Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Discussion - Page 6

JenMarie · #76 07-21-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ADPiAkron
I love Harry Potter and I totally agree with you Sistermadly!! I felt like the whole book was building up to something huge (which it did, don't get me wrong)-- but then it ended in less than 100 pages!!

In the other books all of the major incidents happened mid-book and then the book finished out with the solution to the problem!! Its almost as if there was not a major incident-- like in GofF with the buildup to the tournament-- and then the tournament started and all of the problems started-- and then in the end they fought off the bad people-- and then the year ended!!

I felt like this book is a complete pre-qual to the final book-- like it was the first 30 chapters of Book 7!! I feel as if we were reallllllly left hanging in this book way more than in the past books!!

Just my 2 cents!! Please do not cast any spells upon me!!

I do agree with you. As I stated earlier, this should have been called "Harry Potter and the Large Amount of Backstory." It wasn't the most "interesting" of the 6 (I kinda liked book 5, thank you very much...) but felt it was a necessary evil.

FYI... if you go to Mugglenet, there is the second half of the webmaster's interview with JKR posted. VERRRRRRYYYYY interesting part about RAB and Sirius' mirror. http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrinterview2.shtml
It's kinda toward the middle. And she basically shoots down any theory of a H/Hr relationship... which if you couldn't figure out after this book, that's sad. (Though I still hold out for fanfic.

)

ms_gwyn · #77 07-21-2005, 12:13 PM

I think with this being the Penultimate book, we needed the back story in order to move the present tense and set up Harry (blah, blah, blah).

I think it was supposed to be low key, I mean after the Drama of OotP and the devestation that takes place in the last few chapters of the book, we needed this "vacation".

You know...the calm before the storm?

We have 2 years to prepare and I just think...this is going to be doosy (sp) of a ride, this last book and boy do I want it to be around 1000 pages, so I can read it in 3 days

uwkappa · #78 07-21-2005, 02:01 PM

I thought Marvolo's black and gold ring that Dumbeldore was wearing on and off in was a Horcrux wasn't it? As the trophy for the Riddle murders?

abaici · #79 07-21-2005, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by uwkappa
I thought Marvolo's black and gold ring that Dumbeldore was wearing on and off in was a Horcrux wasn't it? As the trophy for the Riddle murders?

I was. But Dumbledore destroyed it.

uwkappa · #80 07-21-2005, 03:11 PM

Right. So the Riddle manor wouldn't be a horcrux...why have two trophies of the same thing?

JenMarie · #81 07-21-2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by uwkappa
Right. So the Riddle manor wouldn't be a horcrux...why have two trophies of the same thing?

You've got a point. Why would Riddle have 2 trophies for the same murder?

But I think the way this conversation is going, maybe another horcrux, different from the original Riddle murders, is hidden somewhere in the Riddle house. The ring was found in the Gaunt house.

SigmaChiCard · #82 07-21-2005, 05:04 PM

what other big events happened?

so far there have been horcruxes in:

The place he terrified the other orphans & discovered the nature of his magic (Locket)
Hogwarts where he became a brilliant wizard (Diary - proving he's an heir of Slytherin)
Gaunt's Home - where he discovered the nature of his roots

I feel like bourgins was important to him - i feel one is there
I feel like something will be found by Harry at his parents' home - something intended to be used after he killed Harry - but was never able to be made.

and what is left is of course the goblet
hmm...what else is of significance....
maybe one of the mirrors is going to be one...that'd be kind of cool

ISUKappa · #83 07-21-2005, 05:06 PM

Could it possibly be Nagini? DD thought LV's snake could be a horcrux and wasn't she (he? it?) the one that killed Riddle's old gardener at the house? LV could have made her a horcrux at that time.

JenMarie · #84 07-21-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SigmaChiCard

maybe one of the mirrors is going to be one...that'd be kind of cool

Read the interview link I posted earlier... JKR kinda hints at that. I also remember JK mentioning that the mirror would be significant in the future of the series.

You may be on to something though.

Lindz928 · #85 07-21-2005, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ISUKappa
Could it possibly be Nagini? DD thought LV's snake could be a horcrux and wasn't she (he? it?) the one that killed Riddle's old gardener at the house? LV could have made her a horcrux at that time.

I do think the snake is probably one. DD even said so. But I don't think she actually killed the gardener... Didn't V or Wormtail kill him with the Avada Kedavra?

christiangirl · #86 07-21-2005, 08:21 PM

Yeah, I think Wormtail killed the gardener. And I definitely think one is Nagini. But wait, did the ring belong to Riddle Sr. or to Morfin's father? Because didn't he take it from Morfin at the Gaunt's house?

