HBP

[emmagrant01]

I read it! I spent the whole day reading it. Wow, wow, wow.



I haven't read anyone else's comments yet, on purpose. I wanted to write down my own thoughts before hearing what other people have thought. As a caveat, this is literally my impression after a first reading, and my ideas will probably continue to evolve. Feel free to comment, disagree, and so on as you like. This review will focus on two things: my thoughts about the book itself, and how it affects my view of the fandom, especially the slashy side.

I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book -- very well-plotted, well-written gen fan fiction, but fan fiction nonetheless. This just goes to show 1) how many truly talented fanfic writers there are out there, and 2) how much fan fiction means to me as a HP fan.

I don't feel like this book added very much to the HP universe. It wasn't as ground-shaking a read as any of the other books have been for me. I was impressed by two new additions to the magic: non-verbal spell-casting (which explains why the adults in the films spend so much time waving their wands and getting nice results with no spells) and apparition. I was disappointed with the way apparition played out, though, I have to say. I thought it would be better explained than it was. It felt like JKR just sort of waved her hands at it because she had to. But other than that, I'm not sure what this book really added to the magic of the universe.

I guess my general reaction to the book is one of acceptance. We're on the downhill slide of this story, and the plot lines are going to be wrapped up. I almost dread the last book now. But I have to say it felt like not a lot happened in this book. It felt so slow-paced compared to the others. The whole point seemed to be to give Harry and Dumbledore a chance to rebuild their relationship before Dumbledore was inevitably bumped off. But more on that later.

Harry: He certainly grew up a lot ofter OOTP, didn't he? He was almost a different character altogether. It was definitely time for him to start acting like an adult, but I wish we could have seen a bit more of that transformation. Only a few weeks passed between the books, but Harry had transformed. Perhaps people really do change that quickly, but it seemed a little much to me.

Ron/Lavender & Ron/Hermione: Can I just say that I love horn-dog Ron? Man, when he decided it was time to get some sexual experience, he just went out and got it. I adored the scenes about his schmoopy relationship with Lavender! It's like JKR was making fun of every bad fic on FFN. I also like the fact that he and Hermione dated other people, because it adds something to their relationship.

Harry/Ginny: I've seriously been rooting for this pairing ever since CoS. So, so happy to see it appear here. I love Harry and Ginny together -- they're so very well matched. Harry even says it at the end. He knows Ginny will understand why he has to go, and she does. That was an interesting gesture, and I doubt their relationship is really over.

Draco: I was enraptured by Draco in this fic! All of his sneaking around and angsting about what he had to do were, frankly, a fangirl's dream. This has to be the slashiest Harry/Draco book yet. I mean, hell -- Harry even admits to obsesssing over Draco! The moment Moaning Myrtle said a boy would come to the bathroom and cry to her, I knew it had to be Draco, and it totally blew my mind. And Draco tries to kill Dumbledore and can't! He's even on the verge of accepting Dumbledore's offer before the DEs come out. I was like, "Hello, when did JKR start writing fanon!Draco?" He just needed to be gay and it would have been the cherry on top! So, so much potential for H/D slash here.

I should say that I spent a good chunk of this book convinced that Draco was a werewolf, and that was what he had been up to. I was relieved it didn't turn out that way, but I'm still suspicious. There were too many physical symptoms described, and the moon was definitely not full when he escaped with Snape into the forest. I'm just sayin'.

Oh, and the dark curse Harry cast at Draco in the bathroom! Harry's sense of horror and remorse at what he had done really spoke volumes to me, not so much about H/D, but about who Harry really is deep down. He couldn't even cast a crucio at Bellatrix in book 5 because he doesn't have that much hate in him, so it shouldn't be surprising that he instantly regrets what he's done to Draco. Of course, he forgets it pretty quickly and becomes self-centered again, but still. That was a very cool moment! I was surprised that there wasn't more vitriole from Snape at that. He really seemed to believe that Harry didn't mean to hurt Draco.

sistermagpie has a fantastic essay about Draco's role in the book here.

Snape: Dear GOD, the potential for Snape/Draco slash! Snape taking a frickin' oath to protect Draco at all costs, knowing that it meant he would have to kill Dumbledore? JKR has handed us that one on a silver fucking platter. I'm not really a Snarry fan, so I have no idea how this book affects those folks. I'm so completely intrigued by the role Snape is going to play in the last book. I also like the fact that he has Draco with him wherever he is and has Draco's trust. I really, really want Draco to be redeemed, and though I doubt I'll get it, the book at least leaves that possibility open. Oh, and Snape being the one who revealed the prophecy to Voldemort? Oooooooh.

