Harry Potter and the Last Book
I finished.
OH MY GOD THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*flops on the floor*
I am completely drained and shaky and unspeakably pleased (except for the epilogue wtf let us never speak of it again) and just completely giddy beyond all reason. What a wonderful, smashing conclusion to a decade of magic and wonderment. Hats off to you, JK Rowling, hats off. Even though you constantly use colons followed by a capitalized independent clause, you still tell a corking good story. Bravo.
Let us have a moment of silence for those who were lost. Hedwig. Mad-Eye Moody. Ted Tonks. Dobby the Elf. Fred Weasley (*sob*). Nymphadora Tonks. Colin Creevey. Severus Snape.
And Remus Lupin.
Oh, Remus. When Harry saw his body I just kind of froze, then burst into wracking sobs. I kind of knew it was going to happen? But MOONY! Ripped my gut out, that did :(
But! All was healed the moment Harry turned over the stone and the Marauders came to him, young and happy and beautiful. James. Sirius. Remus. Lily. It was like they had been plucked out of Shoebox and placed inside canon, and it made my heart soar with love. I sobbed again there, the hardest out of the whole book, but with joy and fulfillment. I made a joke before I had read the book about Remus dying and joining Sirius in the great, happy beyond - and LOOK! It HAPPENED! That is now my favorite moment in all of canon, and I clutch it to my chest with wonder and gratitude. I'm almost... *hesitates* glad Remus died? I mean, I know he's left his son behind, and he was obviously so smitten with the wee boy, but the child is not alone, not by a long shot, and Remus had suffered so much. He was tired, he was scarred by grief and the weight of his burden, and I think it was time for him to go. Now he is at peace.
Speaking of the Marauders, I spent so much of the book reading through the Shoebox filter, which is kind of weird. I mean, reading canon with an eye towards how she messes up the FANON? Hee! Like, I was rather miffed by the photograph of the Marauders in which Remus was described as being surprised and pleased to be included in this group, like Peter... and that just rubbed me the wrong way. Remus finds Sirius and James rather baffling and ridiculous, yet he sticks around despite himself. If anything I think Sirius should be pleased that Remus puts up with them :) But that's a minor nitpick. I loved Lily's letter - Sirius sent Harry a toy broom!! And Sirius's bedroom decorations - Gryffindor! Motorbikes! Scantily clad Muggle women! Teehee. So very very Sirius. And one scene that did fit perfectly into Shoebox was the scene on the train in Snape's memory, where they're talking about what Houses they're going to be in. James and Sirius are exactly the type of gits they are in Shoebox, it was kind of fantastic.
Hey, Snape loved Lily! :O That was kind of surprising, but then again not. I get the feeling a million fics have been written that exactly resembled that chapter, though I wouldn't know because I've pretty much solely read Remus/Sirius in this fandom.
I kind of liked the combination of things that fandom nailed on the head (Harry's a Horcrux! Snape's not evil! OBHWF! Neville is made of AWESOME!) and the things we could have never guessed in a million years, at least not in detail (the Elder Wand, the Cloak being a Hallow, Dumbledore's past, the importance of the old tiara, Harry doesn't have to die to kill the piece of soul inside him, etc). It felt both surprising and fulfilling, shocking but not gratuitously so, and I really really enjoyed that.
While I still think Rowling is rubbish with romantic relationships, I think she finally got Ron and Hermione right. They were making me make squeaky noises of joy at several points in the book, and I am quite pleased with how they turned out. Harry and Ginny, however - it still felt just like words, like "oh, he's thinking about Ginny again, big surprise" with no emotional background to it. And Remus and Tonks was so off screen that it was almost baffling as to why Remus had agreed to marry Tonks, or when the hell she developed those feelings for him, or whatever.
Which brings me to the most dismaying scene in the book - Remus's showdown with Harry at Grimmauld Place. I was so horrified by that that I just had to put my book down and walk away. The thing is, Remus is so damaged at this point - he's profoundly alone in the world, with the death of Sirius, and marrying Tonks was an act of desperation that he really does regret, for the reasons he says, and Harry acts like a right prat, first yanking Sirius's name into it and then calling Remus a coward. I was really sad about the negative light that whole thing left Lupin in, because we didn't get to see his side of it, his grief and confusion and regret and oh oh my Moony, I love you so :( But he was redeemed, first supporting Harry on the radio and then naming him Ted's godfather, so, I feel better about it all.
