That meme again
Jan. 16th, 2007 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineveh_ukShakes tail and runs baa-ing to join in.
1.Are you going to look at every possible spoiler you can before the book comes out? Did you with HBP and how accurate were the ones you saw?
No. I like a few mild spoilers (I’m the sort of person who looks ahead in books a lot, though I am training myself not to do it with mystery fiction), but not major ones. As major ones are likely to be unavoidable, I shall not be visiting any sites where there’s a chance of it, or going to newsagents, or watching Breakfast TV. I suppose the publishers might do what Joss Whedon did with season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and put out a load of false spoilers to put people off the scent.
2. What will you do if Amazon (or whoever;) don’t deliver your copy on time, and everyone is reading it except you?
As it looks like my new employer will be coming up with a flat for me that is about 15 minutes max. from the bookshop, I shall buy this one at midnight, in order to say I wuz there.
3. Will you read the last chapter before anything else? Are you planning to read the book all in one go or are you a slow reader?
I was a Good Girl with HBP. Peeked at the first and second chapters on my way home from the shop, and stopped, cackling with glee when I read the sentence ‘“…., Snape” said Bellatrix.’ I’ll read start to finish, probably in about 6 hours, as I don’t want to gobble too much, with breaks for being excited and doing other things in order not to be finished too quickly.
4. What’s your theory on the meaning of “Deathly Hallows?”
Phronsie Hallow and her vile twin children. Or the Horcruxes. Or the ghosts of the Founders. Or a mysterious chamber beyond the Veil. Or…
5. What’s the craziest Harry Potter theory you’ve got, which you could only share with your trusted f-list?
I don’t really do crazy theories, though I’m entertained by other people’s up to the point they get strident about Ron=Dumbledore. I should like to see confirmation of my suspicion that Romilda Vane is Bellatrix’s daughter, but really I was happy with HBP putting Andromeda in Slytherin.
6. If you could write in a sub-plot of your own choosing to the main Harry one, what would it be?
I don’t want to write in a sub-plot of my own; I’m perfectly happy with J K Rowling’s. That said, lots of the Blacks – any Blacks – would be nice. And I wouldn’t mind the resurgence of SPEW or _any_ evidence of Muggleborn interest groups.
7. Who do you think will die in the book, and who would you be most upset to see die, even if you don’t think it’s likely?
I won’t be upset if anybody dies. I don’t feel like that about any of these characters (and anyway, death can be part of a happy ending). That said, I’d like Snape to survive: I want the moral of his story to be that you can have a rotten childhood, miserable home life, awkward personality, difficult time at school, make some terrible decisions, and carry out some pretty awful acts, and still decide that doing the right thing is important for its own sake, and not have to murdered to validate this choice.
8. Name three main (ish) characters who you think will definitely live and why. Is there a very minor character(s) you really want to have a happy ending?
Harry, and probably Hermione and Ron. If one has to die, I vote for Ron; twas ever thus for the sidekick. If Ron dies, Lupin lives – he’s the link to the past for Harry, and one has to survive (since Pettigrew won’t).
9. If you don’t like the book, or are bitterly disappointed by it, do you think you’ll still stay in the fandom?
I am pretty sure I’ll like the book – I’ve liked them all so far, after all.
10. One word (or concise) answers only!
• Snape: good, evil, own agenda? Only he knows. I think of Treebeard, “I am not altogether on anybody’s side, because no-one is altogether on my side.” But I don’t see him slaughtering Harry to bring about Voldemort’s ascendancy.
• Bill: will he help Remus or just be on permanent honeymoon? Irrelevant. Bill is a minor character whose profession as a grave-robber does not (alas!) seem likely to be a major part of the plot (at least in terms of the ethics of grave-robbing. It might as a curse-breaker). Lupin was with the werewolves in HBP to introduce Greyback for Draco’s angst, and to provide the worry for red-herring!Tonks. That over, it’ll become (even) less significant.
• Peter: a Gryffindor moment or not? I hope not. Not if that means “Vastly inflated sense of entitlement gets in the way of getting some important information.” If it means, Peter realizes that he has to make a choice and does the right thing, then it would be interesting. However, I also thing it would be interesting if he failed to do that.
