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Post by Sphi on Jul 15, 2005 14:23:16 GMT -5
Okay, so a lot of us are probably getting ready to attend (or hold ) Half-Blood Prince release parties right about now, but in just a day or two, I know there are going to be people anxious to talk about the book and whatever experiences that came along with getting it. Once you're done with the whole book (or before that, if you so choose, but don't say you haven't been warned about spoilers!) come here to share your thoughts, criticisms, favourite quotes...whatever you'd like.
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[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
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Post by [ Wiz ] on Jul 16, 2005 4:03:52 GMT -5
At last, I woke up at 7:00AM on a weekend (an amazing thing which doesn't happen everyday) just to get hold of the book as soon as it came through the letterbox. I literally tore the Amazon cardboard casing off with my hands to get the book. Ii've managed to clock around 120 pages so far in an hour which is good going at around 2 pages per min. Hope to finish it by tommorow, it's packed blood full of shocking surprises. Won't post any spoilers until I'm at least half way through the book. Happy reading everyone
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Post by KoNeko on Jul 16, 2005 8:09:52 GMT -5
I had to buy the book at the airport on my way home from my conference, I've gotten through about 5 chapters of it at the moment. I really like the fact there is so much kind of "this is what happened between the last book and now" stuff to bring you up to speed (but a lot of it you'll be like, ). It also appears to start of really really disturbingly dark for a HP book, but anyway. Dumbledore is more akin to Gandalf with every page...
The only thing that REALLY annoyed me though was the fact that the editors or publishers did a crap-poor job. There are a LOT of typos and spelling mistakes that weren't picked up or something or when they printed it the publishers kind of went "Oh, we need to get these books out and people will buy them anyway so we can be as half-arsed as we want" kind of attitude. And anyway that kind of apathy really annoys me. (I was so tempted to get my pencil out and circle all the mistakes... but I didn't want to deface my new HP book!) Otherwise it seems so far to be a pretty good book. There are a lot of new spells and charms and things like that and Draco already seems to be taking a turn for the worse... I'll write more as I finish reading it! Enjoy!!
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[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
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Post by [ Wiz ] on Jul 16, 2005 10:35:03 GMT -5
I'm on the 6th chapter at the mo, I've not picked up any typos or anything like that in my edition...... I think that this is one of the most vivid books that I've read so far! Stunning!
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Post by Fluffy on Jul 16, 2005 10:44:14 GMT -5
1. Who is R.A.B.? It can't be Regulus Black?
2.
3. Lupin and... ***?! But Hart makes a really good Lupin so... I guess I will come as *** to Halloween and such for a while. Hm.
4. This is going to sound really dumb, but... I just can't help thinking that Harry should have asked Dumbledore what his favourite kind of jam was. I just can't believe it was him.
5. I just can't help thinking that Dumbledore knew. And that he told the person he trusted to do that. I just... can't believe Dumbledore was wrong to trust him.
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Post by Me on Jul 16, 2005 16:46:04 GMT -5
I half expected Dumbledore to survive. I knew that Draco would not be able to do it, I just didn't expect Snape to be the one... But he had to have known that it would be Snape
I think that it is Regulus Black. I hope that it is, it would bring some justice to all of this.
I'm still in disbelief.
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Post by Fluffy on Jul 16, 2005 17:28:29 GMT -5
Well, and there you are. Maybe this is my disbelief talking but - I can't help thinking that it wasn't Dumbledore. No, seriously... when was the last time someone asked him what his favourite kind of jam was, before the end?
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Post by Rue on Jul 16, 2005 22:39:11 GMT -5
Hmm, it's a good thought, but I don't especially see how anyone could impersonate Dumbledore. The only really thorough way that I know a witch or wizard can disguise themselves as someone else is by the Polyjuice Potion. But at the end of the 4th book Dumbledore said that Crouch had to take it on the hour every hour, which would be almost impossible for someone who spent a few solid hours in Harry's company. This is really minor, but I also don't know if Fawkes would be able to act the way he did if it had been an imposter; it was just too genuine, and Fawkes would probably have the power to know Dumbledore's true whereabouts.
