More To Say...
This stuff'll probably get long.
First off, what can I say? It was, for the most part, an extremely satisfying book, with, for the most part, an extremely satisfying ending. It felt so much longer than it was, which was a great thing. I think the fact that the scope was, although not global, at least pulled back to include the whole of England helped in that. And the addition of the Hallows really fleshed the story out considerably.
The bookends that were put into the story, passing references in previous stories, were a joy. The motorcycle making an appearance was fantastic, although I wonder where Hagrid kept it all these years. Lily's true motivations behind hating magic were interesting, as was the identity of "that boy."
Snape... I can accept it. I can definitely accept it. I can accept it more after Rowling put him in the position of Headmaster. If he was simply "Voldemort's lackey" for the remainder of the book, then it would have been more difficult to accept. But the headmaster position allowed him to continue to stay at Dumbledore's beck and call. And the backstory with Lily was a lot more convincing than I would have guessed. Considering there were so many fans who said "But Snape loved Lily!", I wasn't swayed by the argument until it was revealed that they were best friends for five years, that Snape was the one who told her she was a witch, etc etc etc. The doe was a nice touch.
Things I liked:
- Neville. Thank God they gave my boy something to do.
- The Horcrux speaking to Ron. I knew that he thought there was something between Harry and Hermione. I'm just glad it's the first time it was actually put on paper.
- Speaking of... there's comedy, there's High Comedy, and there's Harry's reaction to Ron and Hermione's kiss. Just the whole "Oh, God, it's been the three of us sharing a tent for the past year, why does it have to be now?" was perfect.
- Have I mentioned how much I love Neville?
- And his grandma?
- The McGonnagal/Snape battle. Holy fucking shit I can't wait to see that sumnabitch on film.
- Just the entire story from the moment they get to Hogmeade till the end of the battle... coolest sequence I've read in the series.
- Kreacher. Ah, lovely Kreacher.
Yeah, I know that my stuff above is mostly related to the final few chapters. But, hey, it was fun!
There are a few minor things that did bother me, stuff that didn't get enough air time. But the only one that I want to mention, and it's mostly because I'm a big fucking sap: Why couldn't we get the Harry/Ginny reunion at the end? Sure, yeah, we get them nineteen years later, after they've started multiplying like Weasleys.
But I wanted that moment, the first time that they're alone after he battle, and Harry realizes "It's over. It's over, I'm alive, she's safe, and I love her."
Leading to my next section: What's next.
Yeah, I'm a big fucking sap. First thing I'm writing is that scene. Maybe by the end of the month if I'm motivated and bored enough. It's not going to be long, it doesn't need to be long, and it's not going to be NC17. Come on, you know me, I don't have the balls to do NC17. Closest I've gotten were some Rs for nudity and sexual discussion. All very awkward. Don't expect me to write any honeymoon fic.
Second, my big one's definitely going to be the wedding fic. Bridging the gap between The Flaw In The Plan and Nineteen Years Later, I'm already trying to come up with a way to bring in a lot of different narrative perspectives from up to a dozen characters, as well as, yeah, bridging some storyline gap (Neville at Hogwarts, Draco's new wife, etc). It should be big, it should be fun, it'll probably be sappy.
And, hell, I've already written down the assumed ages of all of the kids in Nineteen Years Later (They're all described well, except for James and Victoire, who we only know are older than 11 but younger than 17) so I can timeline this puppy out nicely.
After that, who knows? Might do an alternate version sometime down the line of Those Left Behind, chronicling a day in the life of Neville, Luna, and Ginny in the TDH version of Hogwarts.
I might have the balls when I'm more confident to pull out one of those NC17 stories I mentioned above.
The kids are sure to bring plenty of fic fodder in the next few decades.
And there's always twenty years later. Twenty one years later. Thirty one years later.
After all, Harry's scar hasn't hurt in 19 years after he defeated Voldemort.