• Harry: is he a Horcrux? No.
• The Weasleys: will they all survive? Honestly don’t know this one – there isn’t enough to go on.
• If no to the above: who won’t? Probably one of the twins – most expendable, and retribution for selling arms to the enemy.
• Did Snape love Lily: Yes. Exactly how and why is another question – I should like to know.
• Hogwarts: will they go back to school or not? I think they will, but not nec. continuously.
• Remus and Tonks: will they get married in the book? No idea, not bothered.
• Bellatrix: who will be her nemesis? She will. The fact that she does now know that Voldemort is a half-blood could be significant. Either she is killed by Voldemort, or dies in the line of duty. She’s a damn good duellist, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Not Neville. Certainly not in a duel – he’d have to get lucky, because he certainly isn’t capable in a straight fight, and that’s not poetic.
• The new leader of the OotP is …? One of the older minor characters we don’t know much about.
• Percy: will he see the error of his ways or not? He already has, I think, to some extent. But reconciliation will take work on both sides, and should begin with an apology from Arthur for starting it all.
11. If Harry could take just one adult Order of the Phoenix member with him on the search for Horcruxes, who should it be and why?
Kingsley Shacklebolt – an Auror, quick-thinker, magically talented, not a hide-bound thinker. But he won’t – it doesn’t fit the story.
12. Will Remus and Greyback have a confrontation in human or werewolf form? Will Tonks be involved? Who will the other werewolves support?
No. No. How would this be relevant to the Horcrux quest? Werewolves will continue to be split pro-/anti-Voldemore.
13. Who is the person from Harry’s class (and it isn’t him, Ron or Hermione), who will become a Hogwart’s teacher? What subject will they teach?
Ernie Macmillan, Charms. Why not? I'd like to see Neville forge his own life elsewhere.
14. Do you think Harry will observe Remus looking less lined and walking with a little more of a spring in his step? If so, do you think he'll attribute it to Tonks, and if he does, will he blush?
No. We’ve had this scene – they were holding hands at the funeral.
15. Will Ginny use, "But Professor Lupin saw the futility of being a noble prat!" for one of her million arguments with Harry about why they should be together? Do you think they’ll get back together at all?
Get over the R/T obsession! Also, that use of prat doesn’t strike me as quite right. If both alive, Harry and Ginny may get back together at the end.
16. Which house do you think Tonks is in, and why? Is she going to morph into someone important and who will it be?
If Slughorn counts her as a Black, then we already know it's Slytherin. Otherwise, Slytherin (or Hufflepuff if I must name another).
The other metamorphmagus is Narcissa, Bellatrix, or even Draco. Narcissa has the ‘evidence of the hair’, Bellatrix could be a real surprise depending on circumstances. But my money is on Narcissa coming in disguise to rescue Draco, and dying.
17. Who will be revealed to be the heir of Gryffindor?
No-one. Please.
18. As JKR has promised the final chapter will be like an epilogue; how do you think the final paragraph (hopefully) donated to Remus’ future, and/or Tonks’, and/or anyone else you want to write a paragraph on, will read?
“No! Please! It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t mean it.” Ginny’s screams echoed round the courtroom, but the judge was impacable.
“Ginny Weasley, who are convicted of willingly aiding and abetting the Dark Lord when of an age of reason, and of concealing that you had done so. You are sentenced to be taken to the island of Azkaban, to receive the Dementor’s Kiss…” The voice droned on, but Harry no longer heard it. On the bench next to him, Hermione took his arm.
“Come on, Harry, it’s time to go.”
They rose out of the Pensieve into the unchanged present. He hadn’t saved her.
19. Which question from the books would it annoy you most not to have answered?
Anything and everything about Snape. I’d also like the details of how exactly Regulus Black nicked the locket. The question I don't think we will get an answer to is exactly how the "Prank" happened.
20. What do you think the last line of the book is?
He turned and looked back. There his parents had died and lay buried. There Lord Voldemort had discovered, at the last, that there were things he feared worse than death. Harry looked down upon the ruin and destruction. The contractors for the Godric’s Hollow bypass really had left their scar.
