"All that is gold does not glitter.
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither.
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken.
A light from the shadows shall spring.
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken.
And the crownless again shall be King."
~Bilbo Baggins upon meeting Aragorn, son of Arathorn~
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither.
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken.
A light from the shadows shall spring.
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken.
And the crownless again shall be King."
~Bilbo Baggins upon meeting Aragorn, son of Arathorn~
I think that's sufficient spoiler space. Yes? Good. Alright. Here goes:
Before reading:
Before reading the book I was afraid it was going to disappoint. It's the last book in the series; there has been a lot of hype built up to it and things usually don't live up to the hype--this was no exception in that sense. So I went in with low expectations and they were met, a little better than I had hoped. What I thought should happen versus what I thought ought to happen: For good literary style and format, I thought Harry ought to actually die by Voldemort's hand and in doing so kill Voldemort--but I doubted Rowling would actually kill the boy off. The fans would get far too upset; not to mention, she created Harry and watched him grow up as she created him and it's not that easy to kill off a character you grow attached to. I also thought that willingly or unwillingly Wormtail owed Harry a blood debt and blood debts have a way of getting themselves paid. I thought Regulus was a decent guy, trying to make his parents proud, do what was right by the family, especially after his brother deserted him; Sirius was no saint. I went into the Regulus mindset in these Fan Fictions I wrote a couple of years ago-- http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2271090/1/General_Lee and http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1744020/11/Conversations_with_a_Hat . Yes, I know. Shameless plug. Feel free to hop over there and review. I've also got a Peter Pan story or two there, Artemis Fowl, Young Wizards, and I attempted a Tolkien ficlet. Anyway, those were my main predictions as far as that sort of thing goes, besides the obvious.
Where to start? Let's start at the end, shall we?
That epilogue was absolutely and utterly horrible. It was like I was reading a bad fan fiction. The rest of the book, while not offering much in the way of big plot twists, was pretty good. The epilogue looked as if it was just there to appease the romance writers on fan fiction sites. There wasn't anything of substance there except possibly the line where Harry tells Albus Severus that he was named for 2 Hogwarts Headmasters, one of which was a Slytherin and the bravest man he ever knew--essentially that he's not 16 anymore and not letting petty house rivalry destroy him and his son can make his own choices (though considering he's probably nearly 40 here you'd like to at least hoped he's grown up that much by this point). Hermione hardly said anything at all; it's not like her not to get the last word in and speak her mind. Ginny you didn't hear very much from either--not that I ever liked Harry and Ginny as a pair but I'll save that rant for another day. We basically found out that the four of them are now married and have kids, with Harry and Ginny naming their children after important people in their lives (Harry's parents, Dumbledore, and Severus--though I don't recall any mention of Weasley names) and Ron and Hermione naming their children Rose and Hugo to which I can see no significance whatsoever except that Rowling kept them with R&H names and just switched the genders for the R&H. And of course the odds that Draco, Harry, and Ron all have kids beginning Hogwarts in the same year...I would have liked to hear more about Teddy Lupin. Clearly he's gotten paired up with a girl who we are supposed realize is Fleur and Bill's son but he's 19 or 20 by now. What is he doing at King's Cross? When Lupin made Harry godfather I forsaw Ginny dying in battle fighting along side her brothers and Harry (given the choice that's what she'd want) and Harry as godfather raising Teddy Lupin--though at that point I quite forgot his grandmother was still living.
Things I would have rather seen tied up in the Epilogue:
Who is the Minister of Magic? Is it still Kingsley? What career did Harry choose--I can't see him still wanting to be an Auror, but that was always my perception. Ron I could see still wanting to be an Auror...and what about Hermione? Ginny? Somehow I can't see either Ginny or Hermione as happy homemakers all day. What's going on with the wide world? We don't need these cutesy family trees we were offered. What happened to the remaining Death Eaters? Are the wizards still idiot enough to use the Dementors as prison guards? On the one hand--good punishment for those who are truly guilty--on the other hand, there could just as easily be a new "Dark Lord" arising, gathering up the old Death Eaters (or new support) and luring them over again. There will always be more threats like that on the horizon...
