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bulletins from the potter front
Having now slogged my way through Order of the Phoenix, I suspect it will be smoother sailing from here on out; I am remembering all my urgent angry feelings about the handling of magical creature rights (and Kreacher specifically) and Remus/Tonks and the entire Marauders generation and the Slytherins, oh god, so many dropped balls, plus probably additional issues I'm forgetting, but even so! There is excellence to come! Like ... lots of Dumbledore. And. Yep.
I know that I've read OotP twice prior to this attempt, because I read it when it came out and I read it in prep for Deathly Hallows, but fuck it's difficult. This is not a book I would ever reread for fun -- although, thankfully, it's easier to read when one isn't fifteen. When I was fifteen I was so ANGRY with Harry for being so STUPID AND ANGRY ALL THE TIME, GOD, and now I am much more sympathetic; also, Harry and Cho's Valentine's Day date is actually kind of hilarious now, rather than squirmingly uncomfortable. It's still too long by half, but I find the politics pretty delightful, and as usual I fell in love with Sirius all over again.
There is no way that the post-Department of Mysteries chapters are actually more difficult now; I distinctly remember, the first time through, thinking numbly that Harry's raging grief in Dumbledore's office didn't begin to cover what he should be feeling. This time through it actually seemed a stunningly accurate description of what I'd been feeling after Sirius died, so that was lovely if also stupidly difficult; and this time through of course I was also reading with an eye to what a completely magnificent bastard Dumbledore is. He didn't tell Harry about the prophecy because he cared too much about Harry! He lost sight of the greater good! There's nothing for it, Albus, you'd better off yourself so you can't get cold feet at the last moment and stop Harry from sacrificing himself! #ALL THE DUMBLEDORE FEELINGS
And I was teary-eyed from there to the end of the book. It's funny, because going back through my Harry Potter tag, I discover that I spent the summer of 2009 writing a couple of shortish fics and concluding, with palpable relief, that I'd see the last few films but I was well shot of my old obsession, and good riddance. Dear self two years ago, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know why either, but I've been hit hard with the nostalgia bat and I'm going with it.
...I have also been reading so many words straight of Rowling's style that I can feel my inner monologue going slightly Rowling-ish. Please stop me before I start saying things adverbly.
Oh, and happy birthday, Harry.
I know that I've read OotP twice prior to this attempt, because I read it when it came out and I read it in prep for Deathly Hallows, but fuck it's difficult. This is not a book I would ever reread for fun -- although, thankfully, it's easier to read when one isn't fifteen. When I was fifteen I was so ANGRY with Harry for being so STUPID AND ANGRY ALL THE TIME, GOD, and now I am much more sympathetic; also, Harry and Cho's Valentine's Day date is actually kind of hilarious now, rather than squirmingly uncomfortable. It's still too long by half, but I find the politics pretty delightful, and as usual I fell in love with Sirius all over again.
There is no way that the post-Department of Mysteries chapters are actually more difficult now; I distinctly remember, the first time through, thinking numbly that Harry's raging grief in Dumbledore's office didn't begin to cover what he should be feeling. This time through it actually seemed a stunningly accurate description of what I'd been feeling after Sirius died, so that was lovely if also stupidly difficult; and this time through of course I was also reading with an eye to what a completely magnificent bastard Dumbledore is. He didn't tell Harry about the prophecy because he cared too much about Harry! He lost sight of the greater good! There's nothing for it, Albus, you'd better off yourself so you can't get cold feet at the last moment and stop Harry from sacrificing himself! #ALL THE DUMBLEDORE FEELINGS
And I was teary-eyed from there to the end of the book. It's funny, because going back through my Harry Potter tag, I discover that I spent the summer of 2009 writing a couple of shortish fics and concluding, with palpable relief, that I'd see the last few films but I was well shot of my old obsession, and good riddance. Dear self two years ago, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know why either, but I've been hit hard with the nostalgia bat and I'm going with it.
...I have also been reading so many words straight of Rowling's style that I can feel my inner monologue going slightly Rowling-ish. Please stop me before I start saying things adverbly.
Oh, and happy birthday, Harry.
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(But I always skip the Grawp bits on rereads, because oh my god, JKR, WHY DO YOU DO THIS.)
Dumbledore is such a manipulative asshole, it's awesome. Easily the best part of the last two books.
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Now that I am in HBP I am remembering that it is the book of ALL DUMBLEDORE ALL THE TIME, and I am so delighted. I did not properly appreciate this before, because I haven't reread it since DH came out, and before DH I had an uncomfortable couple of years where I could tell that Dumbledore was a manipulative asshole but I was terrified that JKR would never acknowledge this, and he would always be a saint. Deathly Hallows makes all the Dumbledore stuff that comes before retroactively THE BEST THING EVER.