I was also thinking about ways that Dumbledore could have known and told the person. One of the Death Eaters made some comment about Dumbledore looking so exhausted and sick that killing him would merely speed things up a bit. And his exhaustion makes more sense if you consider the intended drinker of the potion in the cave. R.A.B. (who I also thought was Regulus) clearly left the note for Voldemort, and with this possible oppurtunity to weaken Voldemort he might also have left a more harmful potion than the one that Voldemort had left for himself.
But, whether the potion was harmful or not, it would've been really hard for the person Dumbledore trusted to save him without arising suspision. He couldn't save him in front of the Death Eaters, but he also couldn't break his Unbreakable Vow or else he would die and therefore leave Dumbledore in the sole custody of a bunch of Death Eaters. So by doing what he did he saved his life and the trust he has from the Death Eaters and Voldemort, which might have been the best option there was for the Order...
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Post by Simply Panda on Jul 16, 2005 23:18:28 GMT -5
it's been a while... finishing the 6th book, and haven't noone to discuss with has brought me back. first off... i loved it i called dumbledore being the one, but i wish it wasn't true. i was so sad when it happened. it was different from Serius. Serius died so quickly i didn't really have time to feel a whole lot of emotion... Dumbledore was suffering. He was also pleading with Draco... and Snape. It was heartwrenching. I am not going to lie. I cried more than a few tears. Is Harry really not going back to Hogwarts? I'm planning on rereading it in the next few weeks a bit slower so I can take everything in and really start to analyze what's going on (i'm a literature major, that's what i do )
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Post by Rubes on Jul 17, 2005 6:07:57 GMT -5
So you guys thought of Regulus as well? Maybe Sirius wasn't the only good Black Did the family tree in Book 5 give middle names?
The book was top notch. I had to knock it over quicksticks so that my sister could have a read as well. Not easy with a 6 hour close shift the night it came out
Keep an eye out for a theory (From the maker of "Dumbledore is Harry") that either Lily or Harry are a Horcrux for Mr. Volde. I'm working on it
Was it really Snape do you reckon? I can't think of any possible explanations for it, but I can't believe that Dumbledore would have been so wrong. Maybe he and Snape thought they could break the Unbreakable Vow? Severus had better do an Anakin, and throw Volde down into a Death Star, or I'm not going to be happy!
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[ Wiz ]
Gryffindor House Member
Posts: 529
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Post by [ Wiz ] on Jul 17, 2005 6:39:59 GMT -5
No way ! I expected someone to die but not.........not Dumbledore, it's just so......unreal, I wouldn't want to speak to JK for a few days in-case I start to question her (rather rudely). I thought he was bound to survive, I could already picture Malfoy working for Dumbledore when Snape just jumped in.......
I didn't even manage to understand the rest of the book 'cus I was so numb with the news of Dumbledore's death. Now I'm gonna have to read it again......
Snape being HBP - I thing he's got a big role to play in the next book, though I was dissapointed in turned out to be him.
R.A.B- I really doubt it is or rather, was, Regulus Black. I'd expect it to be someone more prominent in the story though I wouldn't put a bet on it, due to JK's extreme unpredictableness (sp?).
Harry or Lily being a Horcrux........interesting theory Rubes, I've not thought down that lane yet, but if it's true...........
Lupin and Tonks?- I thing they'd make a great pair, I seriously thought she fancied Sirious before, but the two of them being cousins I had my doubts...
Ginny and Harry, what a surprise, I certainly didn't expect it, I thought Cho might've been slightly more prominent in this book.
Ron- He's happy, got enough girls after him now......
Slughorn- amazing guy, reminds me of Moody's eccentric character. He's just wicked though.
No Hogwarts, I suppose Hogwarts will probably be used for OOTP headquarters and I'd give 5/10 that Harry will go back there next year.
Dumbledore's Office- I'm putting odds of 7/10 that Harry will explore it (not to mention Dumbledores memories) and find a lot of things he might use for his advantage.
The Future- Looking for horcruxes, finding and killing Snape....I can see the next book is going to involve a lot of gruesome details........
Sorry about the massive analysis, I needed to write it down somewhere so I wouldn't forget.
