I love love loved Harry/Ginny. So much love. I never expected JKR to make my pet ship canon and I love her so much for it.

And Dumbledore dying killed me. Dead.

Lena/Ravenclaw

I totally already discussed a bunch of this stuff with you, but I'll discuss here anyway. :)

I was never really into Harry/Ginny. By that I mean, I had no real feelings one way or the other. But, I really ended up liking it. To me, Ginny has really grown into a dynamic character. I love her bunches.

And... Dumbledore. OMG. I was a tear-faced, snot-covered mess. Oh the sobbing of epic proportions! Blubbering like a baby.

Destiny//Gryff//HiH

I got the impression from book six, that she was only finishing the series becasue the fans would eat her if she didn't. It just all felt rushed, like she was trying to get it over with. Some parts were better than others, and the romance in my opinion was shotty at best.

Jaimie, Hufflepuff, HWCH

I must agree about the romance. It seemed like she threw the pairings in to make the shippers happy. I mean, Bill/Fleur?? There was NO indication of that in the previous books...

*shrug*


~Amy~
~Gryffindor~

I loved the book, but it was a LOT like a fanfiction to me. Draco seemed completely out of character from the past five books, and I didn't like that.

I did like the Snape twist a lot. I like that he's a more intrigal character now.


~Amy~
~Gryffindor~

I liked how Draco was in this book. Before he was just this bratty little kid that needed an attitude adjustment (I still think this even though I scored him on who I'm most like in one of those previous posts in hogesmeade). In this book, he was definitely more three dimensional. I liked it.

Krista : Slytherin : HiH

While I enjoyed the general plot of the book, I would have changed the tone. To me, it seemed more like a long piece of fanfiction than her other books. I don't know...maybe it was the "beast" in Harry's chest that bothered me so much. I would have changed that part, definitely, even though I don't mind H/G.

As for the shocking parts...Snape's interaction with the other Death Eaters and eventually, you know, KILLING Dumbledore...those were pretty shocking. Draco putting his head in Pansy's lap and crying to Myrtle were also up there on "WTF?" list.

And Lupin/Tonks...RANDOM. Utterly random. And this post is becoming like that, so I'll shut up and read what others are saying, now.

Manda, Slytherin, HiH

Heheh, I think my post tops off all randomness ;)

Anyways, I have a 13 year old teenage brother, and I am good friends with a nearly-16 year old boy... that 'beast' was very realistic to many boys. Ron, Draco, and pretty much all other boys in that age group probably also have that beast, but we never see it as the book is generally in Harry's POV.

Yea, Tonks/Lupin was a bit out there...

I feel that all the shipping was pretty ridiculous the first time through, but the second time it seemed more in-place. I dunno... I just saw the horrendous amounts of ships as JK being so fed up with her fans and their "ship wars". I had no real problems with shipping, though Harry/Ginny did surprise me a bit. I always that it was more of a semi-cannon ship, and I wasn't particularly fond of it. But then an odd though struck me: Harry's playing into his father's shoes. Ginny reminds me quite a bit of Lily, and that just made the whole thing a lot better for me.

The book as a whole... I didn't feel like I had to think so much this time. In GoF, there was a lot of mystery that kept us guessing the whole book through. In OotP, there was also a lot of guess-work, what with the dreams and the "weapon". In HBP, I felt like I was just along for the ride, which didn't settle with me well. Also, in the middle, it felt a bit as if the plot was going nowhere. Sure, there was Quidditch and romance and whatnot, but it wasn't until the end that the plot really began to unfold.

Also, I miss Sirius, and was deeply depressed on how little there was of him in the books. I thought that at least there would be more mention of him, but no... no Pads :(

But I still loved it, despite the tragic ending. It all makes sense now, and we're beginning to see more of "lesser" charcters, which I like. It was hilariously funny, and my favorite part about the book has to be the development of Harry. JKR pulled it off stunningly, and I adored it. He's level-headed but still bold and rash. He's witty and subtly defensive. Brilliant.

