Harry Potter Pt II Review

I went to see the final Harry Potter film a month after it came out in theatres. I was just not up for going immediately or seeing all the films in order -- motherhood has taken its toll on my energy. Plus, it was nice to wait and go with friends to the film. So I wanted to list the pros and cons of the last film.

CONS:

I don't know if I can limit myself to SEVEN...I will try.

7. Too much soul baby: The Voldy soul baby thing under the seat was gross. Way gross. Didn't need that much screen time. Three seconds would be enough.

6. The Malfoys WALK AWAY: I can't even believe Steve Kloves wrote that $#*%. Seriously. The Malfoys would not walk away. Especially after the AWKWARD HUG of the century. And Voldy would NEVER HUG anybody. Fist bump? Maybe. Wand slap? Certainly. Hug? NEVER. WTF. (Though it certainly made sense with Harry-hugging-flying duel. Oh wait, no, that made NO SENSE AT ALL. Maybe Ralph Finnes was in a hugging mood that day. If so, then I should have been on set.)

5. Giant wave: Um, Steve Kloves, I know you are not a Ron/Hermione fan, but the giant wave of water right before they kiss? You don't have to OVER emphasize the sexual element -- subtle is good. Too Freudian for my taste. Just have them kiss and then give more time to Ariadne's story.

4. Students EVERYWHERE during the last battle: So, all students march around in neat little rows (a la Madeline books) and yet there are hundreds of them during the last battle all running around and screaming. What happened to the mass evacuation of students by McGonagoll? And WTF her sending out the Slytherins? Made NO sense. Also: why destroy the Quidditch pitch?

3. After fighting their way through Gringotts, riding on the back of a dragon, and then jumping in a frigid lake, Hermione pulls out...the hand-sanitizer? I know they had to cram a lot into the film, but with no explanation, I had to make up my own. That dragon wasn't in the cleanest of underground banks.

2. Where was Crabbe? And why was he replaced with Blaise Zambini? And WHY was Goyle the one who set the fiendfyre? WHY? WHY? WHY?!?!? Oh, drug issues (see here).

1. WTF: HARRY FIX YOUR @^#$^@& WAND!?!?!?!?! I did NOT like that part. Could you tell? Harry was supposed to use the elder wand to repair his broken wand with Fawkes feather in it. Now what is he going to use? Draco's wand? That is just SICK.

PROS:

7. They showed people dying/dead: I know that sounds harsh and I was really surprised Heyman gave this the OK, but I am glad they showed just how EVIL Voldy was and how high the stakes were. He was like Hitler but with a snake-like face and a wand. And Goyle falling into the fire. WOW. Oh and goblin death by fire equally shocking. Lavender Brown munched on by Fenrir. All very real and captured the sense that no one was safe.

6. Ron & Hermione's kiss: believable. Good job guys. Neville's little bit about finding Luna was sweet. Glad Ginny said "I know".

5. Neville was a BA: I wish he had been the BAMF he was in the novel, but making him a BA was just as good. I liked his speech to Voldy, and the mockery with it -- it was good. A little weak, but better than nothing.

4. "Harry, if we die because of them, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" "NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!" Hurray for greatest Weasley lines EVER! And I started crying when Ron was sobbing over Fred. And Tonks and Lupin. I also liked how Molly had a bit of hesitation with the wand duel, as if she can't believe what she stepped into and hopes she doesn't die in the process, and then overcomes her fear to off Bellatrix.

3. Little Snape was PERFECT: He was darling. I liked him. Botoxed-slightly older Snape was not so good. Snape's death scene was good. Not as I imagined it entirely, but completely brutal and in keeping with Volemort's character. Glad Voldy didn't hug him.

2. Oh yeah, Michael Gambon can act: Forgot about that. He was quite good when he isn't screaming intensely at Harry. Oh yeah, and WARWICK DAVIS is a AMAZING. MAN CAN ACT. And, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson...the list goes on and on. Glad all the actors found time to come in for a day to make an appearance. AND HURRAY FOR CIARAN HINDS!!! I call him Inspector Lindley because he looks like Inspector Lindley, but he isn't, but either way he is AWESOME and I am so glad he was in the movie (he was Aberforth). And hurray for high-happy imperius cursed goblins. Love those guys. (Oh, and the Grey Lady was in Nanny McPhee. It was bugging me during the last quarter of it and then right before I went to bed I remembered where I had seen her.)

