Harry Potter

[Snow Apple]

I can't believe Ginny didn't object to having all the children having those names (at least secretly), but Severus?! Her own father or Fred didn't deserve the honor of even having the middle name of their second son named after either of them? It just make it seem like the only one who matters is Harry.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Snow Apple

[joanne3482]

I couldn't agree more with you. Unpopular opinion here, but I've never liked Snape before or after we find out that he was in love with Lily. Yes, James was a bully and Snape had reason enough to hate him, but that didn't mean he had to place all that hate on Harry as well. He never cared for Harry and treated him like crap.

It wasn't just Harry. It was basically all the Gryffindors. Even when Hermione got things right he would deduct points from her for being too eager or some such nonsense. This article totally articulates why I dislike the woobiefication of Snape so much. 

[kathyk24]

I loathe Snape because I think it's wrong for adults to blame children for things out of their control. He's awlful to Neville Longbottom who had nothing to do with the Potters. Someone should have reminded Snape that his adult life before Voldemort returned wasn't so bad. James is dead. Sirius is in a brutal prison for a crime he didn't commit and Snape is teaching at Hogwarts.

[joanne3482]

I will say, that I don't think Snape deserved the death he got. I know it was a necessary plot device so he could give Harry the memories, but Voldemort thought nothing of using the Avada Kadavera on pretty much everybody (which strikes me as a very quick, mostly painless death), but for Snape his most loyal servant, he kills him via snake attack, which seems both painful and relatively slow. 

[GaT]

I couldn't agree more with you. Unpopular opinion here, but I've never liked Snape before or after we find out that he was in love with Lily. Yes, James was a bully and Snape had reason enough to hate him, but that didn't mean he had to place all that hate on Harry as well. He never cared for Harry and treated him like crap.

I never understood Snape's logic in hating Harry. did he think it would make Lily happy to know how he was treating Harry? Did he think it would make her love him? It doesn't make any sense.

[joanne3482]

I never understood Snape's logic in hating Harry. did he think it would make Lily happy to know how he was treating Harry? Did he think it would make her love him? It doesn't make any sense.

I think Snape's logic is 'nice guy' logic. If Lily hadn't married James she would have married me (Snape) and still be alive. Harry, being a product of Lily and James, represents that she did marry James and therefore did not marry Snape. All he could focus on is what Harry represented, James stealing Lily from him. 

[Spartan Girl]

I think Snape's logic is 'nice guy' logic. If Lily hadn't married James she would have married me (Snape) and still be alive. Harry, being a product of Lily and James, represents that she did marry James and therefore did not marry Snape. All he could focus on is what Harry represented, James stealing Lily from him.

Exactly. Snape's love for Lily was a selfish love, and JKR made that pretty clear in the book. Lily was more than justified in rejecting him because of his obsession for the dark arts. The fact that she just happened to end up with James some time afterward is irrelevant. And while I can appreciate how Snape's remorse for Lily's death motivated him to help Dumbledore, he's still an asshole.

You've gotta give Lily credit for not falling into the old "he's evil but I can change him" trope. She saw that he was going down a dark path, and as much as she must have hated turning her back on her friend, she knew it was inevitable. Good girl.

[Snow Apple]

It's been a while since I read the books, but didn't he also call her a mudblood which was the final nail in the coffin of their friendship? He probably got it all twisted in his head that if he never called her that, he would have been there to prevent her from falling into the clutches of James.

[Spartan Girl]

Yeah. I really wish the movies had left that part in.

[joanne3482]

Yeah. I really wish the movies had left that part in.

I think it would help with the movies only folks who LOVE Snape based on what they saw and Alan Rickman. It's an important piece to how deep Snape was in. 

