srah blah blah

Cover art

• Last time, for some reason, I didn't look carefully at the cover art until I was several chapters into the book. In addition to the US cover that most people got, there is a US deluxe cover, a UK children's cover and a UK adult cover (let's not even think about all the covers of the translated versions for now!). Notable things on these covers:
  • US: With only the front cover design (including text), it's made to look as though Harry's reaching for a Snitch in a game of Quidditch, but the full cover minus text is much more sinister: A showdown with Voldemort (presumably that's who the cloaky guy with the alien head is) in some sort of coliseum with curtains and broken wood. Hopefully not a Quidditch stadium with broken Wood. Oh Oliver!
  • US Deluxe: The trio are riding on a dragon. I hope it's Norbert, all gwown up! I hope it's not Norbit.
  • UK Children: The trio are in a vault, being attacked by money. I have discussed this one before.
  • UK Adult: Presumably Salazar Slytherin's locket. Was this the one found in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place in Book 5?

Chapter 1: The Dark Lord Ascending

• 2 - What is the point of a peacock if it is all white? Also, I am scared. I started off thinking that Snape and Yaxley were in Privet Drive, coming to do something bad to Harry (or in Snape's case, maybe pretend to do something bad to Harry). Even though I know now that it's Lucius Malfoy's house, I'm still scared. HAAAAAARRY! It might also be sugar and caffeine and sleep-deprivedness and the ridiculous (RIDDIKULUS!) emotional swings that Harry Potter books cause me. Okay, I need to get back to reading, because I am only on page 2.
• 3 - Is that Draco at this meeting? A Death Eater already, Draco? Sigh. Snape is Voldie's right-hand man, literally. Snape, don't be bad. Please don't be bad.
• 4 - Snape is feeding the Death Eaters misinformation! I knew there was good in him! ... I think. Snape, you confuse me. And WHO IS THIS GUY FLOATING ON THE CEILING?
• 6 - Voldemort: "That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs." Good point.
• 8 - Lucius Malfoy is messed up. And what happened to Voldemort's wand? I don't remember. If the wand chooses the wizard, doesn't it follow that a wizard would work best with a wand that chose him? Voldemort's planning to go up against Harry Potter with a second-hand wand? Good luck there, Voldie.
• 9 - Nagini is on Voldemort's shoulders. Somehow I had always pictured Nagini as being seriously huge, like bigger than a person. I suppose a "giant snake" doesn't have to be bigger than a person - it just has to be bigger than other snakes. Is Nagini a male or female snake? Nagini always sounded girly to me but Rowling just calls it "it." Yep, that's Draco staring at the ceiling. WHO IS HE STARING AT? It must be someone he knows, if he's so starey. Moody? Lupin? A Death Eater who got in trouble? Crabbe/Goyle?
• 10 - Well, I guess it's probably not Lupin on the ceiling then. That's a relief. I love Lupin and I love David Thewlis and his little moustache. And yay Lupin/Tonks! Hee hee, "Will you babysit the cubs?" Shape-shifting werewolf cubs! What could be more adorable?
• 11 - Bellatrix is a crazy creep. I can't wait until Neville takes her out. KA-BLAM! What? The person is someone we don't even know? Who's been teaching at Hogwarts all this time and we've never been introduced to her? Disappointing.

Chapter 2 - In Memoriam

• 13 - Oh no, Harry Potter is all cut and bloody. Is Harry Potter cutting himself? Is Harry Potter EMO? And why am I talking like Dobby?
• 15 - Well, Harry is going somewhere. But where is there to go, if not Hogwarts?
• 18 - Sister? So, you have a twin sister. It's nice to get this backstory on Dumbledore and fam.
• 19 - Er, had.
• 20 - "[Albus Dumbledore] could find something to value in anyone, however apparently insignificant or wretched." I think this is the best lesson we could learn from Dumbledore. Even with Tom Riddle, he seemed to mostly express pity for the way he turned out and disappointment that he had failed to lead him down the right path.
• 21 - I feel the same way Harry does - it's strange to think of Dumbledore as having once been young.
• 27 - I seem to have forgotten that - while she's no match for Umbridge - Rita Skeeter is pretty repulsive.

Chapter 3 - The Dursleys Departing

• 35 - Way to go, Diddykins!
• 36 - Don't you need to do something to verify that these people are actually Hestia and Dedalus? They could be Death Eaters in disguise and you're going to send your Muggles off with them? Harry, Harry, Harry. Have you learned nothing from The X-Files? Trust no one! This is a time of fear and paranoia, so get paranoid already!
• 37 - Change in arrangements? I don't know if I like this! Is this the Order changing things up so Voldie doesn't catch on, or is this fake-Dedalus luring Harry into a trap? ARGH!
• 40 - Oh Diddykins! You're worried. You love Harry after all. ... wait, who are you and what have you done with Dudley Dursley? *PARANOIA*...
• 42 - Argh! Petunia! There is something there. We are missing something. There's a story there. Out with it, Petunia!

Chapter 4 - The Seven Potters

• For the record, it is now 2am.
• And that is a fascinating chapter-title. I hope it means that we learn more about Harry's family, and not that Harry visits a carnival funhouse with lots of mirrors. The chapter illustration unfortunately seems to indicate the latter. They're probably going to Polyjuice six Order members into Harry Potters so that the Death Eaters can't tell them apart.
• 45 - The trio is complete! Let the story begin! Mmmm, so many lovely Weasleys in one room. Plus Lupin. Mmmmmmm.
• 48 - Snape done good. Snape done leaked the wrong date to them there Death Eater types. Good, Snape, good. See Snape run. Run, Snape, run. Wait, what am I reading? Not Fun with Dick and Jane? My mistake. Back to reading. I think I must be getting sleepy. It's very nice that they have all this subterfuge to get Harry to the Tonks' house and then on to The Burrow, but here's the thing: If I were Voldemort, I would be waiting for him at The Burrow, because he always ends up at The Burrow. It doesn't matter where he goes on the way... he's going to end up at The Burrow. Oh, and I was right about the Polyjuice.
• 50 - "Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry." Ha ha! And Ron's raised eyebrows and Hermione's blushing... hee hee hee Ron/Hermione. Sigh.
• 51 - This will be a great scene in the movie. Oh, twins. You are identical. Identically amusing! Whatever that means. Can it be sleep tiemz plz?
• 52 - LOL @ half-naked Harries all over the kitchen. And why would Ginny know about a tattoo or lack thereof, indeed? What were Harry and Ginny up to? I thought that never really got off the ground. On second thought, I don't think I want to know. I will just pretend Ron didn't say that. Fred is George is Harry is Fred. I love you, twins.
• 53 - Blech, Bill is twitterpated.
• 55 - Hint: When you are trying to keep your eventual rendez-vous spot a secret, shouting it in the street is not ideal, Moody.
• 56 - Oh noes! Hedwig! Does she count as a character in the death-count? How many are we supposed to lose in this book, anyway? Someone said two today at the bookstore, but I thought I'd heard much larger numbers. I'm not that upset, because I saw this coming. I don't remember now if it was a spoiler or just speculation, but I read something online about Hedwig. I am surprised to see the first death (Mrs Muggle Studies doesn't count) this early in the book.