And before the top pro, I want to mention how NOT FAIR it is to moms & dads who watch this film. The whole time I thought baby Harry looked like Nina. Then I got sad about how I might die and leave Nina behind and she is just this little baby. And would I be brave like Lily? Or would I hug Voldy? And then all those kids lying dead? Not cool. I kept thinking about all their parents. Makes me teary eyed just thinking about it.

1. YAY DRAGON! Best part of the movie, hands down. Love that dragon. Would want one if it would promise not to eat me. I thought Griphooks treatment of it was believable and Hermione's aversion excellent. LOVE THAT SCENE. The whole movie could have been that scene (extended) and I would have been happy.

Even better than the dragon was this:

No, not that kid from Twilight. YAY MIKAEL BLOMKVIST!!!! He is AMAZING!!!

And a MUPPET MOVIE!!! YAY!!!!

I AM SO THERE!!!

And I had most of the theatre scared because I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THE PREVIEW FOR THIS:

I might just have to see it at the Crest for the heck of it. I am sure it will be terrible. I will pay $11 to see the final Harry Potter film, but not for dancing penguins. Got my standards, you know.

D@mn you Gossip Girl!

Sadly, ANTM and Project Runway have ended and Masterpiece Theater has gone on holiday as well.

So, I have taken to watching whatever comes on television when I grade papers in the evening.

I have now seen a total of...2 Gossip Girl episodes and therefore do not get the overall plot line.

Anyhow, d@mn them - they stole a plot line from my fan fiction.

No joke - I had always seen Tobias Snape and Acacia Evans as having a thing.

Acacia (nee Sheppard) Evans is the name I christened Lily Evan's mother.

As I see it, during WWII, Mr. Sheppard (I can't remember his first name, but I have it written down) was a spy for England in North Africa. His wife and child (Rose and Acacia) fled London during the bombings to their country estate in North England - the village where the Snapes reside.

While in the village, Acacia Sheppard becomes friends with Tobias Snape - they become friends, they throw snowballs, report the coordinate of enemy planes to the wire service, etc.

But then Acacia must go to St. Ethelburga's School for Lovely Ladies and never returns...for her father is found dead after being tortured in Egypt for his espionage. She and her mother do not return to the country estate but chose to move back to London.

And where is Eileen Prince while all of this is happening? Well, she is in the same village, watching Tobias from afar, and, having gained courage as a gobstones protege at Hogwarts, she fills the void that Acacia left in Tobias heart.

Years later, Rose Sheppard chooses to return to the country estate to end her days. Acacia has grown up, become a doctor, married, and is working in India with her husband as part of the World Health Organization.

Only when Acacia learns of her mother's death does she bring her family back to the village.

And Tobias falls in love with Acacia again. And Severus falls in love with Lily.

And it is all down hill from there. Seriously downhill...what with the wizarding war, unrequited love, malaria, and some powerful memory charms.

At least this is how I envision it - I am sure JK Rowling has a less epic and melodramatic history of these people. And different names for them.

Again, this is how *I* chose to fill the back story since JKR has not yet released this information or, perhaps, even thought about it.

But I do because I have a flair for the melodramatic...and perhaps "fangirl" the whole Sev/Lily thing far too much for my own good.

Which is why I was so mad that Gossip Girl stole my plot line. I don't know who everyone is on the show, but here is the plot line as I understand it from my two episode and a few commercials knowledge of it:

The blond girl (really pretty) and the black haired boy (too small a nose to be cute) like each other, are possibly in love with each other, but she has *issues* and he has *issues* possibly, but not totally, about each other.

Whatever - they totally like each other and want to be together, but the writers of the show are keeping them apart for the drama of it all.

And to further this divide, the boy' father and girl's mother were once in love, a long time ago, and are now free to be together and the boy and girl decide to be apart for their parents' sake because it would be far to freaky to date the son/daughter of your mom/dad's boyfriend/girlfriend.

Whew.

