waste of time to obsess over these books for as long as I have.
First, if Dumbledore turns out to have been lying to Harry or manipulating things, using Harry as a way to save the wizarding world without regard to Harry's feelings. I don't think that'll happen but I've heard theories that amounted to as much. If it turns out Harry's faith in Dumbledore is misplaced, I'll be extremely disappointed.
Second, I really think I'll be pretty disappointed if Harry dies. Ditto for Ron, Hermione and even Ginny. It would have to be for a very, very convincingly good reason for me not to be disappointed.
Third, I'm kind of expecting a big surprise, along the lines of what we learned about Sirius Black and Scabbers in PoA and how Moody turned out not to be Moody in GoF. I've been expecting that ever since, when I read both OoP and HBP, and I was rather disappointed. True, I was spoiled for HBP, I never got to read the lightning-struck tower chapter without knowing what was coming, so maybe I'd have felt differently if I'd been surprised by that. So, if there's no big surprise, I'll be disappointed.
Fourth, if, after it's all over, there's a sense that it was all senseless (I felt this after OoP -- If Harry had just used the mirror to contact Sirius, if he'd not been fooled, it needn't have happened. I hope there isn't a death in DH that feels like that, I hope it feels like there was a purpose, like if the person hadn't died, Voldie would have triumphed.
I hope after I read the last book, I immediately want to go back and read them all over again. That's what I hope.
First, if Dumbledore turns out to have been lying to Harry or manipulating things, using Harry as a way to save the wizarding world without regard to Harry's feelings. I don't think that'll happen but I've heard theories that amounted to as much. If it turns out Harry's faith in Dumbledore is misplaced, I'll be extremely disappointed.
Second, I really think I'll be pretty disappointed if Harry dies. Ditto for Ron, Hermione and even Ginny. It would have to be for a very, very convincingly good reason for me not to be disappointed.
Third, I'm kind of expecting a big surprise, along the lines of what we learned about Sirius Black and Scabbers in PoA and how Moody turned out not to be Moody in GoF. I've been expecting that ever since, when I read both OoP and HBP, and I was rather disappointed. True, I was spoiled for HBP, I never got to read the lightning-struck tower chapter without knowing what was coming, so maybe I'd have felt differently if I'd been surprised by that. So, if there's no big surprise, I'll be disappointed.
Fourth, if, after it's all over, there's a sense that it was all senseless (I felt this after OoP -- If Harry had just used the mirror to contact Sirius, if he'd not been fooled, it needn't have happened. I hope there isn't a death in DH that feels like that, I hope it feels like there was a purpose, like if the person hadn't died, Voldie would have triumphed.
I hope after I read the last book, I immediately want to go back and read them all over again. That's what I hope.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Really off-the-wall Horcrux theories
I'm going to post these here because they came to me yesterday morning and I wanted to write them down. I can come back and laugh at them when the Deathly Hallows is published and I find out I'm wrong.
First theory: When Dumbledore de-horcruxed the ring, the part of Voldemort's soul transferred itself to Dumbledore. Dumbledore was aware of this and knew he was not long for this world. He arranged for Snape to kill him and thus destroy that part of Voldie's soul and that explains the events in HBP. An alternate theory to this is that the part of the soul that had been in the locket was transferred to the green potion and that when Dumbledore drank the potion he took that part of the soul inside himself, making it necessary for Snape to kill him. The drawback to that is how did he commmunicate that to Snape, which I don't know. Maybe Dumbledore had already visited the underground lake and knew what the potion was and arranged with Snape what he was suppose to do.
Second theory (less off the wall than the one above): Harry will become convinced that he himself is a Horcrux, and that he has to die and kill Voldemort all in one moment in order to defeat him. He comes up with a plan to accomplish this and is in the act of carrying it out when Hermione figures out that Harry really isn't a Horcrux and steps in somehow and saves Harry, but Voldemort still dies. Obviously the details are really sketchy, but I wouldn't be surprised if some version of this one actually happens.
First theory: When Dumbledore de-horcruxed the ring, the part of Voldemort's soul transferred itself to Dumbledore. Dumbledore was aware of this and knew he was not long for this world. He arranged for Snape to kill him and thus destroy that part of Voldie's soul and that explains the events in HBP. An alternate theory to this is that the part of the soul that had been in the locket was transferred to the green potion and that when Dumbledore drank the potion he took that part of the soul inside himself, making it necessary for Snape to kill him. The drawback to that is how did he commmunicate that to Snape, which I don't know. Maybe Dumbledore had already visited the underground lake and knew what the potion was and arranged with Snape what he was suppose to do.
Second theory (less off the wall than the one above): Harry will become convinced that he himself is a Horcrux, and that he has to die and kill Voldemort all in one moment in order to defeat him. He comes up with a plan to accomplish this and is in the act of carrying it out when Hermione figures out that Harry really isn't a Horcrux and steps in somehow and saves Harry, but Voldemort still dies. Obviously the details are really sketchy, but I wouldn't be surprised if some version of this one actually happens.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
NCIS Season Finale SPOILERS
Okay, you're right, this is supposed to be a Harry Potter blog.