Chapter 5 - Fallen Warrior

• I seem to be progressing at a rate of about 30 minutes per chapter. At this rate, I have 16 hours of reading ahead of me. Considering I'm going to have to sleep at some point... yeah, I'm probably going to finish this book around 3am, as usual. And I will probably be a blubbering mess, as usual.
• 64 - Is Hagrid really okay, or are they just sugar-coating things for Harry? Also, "Dora." Ha ha, Tonks is an explorer.
• 65 - Aspidistra! J.K. Rowling is always teaching me about new Muggle plants that I have never heard of, like agapanthus.
• 66 - 'Dromeda sounds like dromedary.
• 68 - Arthur, Ron, Fred, George and Bill. So many missing Weasleys. SO MANY MISSING WEASLEYS. Oh Weasleys, return safely to your mother/wife! Molly and I are worried about you.
• 69 - Oh dear. A twin without an ear. Now everyone will be able to tell them apart and their pranks will be ruined. HOW AM I CONCERNED ABOUT THE TWINS' PRANKS AT A TIME LIKE THIS???? Besides, Gred and Forge are the inventors of Extendible Ears. He could have a prosthetic Extendible Ear. Where is your George, Fred? Where is your George?
• 70 - Harry, you seriously hadn't guessed yet that Expelliarmusing Stan Shunpike was the reason they recognized you? You are too good. I love you for that, but I also worry about you. I am a worrier. I am a Molly Weasley: I worry and I love Weasleys. WHERE ARE THE WEASLEYS?
• 71 - Harry gets called out on using Expelliarmus all the time. As well he should be. For that matter, he uses his Patronus an awful lot, too.
• 72 - Who has betrayed them? I don't want it to be Snape. It won't be Snape - that's the obvious answer. BTW, if Dumbledore's last words were to trust Harry... I wouldn't trust Harry completely, because Harry will never trust Snape. And Snape HAS to be good. He just hasta! </Fred Savage in The Princess Bride> WHERE ARE MY WEASLEYS? Now Hermione is worried, too.
• 73 - No! Snape! You VanGoghed Fred!
• 74 - Here comes kick-ass Arthur Weasley, here to kick some ass! You don't mess with Weasleys on Arthur's watch! It is my goal, in this book, for Arthur to get into some sort of combat/duel situation and kick some ass. I would really like to see that on screen. I love you, Arthur. Well, that's two more Weasleys at home. Where is Roonil Wazlib? You can't kill Ron. You can't kill Ron this early in the book and you can't kill Ron at all. Great, now I'm crying and I'm not even a hundred pages into the book. Ron will be fine.
• 76 - Tonks and Ron! TONKS AND RON! I am frankly willing to sacrifice any of the four that are left, now that Tonks and Ron are home safely. Bill is the most expendable Weasley. Oh, and the Ron/Hermione, with the hugging and the sarcasm. Lovely. If we must have teenaged snogging, let it be Ron/Hermione. Although... I hate to point this out, but everyone else who's arrived has been tested with a question. Tonks and Ron haven't. I'm going to put that out of my silly little head for now. Ron is back!
• 77 - Lupin's jumping jaw muscle sounds kind of sexy. And all the Weasleys are home! ... including Fleur. (Darn.)
• 78 - Mad-Eye's always been the leader of these little Potter-retrieving excursions (and presumably other Order activities). Who will be the leader now? Power is vacuuming.
• 81 - Oh Hagrid. What did you do, Ray? I read "He felt irrationally angry" as "He felt irrationally hungry." I'm rather irrationally hungry myself, considering the tray of snacks right next to me.
• 82 - Oh dear, Harry's gone all Luke Skywalkery again. "I'm endangering the mission. I shouldn't have come." I think it is up to me to play Admiral Ackbar in this story. "It's a TRAAAAAAP!" Everything is a trap. I am a big paranoid fish-person.
• 84 - Oh noes, Ollivander! Didn't he disappear or get Imperiused in the last book? Now Voldemort is after him for wand-trickery. Where is Voldemort's wand? Is this supposed to be a mystery, or was it explained in the last book? I can't look it up on the Internet because the Internet will try to spoil things for me. Sigh.

Chapter 6 - The Ghoul in Pajamas

• Okay, this is my last chapter before I go to bed. Also, is anyone out there reading the British version? Is pyjamas spelled with a Y in that one? Why did they change the spelling for the US version? Boo.
• 86 - What, now we can't say Voldemort or horcrux?
• 90 - Secluded corners... with your SHIRT OFF.
• 92 - Ooh boy, I am looking forward to Harry's wedding disguise.
• 94 - Oh Ron! Ron to the rescue with his filthy - now clean - handkerchief.
• 95 - And a squeeze. Aaaaaaand back to the bickering. I love these two.
• 96 - Hogwarts, A History! Hermione's second great love. It is like Harry and his Expelliarmus charm. And Ron and... I don't know, sarcasm? Hermione is so clever (yes, we all knew that) with her parent-modifications. And it's so sweet of her to send them off to Australia and not let them worry about her. It's so... noble, which isn't really an adjective I would have thought to use on Hermione.
• 97 - Ron! Tact!
• 99 - "Ron sat watching her". :)
• 101 - I'm going to start saying "How in the name of Merlin's pants...?".
• 102 - Oh, I forgot Accio. Now there is an overused charm.
• 103 - "Oh well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then," said Ron. "I was wondering what we were going to do with them." Sarcasm!Ron!
• 105 - "You're in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux." Oh no. The last Horcrux is going to be a person. Harry is going to have to kill Hagrid or Ron or Neville or Ginny or somebody. ARGH!
• 107 - Veela in the house! WARNING, WARNING, Veela in the house!