The Dursleys--
I would have liked to possibly have seen or heard something from them at the end, tie things up a little neater. Rowling did manage to show that Dudley (quite contrary to popular opinion) is in fact a human being. He understood that they were being taken to safety because being around Harry would be unsafe for them, but as much as he always bullied him and probably still doesn't necessarily like him, he did worry about what was going to happen to Harry while they were getting taken to safety if he was the one in danger. He didn't hate him. It was well done, but not too over the top. I would have liked to see something more from Petunia, but you can only hope for so much, right? And at least Snape's memories in the Penseive confirm the theory that's been circling for years now among fans that she dislikes Harry so much because she was jealous of Lily's powers--and she knew she could be hurt by them (ex: the branch "Sev" made fall). Other theories toward her hatred had revolved around a Voldemort related death for her parents, but I think Rowling debunked that saying all of Harry's grandparents died of natural causes before he was born.
Severus Snape--
One of the better done parts of this book I really must say. I'm not that surprised about him liking Lily or Lily being his friend quite honestly. I had toyed around last year with the idea that Remus and Lily had known each other before Hogwarts, but I think it is ultimately better set up as Lily and Snape and it does explain a great deal of her dislike of James and his friends. And Harry had 2-fold love protection from this--Lily loved Harry and so died to save him. Snape loved Lily and so lived to keep Lily's son alive at whatever cost, for Lily's sake. He wouldn't have done it for anyone else. "What will you give me if I protect them?" "Anything." That "anything" was a big fat blank check that Snape signed and handed over to Dumbledore. And Dumbledore exploited it well. Anything Dumbledore asked of him, from orchestrating his death, to spending extraneous time around Harry who Snape hated as much for his father as him being the cause of Lily's death--he did it. It didn't matter how painful. Granted, he'd have been just as happy originally to let Harry and James die and keep Lily, but when that's not an option he'd rather see Lily alive and happy with her son and husband than see her dead. "Hide them all." Snape loved Lily and that was the breaking point between he and Voldemort. That was the line Voldemort crossed that lost him Severus Snape forever, though he never knew it because he didn't understand it. Snape had to spend years pretty much in no-man's-land, and I'm sure that last year was particularly rough--the very person he was protecting, doing all this for, hated him as much as they boy hated Voldemort. Granted, Snape never cared for Harry, but he was there. He did this.
The Silver Doe--
It makes sense that Lily's patronus would be a doe and that Snape's would look like hers-- however...Harry is pulling this information out of his butt! Not once in the seven books can I recall ever hearing what Lily's patronus looks like, nor can I remember Harry finding out and us not. That's just not very well done. I suppose Tonks' patronus (or so we're led to believe) changing into a wolf is supposed to be some sort of indication of this, which is why it makes sense for Lily's to be a doe if James' animagus form is a stag...but we're never told this. You aren't supposed to assume your audience knows what you haven't told them...
Regulus Black--
As I said in my opening, I'm not surprised by Regulus' character here. Most people guest that R.A.B. would be Regulus Black, and sticking with the astronomy themed names Arcturus does work out quite nicely. Regulus being the dutiful son, trying to do what's right and protect the family (particularly after Sirius deserted them) fits in with what I thought about him. What does NOT fit however is how Regulus knew about the Horcruxes--or at least the one Horcrux. Voldemort certainly would have told him about it. We've no indication that he was working explicitly for Dumbledore and it's doubtful Dumbledore new as much at the time. Where did Regulus get his infomation? I'd like to know this very much...
Aberforth Dumbledore--
Another part I enjoyed. It explained the Albus-like occurrences without letting Albus come back from the dead--which would have been bad. It also gave us what is probably the closest we'll get regarding an unbiased view of Dumbledore from someone who knew him well. There's still bias there, but less I think. Rita Skeeter is Rita Skeeter and will always be Rita Skeeter--enough said. And Doge was like a young Harry--willing to believe absolutely everything that perfect Dumbledore told him--dangerous. Aberforth, gruff as he is, is a decent human being, quite clearly. The tunnel in the Ariana frame was a most interesting construct of the Room of Requirement. While Aberforth did complain about all the people showing up, he didn't turn any of them away. And he showed up for the fight. Good man. I'm glad he played a part in this.