Except the writers threw in some baby plot line that I totally do not understand - which was kind of cool, because some of the characters know the whole story and others don't and I got to be out of the loop so it was all a big mystery for me.

But the last scene in the train station I don't get - was their child put up for adoption? Or did she have an abortion?

I don't get it.

Whatever - the GG writers stole my plot line.

Except for the whole baby thing...and the requited love thing...whatever, same basic idea.

And they ironically (to me) named the mother Lily.

But I want to report that I came up with the whole thing first so that when I finally get my fanfic out there no one thinks that I am just copying the GG plot line.

I am perfectly capable of creating my own melodrama, thank you very much!

5 Random Things

In no particular order:

1. Harry, A History - This was a really nice look back at the past ten years of the Harry Potter fandom. I especially liked hearing Jo Rowling's point of view. Melissa Anelli, of Leaky fame, did an excellent job with this book. If you would like to borrow the book, let me know.

One thing that intrigued was a comment JKR made about Dumbledore losing Grindelwald, his former object of affection.

She explained that he just turned inward and remained isolated and academic the rest of this life. "Does that mean he as a one-hundred-fifty-year-old virgin? I don't know," she said softly, peering into her coffee cup as though he held an answer.

When I read this passage, the Sev/Lily fangirl in me quickly jumped to conclusions. Could Dumbledore's experience be similar to Snape's? It would seem possible given what we know of Snape from the books - especially since Dumbledore agrees to meet with Snape after Snape passed info onto Voldy...perhaps he saw in Snape a similar need to protect the one he loved?

Hmmm...I will have to think more about this. I would LOVE to ask JKR about how Lily and Snape felt AFTER they parted ways in fifth year towards each other. I can write my own conclusions, but I would love to know what she envisioned.

2. Lord of the Rings Directors Cut (a.k.a. "Deluxe Precious Edition")

Me wants it.

I borrowed the set of three DVDs from an HP meetup friend (super cool and generous). I am THOROUGHLY enjoying it - it has the full film, with effects and music added in, behind the scenes look at how the whole film came together, and commentaries by everyone involved (well, I didn't see the key grip's commentaries, but that is ok - really!).

There were many more songs in the original. Which is kinda cool because they are WAY shorter than in the book.

Small confession - I skipped the songs when reading the series. WHAT! They were a weensy bit boring to me...

Also, El Hubarino (LG) started watching it with me and I have to pause it every 20 minutes or so to explain the plot.

Maybe if he watches it a third time through, he will get the connections.

Then again, he did see it in the theatre the first time and could not remember if Frodo lives.

:|

Seriously - he asked me yesterday if Frodo lives -and he has seen these movies before!!!

The one thing the hubbster won't watch with me is all of the "Making of" features. I LOVE THESE - they make me want to become a movie craftsperson! I can paint things, and link plastic chain mail, and...hold a cord, or something.

3. Which brings be to TEACHING - I do love it despite above sentences. Teaching is never boring and you get better over time.

I applied to Seattle University, am accepted, and will soon begin studies to earn my professional certification (which is the same thing as a licence). It will take me a year and half to complete.

:|

So, I will be at my job for another year...I hope...

I mean...I hope I don't get the boot.

My principal seems ok with me lately, despite my goals meeting which ended ok, but I still had to call the hubbster in tears over it.

:(

Still, things are going ok NOW, and I have to focus on that.

4. I am making Christmas gifts - which is a lot of fun. My embroidered tea towels are getting MUCH better. I would post them here, but some of you might be getting them as gifts and I want them to be a surprise.

They are fun to make and the crocheted bags are coming along nicely too.

That is all - oh wait.

This just in -

5. Obama reads Twilight with his daughters.

Ew. Twilight is a piece of poo. Seriously - I have read excerpts because that is all I could stomach. In the words of Smegol, "It burns us!".

I am disappointed - but I guess nobody is perfect!

HUGE Book Review...and Writing Plans...

I have spent the past few weeks reading the following (in this order):

Wuthering Heights

Mrs. Dalloway

The Guy Not Taken

Good in Bed

Stardust

I finished the last three in two weeks...