Chapter 7 - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

• I was going to go to bed, but now I can't because the chapter-illustration for this chapter looks like Harry and Ginny are in for some snogging. I like the idea of romance in these books, even if the actual execution makes me sort of ill. That is what is nice about Ron and Hermione's bickering - the affection is hinted at, but they're not making out in front of you. So now I have to read about the snogging. I am really glad that the Harry Potter books introduced the word "snogging" into American comprehension, if not use. Or maybe Bridget Jones did that.
• Also, if Dumbledore left everything to Harry, then wow. Harry's parents left him a load of Galleons, I'm sure he inherited a fine bundle from Sirius, and now Dumbledore? Harry doesn't need all that dosh. I hope Dumbledore left all of his money to S.P.E.W.
• 113 - Ha ha! Poked by your own petard glasses! Slick! AAAAAAH! Ron almost said Hermione! AAAAH, Ron and Harry charming girls! I am at once dismayed, nauseated and I also find it sort of cute. "It's not all about wandwork." AAAAAAH, the disturbing double-entendres! AAAAAAH! I knew you when you were eleven, Ron. You can't talk like that. AAAAAH!
• 114 - Ron does not want to tell Hermione about his present for Harry. Hee hee hee giggles.
• 115 - Washing Ron's underpants! Washing Ron's underpants! When I start a wizard rock band, it will be called Washing Ron's Underpants!
• 117 - Harry, you need to read Ron's book, because you are a big fat ZERO with the ladies. Ginny, who never cries, is crying and you're like, "Oh, that was fun. Smell ya later." Boooooooo. Give her an enchanted hanky, at least.
• 119 - Ron is charming Hermione! And she thinks he's weird, but I think it's working. "Hagrid had honored the occasion by wearing his best, and horrible, hairy brown suit." What's the dilly-o with Tonks and Lupin? Maybe she's pregnant and he's afraid she's going to have cubs. Shape-shifting cubs! Awwww, de widdle - OW! They bit me!
• 120 - Norbert is a girl! Just like Eddie Murphy!
• 121 - WTF is going on here? Why do Topin (Lunks?) have to leave because Scrimgeour is coming? And what kind of name is Scrimgeour, anyway? You don't realize how weird it is until you have to try to spell it from memory.
• This doesn't have anything to do with a particular page, but how are we more than 120 pages into the book and the HERO of the story hasn't even been seen yet? Where is Mr Longbottom? Is he going back to Hogwarts? If so, how is he going to defeat Bellatrix Lestrange? And how do you pronounce "Lestrange"? I always said "leh-STRAHNGE" in my head but I think in the movie they said "leh-STRAYNGE."
• 124 - Wizarding Lawyer Joke Alert!
• 126 - Arm. Shoulder. Affection alert. Are these Horcruxes? They'd be sort of lame Horcruxes. Dumbledore is crafty. I can't wait to see how he intends the gifts to be used.
• 129 - Scrimgeour channels Indiana Jones: "It belongs to Harry!" "It belongs in a museum!" Gryffindor's sword! Is it a Horcrux? Better stab it with one of those thousands of basilisk fangs you have laying around.
• 135 - Wizard fairy tales! Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump!
• Okay, snogging's over. Now I can go to bed.

Chapter 8 - The Wedding

• 9:30! I am up and showered and dressed! I made myself do so before starting, because otherwise I would spend the whole day in my pyjamas like a ghoul.
• 139 - Enter Mr Lovegood! Is he as loonily likeable as his daughter?
• 140 - Yay Luna! So observant! She shall protect us from all the nargles.
• 141 - Auntie Muriel: "Merlin's beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet."
• 143 - Uh oh, Vickie is here! Ron will have to step-up his charming game!
• 144 - "Did you see he's grown a stupid little beard?" I remember when Ron was the one in love with Krum! Magic weddings sound a lot like Muggle weddings. I'm a little disappointed.
• 145 - "... afternoons spent alone with Ginny"... WITH YOUR SHIRT OFF.
• 147 - Dancing!
• 149 - I have just become a Krum/Luna shipper. Ha ha! What an awesome pairing.
• 150 - Ha ha, jealous Harry! Poor lonely Vickie.
• 151 - What is the point of being in disguise if Luna Lovegood still recognizes you and you go around exposing yourself revealing your identity to Elphias Doge?
• 152 - Where is Aberforth?
• 157 - This is all so mysterious! What is the truth about Dumbledore's sister?
• 158 - It is time for a field trip to Godric's Hollow, I think!
• 159 - Aaaaaand there goes the party. What is this, Fiddler on the Roof?

Chapter 9 - A Place to Hide

• 160 - I didn't know Patronuses could talk. The Burrow isn't safe. Hermione is frantically searching for Ron. CHAOS!
• 162 - That explains why her purse made such a huge THUD when she dropped it on the floor after seeing Krum! What do wizards wear under dress robes? Were Harry and Ron down to their underwear in an alley? In front of Hermione (not to mention crowds of Muggles walking by, but in Ron's case Hermione might be more important)?
• 163 - Geez, what does this dress of Hermione's look like? I thought it was Ginny's neckline that Auntie Muriel objected to.
• 164 - Now in addition to fearing Mafia attacks I can fear Death Eater attacks when I have my back to the door! Thanks, J.K.! It's interesting to see the trio out in Muggledom. In the wizarding world, Ron knows everything and Hermione's read about everything in books, so everything just has to be explained to Harry. In the Muggle world, Ron's the one at a disadvantage. I'd like to see a little bit of Muggle hijinks ensue before they set off on their mission. Does anyone have any Muggle money to pay for those cappuccinos?
• 174 - Hermione wants them all to sleep together. Guess who liked that idea? I actually feel sort of sorry for Draco. He brought this all on himself, but he's prouder than he is smart.

Chapter 10 - Kreacher's Tale

• Oh no, Kreacher.
• Chapter illustration appears to be Messrs. Wormtail, Padfoot, Moony and Prongs.
• 176 - Holding hands!
• 180 - Harry had been on a broom before and couldn't remember! It's somehow touching that his talent and interest in the broom goes back to his parents (and Sirius for sending it). Oh boy, here come the tears again.
• 186 - Yeah, we all knew R.A.B. was Regulus, thanks. The last initial in R.A.B. changes in the translations to whatever Sirius's last initial is. Ron will save you from spiders! Ron will save you! But he wants some breakfast first.
• 188 - When Hermione fails to Accio the locket, she thinks of counter-curses. Why didn't that occur to her when she Revelioed earlier, looking for other human presence? Can you use spells as verbs like that? Discuss.
• 193 - A cave and a cavern and a great black lake. There's something poetic about Kreacher's delivery.
• 199 - I think it would have been better for Harry to keep the fake Horcrux in his possession. Now they're liable to be switched again!