[Katherine]

Yes to everything that's been said here about Snape! I've always enjoyed the character, but I've also always thought of him as a pretty terrible person. I understand why he's popular (especially with Alan Rickman's portrayal of him), but I've never agreed with the idea that he was some kind of tragic hero. Yes, his love for Lily was somewhat redeeming (as compared to someone like Voldemort, who never cared for anyone) and he did a good thing by protecting her son and fighting on the side of the good guys, but there are still so many things wrong here. I think what bothers me most is that if it hadn't been for his love for Lily, he would have happily kept working for Voldemort and killing innocent people. He valued Lily's life but nobody else's. There really isn't anything in the books to suggest otherwise.

 

There are tons of articles about the best HP characters and it seems like Snape is almost always at the top of the list. Usually it says something to the effect of what a complicated, fascinating, and original character he was. While I do find the character interesting, I wouldn't necessarily go that far. I actually thought the revelation that he was in love with Lily was one of the least original/surprising developments in the series. There are many characters I find far more complex and fascinating (with Sirius Black being my number one, as I've already made clear ;)). Again, I do like the Snape character, but frankly I don't quite see what all the fuss is about.

[Athena]

I have always seen Snape as a more tragic antihero. He's not a good person, but he is one of the grey characters. He was a crappy person in many ways, but I do think he was a pivotal character in the books and in Harry's life especially in the last book. I was not surprised by the Lily unrequited love appeal. Snape is one of those characters whom I would never want to know in real life but he makes for good drama. I have no fascination with him being the lead in this series, but I liked him and others as flawed supporting characters. I feel the same way about Dumbledore whom JKR herself built up in everyone's lives as a mysterious hero, but later revealed to be a man with his own complicated past and motivations. The shaping, development, and interpretation of the characters is one of the reasons I continue to enjoy the Harry Potter books.

[Katherine]

I have always seen Snape as a more tragic antihero. He's not a good person, but he is one of the grey characters. He was a crappy person in many ways, but I do think he was a pivotal character in the books and in Harry's life especially in the last book. I was not surprised by the Lily unrequited love appeal. Snape is one of those characters whom I would never want to know in real life but he makes for good drama. I have no fascination with him being the lead in this series, but I liked him and others as flawed supporting characters. I feel the same way about Dumbledore whom JKR herself built up in everyone's lives as a mysterious hero, but later revealed to be a man with his own complicated past and motivations. The shaping, development, and interpretation of the characters is one of the reasons I continue to enjoy the Harry Potter books.

I agree. I definitely think Snape was an important character in Harry's life and the books in general, just like Dumbledore. I really enjoyed his backstory. He was an interesting grey character, but I just don't think he was the most complex one. I actually feel like Dumbledore's whole backstory was more original and more complicated. 

[Spartan Girl]

Maybe on a very subconscious level, Snape realized that after Lily died he was his own worst enemy when it came to her -- that his own obsession with the dark arts and power was what drove her away. And in the end, it was what what led to her death, since he was the one that told Voldemort about the prophecy. That remorse probably what really motivated him to help Dumbledore protect Harry.

Unforunately, on a conscious level, he still blamed James for "stealing" her and for bullying him in general. It obviously never occurred to him what Lily would have thought of her treating her son like crap.

I agree that Dumbledore's story was the most complex. His family history...what a tragedy that was.

Man, just remembering all this stuff makes me wish JKR would write a full-length prequel about Dumbledore or Lily. But hey, we're getting Fantastic Beasts!

[proserpina65]

I agree that Dumbledore's story was the most complex. His family history...what a tragedy that was.

 

I actually found Dumbledore's backstory to be an utter waste of print.  I couldn't have cared less about his sister's tragic death, etc., and resented the time I wasted reading about it.

 

Just to clarify: there were other aspects of the story which I felt could've better used the time spent instead on Dumbledore's mysterious past.  Like the resistance, for instance.

Edited March 21, 2016 by proserpina65

[satrunrose]

I liked Dumbledore's backstory because it was a good way of putting Harry through that very teenage experience of realizing your hero/parental figure is flawed, sometimes very flawed, hating them and then going back to loving them in a more complicated and sometimes more profound way. She tried to do the same thing with Lupin, but I don't think it works nearly as well because there isn't a lot of time given to resolve that plot before they were killed. 