Ginny Weasley--
I will save my "I don't like Harry and Ginny as a couple" rant for another day. This is not the time: this is my overall book seven gripes and grins. In the last couple of books, Ginny has presented herself to be a very strong willed character who gets her way because she won't give up and she'll hex you otherwise. I didn't feel like she had that presence in this book. In this book she was one of the homey comforts that Harry missed. Gag. That's not her only role. I expected her to try harder to get Harry to let her go with him or to find some way to help. She did lead the resistance at Hogwarts with Luna and Neville, organizing the resistance, fighting the Carrows however they could, lifting school spirit. It just didn't sound like what Ginny would have picked. I don't know how they could have arranged it differently though, given that Ginny was under 17 and still had the Trace on her...it's just didn't sit right. Particularly her waiting in the room of requirement like they asked until Harry said she could leave. I am glad that she did fight during the battle; that was very much in her spirit. There is no way anyone could have kept her home from that fight I think.
Percy Weasley--
Percy's reunion with the family right before the battle was well-timed and he did seem so genuinely sorry for the lost years and the pain he caused his parents. The fact that he made a joke was amazing. And of course that he outright said what a rotten git he'd been. I would have rather seen him die than Fred; this doesn't come from any particular dislike of Percy but...he came back after desertion and I can picture pretty clearly Percy at this point getting in there and saving Fred, or George, or Ginny in the midst of the fighting and dying himself--redeemed.
The Malfoys--
Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius. Where to start? This was another of the things I thought was decently well done--Draco and Narcissa especially. One of the big ideas that tends to flit around the fan fiction world was that Draco was abused by his father and forced into the Death Eaters by his parents--very popular in "redeemed Draco" stories which usually end up with him snogging one of the Gryffindors. Not important. My point was, those are usually very over the top. This wasn't. Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius are still Slytherins through and through. And they've still undoubtedly got the same blood prejudices. However it becomes clear starting with Narcissa's request to Snape at Spinner's End in the sixth book that at this point she no longer gives a damn about Voldemort. Her concern is her son's safety. She loves him--and Voldemort loses another loyal follower! Well, she'll still do his bidding until she and Draco and Lucius can be free, but clearly concern for her son is going to cost Voldemort--"[Ha But rry]'s dead." Yeah, right. For as much as Draco boasted at the beginning of book 6, he too wants nothing more than to get out of there. Like his mother, he lies for Harry too, without even being asked by Harry to lie--"I'm not sure it's him." He doesn't have the stomach to kill Dumbledore and from Bellatrix's jeers when she asks Draco to take the Snatchers outside, he never kills at all. Even Lucius is concerned more for his family's safety than anything else at this point. They aren't so very different from the Weasleys or Xenophilius Lovegood at this point, are they? They are still Slytherins. They are still trying to survive and at this point that means following as much of Voldemort's orders as they have to, but they are little more than prisoners in their own home and they are scared. Normal human feelings. And whatever else he is, Draco is proved here not only to be human...but to have a little compassion even. When Crabbe spreads the Fiendfire and they're lives are in danger and Goyle is passed out, Draco doesn't leave him there. He tries to drag him out of the room to safety. And he wants attention. Approval. He's concerned Snape's trying to "steal his glory" in killing Dumbledore, remember? Would have liked to know more about Draco's upbringing. Definitely pampered. But in the end he does have parents who care about him.
Xenophilius Lovegood--
I can't blame him too badly for what he does here. Yes it's cowardly. It's against everything he's been saying for two years. All the same...what would you have done if your daughter--the only family you have left--was stolen from you, and in your hands you had the means to free her? It's a tough decision. A bad decision. He's willing to do anything to get his daughter back; he loves her. And he needs her.
Unforgivables--
Harry used 2 of rhe 3 Unforgivable Curses--apparently without repercussions. Now, if I was the government in the post-war, I wouldn't charge him on it either, don't' get me wrong, but part of the big deal was that Harry couldn't use them in the fifth book. He didn't have the hatred--amazing. When did that happen? Where was the big shift? Maybe I can understand him using the Imperius Curse. It was necessary. But the Cruciatus? I don't think so.
"I am the Master of the Elder Wand!"--
Bad, bad line. His reasoning was good though I'd like to know when the heck he had time to figure all this out. But I was reading this section aloud, having some fun, and this line irritates me to know end. The "I am" gives it a bad, formal, inflection and in my head it puts the emphasis on the "am" (and a little on Master) which is usually glossed over these days by contracting to "I'm" which would have sounded more natural and put the emphasis on Harry himself rather than his position of mastery.