And Snape is the half-blood prince? I thought about that early on, but the date of the book threw me off. Very clever... Oh, and I thought Snape was pureblood, but apparently his father was a Muggle? I thought I remembered something about the Snape family being very old, from the tapestry at 12 Grimmauld Place. Need to re-read OOTP still.

jedirita mentioned the irony of Snape and Harry bonding through the book. That seems like an Snarry shipper's dream, doesn't it? ;-)

Lupin/Tonks: That was entirely unnecessary, and seemed to be a deliberate dig at the Sirius/Remus shippers. Or is it just me?

Blaise Zabini: Is black and extremely good-looking. Oh, let the Draco/Blaise fic fly! And why does Blaise being black bother some people?

Dumbledore: This character is such an enigma, and I wonder if we'll learn more about him. Even though I stayed away from spoilers, I knew he would die in this book, because he HAD to. It's Joseph Campbell all over again: the wise mentor has to die before the hero finishes the journey, because the journey is ultimately something that the hero must undertake alone. I was really intrigued by what Dumbledore suffered while drinking the green potion, too. And I was also intrigued by his bond with Snape. I really, really hope we learn what that is.

R. A. B.: Regulus A. Black. Duh?

Okay, and what does the new book mean for fan fic and slash fandom? It means whatever the fuck we want it to mean. I'm sure there'll be a chorus of "Oh, all these fics are AU now, boo hoo!" But they were always going to be. It doesn't affect STG or LMH for me. It will probably affect what I write in the future, but I really don't see that any doors have been closed as a result of this book. At least, none of the doors I care about have been closed, and a couple of new ones have been opened.

The biggest impact I see on the fandom is the hint that the seventh book may not take place at Hogwarts. Which makes post-Hogwarts H/D fic SO fucking awesome! I mean, think of the possibilities! But I know Hogwarts-based fic is really popular, and I'm sure this will have an impact on that genre of fic. Of course, there are so many opportunities for shippy fic from this book. The sheer amount of sex one could write set in HBP is mind-boggling!



Edit: more thoughts, the morning after

Reading other people's comments has been a lot of fun, and it's got me thinking more about certain parts of the story. I really need to read it again, but I'm thinking of re-reading GOF and OOTP first.

On Harry/Ginny: The Harry/Hermione folks are being particularly snarky about this one. I've seen a few posts that say that H/G makes no sense because it seemed to come from out of the blue. Well, I don't think it did, actually, because JKR's been hinting at it for a while. But it's certainly true that Harry didn't realize it until he saw Ginny kissing Dean. And that's completely realistic! It happens very often that people suddenly realize their attraction for someone they've known for a while. In fact, that's true of me and my husband, and of my sister and her husband. It comes across as sour grapes, IMO. Just grab that life preserver folks, K?

Snape is a good guy: I was really surprised to read that so many people aren't sure that Snape is a good guy. It was so completely obvious to me that he was following Dumbledore's wishes at the end! But other people have explained this much more eloquently than I ever could. I particularly like jedirita's post on the topic (see link below). And maeglinyedi has a fascinating theory that it will be Snape who kills Voldemort, not Harry (Part 1, part 2). It's a really, really interesting thought.

Lupin/Tonks: While very sweet, it still seemed a bit superfluous to me. But I really do like the arguments people are making for this being something Remus really needs. I'm still thinking something more was going on with Tonks, though. She wasn't just lovesick.

Is Draco a werewolf? There were so many hints dropped about Draco, and they reminded me a lot of the ones that were dropped in POA about Lupin. I have a hard time believing that just his task would have taken such a huge physical toll on him. Maybe it would, but the intertwining of werewolf hints and Draco's story set me on edge. Even for his obsession, Harry missed a lot of what was happening with Draco. Does Draco have a dark mark, or was that wound on his arm something else? Why was his mother so afraid for his life that she begged Snape to intervene? It seems like there's more going on there than was shown. I'll have to think about it some more.

Blue-ghostie!Dumbledore: The portrait of Dumbledore appearing in the headmaster's office got me wondering how much we will see of Dumbledore in the last book. Is he going to advise Harry like Obi-Wan advises Luke? The portraits in Dumbledore's office seem to be very special ones, after all. And it was interesting that Dumbledore's portrait was asleep when McGonagall was questioning Harry. Was he pretending? I'm thinking yes. It was too soon for Harry to face talking to him in a portrait.