~Rachel
Gryffindor

About Harry, I'm very glad that he was more thought-out in this book than in the last one. She really played up his angsty-angry-teenage-self the last book, and I was dreading seeing him in this one, but she got rid of a lot of the anger, which made me happy.


~Amy~
~Gryffindor~

Oh boy George, oh boy oh boy...

Aragorn: Get on with it already.

Erm, right. This is actually my first debate and- holy crap that's a huge fly!! *try to kill it and miserably fails* Right. I'm done. Now to respond to the post like a good little Gryffie...

What did you think of the book? Well, after I was finished on the 17th that night, I wanted to throw it out the window. Aragorn stopped me, though...

Aragorn: And now she really likes it.

Yesh. Even though it is a bit different from JK Rowling's normal style (or so I thought, and my best friend thought that too...) I enjoyed it. I was cracking up during half the book... usually during the love scenes, and then I was screaming, I was weeping... I really got into it. More than even the fifth book when Sirius kicked the bucket..

Aragorn: May he rest in peace.

Still think he's taking a vacation...

Aragorn: Denial.

*shoves him away* But this isn't about Sirius, this is about HBP. But generally I liked it. It's probably my second or third favorite... the third, methinks, shall always remain my favorite. GAH... stupid fly! *waves it away*

Who did you love? Sirius- oh, wait... Dumbledore. He kicked arse (I am not sure if we are allowed to curse here... better stay on the safe side ^_~). I absolutely loved Dumbledore to pieces.

Oh, and even though I actually did like Harry in the 5th book (he reminded me of a real, honest-to-god, under pressure teenager), I loved him better in this book. He has become extremely witty, and I love the 'Dumbledore's Man Through and Through'.

And the twins rocked once more. :)

Who did you hate? Snape for killing Dumbledore. I don't care if he's innocent, if this was preplanned, etc etc... I still hate him. I blame Aragorn.

Aragorn: *rolls eyes* Severus isn't too bad of a guy, once you get to know him...

I bet you help him torture Gryffs.

Aragorn: ...

*sticks out tongue* Right. I still hate him... I'll miss Dumbledore. Really bad. I don't think he's coming back, either... for JKR to pull a Gandalf would be a bit cheesy... anyhow, I still hate Umbridge (how dare she show her face even once!!), and... I can't really think of anyone else right now. I thought the new MoM was hilarious... such a joke. And Harry got him good, so he was fine with me.

What would you have changed? DUMBLEDORE! *weeps* Ok, probably not, as everything has a purpose, blah blah blah... I really liked it. Maybe I would have gotten rid of that... whatsitcalled, Spectumsectrum spell... *frowns*

Aragorn: ... Sectumsempra.

Right! That one... hey, how did you know?

Aragorn: Harry's not the only one with access to Severus' old book.

... riiigghhhttt... anyhow, I really didn't like that scene in the bathroom with that spell... just rubbed me in the wrong way...

But I loved the horcruxes and the ships... other than Lavendar and Ron. That was just wrong...

What shocked you? Uhm... Snape killing Dumbledore? I absolutely flipped. Also, Snape being the Half Blood Prince was unexpected as well... interesting how the HBP really did not play a humungous role, not as big as we expected...

Hmm... last words... I loved the ships, though I wish Ron and Hermione would just officially hook up already... glad Lupin got Tonks to get rid of all those slashers... *dodges tomatoes, jinkes, and shoes* The horcrux plot was brilliant, and all those memories were awesome. Seeing a half-decent Slytherin was a nice change as well. Uhm...

Aragorn: I think you've babbled enough.

So do I. And I really never actually *said* anything. Hehehe...

Right. Adieu, my good gentlefolk *bows and exits*

Wow... a lot of distractions o.o

It was very different from JK's style, which is something I've always loved about her. She writes differently and is very cunning regarding to what she includes and where she includes it. However, she did disappoint me to some extent. She lost her style towards the end, and that saddened me. The first few chapters were certainly hers, but the later chapters did feel like fanfiction (agreeing above).