Next time: Horcruxes, Fleur, Neville, Dumbledore, the scene in Harry's head, Harry's use of the Resurrection Stone, and anything else I've forgot to name. Feel free to leave comments and let me know whether you agree or disagree with me.
Before reading:
Before reading the book I was afraid it was going to disappoint. It's the last book in the series; there has been a lot of hype built up to it and things usually don't live up to the hype--this was no exception in that sense. So I went in with low expectations and they were met, a little better than I had hoped. What I thought should happen versus what I thought ought to happen: For good literary style and format, I thought Harry ought to actually die by Voldemort's hand and in doing so kill Voldemort--but I doubted Rowling would actually kill the boy off. The fans would get far too upset; not to mention, she created Harry and watched him grow up as she created him and it's not that easy to kill off a character you grow attached to. I also thought that willingly or unwillingly Wormtail owed Harry a blood debt and blood debts have a way of getting themselves paid. I thought Regulus was a decent guy, trying to make his parents proud, do what was right by the family, especially after his brother deserted him; Sirius was no saint. I went into the Regulus mindset in these Fan Fictions I wrote a couple of years ago-- http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2271090/1/General_Lee and http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1744020/11/Conversations_with_a_Hat . Yes, I know. Shameless plug. Feel free to hop over there and review. I've also got a Peter Pan story or two there, Artemis Fowl, Young Wizards, and I attempted a Tolkien ficlet. Anyway, those were my main predictions as far as that sort of thing goes, besides the obvious.
Where to start? Let's start at the end, shall we?
That epilogue was absolutely and utterly horrible. It was like I was reading a bad fan fiction. The rest of the book, while not offering much in the way of big plot twists, was pretty good. The epilogue looked as if it was just there to appease the romance writers on fan fiction sites. There wasn't anything of substance there except possibly the line where Harry tells Albus Severus that he was named for 2 Hogwarts Headmasters, one of which was a Slytherin and the bravest man he ever knew--essentially that he's not 16 anymore and not letting petty house rivalry destroy him and his son can make his own choices (though considering he's probably nearly 40 here you'd like to at least hoped he's grown up that much by this point). Hermione hardly said anything at all; it's not like her not to get the last word in and speak her mind. Ginny you didn't hear very much from either--not that I ever liked Harry and Ginny as a pair but I'll save that rant for another day. We basically found out that the four of them are now married and have kids, with Harry and Ginny naming their children after important people in their lives (Harry's parents, Dumbledore, and Severus--though I don't recall any mention of Weasley names) and Ron and Hermione naming their children Rose and Hugo to which I can see no significance whatsoever except that Rowling kept them with R&H names and just switched the genders for the R&H. And of course the odds that Draco, Harry, and Ron all have kids beginning Hogwarts in the same year...I would have liked to hear more about Teddy Lupin. Clearly he's gotten paired up with a girl who we are supposed realize is Fleur and Bill's son but he's 19 or 20 by now. What is he doing at King's Cross? When Lupin made Harry godfather I forsaw Ginny dying in battle fighting along side her brothers and Harry (given the choice that's what she'd want) and Harry as godfather raising Teddy Lupin--though at that point I quite forgot his grandmother was still living.
Things I would have rather seen tied up in the Epilogue:
Who is the Minister of Magic? Is it still Kingsley? What career did Harry choose--I can't see him still wanting to be an Auror, but that was always my perception. Ron I could see still wanting to be an Auror...and what about Hermione? Ginny? Somehow I can't see either Ginny or Hermione as happy homemakers all day. What's going on with the wide world? We don't need these cutesy family trees we were offered. What happened to the remaining Death Eaters? Are the wizards still idiot enough to use the Dementors as prison guards? On the one hand--good punishment for those who are truly guilty--on the other hand, there could just as easily be a new "Dark Lord" arising, gathering up the old Death Eaters (or new support) and luring them over again. There will always be more threats like that on the horizon...
The Dursleys--
I would have liked to possibly have seen or heard something from them at the end, tie things up a little neater. Rowling did manage to show that Dudley (quite contrary to popular opinion) is in fact a human being. He understood that they were being taken to safety because being around Harry would be unsafe for them, but as much as he always bullied him and probably still doesn't necessarily like him, he did worry about what was going to happen to Harry while they were getting taken to safety if he was the one in danger. He didn't hate him. It was well done, but not too over the top. I would have liked to see something more from Petunia, but you can only hope for so much, right? And at least Snape's memories in the Penseive confirm the theory that's been circling for years now among fans that she dislikes Harry so much because she was jealous of Lily's powers--and she knew she could be hurt by them (ex: the branch "Sev" made fall). Other theories toward her hatred had revolved around a Voldemort related death for her parents, but I think Rowling debunked that saying all of Harry's grandparents died of natural causes before he was born.