 

The other complex thing about Dumbledore (that interests me more than his family) how morally grey should we see him? I mean, he does essentially spend 6.5 years grooming Harry to die at the right time in the right way. He's right and it all works out, but he's still doing all of the things he does with the goal of getting a teenager killed. Is that okay? Do the ends justify the means, especially since Harry gets his saviour moment? It's kind of a fun ethical question. 

[Winter Rose]

The thing is, despite maybe the shady way Dumbledore went about prepping Harry for his "death" is Harry still blindly followed whatever he said and I feel like, because we see it from Harry's POV, that we're just supposed to go along with it. I didn't see much in the way of Harry becoming independent from Dumbledore. Plus... Albus Severus.

 

Regarding his backstory, it's not that I didn't find it interesting but it felt crammed. One of my biggest problems with DH as a book is I think there was too much of introducing new things that it distracted, at times even confused, from trying to wrap up the old things. I just don't think that should be happening in the last book of a series.

[SmithW6079]

I actually found Dumbledore's backstory to be an utter waste of print. I couldn't have cared less about his sister's tragic death, etc., and resented the time I wasted reading about it.

I thought the whole Dumbledore being gay was something that was just tacked on.

[GaT]

I thought the whole Dumbledore being gay was something that was just tacked on.

Me too, in fact, when JK Rowling first told everyone my first reaction wasn't "Dumbledore is gay?!?!?!?!", it was "Dumbledore has sex?!?!?!?!" 

[benteen]

I thought Voldemort's backstory was the least interesting of all.  He was evil from day one, period.  Rowling might make a big thing about how its the decisions we make that choose our destiny but Voldemort's decisions seemed pre-ordained by nature of his birth.  He was so over-the-top evil as a kid that I'm surprised he was capable of fooling anybody into believing him.

[Spartan Girl]

There was a really cool fanfic that was a much better backstory for Voldemort. It's called I Am Lord Voldemort by Nemesis. Highly recommend it.

[GreekGeek]

I thought Voldemort's backstory was the least interesting of all.  He was evil from day one, period.  Rowling might make a big thing about how its the decisions we make that choose our destiny but Voldemort's decisions seemed pre-ordained by nature of his birth.  He was so over-the-top evil as a kid that I'm surprised he was capable of fooling anybody into believing him.

IIRC Rowling's remark wasn't that our choices determine who we are, but that our choices show who we are--a thought that comes really close to suggesting predestination. 

[ulkis]

I thought Voldemort's backstory was the least interesting of all.  He was evil from day one, period.  Rowling might make a big thing about how its the decisions we make that choose our destiny but Voldemort's decisions seemed pre-ordained by nature of his birth.  He was so over-the-top evil as a kid that I'm surprised he was capable of fooling anybody into believing him.

 

did he actually fool anyone though? I forget whether it was said he was popular or not. It seemed like people knew he was a jerk (besides his pals/servants in slytherin), but they didn't think he was going to try to take over the world.

 

I suppose Rowling could have made Voldemort a little less obviously evil from the start but I think she was reacting against a trend of supervillains getting a sad sob story and/or a major redemption. I remember reading somewhere she was amused and/or exasperated that a couple of people thought Voldemort was going to turn out to be Harry's father.

[Athena]

did he actually fool anyone though? I forget whether it was said he was popular or not. It seemed like people knew he was a jerk (besides his pals/servants in slytherin), but they didn't think he was going to try to take over the world.

 

I think Tom Riddle was Head Boy and Harry's description of him in CoS indicates he was at least somewhat attractive young man. I think like most psychopaths, he was able to blend in for a time and manipulated people around him. He was skilled at magic and he was very eager to please people around him. I'm sure there are lots of students who thought he was a jerk, but no one really think he'd take over the world. The connection between Tom Riddle and Voldemort was not solidified until much later as Voldemort shed that name and changed drastically.

[SmithW6079]

Don't worry, Rowling will probably send out a bunch of tweets one of these days saying how she regrets making Voldemort so transparently evil and explain what she really meant to do, since, apparently, she can't leave "Harry Potter" done.