1.Are you going to look at every possible spoiler you can before the book comes out? Did you with HBP and how accurate were the ones you saw?
No. I like a few mild spoilers (I’m the sort of person who looks ahead in books a lot, though I am training myself not to do it with mystery fiction), but not major ones. As major ones are likely to be unavoidable, I shall not be visiting any sites where there’s a chance of it, or going to newsagents, or watching Breakfast TV. I suppose the publishers might do what Joss Whedon did with season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and put out a load of false spoilers to put people off the scent.
2. What will you do if Amazon (or whoever;) don’t deliver your copy on time, and everyone is reading it except you?
As it looks like my new employer will be coming up with a flat for me that is about 15 minutes max. from the bookshop, I shall buy this one at midnight, in order to say I wuz there.
3. Will you read the last chapter before anything else? Are you planning to read the book all in one go or are you a slow reader?
I was a Good Girl with HBP. Peeked at the first and second chapters on my way home from the shop, and stopped, cackling with glee when I read the sentence ‘“…., Snape” said Bellatrix.’ I’ll read start to finish, probably in about 6 hours, as I don’t want to gobble too much, with breaks for being excited and doing other things in order not to be finished too quickly.
4. What’s your theory on the meaning of “Deathly Hallows?”
Phronsie Hallow and her vile twin children. Or the Horcruxes. Or the ghosts of the Founders. Or a mysterious chamber beyond the Veil. Or…
5. What’s the craziest Harry Potter theory you’ve got, which you could only share with your trusted f-list?
I don’t really do crazy theories, though I’m entertained by other people’s up to the point they get strident about Ron=Dumbledore. I should like to see confirmation of my suspicion that Romilda Vane is Bellatrix’s daughter, but really I was happy with HBP putting Andromeda in Slytherin.
6. If you could write in a sub-plot of your own choosing to the main Harry one, what would it be?
I don’t want to write in a sub-plot of my own; I’m perfectly happy with J K Rowling’s. That said, lots of the Blacks – any Blacks – would be nice. And I wouldn’t mind the resurgence of SPEW or _any_ evidence of Muggleborn interest groups.
7. Who do you think will die in the book, and who would you be most upset to see die, even if you don’t think it’s likely?
I won’t be upset if anybody dies. I don’t feel like that about any of these characters (and anyway, death can be part of a happy ending). That said, I’d like Snape to survive: I want the moral of his story to be that you can have a rotten childhood, miserable home life, awkward personality, difficult time at school, make some terrible decisions, and carry out some pretty awful acts, and still decide that doing the right thing is important for its own sake, and not have to murdered to validate this choice.
8. Name three main (ish) characters who you think will definitely live and why. Is there a very minor character(s) you really want to have a happy ending?
Harry, and probably Hermione and Ron. If one has to die, I vote for Ron; twas ever thus for the sidekick. If Ron dies, Lupin lives – he’s the link to the past for Harry, and one has to survive (since Pettigrew won’t).
9. If you don’t like the book, or are bitterly disappointed by it, do you think you’ll still stay in the fandom?
I am pretty sure I’ll like the book – I’ve liked them all so far, after all.
10. One word (or concise) answers only!
• Snape: good, evil, own agenda? Only he knows. I think of Treebeard, “I am not altogether on anybody’s side, because no-one is altogether on my side.” But I don’t see him slaughtering Harry to bring about Voldemort’s ascendancy.
• Bill: will he help Remus or just be on permanent honeymoon? Irrelevant. Bill is a minor character whose profession as a grave-robber does not (alas!) seem likely to be a major part of the plot (at least in terms of the ethics of grave-robbing. It might as a curse-breaker). Lupin was with the werewolves in HBP to introduce Greyback for Draco’s angst, and to provide the worry for red-herring!Tonks. That over, it’ll become (even) less significant.
• Peter: a Gryffindor moment or not? I hope not. Not if that means “Vastly inflated sense of entitlement gets in the way of getting some important information.” If it means, Peter realizes that he has to make a choice and does the right thing, then it would be interesting. However, I also thing it would be interesting if he failed to do that.
