Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the SPOILER thread!

Thats what I thought too, but she really didn't describe it very well or explain it clearly. I had to reread that part a few times because I was so lost.

I think in the other books, he was looking into a pensieve that already had memories put into it. Dumbledore had one that he would occasionally add to, so Harry literally just stuck his head into it and watched. I suppose with Snape, he wouldn't just leave his memories laying around for anyone to watch so he leaked them out for Harry so that he could view them and learn the truth? That seems to make sense.

Both Dumbledore and Snape had pulled them out at will in previous books, so I don't see why he couldn't make that happen.

I know I've read about them pulling them out one at a time ad putting them into the pensieve, but it seemed weird to imagine them leaking out in a bunch of fluid everywhere. I think that's what threw me. I immediately imagined unicorn blood instead and thought that maybe Snape had used some and that it was leaking out now that he had died. It wasn't until I read later about Harry using the pensieve that I went back and re-read it and figured it out. Maybe my brain just works in a strange way!

I actually think that he did it not to show Harry that he was on the side of good, but to give Harry a reason to willingly walk to his death (and thereby fulfilling his agreement with Dumbledore).  I honestly believe that Snape didn't care one iota what Harry thought about him.

I think you're probably right about Snape. Seems to me that he clung to his dislike for James through Harry to the last, but owed it to Dumbledore to see that Harry actually fulfilled his destiny.

in HPHalf Blood Price- Harry's charged with getting Slughorn's memory.  I don't have the book in front of me, but doesn't he touch his wand to his temple and swirl out his memories to put in a bottle? 

i still don't know what to make of snape.  that one chapter in book 7 didn't really answer everything for me...

I thought that because he was dying, the memories were leaking out like tears, and just assumed that is something that happens when you die, all your memories come out (flashing before your eyes, so to speak), and wizards have the ability to capture them at that moment.

I actually think that he did it not to show Harry that he was on the side of good, but to give Harry a reason to willingly walk to his death (and thereby fulfilling his agreement with Dumbledore).  I honestly believe that Snape didn't care one iota what Harry thought about him.

I'm with you on this one.  I saw it as Snape's last chance to do the right thing - not for Dumbledore, really, and not for Harry, but for Lily's son. 

I just finished the book and I really liked it.  And I thought that the epilogue, while maybe not terribly well written, was good in the sense that you got to see how the three main characters (H-R-H) progressed in their lives.  I'm not one to read a book and disect every piece of it, but I just wanted to express that I thought it was really good and tied up the story well.

I thought that because he was dying, the memories were leaking out like tears, and just assumed that is something that happens when you die, all your memories come out (flashing before your eyes, so to speak), and wizards have the ability to capture them at that moment.

That's a really interesting theory!  I was thinking about it, and we really don't see people dying very often in HP - we see people killed by AK, like Cedric and Dumbledore, or hexed through the veil, like Sirius, or learn that they've died off-screen, like Mad-Eye and Remus and Tonks and poor Colin Creevy, but we don't see that slow(er) process that is dying, like with Snape.  One could argue (correctly) that we saw Dumbledore dying, but he may well have gone through a similar process too  - when he was forced to relive bad memories as he swallowed the poison in the cave.

It seemed to me like Snape gave the memories to Harry on purpose - as a sort of last dying act, to try and put everything right.  He knew he had failed in his real mission, so he enabled Harry to carry on - by finally giving him the whole truth.

LOL I guess no one shared my unicorn blood confusion!

I was irritated a the whole Ron+Hermione and Harry+Ginny thing. Honestly I think Harry would have been better off with Luna. I'm not exactly a "shipper" like some are in the fandom, but because of how Luna and Harry interacted in book 7, it really made me feel like they would be great for each other. Hermione and Ron together is just.. a nightmare. They bicker so often in the series that I can't imagine that being a happy marriage. I don't know who I would have paired her with.. perhaps actually Neville since he was a leader in the end and so clever with herbology... but Ron does not seem a good match to me. It made it feel all the more like a bland "and they lived happily ever after" cop-out.

but Ron does not seem a good match to me. It made it feel all the more like a bland "and they lived happily ever after" cop-out.

Ok, but what we have to remember with this HPEA and marrying your high school sweetheart stuff is that this is a children's novel, after all. I think for the young kids reading this, it's fine.

Pirates 3 also did the same thing which I thought was cheesy, but for the kids I can understand it.

Hermione and Ron together is just.. a nightmare. They bicker so often in the series that I can't imagine that being a happy marriage. I don't know who I would have paired her with..

*hands you a flier for the HMS Granger/Snape* 

Ok, but what we have to remember with this HPEA and marrying your high school sweetheart stuff is that this is a children's novel, after all. I think for the young kids reading this, it's fine.

Pirates 3 also did the same thing which I thought was cheesy, but for the kids I can understand it.

See, thats where I would argue that as the characters get older, the books progress into being for a slightly older audience and thus not for "children", but maybe teens instead.

I wouldn't split hairs about writing in all the back story it would have taken to change the pairings, because that would have probably taken a tremendous amount of writing to put in. I guess maybe I just take issue with the utter cheesiness of the "19 years later" section.

(I haven't seen Pirates 3 but I'm guessing that she marries the orlando bloom guy?)

*hands you a flier for the HMS Granger/Snape* 

LOL YES! That makes more sense to me than Ron/Hermione!!!

I guess maybe I just take issue with the utter cheesiness of the "19 years later" section.

Like most of my friends, I'm just ignoring the existence of the epilogue entirely. 

My current LJ default icon:



[old attachment deleted by admin]

Like most of my friends, I'm just ignoring the existence of the epilogue entirely. 

Not a bad idea...

I figured that Snape leaked his memories because Harry was Lily's son and he went to Dumbledore because of his guilt for what happened to Lily, so he wanted to see Lily's death avenged. I am also someone who thinks that Snape felt no love for Harry except for an understanding that he was protecting a person whom Lily loved dearly. Someone mentioned that they think Harry's eyes being like Lily's is why Snape wanted Harry to look at him while he was dying, one last look into Lily's eyes...

I don't know, Ron and Hermione aren't too much of a stretch for me. Hermione likes to be in charge and take care of people, and she has that with Ron. I know couples who bicker all the time, but have a strong relationship. It's just how they communicate. I would have liked to see Harry end up with Luna too. I liked them together. I wonder if Luna ended up with Neville! That could also be an interesting relationship!

I am so interested to hear more about how JKR thought these things through. I thought the article someone posted about the encyclopedia was interesting, especially since Mr. Weasley was supposed to die in book 5 (I'm assuming when he was attacked by the snake).

I was disappointed by the epilogue as well. I'm on the fence as to whether I would have preferred no epilogue to the one that was given. I just thought that it could have been done better.

Am I the only one who thought that Harry sacrificing himself for everyone else was a bit of a Jesus allusion? I mean, he rises from the dead... I found that a little corny.

Majorly!  The whole 'Who shot JR?  Oh, no, it was all just a dream!  Back to our regularly scheduled programming', seemed contrived for the express benefit of the film to be.

It all went suzywong once they got into Hogwarts, IMO.  The whole Jesus meets Hamlet meets LOTR was a bit OTT.