Chapter 11 - The Bribe

• 202 - Bickering. Not the good kind.
• 204 - They are inconsistent in their checking. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
• 205 - Every time they say Tottenham Court Road, I think of Eliza Doolittle. "I want to be a lady in a flower shop, 'stead of sellin' at the corner of Tottenham Court Road!". Blubber blubber.
• 208 - Harry's not a minor anymore in the wizarding world. Shouldn't they start calling him The Man Who Lived, or something?
• 209 - Jesus Christ, it's a Muggle genocide. "I'll tell everyone Hermione's my cousin." Aaaaand we just went all Arrested Development again.
• 210 - Hand-holding. It's funny that they're now so openly affectionate and comfortable, but they don't seem to have really admitted their feelings for each other. It's just a lot of hand-holding and hugging and concern about each other. And compliments from Ron, courtesy of the witch-charming book. :)
• 211 - Tonks is hiding away at her parents' house instead of fighting? Either she's pregnant or she's under some sort of curse. What is going on here? Why is Lupin always so grumpy? Also, how is she safe at her parents' house when her parents just got Cruciated? Also, when I picture Tonks having babies, why do I keep thinking of them as a litter?
• 212 - Tonks is pregnant. I win. What do I win? The right to keep reading. Why thank you, I accept. I can see how Lupin would be upset about bringing a baby into the world in the middle of this war, but could he show some enthusiasm? Also, will the baby be born before the book is over? Aw, wook at the widdle snout...
• 213 - Oh. So it's the whole werewolf thing. Don't worry, the baby will be adorably bitey. Nom nom nom!
• 221 - "Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?" I can't believe I just laughed at Kreacher. He almost sounds affectionate there. Maybe listening to what Kreacher had to say did some good in his relationship with Harry.
• 222 - Her? (Yeah, that's right, another Arrested Development reference.) Not Umbridge again! She fills me with rage!

Chapter 12 - Magic is Might

• 225 - Kreacher is mothering Harry? Is this really Kreacher? He's been so sweet since he returned with Mundungus.
• 235 - Where did this mysterious spell come from, that Harry doesn't seem to remember doing?
• 236 - Seriously! What have you done with the real Kreacher?
• 240 - There's something suspicious about Reg Cattermole. Why did he want to go to work so badly?
• 241 - They have to flush themselves in! Toilet humor is the best.
• 241 - The statue commemorating peace and cooperation between magic creatures is gone, replaced by a witch and a wizard on thrones. Damned arrogant Ministry.
• 242 - They're sitting on Muggles. Even worse. Ugh.
• 244 - So Reg Cattermole just wanted to get to work and do a thorough job to take the heat off his wife. That's better.

Chapter 13 - The Muggle-Born Registration Commission

• 255 - Oh Arthur. You threaten that big strong man. Sighhhh.
• 256 - This seems like an unusually long-lasting Polyjuice Potion. Maybe Hermione has just perfected her potion-making skills since year two.
• 257 - Oh god! How hard must it be for Hermione to sit there pretending to be Mafalda Hopkirk while Muggle-borns are being tortured by Dementors?
• 263 - Hint: If you are Polyjuiced as Mafalda Hopkirk and Whatsisface Runcorn, don't call each other Hermione and Harry. Here is my problem with Patronuses: What the hell is an otter going to do in a fight? (Don't even get me started on Cho's swan.) Harry's stag is always running at Dementors and tossing them around with its antlers. Is Hermione's going to roll over on its back and distract the Dementors with cuteness as it tries to open a clam on its soft little belly? Actually, that does sound pretty cute. Awww, wook at de widdle ottew - Hey, where did Harry Potter go?
• 265 - It has been crummy, but pretty useful to be Runcorn. Whoever he is.
• 267 - They just left the real Reg Cattermole there? What is the Ministry going to do to him???

Chapter 14 - The Thief

• 268 - Well, wherever they are, at least they're together. It's very lucky that this trio found each other, because none of them could have done all this on their own.
• I am listening to Paul Simon and he just sang, "He said, Dolores, I live in fear/ My love for you's so overpowering I'm afraid that I will disappear". All I could think of was Dolores Umbridge, and that fills me with RAGE.
• 269 - I forgot that Hagrid's back at Hogwarts. And presumably Ginny, Neville and Luna too. And lovely lovely McGonagall. What are the Order members doing back at Hogwarts? Is Snape being cruel to them? What is going on at Hogwarts? I need an update. "Harry watched, horrified as she tore open Ron's shirt." I would be horrified, too. Get a room, you two! ... Actually, this is not a good time for joking. :( Poor splinching Ron. You've left behind more than half an eyebrow this time.
• 274 - Ron/Hermione love. Sigh.
• 276 - This is going to sound kind of bad, but the Death Eaters can track Harry pretty easily, as though he had a spy nearby... and Ron just asked them to show Voldemort some respect, then seemed to be quite focused on Voldie's heartbeat inside the locket. I really don't want to suspect Ickle Ronniekins, but I feel like I have to put that out there. On the other hand, it could just be that Voldemort is getting into Harry's head to figure out where he is.
• 283 - Who is this blond mystery man? Harry feels like he's seen him before. The only blond person I can think of is Kenneth Branagh Gilderoy Lockhart. Could he be involved in this? Rowling is really pulling all the old characters out of the woodwork. On the other hand, all of Lockhart's adventures were supposedly fake and stolen from other wizards, so why would he be jumping in and out of windows and stealing Horcruxes? Or Lupin. Is Lupin blond in the book? I think of him as having lighter hair than James and Sirius, but not necessarily blond. Maybe the guy looks familiar because he's related to someone we already know, like Colin Creevey's dad or something (wait, no, the Creeveys are Muggle-born, aren't they? Their dad is a milkman or something). Maybe it's Frank Longbottom! I have no idea what color his hair is.
• Time for a lunch break, I suppose.

Chapter 15 - The Goblin's Revenge

• What are goblins so upset about? Why do they need revenge? Why do I always pronounce "revenge" as "re-WEN-gay" in my head?
• What is going on in the rest of the wizarding world? Did the Ministry know that it was Hermione, Ron and Harry who infiltrated the Ministry? Does Umbridge know she's wearing a copy of the locket? Did she know it was a Horcrux in the first place? Does Arthur Weasley know now that it was Harry who told him in the elevator that he is being tracked? WHAT IS GOING ON AT HOGWARTS? Rowling is good at making me feel the same frustration as Harry.
• 286 - Wearing the Horcrux is a BAD, BAD IDEA. Let it be known that I am against this idea, no matter how long you wear it for. Not good. Put it in Harry's little bag or something.
• 288 - Ugh. Ron turns into Gollum when he gets hungry and lockety.
• 290 - Don't forget Hogwarts, dummies! The sword of Godric Gryffindor is there! Don't be dense! Why does anyone have to wear the Horcrux locket? Put it in Hermione's giant sack!
• 291 - Oh great, the paranoia begins again. If Hermione and Ron stop talking when you arrive, maybe it's because they don't want to gross you out with their loooooooooove.
• 295 - For some reason I thought Ted Tonks was a Muggle, rather than a Muggle-born wizard. Oh well. Dean! I am so happy to have another Hogwartsian nearby!
• 297 - This is all so mysterious. Goblins doing... something to the Death Eaters and Snape... and Ginny's stealing Gryffindor's sword. Hooray for wizard gossip around the campfire!
• 299 - The Quibbler! For news! Don't make me laugh! Ha ha ha. </John Travolta in Grease>
• 302 - Luna is sort of an oddity. But a loveable one.
• 304 - Hmmm. If the sword destroys Horcruxes, I guess it's not a Horcrux. Or else you've got to find another basilisk fang.
• 306 - Take the locket off that git and put some food in him! Accio him up some salmon!
• 310 - Oh dear. Ron will regret this once he gets a bacon sandwich in him. And now the Horcrux is being shared between two necks instead of three. Bad news. Oh dear, oh dear. And then there's the whole thing of Hermione choosing Harry over Ron. She should tell him, "No, it's not like that. He's my brother." That usually makes things better, right? Maybe the goblins will be willing to dress up as Ewoks. I think I've lost my mind.