But the writers of my favorite TV show, NCIS, pulled a surprise out of their hats that rivals JKR's sneaky it-was-in-your-face-all-along-why-didn't-you-see-that-coming type of surprise, and I couldn't help making some comparisons.
I was sitting there thinking, "Benoit." Right, her name's Jeanne Benoit, and both of the names are pronounced very Francais, even the nurses say her last name the way the French would say it (Ben wah, not the Americanized Ben oyt that you'd expect). But she's American, her mother (who we met in a previous episode) is American. Why didn't I stop and take it one step further to wonder where this very very French name came from, when right in the same episode there is another person with a French accent, a French nickname.
But no, I got distracted. They're going to pull another "Kate" -- I was sure of it. Then the nurse starts talking about the Angel of Death (also the title of the episode) and there's this little girl who's holding an angel doll, first she's at the airport when the kid gets hit with the cab, then she's at the hospital, standing right behind Tony but Tony doesn't see her. No, they're not going to kill Tony off, are they? But he's going to be so sad if they kill Jeanne off (though I guess it would settle his feelings of ambiguity over whether or not to move in with her). Or is it going to be the Director -- someone was in her house, a left-handed scotch drinker (I'm left-handed, do I pour with my right or my left hand -- there they've got me distracted again!).
There's the picture of the Director's father. Yes, she does have his eyes (though Gibbs said it backwards, that he has her eyes). I'm not good with eyes, is this man someone we've already seen and I don't recognize him? That will be something to watch for when I re-watch it (my DVR's recording away so I can watch it again later!).
Here come the real spoilers. If you haven't seen this episode yet and want to be surprised, don't say I didn't warn you, STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!
So, no one dies (unless you count the heroin mule, Dr. Benoit's patient). Tony pulls off a great save, sliding across the floor to get the gun and shooting the bad guy in the shoulder after Jeanne stabs him with a scalpel. Meanwhile, Abby's in the lab sleeping on the floor (why doesn't she have furniture in there?) and her computer's working to match the scotch drinker's fingerprints, and the Director's Daddy's picture comes up. Upstairs Tim is looking to find who ordered the NCIS staff's lie detector tests. He talks like McGee, even more technical than I can understand about how and where he's tracing this, oversees and back and into some black ops and he lost me even before that, and then Gibbs talks about a stake-out and if you can't find the person you stake out their "girl" and tells McGee to search the Director's name (Gibbs had lost me at that point as well) and before we see Daddy's picture on Abby's computer we see McGee's search has come up with Daddy as well, though I at least am not yet sure what that part really means.
We see the arms dealer the team has been tracking on and off all season, La Grenouille, talking to his henchman and looking at photos of Tony and Jeanne and discussing whether Tony would do anything because he loves Jeanne. The henchman says Tony has a different "skirt" every few weeks and the relationship means nothing.
So then, the big surprise, all of you reading this have probably figured it out by now, and I can just hear my husband (who will watch the recorded version with me at some point) saying, "I knew it, I mean, they're both French!" but I didn't see it coming. Jeanne is apparently La Grenouille's daughter, and we see him meeting Tony in his limo and butchering his Italian last name (despite his ability to say it correctly earlier). Now what's Tony going to do, dating the daughter of an international arms dealer? And is he safe, being that he's in this criminal's limo and (as we established when he entered the morgue to take care of the bad guys) unarmed?
We'll have to wait all summer to find out.
I laughed for about 5 minutes, I was so delighted to be surprised like that. Great job! Great show!
But the writers of my favorite TV show, NCIS, pulled a surprise out of their hats that rivals JKR's sneaky it-was-in-your-face-all-along-why-didn't-you-see-that-coming type of surprise, and I couldn't help making some comparisons.
I was sitting there thinking, "Benoit." Right, her name's Jeanne Benoit, and both of the names are pronounced very Francais, even the nurses say her last name the way the French would say it (Ben wah, not the Americanized Ben oyt that you'd expect). But she's American, her mother (who we met in a previous episode) is American. Why didn't I stop and take it one step further to wonder where this very very French name came from, when right in the same episode there is another person with a French accent, a French nickname.
But no, I got distracted. They're going to pull another "Kate" -- I was sure of it. Then the nurse starts talking about the Angel of Death (also the title of the episode) and there's this little girl who's holding an angel doll, first she's at the airport when the kid gets hit with the cab, then she's at the hospital, standing right behind Tony but Tony doesn't see her. No, they're not going to kill Tony off, are they? But he's going to be so sad if they kill Jeanne off (though I guess it would settle his feelings of ambiguity over whether or not to move in with her). Or is it going to be the Director -- someone was in her house, a left-handed scotch drinker (I'm left-handed, do I pour with my right or my left hand -- there they've got me distracted again!).