~Rachel
Gryffindor

Does anyone else think that the title was a little inappropriate (for lack of a better word)? I mean, the Prince didn't have a very large role...he wasn't the main focus of the book. It should have been "Harry Potter and the Exploration of Backstory via Dumbledore's Pensieve" or something. That just irked me.

Manda, Slytherin, HiH

ROFL! I agree!! The title wasn't quite descriptive as to what the book would be ABOUT....


~Amy~
~Gryffindor~

My first thought after I finished the book was OMG SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!!! It shocked me, even though I knew there was something fishy with the Unbreakable Vow. We should have seen it coming, but we didn't. Hindsight bias, I guess. I cried through a good few chapters towards the end of HBP.

I don't know if I like the bit with the Horcruxes. What, is Harry gonna skip his seventh year and ideas of becoming an Auror and track down the remainder of these Horcruxes? I don't know how happy that makes me. I don't really want that to happen.

As for pairings, I loved Harry/Ginny. They were cute together. Bill/Fleur...well, Fleur's not so bad, I guess. Remus/Tonks is adorable. Hermione/Ron...still hasn't really happened yet, but it's definitely on its way. I'm satisfied as far as pairings go, but maybe a Luna/Neville would be cute...eh, wishful thinking.

I hate the new Minister of Magic. Not as much as I hated Fudge, but if you ask me, Scrimgeour is almost as bad.

I think that there's still some mystery surrounding Snape but...I'm still in denial about him having killed Dumbledore and Dumbledore really being dead...I just don't know. But then again, I always thought that good ol' JK would make Sirius come back in some way...but she didn't. That's the one thing I really, really diliked about HBP. JKR did not address Harry's dealing with Sirius' passing in a satisfactory manner. It was just...I don't know, maybe a bit too dark for me? I know it's supposed to be dark, with Voldemort coming back and all, but...there was something better about books 1-4.

-Kathryn, Ravenclaw, HiH

The only purpose of Scrimgeour is for Harry to seriously pwn him ;)

I agree with the pairings. I like lots.

Sirius... I agree there, too. *sighs* I miss him.

What did you think of the book? Who did you love? Who did you hate? What would you have changed? What shocked you? (these are just questions to get you thinking about your opinions. you are by no means expected to answer all or any of them.)

HBP is my second favorite(behind GoF) and it boggles me that many people felt like they were reading fanfiction. Dude, there's THOUSANDS of HP fics out there, JKR has already said that the fandom has figured out half of book 7, so what did you expect ya know? Our fandom analizes everything, so I'm not shocked that some things sounded like fanfiction but they aren't, it's canon and she's planned her story for a long time. Someone was bound to hit on some points of her plot, JKR admitted it herself.


I loved the Tom Riddle backstory, the fleshing out of Draco, and the shipping. The fact that JKR admitted in the TLC interview that she's always been going the R/Hr route, was sweet vindication for me.

The thing that shocked me the most was Draco actually being a character the audience could sympathize with. I fully expected Draco to die in this one, so I was pleased that JKR let us see another side of him.

PV/Slytherin

It wasn't really the plot that reminded me of fanfiction, but the TONE. I can't really place it, but it didn't feel as "solid" to me as her first few books. But I DID enjoy the reference to "Rupert" and Harry becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy. Oh, Phlegm and U-No-Poo...? Greatness. =D

Manda, Slytherin, HiH

Merope Gaunt. Oh, do I love her. I think she's underutilized and has so much more potential to be explored... so I started dimmeststar and started writing Merope Hid Her Face For Shame (http://www.cipher-wotr.com/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=749).

SHAMELESS PLUG! XD

Oh boy. I loved some of this book, hated other parts.

What I hated: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione. I know they were being hinted at right away, before anyone jumps down my throat, but being the rabid H/Hr shipper that I am (delusional and proud!), I saw signs for them as well. I don't like Harry/Ginny at all, though. I thought it was contrived, like it came out of nowhere. It doesn't help that I don't really like the "new" Ginny, either. She's just... to me, she's not a nice person, making fun of people behind their backs, hexing them, but we're supposed to like her because she's a Weasley.