Chapter 16 - Godric's Hollow

• I am really upset that Ron is gone. Hermione is the brains of the operation and Harry is the brawn, but Ron is the heart, with all of his easily-hurt feelings and angst and his need for recognition. Come back, Ron.
• 313 - Where is Ron? Where is Harry Potter's Wheezy? Why isn't he back at Hogwarts? Poor Hermione.
• 318 - What's that? There is some connection between Godric Gryffindor and Godric's Hollow? I had no idea, for you see I have been on Mars for the last decade, in a cave, with my eyes shut and my fingers in my ears. How common is the name Godric?
• 323 - Do wizards join Muggle churches? Can wizards be buried in church graveyards?
• 327 - Oh boy, wizarding genealogy in the graveyard! It's like a vacation with my parents!
• 329 - Hmmm, I wonder where Harry Potter is. I don't know, but someone left a nice wreath on his parents' grave. I wonder who that could have been. Dum de dum dum dum.

Chapter 17 - Bathilda's Secret

• This is so slow with the note-taking! But I'm glad I'm doing it because I'm reading closer than I would otherwise, and I'll have a record of all my speculations before I find out What Really Happens.
• 335 - Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm?
• 340 - Oh no! What happened to the real Bathilda Bagshot? Where is the sword?
• 342 - Harry! Occlumency! You can't be you and Voldemort! There isn't enough room in your head. Argh. Why did they introduce Occlumency, only to have Harry ignore it? Argh!
• 345 - I am so confused with Harry and Voldie jumping into each others' heads. Who is thinking what? What just happened? Who is that stupid blond thief? Is the thief now in danger because Voldemort has discovered who he is? Where is RONNNNNNNNNN?
• 348 - Oh great. Now everyone has borrowed wands. So much for a brief advantage.

Chapter 18 - The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore

• Well, I don't like the sound of that.
• 353 - Grindelwald? Well, I wouldn't have guessed that. I also guessed the time period wrong, because I was figuring this had to have happened when Dumbledore was already quite old.
• 359 - Great! A whole book about Dumbledore and none of it tells me anything. It just raises more questions. But I still want to trust Dumbledore.
• 361 - "Harry, I'm sorry, but I think the real reason you're so angry is that Dumbledore never told you any of this himself." Bingo.

Chapter 19 - The Silver Doe

• Silver doe, eh? A new Patronus for Ginny? I am missing Weasley-contact, and we still don't know where Ron is. Where is RON? Question: When Lupin does the Patronus charm (which presumably he knows how to do, since he taught it to Harry), does it take the form of a wolf? That is what you would assume. I like to think it's a frog.
• 365 - Harry the Stalker has been watching Ginny walk around Hogwarts. That is both pathetic and sort of creepy.
• 366 - Admiral Srackbar says "It's a TRAAAAP!" Or it's Ginny. Your call.
• 368 - Where did this sword come from? Where did the doe come from? Could the doe be Lily's Patronus instead of Ginny's? Do Patronuses hang around after people are dead? I dunno.
• 369 - Harry's in his underpants. Meh. We've seen Daniel Radcliffe in less. Ew. Now I have to picture it. I bet the fangirls are squeeing.
• 370 - Sir Lancelot Ron! You've come to rescue me! RON! Ron is the True Gryffindor who could retrieve the sword this time. Ron is a heroic heroic hero. I can picture him, all dripping and holding the sword aloft, clad in the sheerest shimmering samite like a Gryffindor hero. Now where has he BEEN?
• 373 - You destroy that Horcrux, young Mr Weasley, with your heroic heroism. Smash it!
• 375 - STAB! STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB! STAB ALREADY! STAB STAB STAB!
• 376 - The girl doesn't prefer your friend! She just has to help him save the world. And so do you. STAB, RON, STAB! Don't listen to his lies! STAB STAB STAB!
• 377 - Huh. That's interesting. So if that sequence makes it into the movie, Daniel and Emma will kiss before Emma and Rupert. That's interesting. Oh and also, STAB STAB STAB.
• 378 - Ah, so it's Luke giving Han the "she's my sister" speech instead of the other way around. Nice switcheroo.
• 379 - Ron, you're a hero. And being a hero is not as exciting as it seems. But I bet if you go back and tell Hermione, she will find it pretty heroic! Go find Hermione!
• 380 - Ah, the punching and the shouting. Such is the stuff of the most beautiful relationships.
• 381 - My mistake. Hermione is not impressed with your heroism. Well, you do deserve a good shouting.
• 382 - Ron needs some Disapparition lessons or he's going to splinch all of his body parts off.

Chapter 20 - Xenophilius Lovegood

• 389 - Huh. The name is jinxed, so there isn't a spy after all. Sorry I doubted you, Ickle Ronniekins.
• 390 - The Patronus was probably sent by a girl, what with it being a doe and all.
• 391 - "He must've known I'd run out on you." "No," Harry corrected him. "He must have known you'd always want to come back." And my eyes tear up again.
• 393 - "If it's annoying you, I'll stop!" Poor Ron. But you do need to be punished a while longer. Why don't you rescue Hermione next, Mr Big Gryffindor Hero?
• 395 - Ha ha, Hermione disagrees with Ron even when he agrees with her.
• 396 - This new returned Ron is so cheery and charming. Much better than the Gollum he was when he left.
• 398 - Welcome back, Ron's Chess Skills. We haven't seen much of you since year 1.
• 402 - Is Luna really down at the stream? I don't think Luna is down at the stream. She seems too conveniently out of the way. Where is Luna? Is she safe? Where is NEVILLE, dammit?
• 404 - Finally! We are over halfway through the book and there is finally a mention of the Deathly Hallows!