Wuthering Heights:  When I first started reading this I thought instantly of Lily and Snape.  A dark young man and a beautiful young lady grow up together and have a strong connection to each other.  Then a really handsome and well to do guy moves into the neighborhood and the beautiful girl marries him.  Then she dies, leaving a child behind, then the guy dies, and the dark young man is left pinning for his love and treating the child badly.  So very much like Snape in the Harry Potter Series.

Except Heathcliff makes Severus Snape look well adjusted.  Heathcliff had some SERIOUS ISSUES.

A brief comparison:

Appearance:  I think Heathcliff is hotter.  Snape I imagine was kind of skinny and sallow.  Heathcliff had some meat on his bones and a bad boy scowl that would have appealed to some ladies.  I don't know what their noses or eyebrows looked like, but I wouldn't have gone for either one.

Vocabulary:  Here, Snape is definitely more civilized.  Heathcliff swears like a sailor.  They do share the ability to insult their true love's child-by-another-man (especially since the child looks like the father...just sayin').

Morals:  Heathcliff has no morals.  I am not surprised that those around him think he is beyond human.  He is violent, he digs up graves, and he is in no way hospitable.  He drives people to ruin and is vengeful. 

For quite sometime I thought of Snape as a very foul little man.  He constantly insults Harry (what did Harry ever do to him?) and generally belittles students (which I do take issue with).  However, the only time Snape was violent was when Harry fished around in Snape's memories and Snape threw a couple of spells at him.  Snape is some what dubious in his morals when he asks Voldemort to save Lily and not the rest of her family.  But, he makes up for it by doing his darnedest to protect the-boy-whose-very-presence-causes-him-to-simultaneously-remember-his-childhood-friend-and childhood-enemy.

I never thought I  would think well of Snape, but both Deathly Hallows and Wuthering Heights have forced me to conclude that he was really not THAT bad.  He was bitter, he was sneaky, and he had his own motivations that he never revealed to anyone (except Dumbledore and Harry) -- but he wasn't as bad as Heathcliff.

Which brings me to a couple of interesting thoughts.  First of all, the oldest cousin (the one who should have inherited the estate if Heathcliff hadn't gotten his father drunk and gambled it from him) looked like Catherine (H's true love -- more like true obsession) or at least HAD CATHERINE'S EYES!  Ahem!

Hello, Harry had Lily's eyes!  But Heathcliff, from what I could tell, was sort of nice to this boy and was trying to toughen him up much in the way Heathcliff was reared.  My question is:  why couldn't Snape be that nice to Harry?  I think it was the same reason Heathcliff couldn't be nice to Catherine's daughter: she looked too much like her father.  But, as some Harry Potter fans have wondered, would Snape have been nice to Lily's child if he or she had looked like Lily?  I think so -- it seemed that Heathcliff couldn't help it and he's totally off his rocker.   Snape, who is a smidgen more reasonable, would not have been immune either.

Overall, Wuthering Heights was AWFUL -- it made me so mad at times, and not the good mad where I start yelling at the book or throw it across the room.  But, I wanted half the people to attack Heathcliff with a shovel or an embroidery hoop depending on who they were -- I even imagined a scene where Nelly and Cathy attack Heathcliff by standing at the door with a poker and some upholstery. Sadly, this never happened. 

As I read on, it just got worse, and worse, and worse...and the ending was sort of lame.  If I had to like a Bronte novel, I guess it would be Jane Eyre because at least I could wrap my head around the character's motivations there.  I could not understand the people in Wuthering Heights.  The one part I did like was the crazy groundskeeper with the very thick accent and how it was written (a possible inspiration for a Hagrid?).

{A funny side note as I was editing this post -- from my profile you know I cannot spell.  So, I could not spell Heathcliff and was too lazy to look it up.  So I just typed whatever, like "Heithsliff" or "Heithclif" or, my favorite "Heithclifee".  Hee :D  Then I finally looked it up and spelled it properly.}

Mrs. Dalloway:  I bought a copy of the book on May 26th (or thereabouts) -- it took me about a MONTH to finish it and the book is only 3/4 of an inch thick.  I think it was more coherent than Faulkner, but just as difficult to follow.  I sometimes liked bouncing around into different character's heads, but sometimes it just made it difficult to keep track of who it was and I had to go back and re-read it.  