There's the picture of the Director's father. Yes, she does have his eyes (though Gibbs said it backwards, that he has her eyes). I'm not good with eyes, is this man someone we've already seen and I don't recognize him? That will be something to watch for when I re-watch it (my DVR's recording away so I can watch it again later!).
Here come the real spoilers. If you haven't seen this episode yet and want to be surprised, don't say I didn't warn you, STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!
So, no one dies (unless you count the heroin mule, Dr. Benoit's patient). Tony pulls off a great save, sliding across the floor to get the gun and shooting the bad guy in the shoulder after Jeanne stabs him with a scalpel. Meanwhile, Abby's in the lab sleeping on the floor (why doesn't she have furniture in there?) and her computer's working to match the scotch drinker's fingerprints, and the Director's Daddy's picture comes up. Upstairs Tim is looking to find who ordered the NCIS staff's lie detector tests. He talks like McGee, even more technical than I can understand about how and where he's tracing this, oversees and back and into some black ops and he lost me even before that, and then Gibbs talks about a stake-out and if you can't find the person you stake out their "girl" and tells McGee to search the Director's name (Gibbs had lost me at that point as well) and before we see Daddy's picture on Abby's computer we see McGee's search has come up with Daddy as well, though I at least am not yet sure what that part really means.
We see the arms dealer the team has been tracking on and off all season, La Grenouille, talking to his henchman and looking at photos of Tony and Jeanne and discussing whether Tony would do anything because he loves Jeanne. The henchman says Tony has a different "skirt" every few weeks and the relationship means nothing.
So then, the big surprise, all of you reading this have probably figured it out by now, and I can just hear my husband (who will watch the recorded version with me at some point) saying, "I knew it, I mean, they're both French!" but I didn't see it coming. Jeanne is apparently La Grenouille's daughter, and we see him meeting Tony in his limo and butchering his Italian last name (despite his ability to say it correctly earlier). Now what's Tony going to do, dating the daughter of an international arms dealer? And is he safe, being that he's in this criminal's limo and (as we established when he entered the morgue to take care of the bad guys) unarmed?
We'll have to wait all summer to find out.
I laughed for about 5 minutes, I was so delighted to be surprised like that. Great job! Great show!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
"Dumbledore thinks . . ." -- or does he?
"I've got to be quick," Harry panted. "Dumbledore thinks I'm getting my Invisibility Cloak."
Whereupon he proceeds to give Hermione and Ron the Map, the bottle of Felix Felicis, and instructions to watch what Malfoy and Snape are up to, and then Harry hurries off on the Horcrux Hunt with Dumbledore.
But wait a minute -- here's a quote from much earlier in the book, spoken by Dumbledore in the Weasley's spidery broomshed:
"I wish you to keep your Invisibility Cloak with you at all times from this moment onward. Even within Hogwarts itself. Just in case, do you understand me?"
And just in case you're unsure, note that when Harry dashes up to the dormitory, he grabs only the Map and the rolled up socks containing the potion bottle. He already has the Cloak on him, as confirmed by the fact that he says "Dumbledore thinks" in the statement I quoted above.
Show of hands: Who thinks Dumbledore knew Harry had the Cloak on him, specifically didn't ask him but instead sent him to get it because he knew Harry had something important to do? Could that have been part of the "additional protection" Dumbledore anticipated being "in place" while he himself was gone from Hogwarts?
:::::sigh::::: I keep coming back to this one question: How much does Dumbledore know, how does he know it, how much does he foresee and intend Harry to do and how much is just happy (or unhappy) coincidence? And will we ever know the answer to these questions?
And can I stand to wait 73 more days to find out?
Whereupon he proceeds to give Hermione and Ron the Map, the bottle of Felix Felicis, and instructions to watch what Malfoy and Snape are up to, and then Harry hurries off on the Horcrux Hunt with Dumbledore.
But wait a minute -- here's a quote from much earlier in the book, spoken by Dumbledore in the Weasley's spidery broomshed:
"I wish you to keep your Invisibility Cloak with you at all times from this moment onward. Even within Hogwarts itself. Just in case, do you understand me?"
And just in case you're unsure, note that when Harry dashes up to the dormitory, he grabs only the Map and the rolled up socks containing the potion bottle. He already has the Cloak on him, as confirmed by the fact that he says "Dumbledore thinks" in the statement I quoted above.
Show of hands: Who thinks Dumbledore knew Harry had the Cloak on him, specifically didn't ask him but instead sent him to get it because he knew Harry had something important to do? Could that have been part of the "additional protection" Dumbledore anticipated being "in place" while he himself was gone from Hogwarts?
:::::sigh::::: I keep coming back to this one question: How much does Dumbledore know, how does he know it, how much does he foresee and intend Harry to do and how much is just happy (or unhappy) coincidence? And will we ever know the answer to these questions?
And can I stand to wait 73 more days to find out?
May 11
That's the date that we first saw artwork for the Deluxe Scholastic Hardcover edition of HBP. This had a picture of the Gaunt house from the outside, and Harry and Dumbledore following the ministry official through the woods towards it. We were all wondering how it related to the artwork on the regular cover and to the story itself, remember?