Chapter 21 - The Tale of the Three Brothers

• 406 - Lovegoods drink booger tea. That will be the name of my other wizard rock band: Lovegoods Drink Booger Tea.
• 408 - Ron is funny again. And scared of Hermione. Heh.
• 410 - Harry's got an Invisibility Cloak. And does the Sorcerer's Stone count as a resurrection stone? I don't know where the elder wand will come from.
• 412 - What's a Peverell? That name sounds familiar. Have we met a Peverell before? Not in the graveyard, but in life.
• 417 - Oh Luna. You love your friends - the first people who accepted you and (mostly) didn't call you Loony. And I love you for that, Luna. You may be a Ravenclaw, but you've got a great big Hufflepuffy heart. Where is Luna????
• 419 - How many Horcruxes do we still have to hunt down? We've done the diary, the ring and the locket, so there are still four left? AND rescuing Luna? There's a lot to cram into the rest of this book! Maybe Luna can find one of the Horcruxes for you and you can kill two birds with one stone when you rescue her. She ought to find something Ravenclawey.

Chapter 22 - The Deathly Hallows

• 425 - Azkaban is supposed to make you crazy. Can you imagine Luna Lovegood going crazy? What if I was demented? And now Ron's making the tea. Could you make us dinner while you're up, by the way, so it doesn't just fall to Hermione to do all the time? That's a dear.
• 427 - I bet Harry's a descendent of the Peverells. Maybe that's why I've heard the name before... although we haven't heard much about Harry's ancestry. Argh!
• 428 - Aha! There we go. Voldie's a Peverell. I wasn't making it up after all.
• 429 - I feel like the story's gotten unnecessarily complicated. Are they hunting for Horcruxes or Hallows? They should search for Horcruxes. If it comes down, in the end, to owning the last Hallow or destroying the last Horcrux, Harry has to destroy the Horcrux. He has to destroy Voldemort's power rather than grabbing for power of his own.
• 430 - Wait, how did you just jump to being Ignotus Peverell's descendent? Where did that come from? Just because you have the cloak? These speculations and leaps of logic are for us readers to make, not you, Harry.
• 434 - Oh no, Harry's going power-mad again. HORCRUXES, NOT HALLOWS, HARRY.
• 435 - Geez, he's starting to sound like Tom Riddle. I don't like it when Harry is like this.
• 437 - Three Horcruxes left? I'm missing one. But I can't look it up on the Internet because the Internet will spoil things for me.
• 438 - Lee Jordan, reknowned for his Quidditch-announcing skills is now on the radio. Excellent.
• 439 - Oh dear. So many deaths. Fortunately it's not anyone we're too attached to, but there are 300 pages left.
• 440 - These aliases are not very good. Royal = Kingsley Shacklebolt? River = Lee Jordan? Anyone want to take any guesses as to who Romulus is? Anyone? Bueller?
• 441 - Yes, Tonks is huge because she's having a whole litter of babies.
• 442 - "Rodent"!
• 445 - Oh, well done, Harry! You had to say the name!
• Also, WHERE IS NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM?

Chapter 23 - Malfoy Manor

• 447 - Did Hermione do this so they wouldn't recognize him? That's quick thinking.
• 454 - What a predicament. Ginny should come and save them all with her SuperWeasley Magic. She was crazy powerful in the movie version of OotP.
• 457 - When I turn the page, will Draco sell Harry out, or will he have a sudden change of heart, à la Dudley? I'm pretty sure he'll sell him out, but I keep hoping Draco can be changed, or that he'll at least get sick of the Death Eaters' abuse.
• 459 - Interesting reaction. And probably the best we could hope for from Draco: vague, non-committal answers. Way to go, Draco!
• 462 - What danger are they in? What does this have to do with the sword? Are the Malfoys Horcruxes? That doesn't make any sense. I'm confused.
• 464 - Luna! The gang is reforming! We will see Neville in no time, I'm sure. We're only more than FOUR HUNDRED PAGES INTO THE BOOK. Well, Ollivander's alive. That's good to know, because it sure looks like Harry needs a new wand.
• 468 - Dobby has come to rescue them? These House Elves have weird and mysterious powers. They just pop in and out of everywhere. He may be their savior, but he's still a big creep.
• 470 - Ew, self-strangulation.
• 473 - Draco, you have all the wands. What are you going to do, Draco?
• 474 - Dammit, Dobby is a hero. I hate Dobby.
• 476 - Another one bites the dust. Pardon me if I don't mourn.

Chapter 24 - The Wandmaker

• 477 - Wow, Harry really liked that annoying little elf. Dobby frequently came through in a pinch in later books, but I guess I've never forgiven him for all his "helping" and "protecting" Harry in the early books. He bewitched a bludger to go after Harry, for heaven's sake!
• 479 - Thank goodness he's not obsessed with Hallows anymore. That was annoying.
• 480 - Wow. This burial is still going on? This is a big deal. Did J.K. Rowling expect me to be more upset about this? Am I just a terrible house-elf-hating person? Maybe I am. Or maybe this is one of those things where they have a big elaborate funeral service for someone and then it turns out he's alive. Does anyone know what normal vital signs are for a house elf?
• 482 - Look out everybody - Harry's taking charge.
• 484 - I hope choosing Griphook means that he chose Horcruxes. Harry seems more thoughtful and less obsessed these days, so I'm sure that's what he chose. Bellatrix must be hiding something else in her vault. Maybe that is the picture on the UK cover!
• 487 - Yep, it's Bellatrix's vault they're after.
• 494 - Poor Draco has no wand. He is defenseless and now the Malfoys are going to come under fire for letting Harry Potter escape.
• 497 - Ollivander is sort of crazy about wands.
• 500 - Voldemort at HOGWARTS? It is really really annoying how we keep jumping into Voldemort's mind with no set-up.

Chapter 25 - Shell Cottage

• 503 - Here is my plan. Destroy all the Horcruxes, Voldemort goes *poof* then you grab the wand. Horcrux and Hallows problems solved! ... but you really ought to be out hunting Horcruxes instead of sitting around the house.
• Also, you know who I haven't seen in a while? NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM. HELLOOOOOOOOO.
• 504 - Maybe the mirror is actually a portrait of Dumbledore (or has the same powers), so his Hogwarts-portraits could talk to Dobby and send him after Harry.
• 508 - Uh oh, Harry's getting creepy again, double-crossing goblins.
• 514 - It's a boy! ... and only one! Hurrah for Teddy Ruxpin Lupin! And he appears to be a shape-shifter. How adorable. Does he have a snout?