[Sharpie66]

Just saw this article, about the security around the publication of HBP.

 

When asked about Newton's story, a GCHQ spokesperson responded with a rare flash of humanity: "We do not comment on our defence against the Dark Arts."

 

[Miss Dee]

I think that Rowling meant Voldemort to be a psychopath...Patrick Bateman with powerful magic, essentially.

Are we allowed to post fan fiction recs in here? Or should that be another thread?

[Athena]

Are we allowed to post fan fiction recs in here? Or should that be another thread?

 

I don't see why not. If it becomes popular, we can open a new thread. It's fine here now.

[Sharpie66]

Oooh, fanfic recs!! 

 

I cannot recommend Northumbrian enough--he is an amazing writer, fully committed to staying within canon as much as possible, and has developed a really incredibly detailed HP-verse over the course of 83 stories (so far). What I love about his work is that he has developed secondary characters and given them fully fleshed-out backstories, as well as worked with the primary characters and made them even more believable (his Ginny is really fantastic, and her relationship with Harry is utterly believable). Also, his Ron is the chess-wiz planning type that I had always hoped that JKR would write, but she never did.

 

The secondary characters that I appreciate the most of his are Lavender (in his stories, she survived Greyback's attack at the Battle of Hogwarts, but is stuck in a wheelchair due to the wounds never healing, at least until, well, you'll have to read his stories to find out what happens!), Terry Boot, Susan Bones, Dennis and Colin Creevey (Colin turns into the resistance's master forger through his photography skills, and Dennis becomes an auror after his brother's death), Justin Finch-Fletchley (he uses his family money to hide Muggles and Muggleborns during the year of Deathly Hallows) and, interestingly enough, Theodore Nott, who becomes even more Machiavellian than Malfoy in these stories. Oh, and his Mundungus Fletcher is hilarious!!

 

He also has some terrific original characters, especially working in the Auror office alongside Harry. There's a Goth Muggleborn named Polly, a Muggle police officer named Bobbie (who ends up getting married to Oliver Wood), an older Auror named Webb who has a sad backstory of his own, and Dirk Cresswell's son Stan who just had an interesting story conclude.

 

Northumbrian writes a lot of long stories, several of which are still ongoing (I really wish he would wrap up some of them, but he alternates new chapters for several stories at once). He also writes one-shots and shorter stories that he tends to conclude relatively quickly. He really thinks about them before writing, and the plots can be very densely packed with detail and twists and turns that resolve themselves in interesting ways.

 

I would start with his story Tales of the Battle (25 chapters, each from a different character's perspective on the Battle of Hogwarts), and then Grave Days (what Harry goes through in the months immediately after the Battle. His introduction on Fanfiction.net lists all of his stories in chronological order, and you can read them in that order if you want to stay unspoiled for what he has happen to characters.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Sharpie66

[Katherine]

Does anyone have any recs for marauders fan fic? 

[Sharpie66]

Just saw my first review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Chicago Tribune's site, spoiler-free if a bit teasing with some vague hints on possible spoilers: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/beyondchicago/sc-ent-0726-harry-potter-cursed-child-london-review-20160726-column.html

For an edited version, see the following. Overall, "the best piece of populist theater I've ever seen."
 

Quote

 

Heretical as this may sound, I walked out of the theater quietly lamenting that the movies were ever made…it is the theater that more naturally expresses the Rowling gestalt beyond the page. ..

You can see the young Hermione in all that the unrelenting Noma Dumezweni does, even though the actress, superficially at least, is totally different from Emma Watson. Paul Thornley is exactly as you’d expect Ron to be, grown up but hardly. No wonder the stressed Hermione married him; he was her savior, you come to see. She and Harry would have been disastrous together.

At a certain point, you come to see that the audience feels so secure in the authenticity of their experience, they’ll go anywhere and believe most anything…

Here is why it’s so extraordinary.