I liked it - kinda.  It was a hearty read and I didn't always understand what was happening.  I did like how Woolf captured post-war trauma in a person.  I think it very accurate how difficult it would be to come home after war.  The Iliad with its crazy metaphors sometimes alludes to this, but the chaos of the thoughts of someone traumatized by war -- it can get to you.  She did some wonderful writing there.  

And the Sally Seton stuff - woo!  Clarissa was quite the make-out mogul, was she not?!

The one question I have after all of this is:  is Elizabeth's, Clarissa's child, father Richard (Clarissa's husband) or Peter (other dude Clarrisa could have loved, or at least married)?  

The daughter is said to have a dark quality about her, dark, Oriental eyes.   Peter was said to be half-Indian and he and Clarissa spent some time in a wine cellar in their youth (this is what I understood).  And a nurse remarked that the Dalloway's are usually fair...I don't know what larger impact this question could have on the whole of the novel, but it is just a question I had.

The Guy Not Taken and Good in Bed:  These books are both by Jennifer Weiner, who writes intelligent chick lit.  Or at least this is what I tell myself.  But seriously, I think Weiner has a amazing style and ideas.  Her characters are captivating.  My hubby asked me if Good in Bed was all about sex (he looked worried) and I told him some of the plot.  After telling him about Cannie almost losing her baby and getting an emergency hysterectomy because her ex-boyfriend's crazy girlfriend shoved her, he said "So, did she sue them?" with that angry glint in his eye and curl of lip that I occasionally see when he is super mad.

He is such a Hufflepuff.  Seriously:  a strong sense of justice and a hard worker.  I am definitely a Ravenclaw (creative, a bit loopy -- think Luna Lovegood, and a fussy know-it all) with Hufflepuff leanings (I have a strong sense of justice too, but I am WAY too lazy).

So, Weiner's characters and plots can draw a reader in, but more over she has a way of articulating what it is that people feel when they love and especially when they divorce (her parents, like mine, divorced in her late teens).  Good in Bed hit hard on the abandonment issues (I know I was really hard on my father after his affair and the divorce, but he is WAY better and more loving than Cannie's dad), but The Guy Not Taken was even more of an exploration.  She said that writing was like her therapy.  I agree -- I write to soothe my mind and the many thoughts that churn therein.

Good in Bed was especially nice because she chose as her protagonist a woman who is intelligent but not confident about herself due to her perceptions of her appearance.

In other words, she thinks she is fat. 

All women, at some time or another, have cared far too much about their appearance. But unlike Bridget Jones, Cannie is tall and has lots of curves and some curves that shouldn't be there.  So it is justifiable to say that the protagonist is plus sized.

I always think I am fat - well, I didn't when I weighed 110 pounds which is where I should be.  However,  I should not be 103 or even 90 pounds which is where I was after a lot of fasting and working out.  And while diet and exercise did help, I actually had cancer at the time. That would make anyone lose weight and keep it off...the problem is you KEEP losing weight (which is when I got REALLY worried).

But, it is really easy for people to dismiss your concerns when you are five feet tall.  Yep, I have smaller bones and everything APPEARS small -- but when you wear a 32D and have cellulite, you certainly don't FEEL small.  I weighed myself at the gym the other day -- 122 pounds!!!  I have not been this heavy since junior year of college!  And even then I was 118!  I know my metabolism is slowing and gravity is setting in -- but I SERIOUSLY need to lose some weight (did I mention my mom was recently diagnosed with diabetes and I am scared out of my wits now...).

Still, I have not the issues of women who are taller who also are well endowed and have cellulite.  I am short and therefore can be cute.  They are taller and are labelled "fat chick" and other hurtful things.  Cannie must come to terms with her body type and who she is apart from her body.  And, moreover, find people who do not CARE what she looks like and love her.  

Stardust:  I saw the movie on an airplane or train -- it was fun.  The book was not too different except for the ending (the movie was much more Hollywood, obviously).

It was a very well written and very funny fairy tale.  I loved it.  I love books like these -- a little break from reality but still a sense of humanity in the characters and plot of the book.   