Severus Snape--
One of the better done parts of this book I really must say. I'm not that surprised about him liking Lily or Lily being his friend quite honestly. I had toyed around last year with the idea that Remus and Lily had known each other before Hogwarts, but I think it is ultimately better set up as Lily and Snape and it does explain a great deal of her dislike of James and his friends. And Harry had 2-fold love protection from this--Lily loved Harry and so died to save him. Snape loved Lily and so lived to keep Lily's son alive at whatever cost, for Lily's sake. He wouldn't have done it for anyone else. "What will you give me if I protect them?" "Anything." That "anything" was a big fat blank check that Snape signed and handed over to Dumbledore. And Dumbledore exploited it well. Anything Dumbledore asked of him, from orchestrating his death, to spending extraneous time around Harry who Snape hated as much for his father as him being the cause of Lily's death--he did it. It didn't matter how painful. Granted, he'd have been just as happy originally to let Harry and James die and keep Lily, but when that's not an option he'd rather see Lily alive and happy with her son and husband than see her dead. "Hide them all." Snape loved Lily and that was the breaking point between he and Voldemort. That was the line Voldemort crossed that lost him Severus Snape forever, though he never knew it because he didn't understand it. Snape had to spend years pretty much in no-man's-land, and I'm sure that last year was particularly rough--the very person he was protecting, doing all this for, hated him as much as they boy hated Voldemort. Granted, Snape never cared for Harry, but he was there. He did this.
The Silver Doe--
It makes sense that Lily's patronus would be a doe and that Snape's would look like hers-- however...Harry is pulling this information out of his butt! Not once in the seven books can I recall ever hearing what Lily's patronus looks like, nor can I remember Harry finding out and us not. That's just not very well done. I suppose Tonks' patronus (or so we're led to believe) changing into a wolf is supposed to be some sort of indication of this, which is why it makes sense for Lily's to be a doe if James' animagus form is a stag...but we're never told this. You aren't supposed to assume your audience knows what you haven't told them...
Regulus Black--
As I said in my opening, I'm not surprised by Regulus' character here. Most people guest that R.A.B. would be Regulus Black, and sticking with the astronomy themed names Arcturus does work out quite nicely. Regulus being the dutiful son, trying to do what's right and protect the family (particularly after Sirius deserted them) fits in with what I thought about him. What does NOT fit however is how Regulus knew about the Horcruxes--or at least the one Horcrux. Voldemort certainly would have told him about it. We've no indication that he was working explicitly for Dumbledore and it's doubtful Dumbledore new as much at the time. Where did Regulus get his infomation? I'd like to know this very much...
Aberforth Dumbledore--
Another part I enjoyed. It explained the Albus-like occurrences without letting Albus come back from the dead--which would have been bad. It also gave us what is probably the closest we'll get regarding an unbiased view of Dumbledore from someone who knew him well. There's still bias there, but less I think. Rita Skeeter is Rita Skeeter and will always be Rita Skeeter--enough said. And Doge was like a young Harry--willing to believe absolutely everything that perfect Dumbledore told him--dangerous. Aberforth, gruff as he is, is a decent human being, quite clearly. The tunnel in the Ariana frame was a most interesting construct of the Room of Requirement. While Aberforth did complain about all the people showing up, he didn't turn any of them away. And he showed up for the fight. Good man. I'm glad he played a part in this.
Ginny Weasley--
I will save my "I don't like Harry and Ginny as a couple" rant for another day. This is not the time: this is my overall book seven gripes and grins. In the last couple of books, Ginny has presented herself to be a very strong willed character who gets her way because she won't give up and she'll hex you otherwise. I didn't feel like she had that presence in this book. In this book she was one of the homey comforts that Harry missed. Gag. That's not her only role. I expected her to try harder to get Harry to let her go with him or to find some way to help. She did lead the resistance at Hogwarts with Luna and Neville, organizing the resistance, fighting the Carrows however they could, lifting school spirit. It just didn't sound like what Ginny would have picked. I don't know how they could have arranged it differently though, given that Ginny was under 17 and still had the Trace on her...it's just didn't sit right. Particularly her waiting in the room of requirement like they asked until Harry said she could leave. I am glad that she did fight during the battle; that was very much in her spirit. There is no way anyone could have kept her home from that fight I think.