HPatCC works because it centers on, and feels so utterly consistent with, the two central themes of the Potter books. One is that every child deserves a loving family. Denied such, a child will search for them for a lifetime. And the search will go on once the child has a child of his own. Often to the detriment of that child.

Pain, Rowling always has written, is central to the human experience. Its arrival is inevitable. And thus parents cannot protect their children from agony, they can only prepare them.

Most especially, they can teach them to be open with those they love about what they feel, throughout their lives. HPatCC, a remarkable achievement from a woman with exquisite taste in collaborators and who seems to rarely put so much as a foot, or a Tweet, wrong, makes clear that if Rowling had her way, no child would be cursed at all. Even one with one of the most famous mothers in the world.

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by Sharpie66

[Popples]

Reading that makes me even more excited to get a copy of the script, which arrives next week!

[Spartan Girl]

I haven't been this excited/terrified for a book since Deathly Hallows.

As long as there are no deaths or divorces, I'll be cool.

[truthaboutluv]

J.K would never do something as awesome as have any of these characters get a divorce. What and suggest that OBHWF wasn't the perfect little soulmate package it was sold as? Blasphemy.... But yeah killing a character is more up her alley but no worries it'll be some peripheral character. She doesn't have the guts to kill any of the trio and while killing Ginny would fit her always making Harry miserable ammo, that'd make me too happy so it'll never happen. 

[benteen]

Quote

She doesn't have the guts to kill any of the trio and while killing Ginny would fit her always making Harry miserable ammo, that'd make me too happy so it'll never happen. 

I think that's one of the reasons I'm not really looking forward to reading The Cursed Child.  I truly believe that JK revels in Harry's misery.

[tenativelyyours]

I found the series started to plummet in quality in book four and kept dropping until I actually disliked the last two.  From adoration of the first three, it was disappointing to say the least.  Like the first two 'Galbraith' books and thought 'The Casual Vacancy' was okay if a little self-indulgent in style and approach in ways that took away from the story in trying to be sooo different.

Not sure what to think of this script.  She has another script then later on coming out right?  But the filmscript.  I'm curious about why she didn't write novels or even just novellas since that is the new and often well received formula to give the bare bones of the story that gives the other mediums (flim or stage) the leeway it needs.  Oh well, she's off to the bank in any regard.

[benteen]

I haven't liked any of her post-Potter books.  I have no idea why she had a desire to write a book as crappy and uninteresting as The Casual Vacancy.  The Galbraith books were a little better but not by much.  She just seems to write books now where absolutely all the characters are unlikeable. 

[truthaboutluv]

It was slow going at first but by the end I actually really like A Casual Vacancy. Yes it was very bleak and depressing but that was okay with me because I figured that's what she was going for. I didn't think we were meant to like most of these people and I liked the social commentary on classism and how those in the nice houses are not always any better than those on the other side of the tracks. But yeah I hated the two Cormoran Strike books I read because for that one, I don't think I'm meant to dislike the two main characters and yet, I really, really kind of do.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, benteen said:

I haven't liked any of her post-Potter books.  I have no idea why she had a desire to write a book as crappy and uninteresting as The Casual Vacancy.  The Galbraith books were a little better but not by much.  She just seems to write books now where absolutely all the characters are unlikeable. 

 

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

It was slow going at first but by the end I actually really like A Casual Vacancy. Yes it was very bleak and depressing but that was okay with me because I figured that's what she was going for. I didn't think we were meant to like most of these people and I liked the social commentary on classism and how those in the nice houses are not always any better than those on the other side of the tracks. But yeah I hated the two Cormoran Strike books I read because for that one, I don't think I'm meant to dislike the two main characters and yet, I really, really kind of do.

I hated The Casual Vacancy so much that I swore off any adult books written by Rowling. It was absolutely one of the worst books I have ever read, & I was so disappointed I wanted to cry. Someone convinced me to read The Silkworm, & thankfully, I liked it. I like the series even though Robin gets on my nerves.