I loved seeing a different side to Draco - one that made him much more 3D and human. I LOVED the Draco/Pansy scene on the train. *squees* One of my favourite pairings.

I still think Snape is good, even though he killed Dumbledore, but I was pretty upset about that. Almost inconsolable. Especially the scene where he tells Harry he's not afraid because he's with him... oh man. I knew Dumbledore died and it was even more heartwrenching.

Oh I know what else I wanted to mention. I HATED Harry in OoTP. Hated him and his angsty ways. I was very glad he got over the teen angst crap in this book, he became much more likable.. it reminded me of why I liked him so much in books 1-4. I didn't like how Hermione's character seemed to have changed to me. No longer was she the brilliant girl - she was acting weird because Harry was doing better in potions (and yes, he was cheating) and just... acting too much like the jealous teenager that she's never acted like before. She is my favourite character and I've always related to her, so for her to take a step backwards in this book really disappointed me. Fleur/Bill was really sweet, too.

The first few chapters were really well written. The end was really well written. The scenes where we got glimpses into Voldemort's past were awesome - some of my favourite parts of the book. Luna and Neville getting shunted to the back? Not awesome. After OoTP, I really thought they would have a bigger role. :( I hope in Book 7, they do get pushed back to the forefront.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough here, I knew I shouldn't have ever got going - but, despite all my complaints, I'm still extremely excited for Book 7. I just hope I can wait two more years or so.

Carrie - Gryffindor - HiH

I loved Ginny. She's very unique, and actually reminds me a lot of Lily. She doesn't hex people for no reason, but rather has the guts to hex people who deserve it. Ginny is a very interesting person, and has a lot of good qualities. She's determined, strong, an individual, funny and a great friend.

I am going to say this over and over again until I die, I swear. Harry was developing in OotP. Teenagers are typically like this, even without the pressure Harry had. He had bottled up all these emotions, because he had to be the strong one. Then he sees a friend die, and goes through this terribl ordeal of seeing Voldemort come back! Then everyone thinking he was a liar and an attention-seeker? I think he coped with it better than most. He was simply letting out his emotions. Can you honestly say that you would have done better?

~Rachel
Gryffindor
HiH

My thoughts are like many of yours. I did feel a bit rushed, even though I still enjoyed the book. I hope the last book doesn't feel that way, because I want it to tie everything up.

As for pairings, Bill/Fleur is ok. At first she annoyed the hell out of me, but her part at the end, when she stuck with Bill, made me respect her more, for not being as shallow as she seems.
I already knew that Harry/Ginny, and Ron/Hermione was going to happen so I am happy with them.
But with Remus/Tonk, I was not pleased as many of you already know. I am an avid Sirius/Remus shipper, OTPCANON and all. So I never thought that this would happen. I have disliked this pairing for some time now, even though I love Tonks on her own. When I got to the part in the hospital it not only shocked me, but made me cry MORE and also made me angry, because this whole time we think that she is upset about Sirius, and then find out that her deal is that Remus won't be with her.
Sirius was already mentioned way too less in this book, I found it sad, and disrespectful. So that just made it worse. And now the R/T shippers have more to go on that there is no R/S, when they still could be canon, especially in the Marauder days. Holding hands at a funeral for comfort in no way makes them a couple, Remus is too dangerous, poor, and GAY!

Now for Sirius, like I said above I am VERY upset that there was not more of him. There was no service or anything, they didn't need to have his body for that. And the characters didn't act upset enough either. And when he comes back in the next book, he had better be pissed about all this. :D

When Snape killed Dumbledore, I was a little shocked and very sad, but mostly angry. I knew deep down that he might do something like this, but the fact that Albus truly trusted him, made it more upsetting. And when people say that, "oh, Snape was working on Dumbledore's orders" well, that may be somewhat true, but we all know that to use the Avada Kedavra curse you need to mean it. So Snape had to have the feeling inside to do it.