So, any day now we should be seeing artwork for the Deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
So, any day now we should be seeing artwork for the Deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
"And it takes six months . . . You've got to let it stew . . . ."
"Typical," said Ron.
They're referring, of course, to Felix Felicis, concluding it would be too much of a bother to try and make more of it for themselves because it's complicated to make and also not meant for those who are impatient or poor at planning ahead.
We also know that Polyjuice Potion takes over a month to make, and so does Veritaserum.
Weren't all three of these potions on display in the very first Newt Potion class in HBP? And hadn't Slughorn just arrived at Hogwarts much more recently than even one month?
So, did Slughorn make these ahead and store them somehow? Did Snape make them and Slughorn just use them? How would that work? "Professor Slughorn, I've prepared these potions for my NEWT level class but now that you'll be teaching it, why don't you use them?" From observing them, I'd say the two professors have different enough teaching styles that Slughorn wouldn't use Snape's lesson plans but would teach the class his own way.
Harry is convinced that Malfoy stole the Polyjuice potion for use in having some ready-made but inobtrusive guards for his secret activities. How much potion would that require? Surely more than could be stolen in one shot in a classroom filled with students.
So did Slughorn make the potions ahead of time and pack them away in his suitcase to bring to Hogwarts? Or is this just a case of Jo's maths weakness striking again? And did Draco steal the Polyjuice potion? Did he steal any of the others as well? We see no evidence that he used Felix.
Hmm . . .
They're referring, of course, to Felix Felicis, concluding it would be too much of a bother to try and make more of it for themselves because it's complicated to make and also not meant for those who are impatient or poor at planning ahead.
We also know that Polyjuice Potion takes over a month to make, and so does Veritaserum.
Weren't all three of these potions on display in the very first Newt Potion class in HBP? And hadn't Slughorn just arrived at Hogwarts much more recently than even one month?
So, did Slughorn make these ahead and store them somehow? Did Snape make them and Slughorn just use them? How would that work? "Professor Slughorn, I've prepared these potions for my NEWT level class but now that you'll be teaching it, why don't you use them?" From observing them, I'd say the two professors have different enough teaching styles that Slughorn wouldn't use Snape's lesson plans but would teach the class his own way.
Harry is convinced that Malfoy stole the Polyjuice potion for use in having some ready-made but inobtrusive guards for his secret activities. How much potion would that require? Surely more than could be stolen in one shot in a classroom filled with students.
So did Slughorn make the potions ahead of time and pack them away in his suitcase to bring to Hogwarts? Or is this just a case of Jo's maths weakness striking again? And did Draco steal the Polyjuice potion? Did he steal any of the others as well? We see no evidence that he used Felix.
Hmm . . .
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Inanimate Objects Thinking for Themselves?
"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? . . ."
Chamber of Secrets, p. 329, Scholastic paperback edition.
So, we shouldn't trust inanimate objects that can think for themselves. Have we seen any other objects that can think for themselves? Here's a list (in order of their first appearance in the series):
--The Sorting Hat
--Mr. Weasley's car
--The Goblet of Fire
Are any of these objects Horcruxes? I'd say it's unlikely the Ford Anglia (is Anglia a form of the same word from which we get Angel?) is a Horcrux, being that it's a Muggle car, and was probably made after Riddle's time as a young man. But the Sorting Hat and the Goblet of Fire seem likely choices to me.
I'm sure people have talked about the Sorting Hat. I seem to remember someone pointing out that Harry pulled the sword from the hat. The sword wasn't in the hat when Fawkes brought the hat to Harry. It came out later. It seems to have been left with something more akin to a slice of Gryffindor's soul than Riddle's. I don't mean a Horcrux, but maybe there's some other way of leaving behind some essence of your values, your personality, in an inanimate object, for another purpose than immortality, and Gryffidor did this with the Sorting Hat. I'm not going to pursue this now except to say I don't think the Sorting Hat is one of Riddle's Horcruxes.
But the Goblet of Fire. I wonder where that's kept. Maybe in a vault with other treasure, a vault with a round door or doorway, filled with gold coins and fine objects covered with rubies. Does that sound familiar?
Chamber of Secrets, p. 329, Scholastic paperback edition.
So, we shouldn't trust inanimate objects that can think for themselves. Have we seen any other objects that can think for themselves? Here's a list (in order of their first appearance in the series):
--The Sorting Hat
--Mr. Weasley's car
--The Goblet of Fire
Are any of these objects Horcruxes? I'd say it's unlikely the Ford Anglia (is Anglia a form of the same word from which we get Angel?) is a Horcrux, being that it's a Muggle car, and was probably made after Riddle's time as a young man. But the Sorting Hat and the Goblet of Fire seem likely choices to me.