The only thing I did not like was the lack of development of Tristan and the Star's relationship, how they fell in love, etc.  I was not looking for that Hollywood glance/touch/inappropriate-sexual-liaison, but some more of them working together in their journey so that they develop a friendship that turns into love.  Tristan takes care of the star and the star just sits around -- girl didn't even help when he got turned into a door mouse.  But, other than that, I really enjoyed the novel.  I will have to look for other stuff by Neil Gaiman. 

Ahh...but now I feel compelled to write (and not just blog entries) and read some more.  I want to polish up a little story I have about Snape and Lily's friendship (it is pretty cute) and I also have this other story I want to get out about Snape in Death Eater mode.  But my mom is coming soon and I won't have a lot of time to write...

I sort of started Crime and Punishment (to get me in a Snape-writing mood) but I started re-reading Sense and Sensibility (because I think one should take all things in moderation).  I think I will keep switching between the two of them to get a criminal mind set paired with some English sentiment.  Maybe I should just read Montemorency - except it is for young adults and I have already read it.

*sigh*

I am off to cook.

The Carrot

Here is your carrot Katy - she asked about where the fan fic was...

Part I - Chapter 1 where Lily's restless thoughts finally get her to sleep.

Lily could not sleep. She was quite sure of what was keeping her awake – the next day, the “date” with James Potter.

James Potter – she and James Potter were going on a date. Though Hogsmeade was officially off limits this year due to Death Eater recruitment (and Lily had a sneaking suspicion of which students were being recruited), James Potter had planned a date for the two of them tomorrow. He told her she should wear comfortable shoes. He lacked that certain James-Potter-self-satisfied smirk – he actually looked nervous.

He had also sounded nervous when he asked her for a date earlier in the year. Perhaps it was his tone that caught Lily off guard at dinner one evening. They were having polite conversation about Head Boy and Girl duties when it happened.

“Evans,” James had asked.

“Yes,” she had replied, not even looking up from the schedule for indoor break she was tapping with her wand.

“Do you think we could get together – j-just you and I, alone?”

“Right, that would be alright” she had replied, not even thinking, not even seeing it as an invitation for something else – she had been busy stuffing her bag with the altered schedules and rising to leave. She had only figured out what his words meant when Cassie interrogated her about agreeing to a date with Potter.

“Lily, if you don’t like him, don’t get his hopes up! It would be cruel!”

In the present, Lily gave a sigh. She heard Cassie stir in her sleep. It was no use – Lily was wide-awake. Climbing out of bed, lighted wand aloft, she went to the pitcher by the window to get some water. She wasn’t sure about James.

She filled the glass with water and sipped. She was never sure about James Potter – he could be kind in one instant and a total jerk on the other. He was just downright awful for the first five years of school, especially to Sev.

Severus Snape – the very thought of him made Lily plunk the glass down and dash for the warmth of her bed. He no doubt heard about the date tomorrow. Was it third year – yes it was third year because it was right after Potter saved him. Severus – Sev at the time – had blurted out that James Potter fancied her. Oh, how she hated James then, but just that morning she had thanked Potter profusely for saving her best friend from whatever beast was in that tunnel under the whomping willow. Still, that did not eliminate James Potter as her last choice on earth for a date.

Now Sev was always around Rosier and some other random, evil Slytherins – little death eaters in the making.

What would Sev say now? He most likely would be incredibly upset for he had always despised Potter. But, if he had stayed the Sev she knew from the village – her best friend. If had remained the Sev who knew everything, who would laugh more than scowl, who wouldn’t dream of insulting her…

Lily huffed and rolled over – Snape was a total jerk.

If all he could muster that night was lame apologies and excuses, then he had made his choice. Those little dark arts pals were more important to him than she was.

If Sev had stayed Sev, would she even be on a date with James Potter tomorrow?

Lily rolled over in her bed some more – slightly disgusted with herself. Her thoughts always seemed to come back to Severus Snape. At first, he had fought her silence and constantly tried to contact her, but now he was silent and ignored her as much as she ignored him.

She really did not know him anymore. If he did speak to her, she was less than kind, quite often rude, but he said nothing scathing in return.

Did he care? Did she care if he cared?