[benteen]

7 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

It was slow going at first but by the end I actually really like A Casual Vacancy. Yes it was very bleak and depressing but that was okay with me because I figured that's what she was going for. I didn't think we were meant to like most of these people and I liked the social commentary on classism and how those in the nice houses are not always any better than those on the other side of the tracks. But yeah I hated the two Cormoran Strike books I read because for that one, I don't think I'm meant to dislike the two main characters and yet, I really, really kind of do.

Strike is a misanthrope who hates pretty much everyone he deals with, Robin excluded.  Yeah, because Strike is such a *****ing bargain as a person.  I like Robin though there are some elements about her I don't care for.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was underwhelmed by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I didn't hate it but one of my main issues was that I felt the dialogue didn't seem to capture the original characters. I know I can probably chalk up some of the inconsistencies to the characters being middle aged adults instead of teenagers but reading this felt more like a generic time travel story than a Harry Potter story. I also didn't buy most of what Draco said. Sure, you can argue that now he's a father and husband so he's changed but Draco Malfoy confessing that he was jealous of Harry Potter having friends like Hermione and Ron?

[truthaboutluv]

Haven't read it but judging by People Magazine's spoiler article talking about the most shocking reveals, it confirmed to me that the spoilers on Reddit months ago were true and after reading those spoilers - yeah no. 

Edited July 31, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Demented Daisy]

I never thought I'd say this, but JKR needs to stop.  Fleshing out characters and giving them back stories is fine, but this thing?  Ugh, it was terrible.  None of them sounded like themselves (could the dialogue have been more stilted?), Harry was a terrible father, Draco enjoyed Hermione yelling at him?  That moment was like the worst of fan fiction.

Honestly, it was like a bad episode of Supernatural.  Not to mention she screwed with her own canon.  I get that it's her story, she could do whatever she liked with it, but I don't for a moment believe that 

Spoiler

Voldemort would have cared about having an heir.  He thought he would never die and I'm pretty sure he was proud of being the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin.  

I am so disappointed.  (I shouldn't have bothered -- I didn't realize that she came up with the story, but it was written by someone else. That's what I get for avoiding anything and everything in the build up to the release.  How foolish of me.)

Edited July 31, 2016 by Demented Daisy
Additional info.

[Spartan Girl]

I just finished it. I'm still in shock over what I just read, but....I liked it. Yes, some of the stuff was a little OOC and

Volemort having an heir made my jaw drop....but to be fair, since there was no DNA test of any sorts, she might not have been really Voldemort's daughter. Let's not forget that the Lestranges were psycho fanatics, and Bellatrix was so obsessed with Voldemort that she's totally the type to believe she and him had a child even if nothing happen. Just a theory

But it was fun. I did like Scorpius. And I think that everyone that claims JKR "revels" in Harry's misery are way off base; one of the central themes of the play was that perfection is an illusion, "beyond the reach of mankind and even magic". There are going to be good times and bad times. Even happy endings are messy. JKR has never, ever coddled her readers from that.

If nothing else, Harry

and the family seemed to be at a good place at the end. If she was really as sadistic as all that, the ending could have been a lot worse.

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

That moment was like the worst of fan fiction.

Frankly, I've thought that was a big problem in J.K.'s writing with regard to the last two books at least - with most of the romantic pairings being the biggest thing affected. I mean Tonks/Lupin anyone? But yeah, as I said, I read the spoilers months ago and spent most of the time thinking, "WTAF?" 

No words on much of the stuff involving Voldemort, especially the Voldemort/Draco/Draco's wife. Really, just no words. But among the many ridiculous and WTF things, one of the things that I found most annoying, was Ron's profession. I don't think that's a major spoiler so I won't spoiler tag it.

I'm sorry, not to be snobby and act like he is less than because his profession isn't in the Ministry of Magic in some way, like Harry and Hermione, but really, Ron's job is working with George in the joke shop the twins' started? I didn't even like Ron like most of the fans of the character and I think J.K. is selling the character short there.