I'm sure people have talked about the Sorting Hat. I seem to remember someone pointing out that Harry pulled the sword from the hat. The sword wasn't in the hat when Fawkes brought the hat to Harry. It came out later. It seems to have been left with something more akin to a slice of Gryffindor's soul than Riddle's. I don't mean a Horcrux, but maybe there's some other way of leaving behind some essence of your values, your personality, in an inanimate object, for another purpose than immortality, and Gryffidor did this with the Sorting Hat. I'm not going to pursue this now except to say I don't think the Sorting Hat is one of Riddle's Horcruxes.
But the Goblet of Fire. I wonder where that's kept. Maybe in a vault with other treasure, a vault with a round door or doorway, filled with gold coins and fine objects covered with rubies. Does that sound familiar?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Book 7 Predictions
I took a quiz on The Leaky Cauldron that allows you to predict details of what will happen in Book 7.
I have to qualify that by saying I wish I could have given comments on some of them, and others I was just unsure so I guessed.
For example, "Will Harry learn more about love in the Dept. of Mysteries?" I put no, but I do think we will probably visit the "love" room in the dept. of mysteries and that Harry will learn more about love, though I don't know that he'll learn it at the Ministry. I think Harry's lessons will be learned from life, not from a school book or a research dept. at the Ministry.
"Will we visit the Chamber of Secrets again?" I put yes, but I'm not sure we'll go there, I just think it will have something to do with something in the book. I think the damage Ron's wand explosion caused resulted in the cave-in of the secret passageway behind the 4th floor mirror that Fred and George tell Harry is now completely blocked, though they used it earlier in Harry's second year. Since there are 7 secret passageways, I think that will be significant in some way and the chamber is likely to play a part in it somehow, esp. since Slytherin created it and Voldemort is Slytherin's Heir.
I have to qualify that by saying I wish I could have given comments on some of them, and others I was just unsure so I guessed.
For example, "Will Harry learn more about love in the Dept. of Mysteries?" I put no, but I do think we will probably visit the "love" room in the dept. of mysteries and that Harry will learn more about love, though I don't know that he'll learn it at the Ministry. I think Harry's lessons will be learned from life, not from a school book or a research dept. at the Ministry.
"Will we visit the Chamber of Secrets again?" I put yes, but I'm not sure we'll go there, I just think it will have something to do with something in the book. I think the damage Ron's wand explosion caused resulted in the cave-in of the secret passageway behind the 4th floor mirror that Fred and George tell Harry is now completely blocked, though they used it earlier in Harry's second year. Since there are 7 secret passageways, I think that will be significant in some way and the chamber is likely to play a part in it somehow, esp. since Slytherin created it and Voldemort is Slytherin's Heir.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
More thoughts on the covers
I have two words for those who think the creature behind Harry on the UK Children's edition cover is a house-elf:
bat-like ears
No, the creature on the cover doesn't have ears that could really be described as bat-like. We don't have a house-elf drawing from this cover artist, like we do for the American versions. Last time, I actually spent time looking for pictures (in the chapter art as well as the covers) of Ron, Hermione and Ginny to see whether they were the people looking up at the Dark Mark, and for a picture of a pensieve, to find out if that's what the basin on the cover was. I still think it's a Goblin, but only time will tell.
Icy-Hogwarts -- everyone wonders what's going on with the castle on the back of the UK children's cover. I think it's most likely to be Hogwarts. Maybe a Hogwarts that's mostly deserted, no students are there. Or it's under a spell of some kind. The full moon may be significant, given Lupin's condition.
The US cover -- a bunch of position type comments. They are behind the curtains, whatever that means. Both of them are definitely behind where the curtains are. Second, the floor. They are in the midst of the rubble that is there. I don't think we can tell if they're falling through it or just standing in it, but there are pieces in front of them and pieces behind them. They are both surrounded by parts of debris, whether it be broken floor or not. It appears to be both rock and wood, so I think it's most likely to NOT be a floor that's actively breaking up, but one that was broken before they got there.
One more thing -- the locket. Slytherin's locket. It's on the cover of the UK adult edition. And Harry's wearing it on the US cover. End of story. If it's important enough to be on the cover, and then Harry's wearing something very, very similar, it's most likely the same thing. I could be wrong, of course, but that's what I think.
bat-like ears
No, the creature on the cover doesn't have ears that could really be described as bat-like. We don't have a house-elf drawing from this cover artist, like we do for the American versions. Last time, I actually spent time looking for pictures (in the chapter art as well as the covers) of Ron, Hermione and Ginny to see whether they were the people looking up at the Dark Mark, and for a picture of a pensieve, to find out if that's what the basin on the cover was. I still think it's a Goblin, but only time will tell.
Icy-Hogwarts -- everyone wonders what's going on with the castle on the back of the UK children's cover. I think it's most likely to be Hogwarts. Maybe a Hogwarts that's mostly deserted, no students are there. Or it's under a spell of some kind. The full moon may be significant, given Lupin's condition.
The US cover -- a bunch of position type comments. They are behind the curtains, whatever that means. Both of them are definitely behind where the curtains are. Second, the floor. They are in the midst of the rubble that is there. I don't think we can tell if they're falling through it or just standing in it, but there are pieces in front of them and pieces behind them. They are both surrounded by parts of debris, whether it be broken floor or not. It appears to be both rock and wood, so I think it's most likely to NOT be a floor that's actively breaking up, but one that was broken before they got there.