Chapter 26 - Gringotts

• I took about a two-hour break after chapter 25. I am worried now that I'm reading too fast and that when the book comes to its huge emotional crescendo, I won't be fragile enough to appreciate it properly. Harry Potter books are supposed to be finished at 3am when you're all exhausted from staying up the previous night and the world is so unfair and people have to DIE and you just CRY AND CRY AND CRY... and 3am is EIGHT HOURS from now! I would have to take, like, an hour per chapter. Of course, now I feel like I'm overthinking it and I should just read and enjoy and not take breaks for no reason. And they are for no reason. I ought to go for a walk, but I have this idea in my head that if I leave the house, SPOILERS will jump out and grab me. SPOILERS! They lurk 'round every corner like Snatchers.
• Okay, so I went for a walk. I stuck to the residential neighborhoods because for some reason I thought that uptown there would be big banners saying "RON AND HERMIONE DIE" or people driving down the street, shouting out their windows, "DUMBLEDORE WAS EVIL AND SNAPE WAS GOOD! SURPRISE! AND NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM ONLY SHOWED UP IN THE BOOK IN ORDER TO DIE!"
• Speaking of which, we're more than 500 pages into the book and Neville still hasn't appeared. Is he dead? I am going to feel really cheated if he dies within 100 pages of his first appearance in the book. Or if he doesn't appear at all! What's with that? Maybe he is leading the Hogwarts rebellion, like a sweet little Wedge Antilles.
• 519 - Thanks, Bill, for that warning about goblins from the previous chapter. Now I am freaked out.
• 522 - Jesus Christ, that scared me! Then I realized it was Hermione. There has been a lot of Polyjuice in this book.
• 523 - Hermione: "Okay, Ron, come here so I can do you..."
• 538 - I wonder if the Ravenclaw Horcrux is the diadem that was briefly mentioned in chapter 25 (p. 513). And I wonder if the diadem is actually Auntie Muriel's tiara. What is a diadem, anyway? It's some sort of crown, isn't it? I am not liking this Gringotts business. This is making me even more nervous than their ill-planned trip to the Ministry of Magic. Maybe that's because it's later in the book.
• 540 - Well, this does appear to be the scene from the UK cover. Now they've just got to ride that dragon out of there to do the US deluxe cover. And then Harry and Voldemort have to face off. I have no idea yet where that will take place, though.
• 541 - And here we are with the dragon-riding. But where did the sword go? It looks like it's flying through the air... then what? Do they have it? Do they have to find a new way to destroy Horcruxes? I do not feel good about this whole sequence. There was too much cheating and double-crossing and stealing going on, and our heroes were doing a lot of it.

Chapter 27 - The Final Hiding Place

• 548 - Laughing and frolicking in a big grassy field by a lake? What does this remind me of? I don't know... is anyone here a Jedi knight? A senator? Does anyone here have skin that is soft... and smaggggghhhhhhhllllllth? This would have been a really nice scene about taking time to laugh with friends, even in the middle of hardship and battles, but Star Wars ruined it for me by inserting that image in my brain. I hate you, Star Wars.
• 550 - Now that they have the Hufflepuff cup, what's left? They got the diary, the Hufflepuff cup, the ring and the Slytherin locket. Did they find another one too? Are there two or three left? One seems to be Nagini and another must be related to Rowena Ravenclaw. Is that the one inside Hogwarts? Is it the Sorting Hat? Is the diadem inside Hogwarts? There must be one more Horcrux they haven't found, because we don't have anything from Gryffindor yet. AAAAH! This would be a lot easier if someone (in the book, not the spoiler-happy Internet) would make a clear list of all the Horcruxes that have been found so far and where they were found.

Chapter 28 - The Missing Mirror

• 555 - I sense something; a presence I've not felt since... hmm. NEVILLE! Neville must be at Hogwarts. We are getting closer to Neville. Neville Neville Neville.
• 557 - Is Aberforth Dumbledore the Hog's Head barman? Was that already established or was that just one of the rumors going around? Is that a picture of Ariana?
• 558 - Something huge and horned? If this is Aberforth, I bet that was a goat. ... yup, I was right.
• 560 - Doe Patronus = Ginny. Doe Patronus = Ginny. Doe Patronus = Ginny. Do I need to keep saying it? BTW, what's Neville's Patronus? A toad?
• 570 - NEVILLE!

Chapter 29 - The Lost Diadem

• Diadem, eh? Told you.
• 574 - Hogwarts is a scary place. I don't know if I'm more impressed with those who ran away or with those who stayed.
• 575 - He is leading the Hogwarts Rebellion! Ferris Bueller Neville Longbottom, you're my hero. Why didn't Ginny come back after Easter? Where is she? She's legally required to be at Hogwarts, so she must be in hiding now... chasing the other three through the woods and conjuring Doe Patronuses.
• 576 - You GO, Neville's Gran!
• 578 - Oh Ron. You listen! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH LAVENDER BROWN GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY! She probably hates Ron now, but I still want her to go away. She's creepy.
• 582 - Power to the people, right on! Lead them into battle, Neville, while Harry goes and snatches the diadem. Snape is probably wearing it like a pretty, pretty princess.
• 585 - Jealous Ginny!
• 587 - I never thought about the different houses having different forms of security. Luna's answer is so Luna.
• 588 - No! Don't leave the cloak!

Chapter 30 - The Sacking of Severus Snape

• What is the DEAL with Snape in this book? He hasn't even been in it as much as Neville, but at least he's been talked about. Where are Snape's loyalties? I'm so confused, but I hope it will all be explained in this chapter.
• 589 - Hmm, Luna seems to be insanely powerful. That's fitting.
• 590 - Poor lonely Luna is so happy to have pleased her housemates. Her only friends seem to be Gryffindors.
• 595 - Teachers and students, fighting together! Fighting the bad guys! Protecting the school! I think that we need a big rock song right now. Teachers and students! Fighting together! Fighting the bad guys! Protecting the school! Get out your guitars. We are going to ROCK Voldemort away. Or something. Oh look, it's only 10:00 and I'm already insane.
• 596 - Wait, you're planning on having ALL the students in the school go through the tunnel and then Disapparate out of Hogsmeade? I see two problems with this:
  1. The tunnel is going to be crowded and it's going to take forever
  2. Most of the students are not old enough to have learned how to Disapparate. There's going to be a whole lotta splinchin' going on.
• 597 - Darn, Snape's not wearing nightclothes. I would like to see him in a long white nightshirt and maybe one of those funny hats that guys in nightshirts always seem to wear. And bunny slippers.
• 598 - Dueling professors! Too awesome! I can't wait to see Maggie Smith do this.
• 599 - Doug can read! Snape can fly!
• 601 - Sorting Hat! I really want the diadem to have been inside the Sorting Hat all this time.
• 604 - ... is there something going on between Dean and Luna?
• 605 - Oh, guess what I'm doing? CRYING. Over Percy Weasley! Percy Weasley indeed! Oh, all the Weasleys together. I'm so happy, and I'm also so afraid this will be the last time they're all together.
• 607 - Poor Ginny is left behind. This will be important later, I'm sure, but I don't know why. Judging from the movie version of OotP, I would think you'd want a witch like her around. Bathroom? Have Hermione and Ron gone to recruit Moaning Myrtle?

