Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows discussion thread (SPOILERS)

[jaffa]

Did we ever find out why some people become ghosts and others do not? Or did i miss that?

I was sure JK said we would find that out in book 7.

[medgar]

It came up in either 5 or 6 when Harry talks to Nick. People choose to remain or move on I think.

[DonkBluffer]

[ QUOTE ]
It came up in either 5 or 6 when Harry talks to Nick. People choose to remain or move on I think.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah I think it was after Sirius died. Harry rushes off to him while all the other students are having their end feast or something and Nick says he expected him to come, because people always do when they lose someone close to them. When people are not ready for death or too afraid of death then part of them remains behind, IIRC.


From that link someone gave earlier:
"Neville: At first we tried overt resistance -- questioning the Carrows in class, spray painting "Wolverines!" on walls, and using Weasley Wizard Wheezes in the halls, but they started torturing us, so we switched to guerilla performance art. Dressing up as You-Know-Who in clown makeup didn't go over well. They finally got fed up with it and tried to send me off to Azkaban, but I hid out in the Room of Requirements. Figured out how to get it to keep the Death Eaters and their minions out -- and how to get it to create a secret passage to The Hog's Head. Now we're leading an aggressive insurgency from within the school -- mostly hit and run tactics, kidnapping Slytherins and stuffing them in a vanishing cabinet, that sort of stuff. Soon the halls shall run red with the blood of Death Eaters!

Ron: Wow. Neville. You are hardcore. [censored] Henry Rollins.

Hermione: Yeah, it's a shame You-Know-Who decided Harry was the subject of the prophesy, because you'd make a much better hero to this series. All this time people have been stuck reading about us camping in the woods and wiping our asses with leaves, while you've been here doing interesting stuff.

Harry: What was that?

Hermione: Nothing.

Neville takes Harry aside and whispers: Why didn't you ever tell me being a bad-ass rebel leader made you a pussy magnet? I've been getting laid every night since I first stood up to Alecto. You would not believe what the Patil twins are like -- or maybe you would, since you and Ron took them to the Yule Ball. Though I have to say, never try anything with Luna.

Neville suddenly went crimson.

Neville: Not Luna. She has weird ideas about broomsticks.

"Whut?" Harry had the distinct impression that there were things he didn't understand."

[Fast Food Knight]

[ QUOTE ]
what job Harry, Ron or Hermione end up taking (although, I'll guess, in order, Quidditch player, Auror and Healer)

[/ QUOTE ]

If you came to this conclusion, I can only guess that you didn't read books 4 - 6.


Did anyone pick up on the fact that both Harry and Voldemort were connected to the Peverell family? Which would make them distantly related, if I'm not mistaken, and perhaps even link Harry to Salazaar Slythern, as well?

I also noticed the "effing" and "BITCH" which caught my attention because before starting the book I was reflecting on the lack of language in the series thus far. I sort of like these subtleties contributing to the increasing darkness of the story.

I didn't like the whole scene with Voldemort putting the sorting hat on Neville. It seemed like a very contrived way to arm Neville with the Gryffindor sword in order to destroy the Horcrux... why the hell would Voldy bother doing that, wouldn't he either blast the kid with Avada Kedavra, or completely ignore him?

Also, did anyone else notice that during their search for Horcruxes, there was repeated mention of Luna's father's attempted duplication of the Ravenclaw diadem? I was so sure that that was going to turn out to be significant, but it didn't really.

Overall I absolutely loved the book... I can't wait to go back and reread it without trying to fly through to the end.

[ChipWrecked]

Seems I recall 'sl*t' being used in book 6.

Also: Harry Potter 8: Rise of the Goblins

[traz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
what job Harry, Ron or Hermione end up taking (although, I'll guess, in order, Quidditch player, Auror and Healer)

[/ QUOTE ]

Did anyone pick up on the fact that both Harry and Voldemort were connected to the Peverell family? Which would make them distantly related, if I'm not mistaken, and perhaps even link Harry to Salazaar Slythern, as well?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yea i think they must be distant cousins, but it's probably so distant that it's irrelevant. I'm sure most of the pureblood families are somehow intertwined

[Jazzy3113]

One of the things I was disapointed about was the lack of snape interaction. He is by far my favorite character and we hardly got to see him do anything. I really wish that she could have given us a glimpse of hogwarts w/o harry and with snape as the headmaster. also, i did not like the wat which snape died. so unherioc and not befitting. and harry just happened to be there to get the memories.

another question. when neville stands up to LV and get the sorting hat placed on his head I was under the impression that he was being tortured between the good guys and the bad guys. yet he is suddenly right near nagini. also, what is the explanation of the sword coming out of the hat. as it mirrors CoS where harry does the same thing there must be some explanation. i was under the impression the heir of griffindor could summon it but how can both harry and neville be the heir?

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
One of the things I was disapointed about was the lack of snape interaction
...
also, i did not like the wat which snape died. so unherioc and not befitting. and harry just happened to be there to get the memories.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Prince's Tale was an excellent chapter, though, and confirmed exactly what we already guessed (Snape had been doing it all along out of dedication to Lily and remorse for her death) while adding new wrinkles (they knew each other from before Hogwarts, Petunia was more bitter and jealous than fearful of magic).

His death was heroic. He did not try to save himself. He knew from Dumbledore that Voldemort had to kill Potter, and confronted with Voldemort's concern that he could not do it with the wand as such, he sacrificed himself. The perfect double agent, right to the end.

And his last act was to give Harry the information he needed, as well as a personal confession.

As for Harry being there, JKR could have used just had Snape pull the memory and bottle it, and then Harry finds it. But why not just have Harry there? It worked better for the narrative, too, which followed Harry's perspective fully after the first chapter.

[ QUOTE ]
i was under the impression the heir of griffindor could summon it but how can both harry and neville be the heir?

[/ QUOTE ]

The phrase Dumbledore used in Chamber of Secrets was "only a true Gryffindor" meaning member of the house, not blood descendant.

[traz]

The most important thing about Harry being there upon Snape's death was the "Look at me" stuff

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
The most important thing about Harry being there upon Snape's death was the "Look at me" stuff

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that was one of the more emotionally revealing moments of the book.