Voldemort's redneck roots: Did anybody else hear the theme from Deliverance playing during that memory of Voldemort's grandfather? Holy fuck. This is why we don't marry our cousins, you know?

The horcruxes: nchurricanes10 says. "in OOTP there's a mention of a heavy gold locket that no one could open at Grimmauld Place." Eee! And there's discussion that not Harry himself but Harry's scar may be a horcrux. So... what, plastic surgery for our boy?



Links to others' comments:

marksykins here
maeglinyedi has a list of links here.
darththalia here
daily_snitch has a great list of links here
primroseburrows here
jedirita talks about Snape as the HBP, his continuing efforts to teach Harry, and his sacrifice here.
maeglinyedi has a fascinating theory that it will be Snape who kills Voldemort, not Harry (Part 1, part 2)
fictualities gives a great analysis of Harry's "homework" from Dumbledore as a lesson in how to be a Slytherin here.
sistermagpie has a fantastic essay about Draco's role in the book here.

Comments

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book --

THANK YOU! I so felt that way, and frankly, I should have given my money to you because I think I liked LMH more than this. I mean, it was good, but that was better.

And I so feel H/D wins at canon now. *gloats around*

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm wondering if my feeling of it being fan fic is a result of the fact that I read the first five books before I got into HP fanfic? But still, it felt surreal to read it, and there were so many things in there that seemed fanon to me -- especially all of the romantic parts. There was never a point where I was anxiety-ridden while reading this, and that was basically my experience of reading OOTP, you know?

[littleroo27.livejournal.com]

Wow, you wrote my thoughts out so much better then I did myself. I also had a feeling of "did JKR read fanfic while writing this?" And Draco - OMG, yeah, he was soooo fannon, it made me giggle.

My only hope is that in book 7 we get Snape/Dumbledore history.

I really did love the Tom Riddle history provided in this book, and I loved the book as a whole. *cuddles HBP*

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

God, fanon!Draco! So much so that it mad eme go WTF? a few times!

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

anise_anise had the same thought about the Werewolf!Draco.
As for Snarry, I was a bit worried about it since I'm a bit of a Post-Hogwarts Snarry person. But...I read some essays that work with the book and such that basically say he may not be all bad.

and linkage

the_bitter_word has an interesting point on the Harry Potter series here
lilith_morgana has an essay on Snape, Harry, Dumbledore and Redemption
midnitemaraud_r has a theory that Harry is an accidental Horlux

maeglinyedi has a list of theories here and here

My thoughts here and here

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links!

Oh, I don't but that Snape is a bad guy, not at all. My guess is that Dumbledore knew about the vow and told Snape to kill him if it became necessary.

[catchmelike.livejournal.com]

Lupin/Tonks: That was entirely unnecessary, and seemed to be a deliberate dig at the Sirius/Remus shippers. Or is it just me?

I felt that way too. It just didn't seem like there would be *any* other reason for it that I can think of.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes -- it was just out of the blue!

[killerxlove.livejournal.com]

i completely agree that this book seemed like i was reading another fanfic. and it also seemed that JKR was trying to fit in hints of, or slight mentions of as many ships as she could, which i think gave off an odd effect...

overall i thought the book was incredible though, but i do agree that the transition in the characters moods from book 5 to 6 was far too drastic... it went from ungodly ammounts of angst to very mature, serious, and somewhat dry. but then again, whats to be expected? at this point in the story, it NEEDS to be more mature and serious, and not angsty.

i honestly cant wait for the next book.. because just the possibilities of whats going to happen that were shown in HBP are just amazing, such as the fact he may not return to hogwarts, which i feel would add an excellent twist. and as far as dumbledore being knocked off... sadly i wasnt shocked by that, as some asshole posted it in harry/draco communities in massive font, with scanned pages. i didnt look at the pages, but seeing the huge font was inevitable when i opened my page, so i had that part of the book spoiled for me.

and i dont think JKR has really been consistent with the feel of her books... such as the first 3 have this magical, mostly care-free feel about them, 5 sobered a little, but still care-free till the ending.. 5 was filled with angst, and then this one was just.. i think she tried to put far too much information in this book. i believe she left too much open in the first 5 books, and suddenly filled this one with a lot of it, such as voldemorts history. he was always made out to be just some guy who went bad with hunger for power, but then suddenly this book is telling us how he was always like that, and giving a lot of this history. just a little too much at once for me.

sorry for all that if it doesnt really pertain to your entry.. i just havent had anyone i know finish the book, and i saw your entry as a good opportunity to discuss and vent my feelings of the book.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I can't believe someone spoiled for Dumbledore's death. I'm sure they used sock puppet LJ to do it, too. I'm so glad I didn't see it!