• Harry: is he a Horcrux? No.
• The Weasleys: will they all survive? Honestly don’t know this one – there isn’t enough to go on.
• If no to the above: who won’t? Probably one of the twins – most expendable, and retribution for selling arms to the enemy.
• Did Snape love Lily: Yes. Exactly how and why is another question – I should like to know.
• Hogwarts: will they go back to school or not? I think they will, but not nec. continuously.
• Remus and Tonks: will they get married in the book? No idea, not bothered.
• Bellatrix: who will be her nemesis? She will. The fact that she does now know that Voldemort is a half-blood could be significant. Either she is killed by Voldemort, or dies in the line of duty. She’s a damn good duellist, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Not Neville. Certainly not in a duel – he’d have to get lucky, because he certainly isn’t capable in a straight fight, and that’s not poetic.
• The new leader of the OotP is …? One of the older minor characters we don’t know much about.
• Percy: will he see the error of his ways or not? He already has, I think, to some extent. But reconciliation will take work on both sides, and should begin with an apology from Arthur for starting it all.
11. If Harry could take just one adult Order of the Phoenix member with him on the search for Horcruxes, who should it be and why?
Kingsley Shacklebolt – an Auror, quick-thinker, magically talented, not a hide-bound thinker. But he won’t – it doesn’t fit the story.
12. Will Remus and Greyback have a confrontation in human or werewolf form? Will Tonks be involved? Who will the other werewolves support?
No. No. How would this be relevant to the Horcrux quest? Werewolves will continue to be split pro-/anti-Voldemore.
13. Who is the person from Harry’s class (and it isn’t him, Ron or Hermione), who will become a Hogwart’s teacher? What subject will they teach?
Ernie Macmillan, Charms. Why not? I'd like to see Neville forge his own life elsewhere.
14. Do you think Harry will observe Remus looking less lined and walking with a little more of a spring in his step? If so, do you think he'll attribute it to Tonks, and if he does, will he blush?
No. We’ve had this scene – they were holding hands at the funeral.
15. Will Ginny use, "But Professor Lupin saw the futility of being a noble prat!" for one of her million arguments with Harry about why they should be together? Do you think they’ll get back together at all?
Get over the R/T obsession! Also, that use of prat doesn’t strike me as quite right. If both alive, Harry and Ginny may get back together at the end.
16. Which house do you think Tonks is in, and why? Is she going to morph into someone important and who will it be?
If Slughorn counts her as a Black, then we already know it's Slytherin. Otherwise, Slytherin (or Hufflepuff if I must name another).
The other metamorphmagus is Narcissa, Bellatrix, or even Draco. Narcissa has the ‘evidence of the hair’, Bellatrix could be a real surprise depending on circumstances. But my money is on Narcissa coming in disguise to rescue Draco, and dying.
17. Who will be revealed to be the heir of Gryffindor?
No-one. Please.
18. As JKR has promised the final chapter will be like an epilogue; how do you think the final paragraph (hopefully) donated to Remus’ future, and/or Tonks’, and/or anyone else you want to write a paragraph on, will read?
“No! Please! It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t mean it.” Ginny’s screams echoed round the courtroom, but the judge was impacable.
“Ginny Weasley, who are convicted of willingly aiding and abetting the Dark Lord when of an age of reason, and of concealing that you had done so. You are sentenced to be taken to the island of Azkaban, to receive the Dementor’s Kiss…” The voice droned on, but Harry no longer heard it. On the bench next to him, Hermione took his arm.
“Come on, Harry, it’s time to go.”
They rose out of the Pensieve into the unchanged present. He hadn’t saved her.
19. Which question from the books would it annoy you most not to have answered?
Anything and everything about Snape. I’d also like the details of how exactly Regulus Black nicked the locket. The question I don't think we will get an answer to is exactly how the "Prank" happened.