Overall, I cried more with this book than any other. For the last many chapters I was sobbing, snotty, puffy, blurry. And had to keep taking breaks to clean myself up. It was just everything, starting I think with Dumbledore. I would get calmed down and read something and start all over. Dumbledore, members of the Order possibly being dead and not knowing who, Bill being attacked, Remus finding out who bit him, Remus/Tonks, the Phoenix lement, the funeral, and NO SIRIUS. So ya I enjoyed it, but believe it could have been a bit more together.

Sarah

I'm perfectly happy with the Tonks/Remus ship, personally. I have fun with Sirius/Remus, but I don't seriously ship it :\

Sirius, though. GAH!!!! I wanted the throttle JKR! He should be remembered for all he had done, what he died doing and what he will never be able to do. There should have been more of him.

I think the fact that Dumbledore trusted Snape says a lot. Also, Snape flipped out when Harry called him a "coward". All I could think at that point was what I thought Snape was thinking: "I just did one of the gutsiest things I've ever done, and you dare call me a coward? I just killed Dumbledore, and you call me a coward?". I dunno, it's all up in the air. But I do still think that it was planned, or at least that Dumbledore knew about the Unbreakable Vow and what was to come.

I cried when Sirius died, but just full-on sobbed when Dumbledore died. If JK was there at the time, I probably would have slapped her :(

~Rachel
Gryffindor
HiH

I absolutely loved Fred and George, as usual, and wish there would have been more of them. U-No-Poo, that was awesome. I also absolutely adored Luna doing the Quidditch commentary, it was great. "Hey, there's a cloud shaped like a lion," classic. Slughorn was also really interesting and I can't wait to see him in the movies.

I wanted to beat Ron! I could not believe what he was doing with lavendar just because he heard Hermione had kissed Krum, and after they were so close to getting together. Oh, I was so mad I was screaming at the book. He so deserved all of those birds.

Let me just say I was totally surprised at who the HBP was. After reading the short description of lion man on the JK website, I thought that was the HBP and formed this really elaborate theory: JK said that she was going to reveal more about Harry's family in the last books, so I thought that this was going to be the HBP, and one of Harry's relatives on the Potter side who was in hiding. WHy didn't Harry live with him? Because according to the book he had to stay with the bloodline of the person that sacrificed themself, so he had to go with Petunia because of Lily. I also thought with the lion imagery and the CoS references that this person was an heir of Gryffindor cuz a) Gryffindor's symbol was a lion, b) only a "true Gryffindor" could have pulled the sword from the hat, and c) maybe that is why he and Salazar quit being friends, cuz Godric was a halfblood, and Salazar wanted to be more selective and even Godric wouldn't be able to be part of Hogwarts anymore and he was hurt cuz he knew Salazar knew that and that's why they split. Okay, I am done rambling about my weird, totally wrong and WAY too analytical theory hehe :-).

Elizabeth~Hufflepuff~HiH

I think there was a good amount of Fred and George; they had left Hogwarts, what did we expect?

Ron... I have never been fond of Ron. Yes, he's Harry's best friend and a wonderufl person, but he can be such a jerk. I dunno what Hermione sees in him, honestly.

I had that same Gryffindor-HBP thinking you did o.o

~Rachel
Gryffindor
HiH

Jumping on the bandwagon here!

Firstly, let me say that I really loved this book, and while I do agree that something was a bit strange about the way it was written, it was still very good (maybe because there was no real "mystery" to figure out, other than the HBP--which I had figured out about the time we found out the Snape was that DADA teacher.)

I personally greatly enjoyed Draco's characterization, and I'm glad he became more fleshed-out. But that whole crying to Myrtle in the bathroom thing was a bit WTF.

And yes, I think Snape's good, and I buy into that whole he planned it out with Dumbledore theory, but obviously he must not have liked the man very much since you actually have to feel it to use an Unforgiveable Curse.

