OTOH, if you hand-raise cattle from an early age, they can be quite sweet and obedient -- I've milked demonstration cows, and driven an ox who was very alert to voice commands, like a sled dog only a lot bigger and less excitable. (Really, you want a placid disposition in something that weighs nearly a ton.)

You know what's awesome? Seeing the large number of adults hauling book 7 with them on the bus all week.

Yep. I saw one woman walking down the sidewalk reading, another carrying it, a man bringing it onto BART, and an elderly woman reading it on BART. It was pretty cool.

Also, the St. Mungo's scene is the one that he really hated to lose. And Snape's worst memory was much longer and more fully developed originally.

I wish they had kept that in, because I loved how in this book we learn it's not Snape's worst memory because of his humiliation, but because he called Lily 'mudblood' and lost her friendship forever.

it's not Snape's worst memory because of his humiliation, but because he called Lily 'mudblood' and lost her friendship forever.

I KNOW! So very sad.

I KNOW! So very sad.

It's weird because I know intellectually that Snape is a very immature person, who basically just cared for one other human being during his entire life, but I love him so very much. I can't wait to see Alan Rickman playing all of this in the last film.

I can't wait to see Alan Rickman playing all of this in the last film.

Siiiiiighhh...

I was so sad at the end of the book I had to go watch Snape's "Too Sexy" to make myself feel better.

I finished my re-read last night and I've chosen a new favorite Dumbledore moment. It's from Snape's memory.

"Keep an eye on Quirell, won't you?"

Cracks me up.

I saw one woman walking down the sidewalk reading, another carrying it, a man bringing it onto BART, and an elderly woman reading it on BART.

I loved the opening of The Colbert Report on Monday, which had the dramatic music and captions, but instead of Stephen doing his usual opening-show schtick, he was avidly reading DH, as was the audience, and only when they came back to him for his usual "This...is the Colbert Report!" did he look up distractedly from the book and say in the quietest mumble I've ever heard from him, "Huh? What? Oh, yeah, this is the Colbert Report..." and then return to his book.

The JK Rowling interview by Meredith Vieira will be shown on a special Dateline on Sunday night.

My patronus is a bear!

I got a bear!

Undo it! Undo it!

I'm pretty sure my patronus would be a bear. Not a grizzly; maybe a black bear. Sort of lumbering, but with the potential to FUCK YOU UP.