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Fantasia
Hufflepuff House Member
ale teraz wiem
Posts: 2,712
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Post by Fantasia on Jul 17, 2005 11:02:31 GMT -5
I think it's Regulus as well. But !!! I half expected it to be Dumbledore, so it wasn't his death that really got to me. It was the whole scene, with Draco and Snape. Before reading HBP, I didn't like Draco. I always thought he was an ungrateful little snot. And while some found him endearing, I hated him. Now his is undoubtably my favourite character, and I couldn't love him more. The bit with him crying to Myrtle...oh my god! It reminds me of my feelings toward the latest Star Wars movie. When Anakin killed the younglings and the seperatists, I cried for him and wanted to hug him so badly. I hate it when people are either forced, deluded or blackmailed into doing wicked deeds for the ones they love. Like Narcissa. It's such a powerful motive....So...this book changed my whole take on the Black family. Also, before reading HBP, I rather liked Snape. Even though Harry and his crew hated him, I always believed that he had a good soul, and decent motives.....but he killed him. He was defensless, trusting, begging....and he killed him. favourite line from the book: "Someone's dead," said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. "One of your people...I don't know who, it was dark...I stepped over the body...I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way..." "Yes, they do that," said Dumbledore. R.I.P.
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Post by Fluffy on Jul 17, 2005 12:15:56 GMT -5
Okay, I think you're right really; Fawkes would know. But I think Dumbledore ordered Snape to do that, or that Snape had to do it to protect Harry, or both. Dumbledore knew he wasn't as important to the final resolution as Harry was; he kept saying so; and he made it clear that he was ready to make the final sacrifice by the way he told Harry to keep making him drink the potion. Snape's got to be trying to save Harry somehow. I just can't believe he's really a traitor.
Mum just suggested that the reason Mundungus has been lightfingering stuff from the Black house might be that he was looking for something... that he had figured out that the locket was out there - and that Regulus, before his death, stole the locket and hid it in his own house. I dunno whether I credit Mundungus like that, but what if Mundungus did nick the locket and accidentally sell it to someone who did know what it was?
GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
OotP p. 116!
All right, so I'm really twitching about the Horcruxes. We know that there are seven parts to Voldemort's soul: one is in his body, one was in the diary, one was in the ring. One is probably in Hufflepuff's Cup, and one in the locket, and one in Nagini.
One is probably in a relic of Ravenclaw (since Gryffindor's sword is locked up); what would a relic of Ravenclaw be? I can't help thinking of the suits in a Tarot deck: Sword = Gryffindor, Cup = Hufflepuff, Pentacle = Slytherin (the ring with the black stone in), and that would mean Wand (or quill maybe?) = Ravenclaw?
More questions: Where is Snape's potion book now? Did Malfoy find it in the cabinet?
We never saw Malfoy's dark mark. Does he really have one? What does it tell us that he didn't kill Dumbledore?
And most importantly of all: Where is Dumbledore's headmaster portrait?
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Post by hermoine on Jul 17, 2005 13:34:02 GMT -5
I can't believe I'm so late in finishing it! Grrr...I swore to myself I wouldn't go on the computer before I finished the book and so I've done, but I see you guys all outsmarted me.
I can't believe Dumbledore's dead!! I have spent the last chapter crying over my favourite shirt with french writing , thinking how we won't hear that beautiful quote, "Alas, earwax!" again!
I had always thought he'd die in the 7th book, but not now!!!
Though I found some mistakes. Didn't Hermione have 10 OWL's instead of 11? And how come Hermione could do the apparition test if her birthday's in September?
You got me thinking about Ravenclaw's object En. What if Ollivander has it? There must be a reason he was kidnapped, even though I suppose, there's no real reason Fortescue was kidnapped either, for all we know.
But En, how could Draco have killed Dumbledore if when Snape arrived by his side, Dumbledore was still speaking though barely? And isn't Dumbledore's portrait in the Headmaster's office, along with the others? Or do you mean, in what other places is there one?
I was pretty happy with the relationship-pairings really. Just how I thought they'd be. I loved the way Fleur reacted in the end though.
And I also loved the dialogue between Ginny and Ron when he caught her in the secret corridor with Dean.
Oh and I hate McLaggen.
Snape, well, Snape is still a mystery to me.... Though I knew he was the half-blood prince then, thanks to Rita's brilliant theory which hooked me completely.
And I also think it is Regulus Black who took the locket. Unless it is some new character of course.
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Post by Simply Panda on Jul 17, 2005 14:09:47 GMT -5
i do get the feeling that Harry is a horcrux... dumbledore said that voldemort transferred some of his power into harry... part of his soul? we shall see! buuut... oh, how sad that would be.
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