Percy Weasley--
Percy's reunion with the family right before the battle was well-timed and he did seem so genuinely sorry for the lost years and the pain he caused his parents. The fact that he made a joke was amazing. And of course that he outright said what a rotten git he'd been. I would have rather seen him die than Fred; this doesn't come from any particular dislike of Percy but...he came back after desertion and I can picture pretty clearly Percy at this point getting in there and saving Fred, or George, or Ginny in the midst of the fighting and dying himself--redeemed.
The Malfoys--
Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius. Where to start? This was another of the things I thought was decently well done--Draco and Narcissa especially. One of the big ideas that tends to flit around the fan fiction world was that Draco was abused by his father and forced into the Death Eaters by his parents--very popular in "redeemed Draco" stories which usually end up with him snogging one of the Gryffindors. Not important. My point was, those are usually very over the top. This wasn't. Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius are still Slytherins through and through. And they've still undoubtedly got the same blood prejudices. However it becomes clear starting with Narcissa's request to Snape at Spinner's End in the sixth book that at this point she no longer gives a damn about Voldemort. Her concern is her son's safety. She loves him--and Voldemort loses another loyal follower! Well, she'll still do his bidding until she and Draco and Lucius can be free, but clearly concern for her son is going to cost Voldemort--"[Ha But rry]'s dead." Yeah, right. For as much as Draco boasted at the beginning of book 6, he too wants nothing more than to get out of there. Like his mother, he lies for Harry too, without even being asked by Harry to lie--"I'm not sure it's him." He doesn't have the stomach to kill Dumbledore and from Bellatrix's jeers when she asks Draco to take the Snatchers outside, he never kills at all. Even Lucius is concerned more for his family's safety than anything else at this point. They aren't so very different from the Weasleys or Xenophilius Lovegood at this point, are they? They are still Slytherins. They are still trying to survive and at this point that means following as much of Voldemort's orders as they have to, but they are little more than prisoners in their own home and they are scared. Normal human feelings. And whatever else he is, Draco is proved here not only to be human...but to have a little compassion even. When Crabbe spreads the Fiendfire and they're lives are in danger and Goyle is passed out, Draco doesn't leave him there. He tries to drag him out of the room to safety. And he wants attention. Approval. He's concerned Snape's trying to "steal his glory" in killing Dumbledore, remember? Would have liked to know more about Draco's upbringing. Definitely pampered. But in the end he does have parents who care about him.
Xenophilius Lovegood--
I can't blame him too badly for what he does here. Yes it's cowardly. It's against everything he's been saying for two years. All the same...what would you have done if your daughter--the only family you have left--was stolen from you, and in your hands you had the means to free her? It's a tough decision. A bad decision. He's willing to do anything to get his daughter back; he loves her. And he needs her.
Unforgivables--
Harry used 2 of rhe 3 Unforgivable Curses--apparently without repercussions. Now, if I was the government in the post-war, I wouldn't charge him on it either, don't' get me wrong, but part of the big deal was that Harry couldn't use them in the fifth book. He didn't have the hatred--amazing. When did that happen? Where was the big shift? Maybe I can understand him using the Imperius Curse. It was necessary. But the Cruciatus? I don't think so.
"I am the Master of the Elder Wand!"--
Bad, bad line. His reasoning was good though I'd like to know when the heck he had time to figure all this out. But I was reading this section aloud, having some fun, and this line irritates me to know end. The "I am" gives it a bad, formal, inflection and in my head it puts the emphasis on the "am" (and a little on Master) which is usually glossed over these days by contracting to "I'm" which would have sounded more natural and put the emphasis on Harry himself rather than his position of mastery.
Next time: Horcruxes, Fleur, Neville, Dumbledore, the scene in Harry's head, Harry's use of the Resurrection Stone, and anything else I've forgot to name. Feel free to leave comments and let me know whether you agree or disagree with me.
Ever,
Holder of the Dragon's Quill
Holder of the Dragon's Quill