20. What do you think the last line of the book is?
He turned and looked back. There his parents had died and lay buried. There Lord Voldemort had discovered, at the last, that there were things he feared worse than death. Harry looked down upon the ruin and destruction. The contractors for the Godric’s Hollow bypass really had left their scar.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 02:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 04:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 03:08 pm (UTC)I've been wondering myself whether Draco may be killed by Voldemort, thus giving Lucius second thoughts about the whole Death Eater thing. (Well, I get the impression he's at least onto fourth thoughts by now, but you know what I mean.) I can't stand Lucius, but - like Peter - he seems to be one of the few DEs sane enough and pragmatic enough to recognise a sinking ship when he sees one. Narcissa being killed could have a similar effect, and also would result in Draco surviving the books. At least one of the Malfoys has to go. It would be rather fun if DH saw the Blacks and Malfoys defecting en masse, but that doesn't seem terribly likely, since I think JKR will want the Death Eaters up to strength for the Big Showdown.
I'm hoping that Peter will switch to Harry's side at the last moment. I think that's where the story has been headed since PoA and Dumbledore's 'life debts are shiny and highly collectable'speech. Or something like that, anyway. However, as you say, it would be interesting if he didn't get killed helping the trio. Peter is so very good at surviving - purely in characterisation terms, I can see him removing himself to Brazil, or wherever it is failed Death Eaters go.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't want the hypothetical Weasley family reconciliation to be entirely a case of Percy begging forgiveness from Arthur. I'd rather there wasn't any reconciliation at all than one wherein Percy apologises to the twins, but receives no acknowledgement that they haven't exactly been the world's best brothers.
Thanks. There was a lot to think about there. Oh yes - is there any more back story for Number 18?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 04:34 pm (UTC)Agreed. Lucius doesn’t need Dementors; he’s kicking himself daily thinking about how very badly he’s screwed up – and he knows the Dark Lord wants him to get that message. I do wish we’d had the Nott/Draco summer holiday conversation Rowling wrote – I’d love some perspective on what the cooler-headed DEs think of Voldemort’s campaign when he’s not there. I agree it seems likely that one of the Malfoys is going to Pay the Ultimate Price, but I’m happy to wait to be surprised as to whom.
Yeah, Peter’s probably going to switch in the end, and to be fair I am confident that Rowling will surprise me with just how it happens (though I do really hate the concept of life debts). But I still don’t think it has to be because he has a change of heart!
Number 18: yes and no. In this context, it was the first counter-example that sprang to mind in response to the questioner’s hoped for happy epilogues of “and they had many multi-coloured puppies/red-haired and cheeky infants.” In another context, I had a vague idea of Andromeda and Narcissa holding on to a vain hope of getting Bellatrix off on a technicality (of the sort the Malfoys themselves got off on, though N. of course says they really were innocent) of being somehow not responsible for her actions as under Voldemort’s spell. Ginny Weasley – of an age to know things were badly wrong and that she was doing them, yet continuing to go along with it – was to provide the precedent.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 04:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 03:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 03:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 05:01 pm (UTC)I do like this theory of yours. It's so... well, it makes sense. Since when did someone unpleasant have to die to prove their good intentions?
Fantastic answer! I thought I was the only one who didn't think this mattered in the slightest!
But this was my favourite.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 11:14 am (UTC)Since people forgot that when Joss Whedon did it in BtVS,
Since people forgot that when Joss Whedon did it in BtVS, <i<his</i> characters generally then came back to life!
<i>I thought I was the only one who didn't think this mattered in the slightest!</i>
My hope is that HBP disembowelled this one as a posibility by pointing out that the only people who really cared about being the Heir of Founder X were abnormal even for Norfolk, and much good had it done them.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 12:42 am (UTC)18. Would make an interesting fanfic but probably isn't going to be what JKR has in mind. :)
20. *snort* But knowing JKR, that even could be. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 11:11 am (UTC)Walburga may have, but then she was barking even by Black family standards
Well, yes!
JKR, eco-warrier!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-26 10:33 pm (UTC)So would I, seeing as you've infected me to believe in this =P It's a great theory, me thinks.
(In case you're wondering why the heck I'm butting in here, I thought I should pay a visit since I did this meme too and realised that one of the only theories I sorta-believe in is this one ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-29 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-29 05:04 pm (UTC)If I didn't want comments I'd lock and whine "why does nobody ever commment"
Heh. That is way too common though, that kind of behaviour is...