Musings on/hopes for Deathly Hallows
In spite of not being active in HP fandom anymore, now that Deathly Hallows is coming closer, I can't help getting excited about it. Because this is it. The final one. And, oh, how I don't want to be disappointed. For that, I need a good Snape characterisation and an at least mildly interesting resolution of the plot.
I really, really hope we'll find out more about Snape. Really. I want to find out everything there is to know about him, which is just not going to happen, considering this is told mostly from Harry's P.O.V., and because I suspect she's going to keep us on tethers wondering what he's up to till the book's grand finale. But I hope we'll find out enough about him to feel like it was worth it.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that we're not going to find out he was madly in love with Lily. Not because that would bother me per se, but because it would be the cheesiest, most cliche resolution possible. Just. No. Please. Whatever his reason for running over to the light side, I hope that wasn't it.
As for the possibility of Snape being purely evil, well, a lot of things in HBP (and previous books) wouldn't make any sense, then. But above all, it may be Dumbledore's trust in him that convinces me that J.K.R. wouldn't go down that path (that and the fact that I still believe she's a better writer than that): Dumbledore may be kind and forgiving and all that rot, but (in spite of appearances) he's no fool. The way he trusted Snape? He would've had a damned good reason to.
Which makes me wonder -- we still haven't cleared up that life debt thing. It was mentioned back in book one (back in the day when she wouldn't include any random facts like that without a good reason to), and then, that was it. Then there's another mention of life debts in PoA, where I think Dumbledore says that it's useful to have someone owe you a life debt. Now, considering the context, it makes sense that he's referring to Peter. But what if that was a hint on the importance of Snape owing a life debt to James? I find it interesting that it is always assumed that Snape is either a Bad Guy and was being a double spy, or that he changed sides out of the goodness of his poor bitter little heart. But what if he didn't have a choice?
What happens when someone you owe a life debt to dies? What happens if you're part of the reason they die? It doesn't make any sense that the debt would just shift onto the next generation, because by that standard you could murder the entire family of anyone you owe a life debt to except one and get away with it. Something's got to happen. And what if that's the reason -- or at least part of the reason -- Snape changed sides? Either way, this is perhaps the bit of plot resolution I am most curious about: the reason he changed sides. As I'm fairly confident we'll learn that much, I can only cross my fingers that it's not going to be something utterly corny.
Another thing I hope is that the whole Harry/Ginny angle is improved upon. Again, I don't have anything against Harry/Ginny per se, but I think she handled it horribly in HBP. What, they go and sit by the lake and talk? About what? That's the whole point of a meaningful relationship, isn't it, that there's communication? And we don't get a single logical scrap of conversation between them, which just plain sucks. Because honestly, I can't even imagine what Harry and Ginny were talking about, down there at the lake. So, come on, woman, give.
And for the completely random comment inspired by my disliking Draco slightly less in HBP (ironically enough because of the fact that he appears to have suddenly grown a spine but not enough that he can kill Dumbledore) and the fact that it seems to be confirmed that Snape and the Malfoys actually like one another: I wonder if one of the reasons he dislikes Harry so much -- wanted so much to humiliate him or get him expelled -- is that he could sense that Snape hated him. I don't know why, but I find it an interesting thought that, although I'm sure he disliked Harry enough on account of him refusing to shake his hand on the Hogwarts Express, he may have also been trying to get into Snape's good grace.
As for getting a satisfactory resolution of the plot: I'm avoiding all spoilers if there are any. After all the fanfic written by thousands of authors, and after all the speculation, it would be a bit much to expect JKR to come up with something completely original, but I want it to be as much of a surprise as it can be. That being said, I like the speculation, I just don't want to know anything for sure. *g* The only thing I've seen so far are the American and British covers. I like the latter because it's sort of funny and it reminds me of the humour in the earlier books. It's just... good. Which makes me hopeful.
I really do hope Snape's Potions book makes another appearance. Because otherwise HBP wouldn't have much point, would it? Not to mention the whole chapter about Harry hiding the book away somewhere he can find it easily (surely she wouldn't have written that entire chapter just to write in the Vanishing Cabinet? Would she?). And didn't she say books 6 and 7 were really two halves to one whole? I hope it'll all make sense by the end of Deathly Hallows. C'mon, J.K.R., we know you can do it!