You have an interesting point abotu this book being a lot of information dump. It was interesting, but it made this book feel so different from the others.

[kiarene.livejournal.com]

Er, I must say -- thank you for the spoilers. ^___^;;

From the first couple of books, I was head over heels for Draco. And Slytherins. Draco did seem redeemable, but he would never be a goody-pansy. I love that. I like non-straightfoward characters. But I was disappointed with how the fourth and fifth book went and I wasn't planning to even read the sixth. Just hide my head in fanfiction...

But now I'm really curious, based on the spoilers you mentioned. And cheered up about Draco. =P

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting read, certainly. But it still feels like fan fic to me!

[yaycoffee.livejournal.com]

I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book . . . This just goes to show 1) how many truly talented fanfic writers there are out there, and 2) how much fan fiction means to me as a HP fan OMG--me too! I'm glad someone else thought this. I kept reading it going, "Wow--is she doing this on PURPOSE???!!!"

Only a few weeks passed between the books, but Harry had transformed. Perhaps people really do change that quickly, but it seemed a little much to me. Well, we did see the beginnings of this transformation at the VERY VERY end of OotP after Harry stops screaming and throwing things. Really, after his convo with Luna. We do see this starting to happen--Harry starting to grow up. I did expect a little more Sirius wangsting on his part, but I did like how Rowling did this. I love the maturity Harry showed, and I loved that his thoughts weren't always as mature as what he actualy said. He now has a Filter. Yay for the Filter!

Werewolf! Draco--I didn't even think that, but now I do. Hmmmmm. Interesting. I will give this my upmost attention during the re-read.

On Lupin/Tonks--I don't think that this debunks the puppies AT ALL. In fact--the Christmas scene. . .she fuels the puppylove fire with Celestina Warbec's song lyrics. I pretty much mourned for the pups during this entire scene. Woe! TheirLoveIsSoTragic!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

He now has a Filter. Yay for the Filter!

Yes! I was very happy about that.

the Christmas scene. . .she fuels the puppylove fire with Celestina Warbec's song lyrics.

Yes, me too! That's exactly what I was thinking. And I guess Remus never really says Tonks' feelings are reciprocated, does he? ;-) Oh course, current Remus/Tonks does not contradict prior Remus/Sirius. Good point.

[darthrami.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they're all linked elsewhere at some point, but I've been collected reactions and such in my memories.

[shudaizi.livejournal.com]

Just thought you might be interested in this by pandarus. It discusses the whole "it reads like fanfic" wave of comments that started from the first review practically.

I do agree with some of your comments, I love the book, even though I kept feeling that the sceens in the pensieve were slowing the book down. It was interesting getting that glimpse of the past, and I'm sure it will be relevent in book 7, I just felt...I dunno. I haven't finished figuring it out yet. I also think the book needed about 200 more pages as tightly written. The reason I say this is because I dont see how she can tie up all the loose strings and answer everything we need answered in one book.

And what was up with that entire first chapter? That space could have been used to show how Harry developed, or something. She didn't need a chapter to tell us Fudge wasn't minister anymore.


I LOVED LOVED LOVED Draco in this book. He is so much edgier than before, developing a real character, I wish we could have seen more of him. He has grown up some, seen a darker side of life and it's effecting him. He doesn't pull those childish pranks anymore, and I don't count the sceen on the train as a childish prank. That was getting some of his own back plain and simple. He saw an opportunity for revenge, and took it and left and that was it. He doesnt really hound Harry at all this book. If anything, it's Harry going after Draco. For the first time, Draco is a threat, and not a just a nuisuence. I loved that he cried in the bathroom, it gives Harry a chance to see another side of Draco, even if doesnt last more than a few seconds, Harry saw it and will be effected by it. I loved that he poured his heart out Moaning Myrtle, it made him seem approachable. Oh my favorite ship will have a field day with this new Draco. (NO! NOT Moaning Myrtle. Sheesh. It's Harry/Draco)

I loved the way Harry stood up to people who thought they coould dominate him simply because they had some type of authority. When he told Scrimgeour that the Ministry had their chance for his support and blew it I actually chered. I LOVED when he told Snape that Snape didn't have to call him 'Sir'. (Oh the tension that the Snarry slashers will turn in to UST. Lovely.)