One more thing -- the locket. Slytherin's locket. It's on the cover of the UK adult edition. And Harry's wearing it on the US cover. End of story. If it's important enough to be on the cover, and then Harry's wearing something very, very similar, it's most likely the same thing. I could be wrong, of course, but that's what I think.
Re-reading Chamber of Secrets
Harry is lying in the hospital wing, re-growing the bones in his arm, and he overhears Dumbledore and McGonagall talking after bringing in the petrified body of Colin Creevey.
"What does it mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.
"It means," said Dumbldore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."
"But, Albus . . . surely . . . who?"
"The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how. . . ."
Dumbledore was there the first time. Dumbledore didn't believe Hagrid did it then. How much did Dumbledore know about Tom Riddle's role in it, both at the time it first happened, and how much has he figured out since then?
From the above dialog, we can conclude Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle was behind it the first time and somehow knows or assumes that Voldemort is behind it again.
What I would really like to read, after I've finished reading the Deathly Hallows, is a re-telling of the events of all of the books from Dumbledore's perspective. I suppose we'll never know how Dumbledore came to know all that he has figured out about Tom Riddle, but I sure am curious.
Dumbledore says he wouldn't presume to say he knows all of Hogwarts' secrets (he says this at dinner during the Yule Ball, I believe, when he talks about finding the room full of chamber pots early in the morning). Yet we know he's been at Hogwarts over 50 years, was there when the Chamber was first opened -- why didn't he figure it all out sooner? Hermione figured it out. Is Hermione smarter than Dumbledore?
"What does it mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.
"It means," said Dumbldore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."
"But, Albus . . . surely . . . who?"
"The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how. . . ."
Dumbledore was there the first time. Dumbledore didn't believe Hagrid did it then. How much did Dumbledore know about Tom Riddle's role in it, both at the time it first happened, and how much has he figured out since then?
From the above dialog, we can conclude Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle was behind it the first time and somehow knows or assumes that Voldemort is behind it again.
What I would really like to read, after I've finished reading the Deathly Hallows, is a re-telling of the events of all of the books from Dumbledore's perspective. I suppose we'll never know how Dumbledore came to know all that he has figured out about Tom Riddle, but I sure am curious.
Dumbledore says he wouldn't presume to say he knows all of Hogwarts' secrets (he says this at dinner during the Yule Ball, I believe, when he talks about finding the room full of chamber pots early in the morning). Yet we know he's been at Hogwarts over 50 years, was there when the Chamber was first opened -- why didn't he figure it all out sooner? Hermione figured it out. Is Hermione smarter than Dumbledore?
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Gilderoy Lockhart's ideal birthday present
I'm re-reading CoS. I'm just up to the Peskipiksi Pesternomi chapter, and I noticed that his ideal birthday present is harmony between all magical and non-magical peoples. Though he added the alternative of a case of Ogden's Old Firewhisky, I found it strangely inconsistent with his secret ambition to rid the world of evil and market his own line of hair-care products. I mean, rid the world of evil sounds like something a DADA professor would say. But why is his birthday wish "harmony between all magical and non-magical peoples"? Does this sound familiar to anyone. Like the song of a certain old and dirty hat?
Is this what will happen when Harry finally kills Voldemort? Will there finally be harmony and unity and no more name calling?
I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Is this what will happen when Harry finally kills Voldemort? Will there finally be harmony and unity and no more name calling?
I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Great HP blogs I've just discovered
I'd read books by John Granger before (having been delighted to discover that not all Christians hate Harry Potter), but I just recently discovered he has a couple of new books, one that he wrote (Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader) and one that he edited (Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?) -- I've just bought them both, they look very good but I haven't had a chance to read them yet.
Then I discovered that Mr. Granger has a blog which has some very interesting posts indeed.
I also found another blog/podcast created by another Christian Harry Potter fan -- the Sword of Gryffindor. He does a very good job with the podcast and I highly recommend it. His blog has links to other Christians who are Harry Potter fans. I was very glad to find I'm not the only one.
Then I discovered that Mr. Granger has a blog which has some very interesting posts indeed.
I also found another blog/podcast created by another Christian Harry Potter fan -- the Sword of Gryffindor. He does a very good job with the podcast and I highly recommend it. His blog has links to other Christians who are Harry Potter fans. I was very glad to find I'm not the only one.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
more questions and ramblings about the US cover art
I've had a few more minutes to think about (and look at) the cover art, specifically the US cover. Here are some random thoughts:
- It's probably not a dementor, it's probably Voldemort. I checked the US chapter art with the dementor, the face wasn't shown at all. And the face on the DH cover, with red eyes and a snakelike appearance (what you can see of it) fits the description of Voldemort. So, is this the final battle between him and Harry?
- They're wearing identical, and rather tattered, robes. Brown ones. Not black. What's up with that?
- They don't have wands.