Anyone else like Slughorn? I personally loved him.

Raina/Slytherin/HiH

Slughorn... I was just kind of indifferent to him. He didn't add a terrible lot to the plot, if you know what I mean o.o

~Rachel
Gryffindor
HiH

To be quite honest, I was put-off by all the making out. It seemed like most of the book was dedicated to Ron making out with Lavender, Harry wanting Ginny, and Hermione wanting Ron. I think JKR could have scaled down the romance and focused on a better story-line for the Half-Blood Prince. Make it less obvious it was Snape, and incorporate it more into the book.

I did like that we got to learn more about Voldemort as a child, and see that even in Hogwarts he planning to be a great Dark wizard. I love the idea of horcruxes (not that I'd give it a try, mind you), and that idea explains so much about CoS. I also liked seeing Harry become the quidditch captain, and as hard as it was to see Dumbledore die, I'm glad Harry finally realizes that he needs to fight Voldemort on his own.

Sara//Gryffindor//HiH

Yes, I agree about the romance. I think she was just fed up with all the crazy shipping going on.

Yes! Harry becoming Captain was awesome, though I do wish we would have seen that Prefect bathroom again, it was too cool :)

~Rachel
Gryffindor
HiH

For one, I'm glad that Harry wasn't agnsty and annoying as he was in the last book. I want to slap him upside his damn head a few times in the last book. I thought with Sirius dying in the last book, he would have been even MORE agnsty in this one.

Narcissa is a whiny bitch. I wanted to slap the shit out of her in chapter 2. I mean, instead of standing there, whining and crying, I would have been looking for a way to break Lucius out of jail.

The scene at the Dursey's was hilarious. I laughed out loud when Potter told Kreacher to shut up after Kreacher kept screaming "Kreacher Won't!" over and over when it was found out that Kreacher was now Harry's house elf. I think Harry should have just given Kreacher an article of clothing and let him go.

I liked Slughorn. I still don't see how Harry talked him into coming back to Hogwarts though. But I was surprised when he was made Potions master, and Snape was finally made Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. When I read chapter 4, I thought for sure Slughorn would be the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher.

Speaking of Defense Against the Dark Arts. We FINALLY find out why that teaching position at Hogwarts is cursed. And I still think it to be a bit odd that Voldermort/Tom Riddle wanted to be a teacher at Hogwarts.

Ron and Lavendar. Meh. I for one would like to find out how they hooked up in the first place. One minute we see Ginny yelling at one about how he's never snogged anyone, next page he's with Lavendar. WTS??

Harry basically telling the Ministry of Magic where to go and how to get there...classic. I swear the Ministry of Magic and that whole department are about as usefull as the Bush administration. Speaking about MoM, Percy is still an ass, and I wish Hermoine and Harry would have let Ron punch him at the end of the book when he wanted to.

Finding out about Tom Riddle/Voldermort was younger was interesting. We only caught a glimpse of his past in CoS, it was good to explore more. Although, I have this Anakin/Vader vibe from it all now...meh. Although we see that basically both of his parents were worthless.

Hermione/Ron. Harry/Ginny. Seriously, was anyone suprised at these pairings at the end. I sure as hell wasn't. We saw Hermine/Ron hold hands in PoA during the meeting Buckbeak scene. Not to mention, during almost the entire series so far, they argued like an old married couple anyway. It just annoyed me that we had to go through all the crap with him sucking face with Lavendar to finally get to that point. As for Harry/Ginny, she's liked him ever since CoS, if I'm not mistaken. Not to mention, he was the one that saved her from Voldermort and the Baskalisk at the end of CoS. And she's his brest friend's sister, etc.

House Elf fight!!! I <33333 Dobby. Him sticking up for Harry against Harry's own elf house. I had a feeling that if Kreacher bad mouthed Harry while he was a Hogwarts, Dobby would not be pleased. I just wished that the chapter that segment was in, there would be an illustration of the two house elves fighting at top.