But evil never dies. it's only held at bay.
First off, what can I say? It was, for the most part, an extremely satisfying book, with, for the most part, an extremely satisfying ending. It felt so much longer than it was, which was a great thing. I think the fact that the scope was, although not global, at least pulled back to include the whole of England helped in that. And the addition of the Hallows really fleshed the story out considerably.
The bookends that were put into the story, passing references in previous stories, were a joy. The motorcycle making an appearance was fantastic, although I wonder where Hagrid kept it all these years. Lily's true motivations behind hating magic were interesting, as was the identity of "that boy."
Snape... I can accept it. I can definitely accept it. I can accept it more after Rowling put him in the position of Headmaster. If he was simply "Voldemort's lackey" for the remainder of the book, then it would have been more difficult to accept. But the headmaster position allowed him to continue to stay at Dumbledore's beck and call. And the backstory with Lily was a lot more convincing than I would have guessed. Considering there were so many fans who said "But Snape loved Lily!", I wasn't swayed by the argument until it was revealed that they were best friends for five years, that Snape was the one who told her she was a witch, etc etc etc. The doe was a nice touch.
Things I liked:
- Neville. Thank God they gave my boy something to do.
- The Horcrux speaking to Ron. I knew that he thought there was something between Harry and Hermione. I'm just glad it's the first time it was actually put on paper.
- Speaking of... there's comedy, there's High Comedy, and there's Harry's reaction to Ron and Hermione's kiss. Just the whole "Oh, God, it's been the three of us sharing a tent for the past year, why does it have to be now?" was perfect.
- Have I mentioned how much I love Neville?
- And his grandma?
- The McGonnagal/Snape battle. Holy fucking shit I can't wait to see that sumnabitch on film.
- Just the entire story from the moment they get to Hogmeade till the end of the battle... coolest sequence I've read in the series.
- Kreacher. Ah, lovely Kreacher.
Yeah, I know that my stuff above is mostly related to the final few chapters. But, hey, it was fun!
There are a few minor things that did bother me, stuff that didn't get enough air time. But the only one that I want to mention, and it's mostly because I'm a big fucking sap: Why couldn't we get the Harry/Ginny reunion at the end? Sure, yeah, we get them nineteen years later, after they've started multiplying like Weasleys.
But I wanted that moment, the first time that they're alone after he battle, and Harry realizes "It's over. It's over, I'm alive, she's safe, and I love her."
Leading to my next section: What's next.
Yeah, I'm a big fucking sap. First thing I'm writing is that scene. Maybe by the end of the month if I'm motivated and bored enough. It's not going to be long, it doesn't need to be long, and it's not going to be NC17. Come on, you know me, I don't have the balls to do NC17. Closest I've gotten were some Rs for nudity and sexual discussion. All very awkward. Don't expect me to write any honeymoon fic.
Second, my big one's definitely going to be the wedding fic. Bridging the gap between The Flaw In The Plan and Nineteen Years Later, I'm already trying to come up with a way to bring in a lot of different narrative perspectives from up to a dozen characters, as well as, yeah, bridging some storyline gap (Neville at Hogwarts, Draco's new wife, etc). It should be big, it should be fun, it'll probably be sappy.
And, hell, I've already written down the assumed ages of all of the kids in Nineteen Years Later (They're all described well, except for James and Victoire, who we only know are older than 11 but younger than 17) so I can timeline this puppy out nicely.
After that, who knows? Might do an alternate version sometime down the line of Those Left Behind, chronicling a day in the life of Neville, Luna, and Ginny in the TDH version of Hogwarts.
I might have the balls when I'm more confident to pull out one of those NC17 stories I mentioned above.
The kids are sure to bring plenty of fic fodder in the next few decades.
And there's always twenty years later. Twenty one years later. Thirty one years later.
After all, Harry's scar hasn't hurt in 19 years after he defeated Voldemort.
But evil never dies. it's only held at bay.