Hmmm, gosh, let's see. SO MUCH HAPPENED. I really loved this book, from start to finish. It was like the polar opposite of HBP, haha. Even though HBP set up a lot of really important stuff and I should probably reread it o.O Aaaanyway. Let's see.
MRS. WEASLEY FOR THE WIN!!! I was so excited when she started duelling with Bellatrix, and she WON, and oh that was such a beautiful victory. I can't wait to see that on screen! And NEVILLE!!! You beautiful brave boy, so glorious! And LUNA! With her friends' faces painted on her ceiling, and her general Luna-ness! MCGONAGALL! I cheered when she led the stampede of tables down the hall! Oh, there was such a fantastic pay off for so so many characters, EVERYONE was there and it was just glorious!!!
TRIO!!!! Oh, I am so suffused with love for those three. The book was largely about their power as a unit, their strength and intelligence and bravery. I squealed so many times about Hermione - how is she so goddamn BRILLIANT? I want to have her brilliant little babies, I do I do. SUCH a girl crush, wow. And she was such an incredible, staunch friend to Harry, through every crisis. I loved her support at his parents' graves, her guilt and shame for accidentally breaking his wand EVEN THOUGH SHE SAVED HIS LIFE, her cleverness that got them out of so many scrapes, and just. Oh oh. Harry and Hermione's relationship here filled me with such joy. Who cares if they don't want to get it on - I still ship them whole heartedly, their mutual love and respect and support. And Ron was wonderful, except of course when the locket started getting to him, and when he ran away - but he came BACK and he was wonderful and he was wonderful before that and I just. Lovelovelove. I'm going to forget about the epilogue and just think of those three, together in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, triumphant and together.
*happy sigh*
I'll stop talking now! In conclusion: YAY.
OH MY GOD THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*flops on the floor*
I am completely drained and shaky and unspeakably pleased (except for the epilogue wtf let us never speak of it again) and just completely giddy beyond all reason. What a wonderful, smashing conclusion to a decade of magic and wonderment. Hats off to you, JK Rowling, hats off. Even though you constantly use colons followed by a capitalized independent clause, you still tell a corking good story. Bravo.
Let us have a moment of silence for those who were lost. Hedwig. Mad-Eye Moody. Ted Tonks. Dobby the Elf. Fred Weasley (*sob*). Nymphadora Tonks. Colin Creevey. Severus Snape.
And Remus Lupin.
Oh, Remus. When Harry saw his body I just kind of froze, then burst into wracking sobs. I kind of knew it was going to happen? But MOONY! Ripped my gut out, that did :(
But! All was healed the moment Harry turned over the stone and the Marauders came to him, young and happy and beautiful. James. Sirius. Remus. Lily. It was like they had been plucked out of Shoebox and placed inside canon, and it made my heart soar with love. I sobbed again there, the hardest out of the whole book, but with joy and fulfillment. I made a joke before I had read the book about Remus dying and joining Sirius in the great, happy beyond - and LOOK! It HAPPENED! That is now my favorite moment in all of canon, and I clutch it to my chest with wonder and gratitude. I'm almost... *hesitates* glad Remus died? I mean, I know he's left his son behind, and he was obviously so smitten with the wee boy, but the child is not alone, not by a long shot, and Remus had suffered so much. He was tired, he was scarred by grief and the weight of his burden, and I think it was time for him to go. Now he is at peace.