Draco crying in the bathroom made me go "WTS??!!" and "awww" at the same time. We finally get to see Draco in whole new light here. He's not the big bully we've seen him be in the past five books. He's a sixteen year old boy who has to do a job for Voldermort, or risk being killed. I actually felt sorry for him here. My theory on Draco is this, he will help Harry against Voldermort in the next book. We saw Draco vaulnerable when he was deciding to kill Dumbledore. Yes, I said deciding because I think Dumbledore's talking to him while Draco was pointing the wand at him was getting through. I also loved how Dumbledore told Draco that when Lucius gets out of Azakaban, they at Hogwarts will protect him. awwww. Draco knows that by now, both he and his father will suffer the rath of Voldermort. He knows by know what the Dark Wizard is capable of.

Everytime I saw Lucius' name in the book, I squeed.

Seeing how I was spoiled in another comm, I for one didn't cry when Dumbledore died, because I knew it was going to happen.

I'm still on the fence about Snape and him killing Dumbledore. I'll have to find out what he actually does in the next book to see where Snape's loyalties really lie.

*After All That, I had no room for my siggy*

Nikkie//Gryffindor

I knew that Dumbledore was going to die. I had predicted it way back... but I was still in a kind of shock after it happened. It's amazing how these characters become so real to you...

I did NOT predict that Lupin and Tonks were going to get togther, but I am THRILLED by that development *mashes their faces together*

As far as the various ships, angsty outbursts, flirting, and random crying (Draco), I think that it all suits the story line pretty well. We are afterall looking at the lives of teenagers here. I know I can't make a blanket statement and say that all teenagers experience such things, but as far as my own experiences go flirting, random couplings, anger, angst, crying (by both boys and girls) is just a part of life.

I think it shows more reality than some of us would like to admit, though there are certainly other things that could be mentioned aside from make-out sessions. C'est la vie.

I like Harry's angst because it enforces the fact that he isn't perfect. He has issues aside from just Voldemort, just like every teenager does. As far as the "beast," and Harry's attraction to Ginny, well, perhaps it was a bit random, but haven't any of you ever had a friend who you suddenly realized you were attracted to? Maybe I'm in the minority, but such a thing has happened to me before... sudden, unexpected attraction... and now I'm engaged to the guy! (sorry, that was an aside. I'm still kind of excited about being engaged. And I'm rambly and tired.) Anyway, I don't think it's that strange to have happened in such a way. And like someone said, I think there are similarities between Ginny and Lily which I think might have some significance, though I'm not sure what exactly.

Draco crying... I loved it. He can't be as hard hearted as he seems to be. Maybe I'm a hopeless optimist, but I'd like to think that there really is good in Draco.

Sorry for this disjointed ramble. Hope this makes sense. Happy Saturday to you all.

Sarah * Hufflepuff * HIH

Congrats on being engaged! :)

Draco crying... I loved it. He can't be as hard hearted as he seems to be. Maybe I'm a hopeless optimist, but I'd like to think that there really is good in Draco.

I'm the exact same way. After this book, I was more convinced than ever that Draco is just a product of his upbringing more than anything else, and he's not bad at all.

Carrie - Gryffindor - HiH

I intentionally spoiled myself but I still cried. I'm SUCH a wacko. I'm holding out hope that Snape is really with the order and that somehow he and Draco will turn out "good".

Sarah * Hufflepuff* HIH

Same with me, i saw the page on the net (page 606 LIES!) And then i was just reading the lnames of the last few chapters and what do i see?
"Snape killed him"
WTH?
But i still cried my eyes out at 4 am on the 17th lol
~*~rita~*~Gryffindork HiH

My Quick and Dirty Analysis of HBP:

- MUCH more to the Astronomy Tower scene than meets the eye
- there was NOT enough mourning for Sirius
- the rampant pairings seemed a direct message to slashers: These are MY characters and they're straight
- JKR read too much fanfic whilst writing HBP
- Blaise Zabini gets SO much love
- Ginny is now officially a MARY SUE
- I WANT MORE MARAUDERS!!
- Spinners End was a GREAT chapter
- no self-respecting Death Eater would be called 'Cissy'
- HORCRUX is a fun word

There's loads more. I think this will suffice, however. Overall, I hope book 7 is better... but I've read much worse.

cj//puff

I liked it, but not nearly as much as OotP. The entire book was kind of slow, up until the very end, which seemed quite rushed.