- There are curtains hanging on the sides. That gave me the impression it's an arena, almost like the one where the veil is located except this one appears to be outside. That looks like a sky, albeit a strange colored one. So I thought the black blobs in the background were heads. They reminded me of the heads looking up at the Dark Mark on the cover of HBP. Then I looked again and I thought the blobs were headstones. Like in a graveyard. Then I looked again and thought they really look more like heads. Well, so look like heads, some look like headstones. But it's likely that they're all the same thing (or are they?). Who knows.
What's Uncle Vernon up to?
Last night, before I knew I'd have cover art to distract me, I started thinking about the beginning of DH and what might happen while Harry was still at Privet Drive (I just started re-reading CoS and am just up to the part where Harry is rescued by the Weasley boys).
And I started thinking about how Uncle Vernon, if he was paying attention and not too distracted by the glass of mead hitting him on the head, knows that Harry has inherited a house. He knows the address of the house and he knows Harry has an account at Gringotts. It's occurred to me that Dumbledore wanted the Dursleys to know this, but I haven't yet figured out why.
So, what would Uncle Vernon do with the knowledge that his nephew isn't penniless as he had previously thought? When DH opens, Vernon will have had almost a whole year to dwell on this. I can just see it now:
Maybe he Googles "12 Grimmauld Place" to see where it is located.
Maybe he makes some phone calls, trying to track down a copy of Sirius' will, the deed of the house, the location of Gringotts. I figure he'll have most luck in finding Grimmauld place at least. I can picture him skulking around, getting very frustrated when he discovers there isn't a number 12 (because of the anti-Muggle charms and all, he won't be able to see it). He might interview the neighbors, and discover that they have noticed vaguely strange goings-on, though they won't be specific enough to help him. Vernon could drive himself crazy trying to find out more about Harry's inheritance, and convince a lot of others he's crazy in the process. That ought to be funny.
I also got to thinking that Vernon is likely to sit Harry down and try to make him pay him back for the expenses he's incurred in raising Harry. Though Harry will only be able to offer to pay in Wizard's gold, which won't do Vernon much good.
Then I remembered that on PotterCast they talked about how maybe Privet Drive will become unsafe for anyone related to Harry and the Dursleys will have to move to Grimmauld Place to stay. The thought of Petunia in her rubber gloves, trying to make the place spick and span, shining and spotless, just makes me want to laugh and never stop!
And I started thinking about how Uncle Vernon, if he was paying attention and not too distracted by the glass of mead hitting him on the head, knows that Harry has inherited a house. He knows the address of the house and he knows Harry has an account at Gringotts. It's occurred to me that Dumbledore wanted the Dursleys to know this, but I haven't yet figured out why.
So, what would Uncle Vernon do with the knowledge that his nephew isn't penniless as he had previously thought? When DH opens, Vernon will have had almost a whole year to dwell on this. I can just see it now:
Maybe he Googles "12 Grimmauld Place" to see where it is located.
Maybe he makes some phone calls, trying to track down a copy of Sirius' will, the deed of the house, the location of Gringotts. I figure he'll have most luck in finding Grimmauld place at least. I can picture him skulking around, getting very frustrated when he discovers there isn't a number 12 (because of the anti-Muggle charms and all, he won't be able to see it). He might interview the neighbors, and discover that they have noticed vaguely strange goings-on, though they won't be specific enough to help him. Vernon could drive himself crazy trying to find out more about Harry's inheritance, and convince a lot of others he's crazy in the process. That ought to be funny.
I also got to thinking that Vernon is likely to sit Harry down and try to make him pay him back for the expenses he's incurred in raising Harry. Though Harry will only be able to offer to pay in Wizard's gold, which won't do Vernon much good.
Then I remembered that on PotterCast they talked about how maybe Privet Drive will become unsafe for anyone related to Harry and the Dursleys will have to move to Grimmauld Place to stay. The thought of Petunia in her rubber gloves, trying to make the place spick and span, shining and spotless, just makes me want to laugh and never stop!
first thoughts on cover art
I thought I'd come here before I've read or heard anyone's comments on the cover art and just ramble on for a bit.
First, the letters are red! I thought the background would be darker, but the letters that say Harry Potter at the top of the US edition cover are indeed red, which I thought would be true ever since they weren't red for the Half-Blood Prince.
Second, the UK cover -- does that look like Gringotts to you? Here are three reasons I think so:
Questions:
Well, at least we have something to think about while we wait for the pages between the covers to be printed.
First, the letters are red! I thought the background would be darker, but the letters that say Harry Potter at the top of the US edition cover are indeed red, which I thought would be true ever since they weren't red for the Half-Blood Prince.
Second, the UK cover -- does that look like Gringotts to you? Here are three reasons I think so:
- There's what looks like a Goblin-made tunnel or archway in the background
- There is treasure and gold coins all over
- Is that a Goblin I see peeking around from behind Harry?
Questions:
- Is that a dementor on the back of the US edition?
- Why do they appear to be waving (both Harry and the Dementor or whatever it is)?