I actually lifted some of that from my reaction post found here

I've been looking for people to just chat with the book with, but none of my friends read as fast as I do. :)

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten about the first chapter, but yeah -- what was up with that?

Oh, Draco! I really never thought we'd get so much from JKR, but she made him into such a real character, finally. The H/D shippers will have a field day, and I can't wait!

[abbycadabra.livejournal.com]

I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book

And Harry/Draco at that!

But seriously, I STILL feel like I've just read an amazing piece of fanfic. Draco was very, very nearly redeemed (I think he will be soon enough), somebody died, and there was so much freakin' snogging! I agree, just goes to show how amazing some fanfic writers are in interpretting and predicting the characters' actions. I felt like I'd seen most of it before (the Draco parts particularly).

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes! It was so weird to read it all as canon.

I'm getting some ideas, btw. ;-)

[gossymer.livejournal.com]

You know, I think it's the H/D ship that is the happiest post-HBP.

Snarry shippers are have scared and half hopeful. Het shippers who may have gotten their moment of glory were rather unhappy with characterisation (esp. H/G R/Hr)- JKR seriously can't write romance.

But us- we got the subtext, the character development, The Moment (bathroom) we were waiting for.

Yes, I've been waiting years for this. H/D is not canon and never will be- but this will probably be the closest we'll see the two (the Horcruxes will occupy harry's time in bk 7 if Draco soesn't switch sides)

Posts like the following one, makes me sad for other shippers:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sienna291973/3399.html

Moving on...

Only JKR can write Dumbledore- from the moment he enters the Dursley's house to his death- he is uniquely Albus. In a way I’m glad he is dead, since there won’t be any dealing with shoddy characterization of him.

Blaise- black with his high cheek bones and exotic eyes? Total shocker and WTF moment but he is still a gorgeous guy. Also…black pureblood…issues?

When I first read that Fred and George were involved in Research and Development of magic items for war purposes, my first thought was, "you don't want the other side getting that". Whaddaya know- Draco is such a smart little boy…Dark powder...*smug grin*

For once Harry's cheating and his friends don't root for him (with HBP potion book)

Harry- mentions Tom is handsome way too many times, thinks far more about Draco than he does Ginny, and JKR tries to use the ‘little monster’ idea for explaining lust and emotions- she really is bad at the romance. Though I have to say the movie for this book will be interesting, visually speaking- the amount of snogging…hmmm.

Musings on Draco:

Draco breaking Harry's nose- I just went HAH! In your face! It was payback for the punches in OotP and the hexes at the end of GoF.

Draco gnoring QUIDITCH! Slytherin in fourth place for house cup...wow. In some ways, the fact that he is sort of Mastor of the Manor now, is driven home, with the fact that its not Lucius going to shady areas such as Knockturn Alley, but Draco, alone. Considering Draco has had no experience besides being under Lucius’ tutelage (whuch was just a lot of hot air but no actions- Draco only saw horseless carriages in OotP) and the few pranks he thought off over the years.
Until this year, he never had the pressures of having to save his family by killing someone else. He has actually been more of a model student than even Hermione

Now about Draco’s plotting- for work done all on his own, he has guts. In a year, Draco was able to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts, something I don’t think had occurred for quite some time given the public’s belief in the safety of the school. He manages to bring down Hogwarts when protection has never been higher- how many Death Eaters have ever done that? And this is considering the fact that we don’t know if draco IS a deatheater.

About being unable to kill Albus: Draco has been bred on the prejudice, the loathing and the hatred of all things that Dumbledore stands for...to be able to not cast the spell to kill, is such a change in character I as yet can't grasp it.
The closest we have to this on Harry's side is Percy- but even that isn't quite right- Draco canNOT kill to save himself or his family, in cold blooded murder. This may go down as whiny or weak to many people- but to be unable to push yourself even with peer pressure (the Death Eaters) was so shocking that I was speechless.

to be continued...
----------------------------------

[shudaizi.livejournal.com]

JKR seriously can't write romance

Why does everyone expect that these kids will have found their One True Love at 15 and 16? I've seen several variations on the theme, and it's driving me nuts. I remember being 15 and 16, you like a guy one day, you like someone else the next. This isn't a Harlequin romance where by the end of the story you'll end up married and living happily ever after. One person commented that Ginny was the Griffendor bike. I almost blew my top.