As for the ships, I was relatively pleased with how it turned out. The Ron/Hermione jealousy was really fun to read, and I'm sure was fun for JKR to play with. Harry/Ginny was cute, albeit kind of predictable, although much much better than Harry/Cho. My favourite ship of the book (which I thought was incredibly underdeveloped, I'm hoping for more time with them in book seven.) was Remus/Tonks.

What I've found more interesting than the actual book is the problems it has caused in the fandom. The Harry/Hermione shippers have gone absolutely bananas, causing endless flame wars. Some people have left the fandom. Remus/Sirius is less freaked out, as Sirius is dead, and it's not totally unfathomable that Remus could date Tonks, and have dated Sirius in the past. But it's embarrassing for me as a Harry Potter fan to be lumped in with the nutty people who have been harassing JKR for sinking their ship. They've screamed bloody murder, and claimed that Hermione was vastly out of character. But IMHO, you can't have out of character if it's canon, because it's the author's choice. I'd like to congratulate JKR on being able to stand above the insanity. I understand it's disappointing if a ship you love is shot down by the author, but still. I just wish people could be more mature about it.

I too was a sobbing mess for the last several chapters. Dumbledore had driven me crazy throughout the book with his overwhelming faith in Snape, but I think that was what made his death more effective. I was angry with him, and then all of a sudden he died. Very well written. I liked how Harry wasn't as angry about Dumbledore's death as he was about Sirius. It was more of a quiet pain, and then a decision of what he needs to do next.

As for book seven speculation, IMHO, there will be some loophole of Dumbledore's death, and Snape will end up being good. JKR thinks she's being sneaky about it, but she's really not . The horcruxes were a really neat idea though. Very nice. And I bet Sirius' brother is the one who stole the horcrux.

So here's my order of favourite.
OotP
GoF
PoA
HBP
PS
CoS

It was good, but it wasn't excellent. I think it was more of a set up for book 7. I do hope book 7 is better though, and I can't wait for it to come out.

Mara, Ravenclaw, HiH

But it's embarrassing for me as a Harry Potter fan to be lumped in with the nutty people who have been harassing JKR for sinking their ship.

I completely agree! Besides, the series isn't about ships anyway, it's about Harry going to Hogwarts and having to deal with Voldermort.

They want to focus on ships so badly, that's what fanfiction is for.

Nikkie//Gryffindor//HIH

I don't know, this book certainly wasn't as intense as the last one was. But I really liked how much Harry has grown up in this book, he was way more levelheaded and not so "I'm gonna keep my emotions all bottled up for four years and then blow them all in 5 minutes or less!!!"

So yeah I enjoyed it, but I was sad that nothing ever happened with Harry/Draco shipping. Jeeze she got me all worked up with all the "prelature" *scowls*

Haha.

Alex//Gryffindor//HiH

I was really happy with Harry/Ginny and Remus/Tonks, because they were ships I was waiting for. Though the latter, I didn't even see it coming, it's one of my favorite fan-fictions to read but I had no idea she'd whack me on the head with it there in the end.

As for Snape, I've read a lot of good points, and I'm firmly on his side for this whole thing.

Maggie//Gryffindor

As usual I loved all the trio related stuff - I think JKR still writes kids (although, not so kid aged any more...) really well. However I didn't like any of the exposition with Dumbeldore. It was just that, exposition and I'm not sure it told Harry anything that important, not considering all the time it took. I was again of the opinion that the book could have been shorter, for what it included. With GOF I got to the end thinking I'd read a substantial story but with OoTP and HBP I felt as if not that much had happened by the end.