Loads has happened, including most of the budget for movie seven. Anyhow they penetrated Bellatrix's vault and got the cup horcrux. It seemed a little too easy given Gringott's reputation, but then it is no longer under Goblin rule so standards have probably declined.
The hot metal defense actually seemed like a pretty good anti-theft measure. It seemed from the description that they would be hurt much worse than they were when all of them got bathed in cursed treasure. This is really a minor quibble though. The dragon escape strategy was great however, it wasn't a cheap way to get out of their dire situation. Griphook demonstrated why it doesn't pay to trust goblins too much.
Anyhow they got out of the dragon and got healed up thanks to Hermione and her potion of healing (that dit... stuff I don't know how to spell). Ron was funny. Thanks to Voldemort's anger, Harry got the general location of the last horcrux which, thanks to Luna, we know is the headdress of Ravenclaw. Voldemort now knows that the secret is out. It would seem impossible to know how the heck Harry would know about them and their location, I can see why that would get Voldemort all worked up. Shooting the messenger is a bad policy though, dude should totally read the evil overlord list.
Now off to Hogsmead. Harry just heard Voldemort say that Hogsmead was being guarded so I don't know why they would go someplace close to Hogwarts that isn't Hogsmead. On the other hand they didn't have much time and Harry is not one of the world's great planners when under time pressure.
Now I'm at the point where they have been saved by Aberforth and his ability to talk the death eaters into thinking he set off the charm. There is no way his patronus could not be a goat. They have discovered that Aberforth was the one in the mirror, which makes total sense. They also discovered how he got the mirror and that makes total sense as well. A satisfying end to that mystery. There still remains the mystery of the silver doe however. I think that has to come down to some totally mystical thing dealing with Harry's mother or Snape as he is the one who had a potential connection to their location through Finnius's portrait. However I don't really think Snape's patronus would be a doe and Aberforth pretty much confirmed that your patronus is not something that can be changed at will. Maybe it has something to do with the snitch but that doesn't really seem to fit with "I open at the close" which I still think is something for after Voldemort is defeated, a last message for Harry. Ok enough rambling.
Loads has happened, including most of the budget for movie seven.
Har! Yet there's much more budget busting to come.
this. is. so. much. fun.
Agreed. It is such a great way to revisit the book.
Semi-related to HP: the fact that Jim Dale narrates Pushing Daisies drives me crazy since I so associate him with the world of HP. I guess I've taken too many car trips with the WCNs.
Conversely, it would remind me of the
Carry On
films.
This morning I resumed the commute and listen. Aberforth has told the sad tale of his sister Arianna. Obviously this is the event that changed everything for Dumbledore. He made different choices after that. It's interesting how much of this book is about Dumbledore and how Harry has come to accept who Dumbledore actually was.
Neville has turned up from the odd magical tunnel to Horwarts and it looks like he's having a difficult year at school. It looks like they'll be going back to Hogwarts, as we all knew they must, to find the last Horcrux.
I'm just at this spot in my (fifth? sixth?) re-read!!
Speaking of Neville, here's a cute look at the Battle of Hogwarts from a different perspective--Trevor's!
They have made it to Neville's refugee camp via the magic tunnel. Neville has finally become worth twelve of Malfoy. Luna, Dean, Jinny, Fred, George, and others have arrived as well. Harry, like McClellan, has the army he trained but is unwilling to use them.
There is some pointless discussion of why the lost diadem is called the lost diadem and how it is unlikely to be the horcrux. It's pointless because we all know that Voldemort found it and make it a horcrux. There wouldn't be all this talking about it if the horcrux ended up being Tom Riddle's special services award. Besides, Voldemort said that it was someplace only he knew about. If the Voldemort was the first to find it, then that could be the reason it has been lost all this time and Tom Riddle is the one who found it.
Anyhow, Luna and Harry take off to look at Ravenclaw's statue after some intervention by Ginny. Honestly, Luna would be my choice anyhow. You know that Luna isn't going to panic in a tight situation. I like that the Ravenclaw common room has a different way of gaining passage, however it probably sucks to be a Ravenclaw first year.
They find the statue and Harry stupidly gets out from under the cloak so he can be discovered by Carro. I wonder if the diadem could be inside the statue of Ravenclaw. There would be some great irony that it would be lost all this time and be right there in the Ravenclaw common room. Tom could have gotten it out horcruxed it and reparo'd it back. Except why would be in the Ravenclaw common room to find it in the first place? Probably not. Where was I? Oh yeah, Harry gets discovered, Carro summons Voldemort, and Luna doesn't panic and stuns Carro. That's where I'm at.