Chapter 31 - The Battle of Hogwarts

• We still haven't figured out how they're going to DESTROY the Horcruxes once they find them all! Well, except Nagini. I think chopping him/her in half will probably do the trick. Where is that goblin with the sword when you need him? Do we have any basilisk fangs?
• 609 - Snape, are you bad or just unpopular? Snape, you need to come back and explain yourself, one way or the other.
• 620 - Harry knows where the diadem is... so why don't I? Where IS it?
• 622 - Well done, you two! That's one Horcrux down, and hopefully you can use the fang on the diadem, too, wherever it is.
• 625 - KISSING! House-elves! KISSING! It is so perfect.
• 628 - NO! Draco, you can't come and ruin everything NOW!
• 631 - What's going on? Who conjured that fire? The trio and the Slytherins are all running from it.
• 634 - Quidditch Seeking comes in handy when trying to catch a falling tiara while on a broom.
• 634 - I am somehow more disturbed about Crabbe being dead than Dobby. Probably because it was an awful way to go and I think of him as a child. Where is Ginny? Where is Ginny?
• 637 - Fred! There are so many people this will hurt, including me. Why Fred? Why not Percy? There go the waterworks again. How many more do we have to lose before the end of the book? Fred is just the beginning. Oh George, oh Molly and Arthur. Why were there elementary-school aged kids at the bookstore last night? I don't know if I'm old enough for this.

Chapter 32 - The Elder Wand

• Well, I don't think this is going to take me till 3am to finish, but it looks like I'll manage to be a teary, emotional mess anyway. So that's nice. Five more chapters and an epilogue to go.
• 639 - Are the spiders on the Death Eaters' side? How did that happen? I thought they just hated people in general. Or wanted to eat them.
• 642 - Oh dear, Snape. What now?
• 645 - Hooray for punching Draco. Why do I keep thinking that twerp will come to his senses?
• 646 - Did Fenrir get a bite in? Is Lavender Brown a werewolf?! Go Trelawney, you crazy quack!
• 648 - I thought that Aragog had instructed his descendants not to attack Hagrid. Surely they must be working with Hagrid, rather than killing him. What an awful way to go, after raising Aragog.
• 649 - Oh Luna, so calm and... well, I wouldn't say rational, but certainly cool-headed in a crisis. And your Patronus is a bunny.
• 652 - Here we are, Voldemort and Snape.
• 655 - Snape goes white upon hearing that Voldemort sacked Dumbledore's tomb. There is good in him. I can feel it!
• 658 - Snape, too! What came out of him? I hope it was a memory, à la Pensieve. I hope it was something to prove that he was working against Voldemort the whole time! ... somehow. Even though he was pretty awful. Dammit.

Chapter 33 - The Prince's Tale

• 660 - Wait, where are you people going? What about that flask? Are you going to do something with it or are you saving it for later? It must be a memory, because the chapter illustration looks like Little Snape on the Playground (the less-popular sequel to Little House on the Prairie). And because the chapter title presumably refers to the Half-Blood Prince.
• 661 - No! Remus and Tonks! Does this mean that Teddy's godfather will have to raise him? I loved Remus and Tonks. Who else is going to die? Who else will we find out has died? They're just all going to die. Who is going to survive?
• 663 - Little Petunia! I knew there was more to Petunia to discover! Aunt Petunia knew Snape? That's such a strange combination.
• 674 - This is a great memory. It says a lot about Snape and his relationship with Harry.
• 682 - There we are. Dumbledore was in on it, as I've long suspected he must be.
• 686 - Wow. Harry.
• 687 - The doe was Snape! And his Patronus is a doe because of his love for Lily. Oh, I'm a wreck. I can't read through my tears. And Dumbledore is crying too. This is the sort of ending that has always been speculated, but seeing it written out... and the reasons behind it all... and Dumbledore's involvement... and there are still so many pages left...

Chapter 34 - The Forest Again

• 691 - Harry! You're so noble and brave, like a Gryffindor ought to be. You've grown up so much. Oh Harry. There has to be a way out of this. Can't love save him again? How can little Teddy lose both of his parents and his godfather on the same day? My eyes were tearing before, but now I'd say I'm just full-out sobbing. Will he be able to say goodbye to anyone? Will he be able to say goodbye to the Weasleys and Ginny and Ron and Hermione? Luna and Neville? Oh god.
• 694 - No, Colin! WHY? Oh, it's all coming to an end.
• 696 - Neville, you're such a brave Gryffindor. Who would have thought you would grow up the way you did? I will miss you. It's almost all over. We readers are losing everyone - not just those who die.
• 698 - Who's fetching him? He has almost all the Hallows? But he still has to die, doesn't he????
• 700 - Harry Potter is going to his death and he wants his mother nearby. I think I am going to dehydrate from all the crying.
• 703 - Hagrid is alive!
• 704 - Everything is gone... and there are still two chapters and an epilogue.

Chapter 35 - King's Cross

• 705 - Aw, geez. Not more naked Daniel Radcliffe.
• 707... not dead?
• 708 - Is that horrible disturbing creature what's left of Voldemort?
• Wow. That explained a lot... sort of. I'm still pretty confused. But Harry's going back and he's not dead... yet.
• So what was that thing???

Chapter 36 - The Flaw in the Plan

• 727 - Poor Hagrid.
• 730 - This is going to be such a good movie for Maggie Smith.
• 731 - Neville is noble and loyal!
• 732 - Oh my god, that's HORRIBLE! That's the worst thing I've ever seen in a Harry Potter book. I am horrified. NEVILLE!
• 733 - NEVILLE! You're not dead! The sword of Godric Gryffindor! How did it get in there? Neville has destroyed the last Horcrux! It's Neville! It's Neville! It's Neville!
• 734 - Isn't Voldemort supposed to be dead now? Isn't that the last of the Horcruxes?
• 736 - I am laughing and crying at the same time. Molly Weasley versus Bellatrix Lestrange! Of all the people who needed revenge on Bellatrix Lestrange, it's Molly Weasley who takes her out?
• 743 - Always with the damned Expelliarmus!
• 744 - Voldemort is dead! And Harry Potter is not! How did this happen? Was it all just to do with the wands? I still don't understand why he didn't die in the forest.

Epilogue

• So wait, what does Harry do? Does he have a job? Or does he just sit around all day being Harry Potter? Is he a motivational speaker? Argh. I don't think I needed that epilogue.