(no subject)
My extremely long, review (essay) on HP and the Deathly Hallows. Enjoy.
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On Those Who Died
Like many, I shed a tear or two over this book - and those who died especially (although most of it was for Snape's tragic history being revealed). Hedwig, I half-expected her death, but it still hurt badly. I mean, this was Harry's first friend! Dobby especially hurt - that little elf had his freedom, and then, voila! Death. Is it just me, or are people who helped Harry through the years suddenly just dying? Throughout the entire Sixth Book, you got a glimpse of Harry and how he dealt with Sirius' death... here, it's just, wow, they're dead... let's move on.
What struck me especially about these deaths is just that five people died (Mad-Eye, Fred, Tonks, Remus, Colin) and they got nothing. For Hedwig and Dobby and Snape (I'll reach him later) they got their own tiny acknowledgements... and when these people die, you're left guessing. You just get a glimpse of their corpse or some people sobbing, and you know, they're dead - and Harry has to be all apathetic about it and move on that quickly. I also expected George to do something, he just lost his twin!
Yes, this was beyond vague, and I honestly think that the deaths could have been elaborated on, could've been a turning point in the book where Harry goes over everything, and mourns.
Snape, like Hedwig, I knew he was gonna get redeemed, and from years of fanfiction, I was hoping that he was in love with Lily. His love for Lily, well, it explained a lot.
A) It explained his worst memory from Order of the Phoenix. I mean, I'm sorry, but for seven years, Snape was tortured by the Marauders, for twenty years, he was tormented by Death Eaters of Voldemort, and that that memory of his pants being pulled is the worst? If that was the worst, then Voldemort must have a lair of fluff and pink and the Marauders are totally undeserving of their legacy. If that's his worst memory because it was the day he lost Lily, then that makes so much more sense - there's the emotional trauma, and there's the looming thought that he could've prevented it...
B) Why he bothered with Harry. It's obvious that Snape hated James, and it's also obvious that regardless as to what the other teachers said, he would place all that leftover hate on Harry. After the First Year, his debt was repaid, yahoo! And yet he still bothers. You can say that he bothers because deep, deep down he has this unbelievable crush on Harry (yes, I'm talking to you, Harry/Severus fans 'cuz the future is AS/S, DUH!), but it's more believable that he harbored this extreme love for Lily.
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On Snape and Whether or Not We Shall Call Him Hero (Because Even J.K. Questions That)
I don't what to call Snape. Yes, he protected Harry for all those years, but do you call him a hero for that? He was acting on his love for Lily - that wasn't heroism, that was like keeping an unsaid promise - if Snape had no past with Lily whatsoever and then decided to help Harry, then yes, he was a hero - because that was selfless. I think that all Snape wanted to do was repay Lily - he didn't want to die and go to the other world and face a Lily that was pissed at hell at him for A) telling Voldie about the Prophesy (because it was established he joined after that) or B) having all those opportunities to help Harry and not.
If Snape was doing all this just for Harry, that's selfless. If it was for Lily, that's selfish. (And eventually, I'll post a shorter-than-this-essay drabble on my take on his last moments.)
But still, he went through all that mental trauma, so what to call him (to me) remains some sort of conundrum.
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On the Canon Pairings That You Know Get You Oh-So-ANNOYED!
I was a BIG fan of Dramione (it was all those movies, in the movies, Hermione is gorgeous, and well, Ron isn't - but Draco is! Gorgeous people go together!) and to see it get shot down was so heartbreaking.
~Why, J.K., why? ~
Okay. At least J.K. didn't creep this up on us, everyone knew that Ron and Hermione will get together eventually. So, I guess, I'm fine on this.
The whole Harry and Ginny, to me, it didn't creep up on us - in Book Six, we had to deal with it... and suddenly, it was back again in Book Seven. There are many, many essays on this pairing, so I won't get in-depth. It just seems far too cliche and far too, I dunno, the dictionary needs to make a new word on this because it leaves a bitter taste in the back of my mouth.
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On That All Was Well Epilogue
'...all was well...'
That's it, THAT'S how you make the life and times of Harry Potter end?! With peace and cliche-ness and uugkdjgh.
Okay, first off, we don't know what happened to some people (Luna, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Draco's-We-Don't-Know-Her wife, who the hell the Headmaster or Headmistress is, Teddy, I know I'm missing someone...) still, you get the point. We only see a glimpse of Harry's Oh-So-Perfect life.
Apparently, in said-life, we have to assume that he has no job (thanks J.K. for clearing that up). In said-life, even though he's godfather to Teddy, Teddy is homeless, and gets a meal four times in a week. In said-life, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco's wife banded together and got pregnant at the same time for the hope of fandom pairings (and we'll keep pairing them till everyone is related and the word "incest" has to become nonexistent for the sake of humanity to continue on).
In this life, James Jr. is the reincarnation of James Sr. (run Albus Severus! RUN!). Some poor kid is cursed with the name Albus Severus. In this world, everything is perfect because apparently, after Voldemort was killed his entire army dismantled itself and converted to good (or just turned themselves in).
No, everything is not well.