Some Brief Impressions on Deathly Hallows

[sevthebat]

LE GAH.
Just got back from a brutal 8+ hours in the photo lab. That's an hour per roll of film I developed. What is the world coming to!?!?

Anyways, I finished Deathly Hallows early Saturday evening.
I loved it. ♥

SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ I knew I was right to worship him. xP;;;;
I don't know how any of you lot reacted to the book, since I've been sans-internets for a while, but I loved all the Snape/Lily-ness despite the far-too-obviousness of it all. Sympathetic!Snape is something I have been waiting for for a long long time.
The problem is that in the words of the Metatron the drawback to being a martyr is that you have to die. I was prepared for Snape to have a violent and unfair death. I was sure he would end up proving his loyalty in the process. But to see so much justification and read all those turbulently over-emotional scenes about my favourite character right after his death tore me up inside. TwT;
It also didn't improve my liking for snakes any, and reminds me of a nightmare I had as a kid.
I had expected that the average reader was supposed to end up feeling slightly (and in my case mostly) sorry for Snape. I had not expected him to be revealed as the most self-sacrificial person in the history of ever.
...
*takes Snape action figure from her bookshelf and makes a shrine for it* >>;

Also:

• HOMG. Wand!subtext, anyone? I cannot help but notice it. x3;
  Krum was upset at the idea of his fans knowing things about his wand. Draco's wand is apparently attracted to Harry. I could go on, but I would risk killing myself dead again.
  
• kthx, JKR, my most favourite characters are dead. And for some reason, I really don't mind. That is how wonderful your books are!
  Okay, so Regulus was already dead. But somehow, you made losing Snape and Remus somewhat bearable for me.
  
• Chapter thirty-three was unbelievably sappy. But I think it might just be my favourite in the entire series. I CRIED ALL THE WAY THROUGH. ;__;
  
• Hedwig. I am really terribly sorry that I am not even sorry. I wanted to be a little sad, but I couldn't manage it. Every other death had me feeling at least a sting of sad pity. But this one felt, altogether, pretty unimportant.
  
• Percy~! I always loved Percy. I was very glad to see him redeem himself AND LIVE. ♥
  
• Tonks/Remus is LOVE. I was so, so happy for them throughout the whole book. I cannot thank JKR enough for having their deaths happen off-page, too. It meant I didn't have to deal with the agony of seeing one of them lose the other first, which after Snape's Utterly Depressing Memoir, I could not have borne.
  
• Fred. :( I confess, my eyes only stung a little at first. But it was Percy's reaction that brought me over the edge into actual weeping.
  
• Neville = Herbology Professor SQUEE I TOLD YOU SO! :DDD

And some quotes. From near the end, because they come to mind quicker:

some compare/contrast:
"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" - James Potter (Deathly Hallows)

"Imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" - Draco Malfoy (Philosopher's Stone)

I really really liked this mirror with the first book. Because James and Draco actually are quite similar characters, and I think JKR was wonderful to touch on it. ♥
It creates this sort of four-way character foil, because post OotP, I have felt that Harry was much more like Snape than James, and Draco was actually more like James than Snape.
It also gives me an excuse to say just how much Snape > James. xP;

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"
Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair.
"No," he said. "It doesn't make any difference."
This is where I started crying properly and couldn't stop. Bah, I cannot help it. ;_;

I am also now going to annoy the hell out of anyone who insisted Snape disliked Hermione because of her birth by saying "I told you so" again.

"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, [...] "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
SEE? EVEN HARRY AGREES THAT SNAPE >>>>>> ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE. ♥
Also, I really hope that Harry and Ginny chose to home-school the kids when they were little, because *nobody* could survive Primary with a name like Albus Severus Potter. xP;

Urgh. And now, I am utterly drained by all this reading and typing about deaths and emo-ness.
I'm going to go mourn the loss of... my childhood, among other things. ToT;;