I really, really hope we'll find out more about Snape. Really. I want to find out everything there is to know about him, which is just not going to happen, considering this is told mostly from Harry's P.O.V., and because I suspect she's going to keep us on tethers wondering what he's up to till the book's grand finale. But I hope we'll find out enough about him to feel like it was worth it.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that we're not going to find out he was madly in love with Lily. Not because that would bother me per se, but because it would be the cheesiest, most cliche resolution possible. Just. No. Please. Whatever his reason for running over to the light side, I hope that wasn't it.
As for the possibility of Snape being purely evil, well, a lot of things in HBP (and previous books) wouldn't make any sense, then. But above all, it may be Dumbledore's trust in him that convinces me that J.K.R. wouldn't go down that path (that and the fact that I still believe she's a better writer than that): Dumbledore may be kind and forgiving and all that rot, but (in spite of appearances) he's no fool. The way he trusted Snape? He would've had a damned good reason to.
Which makes me wonder -- we still haven't cleared up that life debt thing. It was mentioned back in book one (back in the day when she wouldn't include any random facts like that without a good reason to), and then, that was it. Then there's another mention of life debts in PoA, where I think Dumbledore says that it's useful to have someone owe you a life debt. Now, considering the context, it makes sense that he's referring to Peter. But what if that was a hint on the importance of Snape owing a life debt to James? I find it interesting that it is always assumed that Snape is either a Bad Guy and was being a double spy, or that he changed sides out of the goodness of his poor bitter little heart. But what if he didn't have a choice?
What happens when someone you owe a life debt to dies? What happens if you're part of the reason they die? It doesn't make any sense that the debt would just shift onto the next generation, because by that standard you could murder the entire family of anyone you owe a life debt to except one and get away with it. Something's got to happen. And what if that's the reason -- or at least part of the reason -- Snape changed sides? Either way, this is perhaps the bit of plot resolution I am most curious about: the reason he changed sides. As I'm fairly confident we'll learn that much, I can only cross my fingers that it's not going to be something utterly corny.
Another thing I hope is that the whole Harry/Ginny angle is improved upon. Again, I don't have anything against Harry/Ginny per se, but I think she handled it horribly in HBP. What, they go and sit by the lake and talk? About what? That's the whole point of a meaningful relationship, isn't it, that there's communication? And we don't get a single logical scrap of conversation between them, which just plain sucks. Because honestly, I can't even imagine what Harry and Ginny were talking about, down there at the lake. So, come on, woman, give.
And for the completely random comment inspired by my disliking Draco slightly less in HBP (ironically enough because of the fact that he appears to have suddenly grown a spine but not enough that he can kill Dumbledore) and the fact that it seems to be confirmed that Snape and the Malfoys actually like one another: I wonder if one of the reasons he dislikes Harry so much -- wanted so much to humiliate him or get him expelled -- is that he could sense that Snape hated him. I don't know why, but I find it an interesting thought that, although I'm sure he disliked Harry enough on account of him refusing to shake his hand on the Hogwarts Express, he may have also been trying to get into Snape's good grace.
As for getting a satisfactory resolution of the plot: I'm avoiding all spoilers if there are any. After all the fanfic written by thousands of authors, and after all the speculation, it would be a bit much to expect JKR to come up with something completely original, but I want it to be as much of a surprise as it can be. That being said, I like the speculation, I just don't want to know anything for sure. *g* The only thing I've seen so far are the American and British covers. I like the latter because it's sort of funny and it reminds me of the humour in the earlier books. It's just... good. Which makes me hopeful.
I really do hope Snape's Potions book makes another appearance. Because otherwise HBP wouldn't have much point, would it? Not to mention the whole chapter about Harry hiding the book away somewhere he can find it easily (surely she wouldn't have written that entire chapter just to write in the Vanishing Cabinet? Would she?). And didn't she say books 6 and 7 were really two halves to one whole? I hope it'll all make sense by the end of Deathly Hallows. C'mon, J.K.R., we know you can do it!