I don't expect these kids to have the wisdom of Methuselah. I let the making-the-kids-more-mature-than-teens-usually-are slide in fan-fic because thats the nature of the beast, I like fan fic the way it is. Sometimes it just works out that one day you wake up and notice what was there all along. I started dating my roommate that way. We were insult buddies, then one day I literally looked up and there he was. But I think JKR is getting it right.

"Blaise- black with his high cheek bones and exotic eyes? Total shocker and WTF moment but he is still a gorgeous guy. Also…black pureblood…issues?"

You don't think there aren't wizards in Africa? Pureblood is a magic/non-magic question, not skin color. I have no issues. Plus, obviously Snape and Riddle aren't purebloods. Slytherin will take non-purebloods, but I bet it isn't something you advertise.

Dumbledore stands for...to be able to not cast the spell to kill, is such a change in character I as yet can't grasp it.

Why not? It is one thing to play childish pranks another to being required by the man who holds your family hostage to commit murder. Draco is a kid. He will spout the ideals he was brought up with, but when it comes down to it, he doesn't want to do the killing himself. You are right that he retains his innocence, but murder is a bigger step than he bargined on when signed up. On top of that being asked to kill one of the greatest wizards of the age... No, I think the scene played right again.

[gossymer.livejournal.com]

Notice Ernie, Draco and harry are the only ones who aren't of age (they don't do the aparition test)? The thing is that while Draco is growing up so quickly in this book, Harry is also moving forward- to become the legend, the figurehead, the one to destroy Voldemorte. In this way the gap between them is still as big as ever. In this book, Dumbledore makes Harry his protégé. Draco grows. Snape takes steps in serving his side, that there may be no redemption for in the public eye- except to make a martyr of him.

Draco in some ways, up until OotP, viewed Snape as a pseudo-mentor- perhaps Bellatrix drove a wedge between them when she taught Draco occlumency. Btw- Draco blocking Snape out of his head? WTF?

SS/HP, SS/DM and HP/DM is really going to be going through a tug of war in my opinion.

Also even though Hermione pointed it out, I can’t believe Harry dismissed the fact the Death Eater’s used the Half-Blood Prince’s spells as evidence that he could be a Death Eater. About the HBP potions book: how much *work* did Snape put into potions and the dark arts- his notes could have only come through trial and error- I bet he had no life in Hogwarts, well, at least no friends.

I really don't think Nagini is a horcrux; I think its Harry. Seriously, his gifts such as parsletongue, his connection to Voldemorte- he's got a seventh of Voldie's soul dammit. Or maybe the Dark Lord tore it out of him when he absorbed the blood for the resurrection in GoF.

Emotionally, as of yet, this is not my favorite HP book. That title goes to OotP since I could so relate to the teenage angst. In HBP Harry’s personality is completely different in 2 short weeks- I was sort of like, WTF?
Anyway, GoF was brilliant for the cannon fodder and IDEAS. But HBP will always be remembered for its messages- some which I have yet to figure out, and probably won’t till the last book.

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[kirili.livejournal.com]

HPB made me cry and walk around like a for about a day. As soon as I finished the other books I reread them but HBP is scary. The last paragraph makes me cry (tried to work out if I could reread it but was reduced to tears and fled).
All that waffled, I think its too. Unhopeful to be the bestest. Ahem.

And yea, all I meant to say was I agree.

[kirili.livejournal.com]

Doesn't he look like Blaise? Maybe its just me cause I watched a day three of the Sri Lanka vs West Indies match and his profile pic thing looked a lot like I imagined Blaise when I got round to it but take off the cap, put make up on the eyes and isn't he looks like the grown up!Blaise to me :D.
http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/144075.html (scroll down, if you can be assed but yea, he's the jumping guy)


And yes, it seemed a lot like fanfiction, which along with what you have said goes to show how much is picked up when we read Harry Potters :D

[kirili.livejournal.com]

ahem. no scrolly.

[uraniagc.livejournal.com]

you pretty summed up what i thought. except that i thought draco may have been a vampire...

