Comments | hih_greathall: New Writings from JKR (for which I endured Pottermore so you don't have to)

j_okay in hih_greathall

New Writings from JKR (for which I endured Pottermore so you don't have to)

Oct 31, 2014 15:04

Pottermore has released The Order of the Phoenix path along with some fresh new information from JKR, and today I was just curious and bored enough to log in.

The new writings come in four parts: the Minister of Magic, Thestrals, Umbridge, and Trelawney. [EDIT: THERE ARE MORE WRITINGS THAN THIS. I STOPPED READING PREMATURELY WHEN I MADE THIS ( Read more... )

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Comments 15

erinm_4600 October 31 2014, 20:26:29 UTC

THEY CAN TRY TO EAT CAERBANNOG BUT THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED!

j_okay November 1 2014, 13:54:05 UTC

Hahaaaaaa!

An unforseen carriage pile-up occured after a rabbit decapitated a team of thestrals....

mmailliw November 1 2014, 02:58:47 UTC

*sharpens fangs to a length of six inches*

Grrrr... She made Umbridge definitively Slytherin (so that even I couldn't argue with her Sort) but in such a way that I have absolutely no sympathy towards her at all.

Also: I always had pegged her as a Mudblood (for her I'd use the full slur) and it's kind of awesome that her dad's name sounds like a play on both Oxford and Cambridge.

j_okay November 1 2014, 14:05:19 UTC

Yeah, these new writing weren't very friendly to Slytherins. I liked that several Slytherins around Harry's age have Ministers for Magic in their ancestry - that seems very appropriate - but do they ALL have to be notoriously anti-Muggle?

Shake my head, Rowling....

Just curious, did you have any thoughts on what Umbridge's House would be before?

mmailliw November 1 2014, 15:18:02 UTC

Before JKR revealed Umbridge as a Slytherin I thought she was either a Gryffindor (think of a bizarro McGonagall, with absolutely no subtlety) or a Hufflepuff (a Hufflepuff villain in charge of Hogwarts might act EXACTLY like Umbridge did during her time there).

AFTER her house was revealed, I wrote this in response...

j_okay November 1 2014, 15:35:27 UTC

I wasn't aware of that video interview. WHERE HAVE I BEEN ugh.

Oh man, I love the idea of a Hufflepuff Umbridge. Her frilly pink style could even be a play on the Hufflepuffs-as-total-sweetiepies misconception. Plus everything else, not least the whole MUST NOT TELL LIES thing... That is such a missed opportunity.

Thread 9

schizophrenic0 November 2 2014, 02:21:29 UTC

As a fellow Pisces Ravenclaw I must say I 100% approve of Trelawney's birthday and sorting. As I've reread the books, I've often found myself drawn to Trelawney, and, admittedly, I do feel a bit of a connection to her (which is interesting considering I'm stamped as Hermione, and rightfully so, in my opinion). But still, I think people are too hard on Trelawney, including J.K. herself in what she writes on Pottermore.

Also, I loved the bit on Thestrals since I consider them my favorite of the magical creatures.

j_okay November 3 2014, 23:07:49 UTC

I've grown to like Trelawney more since the first time I read the books also. I was very glad to see her sorted into Ravenclaw. I like the idea that our House is filled with quirky people with a dramatic sense of fashion (see also: Gilderoy Lockhart). And yeah, is a bit harsh to say that Trelawney's "full of hot air and self-importance." It flattens her character in a way - makes her less interesting and sympathetic.

flyingharmony November 3 2014, 18:29:03 UTC

The part about Azkaban seriously drove a shiver down my spine, tbh. And gave me fic ideas. Lots of fic ideas. I couldn't stop thinking WHAT IF THESE DEMENTORS ARE THE SAILORS and totally creeped myself out even more with that ( ... )

j_okay November 4 2014, 20:51:55 UTC

I hadn't gotten to the Azkaban part of the book when I posted this, obviously.... *smacks head* Thanks for bringing it up!

Yeah, it does seem very likely that the Dementors were once Muggle sailors! Very Ringwraithy.

Also, thanks for sharing your perspective on Bellatrix. I admit that the Umbridge-Bellatrix comparison made perfect sense to me when I first read it. I suppose that apart from their sadism, they really are very different. And for the first time, I get how people can view Bellatrix as worthy of awe and respect (I don't want to go so far as to say "admiration," but who knows).

ALSO, did you read the stuff about Naming Seers? (These Seers are paid to "predict [a] child's future and suggest an appropriate moniker.") That was a brilliant move on Rowling's part to cover the fact that so many characters were given uncannily appropriate names - although this still doesn't explain why Remus LUPIN has a wolfish surname as well as first name.... Haha.