<p>I agree with that, but I did love the fact that Fred died laughing, and with Percy.</p>
<p>I loved that, too, but I wish he hadn’t died. I really love the Weasley twins.</p>
<p>RIP Fred 
He was one of the greatest characters.</p>
<p>Am I the only one that thought Snape’s was the saddest death… he was actually my favorite character through the whole series. Harry saying that Snape was the bravest person he ever knew was my favorite line in the book… lol</p>
<p>Also, this book was my second least favorite in the entire series (second to Order of the Phoenix). I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that they were so far removed from Hogwarts… I really liked the end, with the whole battle at Hogwarts, but the rest of it was just not as good as the other Potters, I thought.</p>
<p>^ I loved Snape too. All of my friends INSISTED that he was evil, and I was the only one who believed he was good.</p>
<p>yea, and you know what sucks? that Harry only finds out about all the stuff that Snape did for him after he dies…</p>
<p>I liked that. It’s not like Snape wanted him to know about it, and it’s not as though he were the sentimental type. Snape’s and Dobby’s deaths were both beautifully done, I think.</p>
<p>Did you watch Dateline last night? I got the impression that JR was going to have Mr Weasley die, then switched to another member of that family. She couldn’t kill MR W, as he is best father figure in the books. Still, I thought the family had suffered enough, and didn’t think it added to have a twin die.</p>
<p>I didn’t see the interview, but I read it. It’s not that Rowling wanted a member of the Weasley family to die, but instead of Arthur chose Fred. I think Fred was slated to die anyway. But she wanted a father to die, so she chose Lupin instead, and then added Tonks to mirror for Teddy what happened to Harry.</p>
<p>I think, though, that there was another good father in the book, although Arthur was clearly the best - and that was Xenophilious Lovegood. He may have been a bit nuts in his beliefs, but he cared deeply about Luna, and cared for her well. And he taught her to stand up for what she believes in, even if no one else does.</p>
<p>Oh, one more thought:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Grimmaud Place was still protected by Dumbledore’s charms, and the charms of the other Order members. The Taboo may not have been powerful enough to get through that level of protection, while it was powerful enough to defeat Harry’s, Hermione’s and Ron’s charms - they were, after all, still students, albeit gifted.</p>
<p>I agree that a good follow up would be “Hogwart’s —and The Resistance” or something like that focusing on the emerging leadership of Neville and his difficulties waiting for Harry to come back. It places the story where J.K. shines — in Hogwarts itself and has an obvious conclusion. </p>
<p>The problem with centering a novel around Teddy is that here’s an orphan being raised surrounded by love. That’s not how orphan protagonists are formed. He’d have to be kidnapped or something.</p>
<p>Chedva,
I forgot about Luna’s FA. Still, I lost faith in him when he was willing to turn Harry in without giving the kids any understanding of the peril that Luna was in.
i found Luna a truly interesting character.</p>
<p>I agree that Teddy is too well loved by grandparents and friends to make an interesting protagonist. There is no hint of a villain. The Mallfoys are self-absorbed.</p>
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<p>Draco was always portrayed as the kid who just couldn’t quite bring himself to be a death eater…he couldn’t kill Dumbledore, he was forced to torture people by V, he was a product of his upbringing, and he was a kid after all.</p>
<p>Also, I’m sure that Draco’s mother’s part in helping bring down V was taken into account.</p>
<p>Wow - everything else you might ever possible want to know!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript[/url]”>http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript</a></p>
<p>I don’t think of Snape as good. I think of him as an evil person who did some things that helped the good side but only because it suited his own purposes. I could be judging him too harshly but right now I’m not going to go back and read all the books to be sure!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I agree- that’s just what I was about to post! There’s probably an enormous difference between Hermione’s concealment spells and a Fidelius charm. Also, JK mentioned how Harry noticed Death Eaters outside the window at Grimmauld Place. It’s plausible that some were there due to the Taboo alerting them to someone saying “Voldemort.” The Fidelius was simply stronger than the Taboo, though. I mean, if Voldemort couldn’t come up with some enchantment to foil the Fidelius back when he was searching for James and Lily, I doubt that the Taboo would have done so at Grimmauld Place.</p>
<p>“I don’t think of Snape as good. I think of him as an evil person who did some things that helped the good side but only because it suited his own purposes. I could be judging him too harshly but right now I’m not going to go back and read all the books to be sure!”</p>
<p>I think Snape was good but life made him bitter. I do remember something mentioned in the books about his homelife. A lot of his behaviors were probably protection. His unwillingness to see Harry as his own person and not as James was childish. Which makes me wonder…did Snape ever truly grow up? Did JK allow him to mature beyond his boyhood. Of course, he was a man, yes. But many of his faults seemed to be because he was stuck in his teen years. I am rambling a bit, so hopefully you get what I am trying to say. :)</p>
<p>Couldn’t you say the same thing about the characters in Wuthering Heights? Talk about being stuck in the past.</p>
<p>I can see how Lily and James dying before he accepted their marriage left Snape stuck without closure.</p>
<p>re snape – i see him as ultimately working for the “good” side, but by no means was he what i would call good. his love for lilly strikes me as a sick stalker-ish type of love – would anyone here want their d to have such an admirer?<br>
he loves lily, but its a very selfish love – he wants V to spare HER – not the family that she loves – he would have been fine if V killed James and Harry and left Lily to be consoled by him. he ended up protecting harry out of what i really see as a unhealthy obsession and guilt about lily.
personally, i find it a little problemic that harry ends up giving his son a middle name for snape – in explaining it, i bet he had to gloss over the fact that this was a guy who had an unhealthy obsession with grandma.</p>
<p>as for james – someone asked earlier if he had any redeeming qualities – i think you have to remember that most of what we see about his lesser side we see thru snape’s point of view. james sounds like a typical popular teenage boy who sometimes ends up hurting one of the social misfits without even reallizing.<br>
but in my mind – he must have been more than that BECAUSE he was worthy of lily’s love – something snape couldn’t appreciate as a redeeming quality. but if someone whose love was so strong it could protect a child from V, loved james, i have to think he there had to be something about him that was worthy of that love.</p>
<p>all i know it – i feel like i need to go back and reread all 7 books and i’m find the thought of that overwhelming!</p>
<p>by the way – at this site, some of the issues raised earlier are answered (eg, how neville got the sword, etc) <a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20035573[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20035573</a></p>