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes, I played around with the vampire idea too. But there's that whole pesky sun problem, right?

[spikeslustylove.livejournal.com]

I wasn't disappointed at all in the book. Granted, Ginny/Draco isn't my favorite pairing,(H/D, c'mon) but I can learn to live with it. During OotP, I didn't cry when Sirius died, but as soon as I read about Albus....I never cried that hard.

Also, I added you, because I'm just to lazy to type in your journal to find if you updated on Surrender The Gray. :D

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool! You know, I update STG every Wednesday morning between 7-9 am CST, if that helps. :-)

No disagreement from this corner...

[(Anonymous)]

Felt the same - it was like reading good fan fic!!! And as you said, that just says how good the ff writers are out there... I actually figured out that Snape was the HBP early, but the end was still a surprise. I did keep wondering where Cho was - completely relegated to the sidelines. But I gotta think JKR IS gonna save Draco.

Now the only remaining question is are YOU gonna save him!?! Looking forward to your next installment, as always.

And yeah, gonna break down and get a live journal as soon as I get back from this hol ;)

Cheers
Brett

[celticballet.livejournal.com]

I was nodding my head the whole time I was reading this. I totally agree with everything you said. Like the whole Remus/Tonks thing, totally random, but I thought it was sweet non the less.
And this book doesn't affect STG or LMH for me either.
You didn't mention anything about the twins joke shop, so I thought I would. I loved the sign they had on their window. ^_^ Priceless. And the little fur ball thing Ginny got from there, what has that got to do with anything?
Oh, and how you said "I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book" Me too! I had to keep reminding myself that what I was reading was actually happening in the book. ^_^

[zentariana.livejournal.com]

i decided the drinker of the potion relived the murders of all the bodies in the water. as in, saw themselves killing those people. seems rather voldemorty.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. That would be sinister!

[arestoktra.livejournal.com]

i aşso felt like i was reading a fanfiction until the last few chapters because i was sobbing. thing seems too rushed in my opinion in HBP. i think Rowling forgot to add 200 pages more.
apart from the thing i like and hate, the most powerful thing occupies my thoughts is "Snape". did he really kill DD because he's a true DE or was it because he made a promise or something else to DD? i hope he's not that evil. please...

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I absolutely positively 100% believe that he wasn't evil. It never entered my mind, actually. A lot of folks have written more eloquently about this than me, though. Go here, for example (http://www.livejournal.com/users/jedirita/141931.html).

[sorion.livejournal.com]

I think that feeling of reading fanfiction comes from reading a lot more fics than HP books ^_~
We're more used to it.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

That's probably part of it! But mostly it was Draco, I think. ;-)

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book

Yeah, me too. Hmm.

And Werewolf!Draco? *worries*

Lupin/Tonks: That was entirely unnecessary, and seemed to be a deliberate dig at the Sirius/Remus shippers. Or is it just me?

I don't think so. Remus is moving on, that's all. My problem is Mopey!Depressed!Tonks. SO not like her.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes, moody depressed Tonks seemed so OOC to me. There must be more going on there, you know? Like Char said below, it's a bit too Padme otherwise.

[angelsotherlove.livejournal.com]

I had the wierdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book -- very well-plotted, well-written gen fan fiction, but fan fiction nonetheless.

I totally agree, its almost as if JKR hired a fan fic writer to write this book. It was so different from its five siblings that I don't know where to begin. I mean there were parts of it that were good, and other parts that didn't any sense whatsoever.

As for the Draco/Harry action, my inner slasher spent half the book cringing and jumping for joy. She turned Harry into an obsessive stalker. A stalker would have been fine for me, but the obsessiveness was over kill. If you wish to see what I truly thought of the book, cause if I tried to leave it in a comment in your Lj you would be here all day reading, visit my Lj and click on the two, yes, two posts I did for it.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Oh, more to read! Cool!

I loved obsessive-stalker!Harry. God, the bunnies!

[mermaidqueen.livejournal.com]

had the weirdest feeling that I was reading fan fiction the entire time I was reading the book

Me too! In fact, while I loved the H/G, that entire scaly dragon of lust seemed very fanfic. Did you feel like after book six you were waiting for a Book 6b? I feel like the book could use another 100 pages. Ultimately book 6 is just the building block for book 7 (which better be effing LONGER).

You don't like the Ronks? Yeah, it was sad for me as well 'cause of my devout SB/RL shipping. I'm just assuming its a Hurt/Comfort* relationship brought on by Sirius' death. They were definately in love at one point. I know it.