- Where are they (on the US edition cover), why are people watching, what's going on with the floor (seems to be breaking up)?
- What's up with the snake medallion on the UK adult cover?
Well, at least we have something to think about while we wait for the pages between the covers to be printed.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
7 biggest questions about the 7th Harry Potter book
Okay, it's starting to get exciting. We still haven't seen cover art, but hopefully we will soon. Scholastic is talking about a marketing campaign involving 7 biggest questions.
I guess we don't get to choose the questions. Coincidentally, I spent about a half hour this morning making a list of questions I have. Mine cover front and back and part of a third side of notebook paper. Much many more than seven. But I'll try to weed it down (focusing specifically on questions I think and hope will be answered in book 7 -- I have other questions I'll put on the back burner for now):
1. How did the Wizarding world find out that the Potters were killed, that Harry was not killed and that Voldemort was apparently gone, in such a quick timeframe? Who determined Voldemort was indeed gone, and how did they know? Why didn't they need more time to find out if he was just hiding in a back alley somewhere nursing his pride at failing to kill a small baby? (I know that's more than one question but they're all related so they count as one -- the ones after the first one are there to more fully explain the first one.)
2. Who else was there the night the Potters were killed?
3. What more does Petunia know that she's not telling?
4. What happened (and where was Harry) during the 24 hours between when the Potters were attacked and when Hagrid showed up on Privet Drive? Is this just another maths error on Jo's part, was it just that she wanted Harry to be left on the doorstep at night, or is there another reason it took that long to bring Harry to his Aunt and Uncle's house?
5. How and by what means has Dumbledore been watching Harry more closely than he can possibly imagine? Were others involved in this surveillance or was it just Dumbledore?
6. Are we ever going to hear the story about how Dumbledore's arm was injured? He promised more than once to tell it and then didn't get a chance, but since Jo knew all along he was going to die, I can't believe she didn't intend to tell us at some point.
7. Was Dumbledore an animagus and if so, what form did he take?
I guess we don't get to choose the questions. Coincidentally, I spent about a half hour this morning making a list of questions I have. Mine cover front and back and part of a third side of notebook paper. Much many more than seven. But I'll try to weed it down (focusing specifically on questions I think and hope will be answered in book 7 -- I have other questions I'll put on the back burner for now):
1. How did the Wizarding world find out that the Potters were killed, that Harry was not killed and that Voldemort was apparently gone, in such a quick timeframe? Who determined Voldemort was indeed gone, and how did they know? Why didn't they need more time to find out if he was just hiding in a back alley somewhere nursing his pride at failing to kill a small baby? (I know that's more than one question but they're all related so they count as one -- the ones after the first one are there to more fully explain the first one.)
2. Who else was there the night the Potters were killed?
3. What more does Petunia know that she's not telling?
4. What happened (and where was Harry) during the 24 hours between when the Potters were attacked and when Hagrid showed up on Privet Drive? Is this just another maths error on Jo's part, was it just that she wanted Harry to be left on the doorstep at night, or is there another reason it took that long to bring Harry to his Aunt and Uncle's house?
5. How and by what means has Dumbledore been watching Harry more closely than he can possibly imagine? Were others involved in this surveillance or was it just Dumbledore?
6. Are we ever going to hear the story about how Dumbledore's arm was injured? He promised more than once to tell it and then didn't get a chance, but since Jo knew all along he was going to die, I can't believe she didn't intend to tell us at some point.
7. Was Dumbledore an animagus and if so, what form did he take?
Thursday, March 08, 2007
DH cover art any time now . . .
I looked it up. July 16, 2005 was the publication date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. On March 8 of that same year, they released the artwork of the Scholastic version on the Today Show. Sometime that same day or the next, with slightly less fanfare, the cover of the Bloomsbury edition was released.
So, it should be soon.
Since we saw the cover of HBP, I've been predicting that the Scholastic cover of book 7 would have the name Harry Potter in metallic red lettering. I still think that's true. I've also thought that there might be a picture of a graveyard on the cover, though I'm leaning away from that now.
The cover generally has some kind of artwork that depicts the climactic scene of the novel without giving away enough to spoil it for the readers. I actually don't think Harry will meet Voldemort in a graveyard. I'd be more inclined to bet it will be beneath Gringotts, in those tunnels and passageways and the underground lake with the stalagtites and stalagmites.
Hopefully we'll know soon.
So, it should be soon.
Since we saw the cover of HBP, I've been predicting that the Scholastic cover of book 7 would have the name Harry Potter in metallic red lettering. I still think that's true. I've also thought that there might be a picture of a graveyard on the cover, though I'm leaning away from that now.
The cover generally has some kind of artwork that depicts the climactic scene of the novel without giving away enough to spoil it for the readers. I actually don't think Harry will meet Voldemort in a graveyard. I'd be more inclined to bet it will be beneath Gringotts, in those tunnels and passageways and the underground lake with the stalagtites and stalagmites.
Hopefully we'll know soon.
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