First of all, Ron was sarcastic and funny because he was sarcastic yes, but I never got the impression he was into making toys, gag gifts, etc. like the twins. The twins enjoyed pranks and setting up elaborate stuff and messing with people in that way. That being their profession made sense and fit. It doesn't for Ron in my opinion. While Ron may not have been portrayed as book smart as Hermione, he wasn't stupid either. Ron was an excellent chess player and that takes a lot of analytical and strategic skill. Speaking of fan fiction fulfillment, this just feels like J.K. tagged that on, put no thought in it because she figured it's what most fans would enjoy and want for the character. 

Whatever, it doesn't matter. It'll still sell millions and the cult of Harry Potter fans will hail and declare it amazing and still continue to treat Rowling like a deity. Lucky for me, my  stanning days of Harry Potter ended years ago, well before the final book was even released. 

Edited July 31, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[benteen]

I haven't read the script but read the summary of it.  My thoughts on the main spoiler...

Spoiler

Absolutely not buying that Voldemort had a kid.  It seems like a gigantic retcon and a complete misunderstanding of her own character by Rowling.  Voldemort is a guy with absolutely no interest in sex and I think that kind of physical contact would make him ill.  Not to mention that Voldemort was obsessed with immortality and feared his own death more than anything else.  That isn't a man who is interested in having an heir.  If he did have an heir, the only interest Voldemort would have in it was to use as a weapon or a horcrux.  Voldemort is his own legacy.

Edited July 31, 2016 by benteen

[ApathyMonger]

THE CURSED CHILD SPOILERS:

Spoiler

 

I mostly liked it, though I think I would have rather it have been a new novel rather than a play, just so that it would have more room to breathe.

As they have a limited amount of time, the plot has to keep moving, but I'd have liked to have spent more time in the alternate timelines that are created. For the most part, we only get two or three scenes before the characters are jumping through time again. It was good to see Snape again though, if only briefly.

They also don't spend enough time building up the supporting cast, so when one of the characters is killed off, it's hard to care. Some more time spent with the villain could have helped too.

I think it may have been better if they'd left out or downplayed the adult characters, and just focused on the kids. I guess if you go to something called "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" you want a Harry Potter story though.

 

[ApathyMonger]

1 hour ago, benteen said:

Spoiler

Absolutely not buying that Voldemort had a kid.  It seems like a gigantic retcon and a complete misunderstanding of her own character by Rowling.  Voldemort is a guy with absolutely no interest in sex and I think that kind of physical contact would make him ill.  Not to mention that Voldemort was obsessed with immortality and feared his own death more than anything else.  That isn't a man who is interested in having an heir.  If he did have an heir, the only interest Voldemort would have in it was to use as a weapon or a horcrux.  Voldemort is his own legacy.

 

Spoiler

It's never actually confirmed that she's his kid; she just says she is (and seems to believe it). It's entirely possible she's been lied to about who her parents are. Bellatrix having been pregnant during Book 7 and it never being mentioned seems unlikely?

[Spartan Girl]

Yeah, she would have had to have gotten pregnant sometime between Books 5 and 7, considering that she died in Book 7. Although Delphine COULD speak Parseltongue, but again, the Lestranges were pure blood fanatics that were likely to marry their relatives to avoid "breeding with Muggles" it is possible that they could have been distantly related to the Gaunts/Slytherin line anyway, so again I wouldn't put it past Bellatrix to be crazy enough to pass off her child as Voldemort's, and obviously her husband considered it an honor whether it was true or not.

[Demented Daisy]

Spoiler

Delphi was born on the "eve of the Battle of Hogwarts", so I'm pretty sure a whole bunch of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters knew about it.  Hell, the Malfoys probably knew, since they were all staying at Malfoy Manor.

The idea is ludicrous.

 

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I'm sorry, not to be snobby and act like he is less than because his profession isn't in the Ministry of Magic in some way, like Harry and Hermione, but really, Ron's job is working with George in the joke shop the twins' started? I didn't even like Ron like most of the fans of the character and I think J.K. is selling the character short there.

I wholeheartedly agree.  Apparently, he was an Auror for 2 years before he left the Ministry to join George.  Eh, whatever.