And about these mirrors...Sirius said he'd always keep his mirror with him so did it go through the curtain with him? In order for Harry to use that mirror properly, someone living would need the other one and if it went through the curtain with Sirius, how...unless Harry goes through the curtain too? Didn't Luna say they'd all see them again anyway? I think there's really only 5 horcruxes...I think he's saving that 6th one for Harry's death so he's refused to make it just yet.

James · #87 07-21-2005, 10:57 PM

1. Is Snape definitely a bad guy? Is it possible that Dumbledores arrangement with snape was for snape to kill him and that way get closer to Voldemort than ever before?

'Cause it would have made sense for Snape to kill Harry on the way out which he could have easily have done.

2. Did everyone see the Harry/Ginny thing coming except me? I though Rowling was going to write the normal path of the hero and have Harry meet someone totally out of his circle of friends.

In te first book or two I thought Hermione/Harry might play out . . .

Oh, and didn't Ginny give him up at the end of the book kind of easily? She is already going to be marked by the death eaters regardless of whether she stays with harry or not.

Lindz928 · #88 07-22-2005, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by christiangirl
Yeah, I think Wormtail killed the gardener. And I definitely think one is Nagini. But wait, did the ring belong to Riddle Sr. or to Morfin's father? Because didn't he take it from Morfin at the Gaunt's house?

It belonged to Marvolo- Morfin's father. It is the ring of Slytherin right?- so it was with his descendants.

I think Ginny let Harry go because she understands that it is BECAUSE he cares about her so much that he did it. I think she expects (as I do) that he will come back once Voldemort is gone and his loved ones are safe. At least, that had better happen or JKR might be minus one fan.

christiangirl · #89 07-22-2005, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by James

'Cause it would have made sense for Snape to kill Harry on the way out which he could have easily have done.

She is already going to be marked by the death eaters regardless of whether she stays with harry or not.

1. Remember Snape kept yelling, "Leave him, he's for the Dark Lord"? Voldy wants to kill Harry, no one else is allowed to do it. That's why I think the last horcrux will come from Harry's death.

2. And it's true Ginny's marked, but I think Harry doesn't want the guilt. If she dies b/c she was part of the D.A. it's one thing, but if her life is endangered b/c she was bait for a Harry trap (which he'd undoubtedly walk into) he'd never forgive himself.

sugar and spice · #90 07-22-2005, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by James

2. Did everyone see the Harry/Ginny thing coming except me? I though Rowling was going to write the normal path of the hero and have Harry meet someone totally out of his circle of friends.

In te first book or two I thought Hermione/Harry might play out . . .

Oh, and didn't Ginny give him up at the end of the book kind of easily? She is already going to be marked by the death eaters regardless of whether she stays with harry or not.

Oh James, this is why I could never take your romantic advice -- you are clearly blind to details.

JKR has made Hermione/Ron pretty obvious from at least book 2 or 3 if not before. I think she's actually said something about how she's surprised that ANYONE would think Harry and Hermione would ever end up together because she's hinted heavily at Ron/Hermione forever. I think Ginny/Harry was more in doubt, but honestly I thought that one was pretty obvious by around book 2 as well.

I did think the ending was a cop-out, but I wasn't surprised by it. To keep the momentum of the story flowing, I was betting that she wouldn't throw any of the major couples (basically amounting to Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny) together for real until at least halfway through the last book. Otherwise, in order to keep readers interested in their romantic pursuits, the author would inevitably subject us to their endless drama and arguments, and really, who wants that?

Personally, I think that it's clear that Harry and Hermione would make a horrible couple -- they are both too intense; they need people to lighten them up. Likewise, Ron and Ginny need people to ground them.

As for this book being backstory-full -- I agree, but I definitely don't think that's a bad thing. I definitely preferred this book to Order of the Phoenix, which I thought was badly edited, boring and lacked too much of the trademark humor that kept the earlier books from getting too dark. This improved on all of those points, at least to me (I suppose the "boring" one is debatable).

A friend and I discussed this: what do you think of the "final battles" in the books? He and I were both sort of let down by this one (Dumbledore's death aside), and I was definitely let down by the final battle scene in OotP. I guess it's because I prefer the puzzle-type battles where something important is finally revealed to the "everybody shoots unforgiveable curses at everyone else" scenes, but I thought that the endings were at their strongest in Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire. How about you guys?