Lily burrowed deeper under the bed sheets. It would be incredibly unwise to let her mind wander down these paths. What she needed to worry about was tomorrow – did she even like James Potter?

When she had cried on Snape’s shoulder over Tristan, wasn’t it he who said that you had to love someone who loves you. Otherwise, you would go completely mad. Tristan, Tristan Sharp – there was a story there, but her mind was too weary from reminiscing and began to calm itself.

Snuggled under blankets, Lily finally thought herself to sleep.

First Post for Lia Mey!

Currently Playing: Feist (I didn't know she was so popular...)

Howdy all! I decided to start this blog because I have a lot whirling about in my mind with regard to the end of the Harry Potter series.

Oddly enough, I was never a fan till this year (2007). I just started reading the series on a whim. I love the Inspector Morse series and was checking out the DVDs with my husband every week. The extras on the DVDs have trivia bits and I noticed that many amazing and well-known British actors were also in Harry Potter. So, I decided to check out the movies, which were amusing, but our school librarian convinced me to read the books. Then I feel deep into the fascinating world J.K Rowling created.

Where to begin...By far the fifth novel, Order of the Phoenix, is my FAVORITE of the series. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the insight into Harry's parents. As readers, we do not see much of them pre-Harry, when they were alive, and vibrant people. I was especially intrigued by Lily since her eyes come up so often and most likely gender identification (that old notation that girls like reading about girl stuff). The "Snape's Worst Memory" chapter became a bit of an obsession for these reasons - so many questions sprang from it! Most of my questions were the same as Harry's - the first of which was "Why did she marry James?", quickly followed by "What did Sirius mean when he said 'no she didn't (hate James)?"

The central question for me was "Why did Lily blink?". Blinks like Lily's are usually reserved for shock, for that moment to process something unusual, something different, a pause that suggests more than, pardon the pun, meets the eye. I KNEW something had to be there, and I began scouring the series for little clues, little indications, little nods JKR might give readers as to the relationship between Lily Evans, James Potter, and Severus Snape. I marked little passages with book darts, noticing several things and beginning to formulate a story.

My first story I began to jot down on paper, outlining, checking facts on the HP Lexicon, creating playlists in iTunes of songs that struck me as inspirational to this story that began to gain strength. I had originally started with Lily's first year and gotten through most of third and fourth year, but left my story off for Lent (I feel that Lent is the time of year to focus on God, to turn away from those things that distract one...like fanfic:). I resumed again after Lent, but I did so cautiously. Lent actually caused me to reflect that there could be something significant in the seventh book that would shed more light on these three characters. I left off my story writing and busied myself in anticipation of Deathly Hallows.

Then the midnight party came and I got by book around 12:30 a.m. I raced home and arrived about 12:45 and made a little nest of blankets for myself in a corner of our newly purchased condo (a la Kreacher). I read straight through the morning, pausing for bathroom breaks, to howl over the deaths of Hedwig, Mad-Eye, and Dobby (I had to stop for a full seven minutes as I let out a full wail for the little elf - I am sure our new neighbors had no IDEA what was going on...). I think I reached "The Prince's Tale" chapter around eight in the morning. When I saw the picture, I let out a little whoop. As I read on, I pumped my fist in the air! So many people had shot down my ideas and theories about Lily and Snape, it was a joy. It was difficult to move on the next chapter, for many reasons (Harry's impending death, fatigue, a stomach full of cashews, Trader Jo-jos, and water), but one of them was not wanting to leave Snape and Lily.

However, I was in NO way totally onto what JKR had written. She totally broke my story into pieces, but many large fragments were still in tact. Upon a second read and looking back at my bookdarted passages (I DID mark the passage in Order of the Phoenix where Petunia talks about "that awful boy" - hee!), a new story began to form in my head. I began thinking, finding new songs, outlining a bit, but mostly just thinking. I was inspired to sit and think by JKR who says that sitting on the train just thinking about how the story would work was the best thing she did. I agree.

I have begun to develop a new fanfiction that does not disregard the last novel in the series. Granted, I have no idea what I am going to do with four notebooks full of work, but it was helpful to write that all out and get some ideas for my new fanfic which I will publish on this blog. In my next post, I will list labels, etc. about my fan fic.

Thank you!

Lia Mey