Speaking of the Marauders, I spent so much of the book reading through the Shoebox filter, which is kind of weird. I mean, reading canon with an eye towards how she messes up the FANON? Hee! Like, I was rather miffed by the photograph of the Marauders in which Remus was described as being surprised and pleased to be included in this group, like Peter... and that just rubbed me the wrong way. Remus finds Sirius and James rather baffling and ridiculous, yet he sticks around despite himself. If anything I think Sirius should be pleased that Remus puts up with them :) But that's a minor nitpick. I loved Lily's letter - Sirius sent Harry a toy broom!! And Sirius's bedroom decorations - Gryffindor! Motorbikes! Scantily clad Muggle women! Teehee. So very very Sirius. And one scene that did fit perfectly into Shoebox was the scene on the train in Snape's memory, where they're talking about what Houses they're going to be in. James and Sirius are exactly the type of gits they are in Shoebox, it was kind of fantastic.
Hey, Snape loved Lily! :O That was kind of surprising, but then again not. I get the feeling a million fics have been written that exactly resembled that chapter, though I wouldn't know because I've pretty much solely read Remus/Sirius in this fandom.
I kind of liked the combination of things that fandom nailed on the head (Harry's a Horcrux! Snape's not evil! OBHWF! Neville is made of AWESOME!) and the things we could have never guessed in a million years, at least not in detail (the Elder Wand, the Cloak being a Hallow, Dumbledore's past, the importance of the old tiara, Harry doesn't have to die to kill the piece of soul inside him, etc). It felt both surprising and fulfilling, shocking but not gratuitously so, and I really really enjoyed that.
While I still think Rowling is rubbish with romantic relationships, I think she finally got Ron and Hermione right. They were making me make squeaky noises of joy at several points in the book, and I am quite pleased with how they turned out. Harry and Ginny, however - it still felt just like words, like "oh, he's thinking about Ginny again, big surprise" with no emotional background to it. And Remus and Tonks was so off screen that it was almost baffling as to why Remus had agreed to marry Tonks, or when the hell she developed those feelings for him, or whatever.
Which brings me to the most dismaying scene in the book - Remus's showdown with Harry at Grimmauld Place. I was so horrified by that that I just had to put my book down and walk away. The thing is, Remus is so damaged at this point - he's profoundly alone in the world, with the death of Sirius, and marrying Tonks was an act of desperation that he really does regret, for the reasons he says, and Harry acts like a right prat, first yanking Sirius's name into it and then calling Remus a coward. I was really sad about the negative light that whole thing left Lupin in, because we didn't get to see his side of it, his grief and confusion and regret and oh oh my Moony, I love you so :( But he was redeemed, first supporting Harry on the radio and then naming him Ted's godfather, so, I feel better about it all.
Hmmm, gosh, let's see. SO MUCH HAPPENED. I really loved this book, from start to finish. It was like the polar opposite of HBP, haha. Even though HBP set up a lot of really important stuff and I should probably reread it o.O Aaaanyway. Let's see.
MRS. WEASLEY FOR THE WIN!!! I was so excited when she started duelling with Bellatrix, and she WON, and oh that was such a beautiful victory. I can't wait to see that on screen! And NEVILLE!!! You beautiful brave boy, so glorious! And LUNA! With her friends' faces painted on her ceiling, and her general Luna-ness! MCGONAGALL! I cheered when she led the stampede of tables down the hall! Oh, there was such a fantastic pay off for so so many characters, EVERYONE was there and it was just glorious!!!
TRIO!!!! Oh, I am so suffused with love for those three. The book was largely about their power as a unit, their strength and intelligence and bravery. I squealed so many times about Hermione - how is she so goddamn BRILLIANT? I want to have her brilliant little babies, I do I do. SUCH a girl crush, wow. And she was such an incredible, staunch friend to Harry, through every crisis. I loved her support at his parents' graves, her guilt and shame for accidentally breaking his wand EVEN THOUGH SHE SAVED HIS LIFE, her cleverness that got them out of so many scrapes, and just. Oh oh. Harry and Hermione's relationship here filled me with such joy. Who cares if they don't want to get it on - I still ship them whole heartedly, their mutual love and respect and support. And Ron was wonderful, except of course when the locket started getting to him, and when he ran away - but he came BACK and he was wonderful and he was wonderful before that and I just. Lovelovelove. I'm going to forget about the epilogue and just think of those three, together in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, triumphant and together.
*happy sigh*
I'll stop talking now! In conclusion: YAY.