*The new favorite genre of fanfic, methinks

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

I admit, I thought the Lupin/Tonks scene at the end read like bad fanfic, and that's not just my shipping bias. I had a lot of trouble with Tonks's characterization in light of what we learned about Merope Gaunt. Of course, I also have a lot of trouble with Lupin/Tonks because there's nothing in OotP that even hints at it, so it felt lazy and tacked on to me.

[charlotteschaos.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking with my theory that Harry's monster of lust for Ginny is the 7th Horcrux. *smirks*

I find the rush of comments about JK writing fanon!Draco kind of funny... considering that fandom created that idea of Draco based on...well... canon. So, in theory, doesn't it pretty much just mean that a lot of fanon was more accurate in their interpretation of Draco than everyone thought? Maybe instead of a mutation of who Draco is, it validates the point that people are reading the text correctly. Although I'm not sure if I'd go as far as some over why Draco was crying. I'm pretty sure it was self pity more than anything else ;)

I'm so amused that my secondary otp Snape/Draco is practically canon.

I giggled so many times in the book, just the... Draco obsession and the silly slashiness of it ;)

As for it reading like fanfic, well... I think you hit it on the head. There are many talented writers that are writing novel-length fanfics now, the waters are getting murky. What set this apart from most fanfic for me was that JK is so much more comfortable with magic than most fanfic'ers are. That's really my only real beef with a lot of fanfic, it just seems ill at ease with the magical worlds they're set in. Which means my favourite fics are, well, more steeped in the HPverse :)

I didn't get the Draco-as-werewolf vibe at all. I'll have to reread. I just figured he was losing sleep over his lack of ability at dark arts carpentry. It was amusing how almost dismissive he was of Harry, though. A real reversal of roles for them.

Harry. Oh Harry. I didn't think his change was that drastic between the books so much as his circumstances changed drastically. To me, OotP was all about isolated!Harry. No one was communicating things to him. He was in an information vacuum. He had all of these pressures to be "the chosen one" without any explanation as to what that meant or what he was supposed to be doing. I can see how that would make him the uber-spaz.

This time, he was included on nearly everything, including the many trips to the department of backstory. (I think too much time in the Gaunt family household was why he thought perhaps Tonks was in love with her cousin, I cackled.) I think that an informed Harry makes for a happier Harry altogether, and that he can deal with things better that way. I'm glad there wasn't loads of wangst over Sirius. I thought most fanfics overplayed that and it got horridly dull. He has too much going on in his life to sit and cry every ten minutes over the loss of Sirius. And in the end? He didn't know him all that well.

I was disappointed that there wasn't much more Remus, but he was off spying, sort of. So... there you go.

The Ginny thing was a little rushed, but at the same time it wasn't. There had always been hints of it, which made it sort of... "yeah, we all saw it." But at the same time, it was quite the summary relationship. Which is fine. I'm not really into the books for the romance aspects. I can just see why some might complain. The monster thing was unintentionally funny, though. Put the metaphor down and back away.

I really hope there's more going on with Tonks than the relationship, because, ugh. Changing her patronus and her hair over a relationship? That just bothers me in a Padme sort of way.

Best parts? Won Won, Hermione's attack birds, Draco the dark carpenter.

Chapter 2. Man. Snape at his best. Whether he was acting or telling the truth, he's good. He's damned good. He's what I'd always hoped he was <3. Not. a. fluffy. bunny. And bonding to Draco. Just... love.

Worst parts? The dementors are breeding (ew!), Remus/Tonks and their craptacular announcement in the infirmary after Dumbledore died. Ick. Tacky. Harry's love monster.

So there you go. A summary I refused to put in my own journal ;)

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

So, in theory, doesn't it pretty much just mean that a lot of fanon was more accurate in their interpretation of Draco than everyone thought?

Yeah, sure! Can we stick our tongues out at everyone who hated Draco?

You're right about the lack of magic in fanfic. I find it very hard to write well, personally.

I didn't think his change was that drastic between the books so much as his circumstances changed drastically.

You make many good points there. Someone said somewhere else that this was the first book in which Harry was treated like an adult and that he responded accordingly.

I find myself growing more and more interested in Snape as a character! Though I still don't see Harry/Snape, to be honest, especially not after this one. Snape/Draco? Oh, yeah. ;-)