Going back a bit in the conversation (since I just caught up), we read Pygmalian in eleventh grade English. There's a bit in there where someone says that Eliza has to stop using "That word ... the one that starts with a B" (or something to that effect). We were all totally confused, since the only "bad" b-words we could think of were "bitch" and "bastard," and neither made sense there. When our teacher finally told us that the word in question was "bloody," there was a collective, "Huh?" from the entire class.

Hil, I totally remember doing that, too. That was the first time I really got that it was a serious curse word.

Well, I think there's only so much leeway in the story at this point, since it's really unlikely that it'll work out as Voldemort Wins and Harry DIES!

That would be an awesome turn of events. I would expect additional fan "rewrites" if that were to happen.

Given all the kerfuffles about the ending of HP6, it's probably just as well that it'll be two years before HP7. That should give time for some of the wankery to die down.

Things I want to see in HP7 that haven't been discussed to death yet (I think):

Some explanation of what the veil thing in HP5 was. I don't necessarily want to see Sirius come back, but it bugs me that something as potentially interesting as the veil was there only as a booby-trap.

Draco to be somewhat redeemed, but not for him and Harry to be all buddy-buddy. I'll leave that to the fic writers, who can have them be buddy-buddy, by which I mean porn.

Things to be still up in the air romantically for Harry. He might be thinking that he could give the Ginny thing another try, but no real resolution.

More backstory on Harry's parents.

More Remus. A Remus vs. Greyback smackdown.

Some more history on the founders of Hogwarts.

Regarding your last point, Anne, I think she's going to go there, just not in Book 7. I think she'll keep writing in and around the world she created.

Well, I think there's only so much leeway in the story at this point, since it's really unlikely that it'll work out as Voldemort Wins and Harry DIES!

I agree that Voldemort Wins is unlikely, but the Harry DIES could still happen.

I think she's also laid out the events well enough, and set enough foreshadowing precedent, that there are things that simply need to be paid off (and usually in a farily limited number of optional ways)

HP VI Clearly DD was a goner -- there is too rich a history of the older mentor dying before the hero does his final battle.

I thought the Snape storyline interesting. I do think there's another twist coming and his is not quite the evil person he is portrayed at the end of HPVI.

I liked the spider/web images in HPVI. Snape lived at Spinners End. Slughorn is a bit like a spider -- stretching out, spinning his web and "catching" those he wants/needs into his Slug Club.

I should go over the genealogy section of OotP again. Bellatrix and Narcissa are sisters, but how is Sirius related there? Did the Potters show up in that diagram anywhere? Are the Potters a pureblood family?

Bellatrix and Narcissa are sisters, but how is Sirius related there?

Sirius is their cousin, along with the third sister, Andromeda. Andromeda married a Muggle and is Tonks' mother.

Did the Potters show up in that diagram anywhere? Are the Potters a pureblood family?

The Potters are not mentioned as being related to the Blacks. I had thought that this was odd since I thought that James was a pureblood and the books said more than once that pureblood families tend to be interrelated at some point. Perhaps James is not a pureblood, or pureblood enough (maybe his parents were a witch and wizard but one or more of their parents were muggles?)

There's been talk (and no one seems to have objected) to moving the HP discussion to the Book Club thread, and not whitefont. So, I'd move that we do that.