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reaction spammity
yes, more reaction, as it slowly sinks in. I will be passing out soon. This is mostly my positive reactions, since I was still kind of freaking out when I wrote my first reaction post, and I've since had a few hours to absorb stuff and to rant at someone who doesn't care about being spoiled.
-I love all the backstory we got:
Snape's: isn't it just a sharp stick in the eye for everyone who's ever written about "the Snape line" that his father was a Muggle (which includes me, because I sure thought it, even though I don't think I've written it)? I love it, especially since I've been convinced that Snape was a halfblood for a while now (but I always thought it was on his mother's side). I expect the first "Prince Manor" stories to show up shortly, kthx.
And I love love *love* that Snape's house (hideout? I'm going with house) is full of books and threadbare furniture. Fits my image of him perfectly. Love that we get more hints of his relationship to the Malfoys (he's Lucius "old friend", and Narcissa doesn't hesitate to grab him omg), plus expose about his position in the DEs (and I love that he's the right-hand man). Basically, I squeed shamelessly throughout the second chapter, because *so many* questions answered.
And I love that Bellatrix doesn't trust him, because whether he's evil or not, she wouldn't, if he's closer to LV than she is.
Remus': OK, Fenrir Greyback is officially my favorite minor character of the last...well, six hours or so. I reserve the right to change my mind once I've had some sleep. But seriously, he's a militant werewolf bent on converting children and bringing them up as werewolves, which makes him the perfect foil for Remus, and it's absolutely perfect that he's the one who infected Remus. I'm not cheering him on, obviously, but Fenrir is *metal*. This does kind of make me uncomfortable in terms of the whole "lycanthropy as a metaphor for homosexuality" thing, but since that metaphor is entirely a matter of interpretation, I can overlook it. And also, the fact that Remus was infected as revenge on his father: golden. Makes my heart break for Remus even more, plus it's just intruiguing and political, and the implications could go in so many different directions.
Voldemort's: I was a little turned off by the "some kids are just born bad" exposition of Tom Riddle. But I am OMG so excited to get these glimpses into his life, and I *love* the Gaunts as the extreme end of pureblood inbreeding. I'm kind of confused by the timeline, though. So TMR applies for the DADA position at age 18 (sometime in the mid-1940s) and is turned down. He then goes to work for Borgin & Burkes, and at some point in this job acquires the teacup & locket. Ten years after that, he applies for the DADA job again, but Dumbledore is Headmaster. As far as I understand, that didn't happen until ~1970; so was Tom working for B&B for 25 years?
Every glimpse of Lily is a thing of joy. I knew going into this that we weren't getting the big bombshell until book 7, but *so* many ideas springing out of her Potions expertise and the tidbits Slughorn dropped.
-Did we know before for sure that James was a pureblood? Or was it fanon, as my brain informs me?
-I am fucking thrilled about the whole not-returning-to-Hogwarts thing. One of the reasons I always devoured gritty warfic was because I thought we'd never see it in canon, but now we might. I am excited, even though I'm going to have to wait for *years*. But hey, the better to develop the plotbunnies before they get jossed.
-Nonverbal spells OMG. Not the wandless magic of fanon, but maybe better. Interesting, though, that everyone's learning it now, when we've only seen Dumbledore and (I think) Snape do it before. Was this just limited perspective, or is it an expansion of the Hogwarts curriculum in light of current events?
-In general, every single thing we learned/saw about Snape made me love him more, right up until the end. And nothing short of a Book 7 contradiction will convince me that the AK at the end was anything but consensual - there are so many little things, from the way AD kept refusing to discuss it, to the way he seemed to have a sense of urgency about imparting the major info to Harry, to the "yes and no..." comment in the Astronomy Tower, to the event itself (where Snape's expression was totally revulsion for what he had to do, kthx) that make me believe that Dumbledore knew what was coming, and had given Snape the go-ahead to do it. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am.
-Nonetheless, I don't hold out much hope for Snape surviving book 7. I'm betting on & hoping for a redemptive death (in Harry's eyes), but I don't see how he makes it through alive now. WAH.
-I love all the backstory we got:
Snape's: isn't it just a sharp stick in the eye for everyone who's ever written about "the Snape line" that his father was a Muggle (which includes me, because I sure thought it, even though I don't think I've written it)? I love it, especially since I've been convinced that Snape was a halfblood for a while now (but I always thought it was on his mother's side). I expect the first "Prince Manor" stories to show up shortly, kthx.
And I love love *love* that Snape's house (hideout? I'm going with house) is full of books and threadbare furniture. Fits my image of him perfectly. Love that we get more hints of his relationship to the Malfoys (he's Lucius "old friend", and Narcissa doesn't hesitate to grab him omg), plus expose about his position in the DEs (and I love that he's the right-hand man). Basically, I squeed shamelessly throughout the second chapter, because *so many* questions answered.
And I love that Bellatrix doesn't trust him, because whether he's evil or not, she wouldn't, if he's closer to LV than she is.
Remus': OK, Fenrir Greyback is officially my favorite minor character of the last...well, six hours or so. I reserve the right to change my mind once I've had some sleep. But seriously, he's a militant werewolf bent on converting children and bringing them up as werewolves, which makes him the perfect foil for Remus, and it's absolutely perfect that he's the one who infected Remus. I'm not cheering him on, obviously, but Fenrir is *metal*. This does kind of make me uncomfortable in terms of the whole "lycanthropy as a metaphor for homosexuality" thing, but since that metaphor is entirely a matter of interpretation, I can overlook it. And also, the fact that Remus was infected as revenge on his father: golden. Makes my heart break for Remus even more, plus it's just intruiguing and political, and the implications could go in so many different directions.
Voldemort's: I was a little turned off by the "some kids are just born bad" exposition of Tom Riddle. But I am OMG so excited to get these glimpses into his life, and I *love* the Gaunts as the extreme end of pureblood inbreeding. I'm kind of confused by the timeline, though. So TMR applies for the DADA position at age 18 (sometime in the mid-1940s) and is turned down. He then goes to work for Borgin & Burkes, and at some point in this job acquires the teacup & locket. Ten years after that, he applies for the DADA job again, but Dumbledore is Headmaster. As far as I understand, that didn't happen until ~1970; so was Tom working for B&B for 25 years?
Every glimpse of Lily is a thing of joy. I knew going into this that we weren't getting the big bombshell until book 7, but *so* many ideas springing out of her Potions expertise and the tidbits Slughorn dropped.
-Did we know before for sure that James was a pureblood? Or was it fanon, as my brain informs me?
-I am fucking thrilled about the whole not-returning-to-Hogwarts thing. One of the reasons I always devoured gritty warfic was because I thought we'd never see it in canon, but now we might. I am excited, even though I'm going to have to wait for *years*. But hey, the better to develop the plotbunnies before they get jossed.
-Nonverbal spells OMG. Not the wandless magic of fanon, but maybe better. Interesting, though, that everyone's learning it now, when we've only seen Dumbledore and (I think) Snape do it before. Was this just limited perspective, or is it an expansion of the Hogwarts curriculum in light of current events?
-In general, every single thing we learned/saw about Snape made me love him more, right up until the end. And nothing short of a Book 7 contradiction will convince me that the AK at the end was anything but consensual - there are so many little things, from the way AD kept refusing to discuss it, to the way he seemed to have a sense of urgency about imparting the major info to Harry, to the "yes and no..." comment in the Astronomy Tower, to the event itself (where Snape's expression was totally revulsion for what he had to do, kthx) that make me believe that Dumbledore knew what was coming, and had given Snape the go-ahead to do it. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am.
-Nonetheless, I don't hold out much hope for Snape surviving book 7. I'm betting on & hoping for a redemptive death (in Harry's eyes), but I don't see how he makes it through alive now. WAH.