A general thread for discussion of the Harry Potter books. Any new books set in the same world are also on-topic.
Games, films and other adaptations may be more appropriate for other threads if they're being discussed in isolation.
The HBO tv series has its own thread
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Mod Notes:
- Media threads are primarily for fans of the works they cover. Not everyone will like everything, of course, and that's especially true in a franchise like Harry Potter. It's fine to say a particular story within the franchise doesn't work for you, or to talk about why it doesn't work for you. But please try not to dwell on the negativity for too long. Complaints shouldn't take up too much space on a thread that's intended for fans.
- This is a thread to talk about Harry Potter and the content of the stories, not a place to talk about J. K. Rowling's more controversial views. If there's something newsworthy where Rowling's activities become relevant (e.g. it affects her relationship to new Potter works and adaptations), that's fair enough. Otherwise it's all been said already and we don't need to repeat it.
there doesn't seem to be a general HP topic...
Edited by Mrph1 on May 27th 2025 at 9:17:24 AM
The entire end of Half-Blood Prince. From the moment Harry and Dumbledore travel to the cave to the last sentence.
It was so full of drama, action, suspense and it wa sall amazingly well done.
Other than that, I'd say Voldemort's return in Goblet of Fire. This was my favorite book for a lot of reasons but this moment stands out because it is the absolute worst thing that could happen.
The thing everyone has been pissing themselves over and has tried to stop since Book 1 finally came to be. "Lord Voldemort had risen again."
His speech to the Death Eaters was also quite epic. Jim Dale's voice just brought the lines to life in a way the movie never could have hoped to emulate.
edited 4th Jul '10 2:37:53 PM by Nikkolas
You can't ask me to pick a favorite piece out of the books! That's not right.
I got to say, though, I do have a special fondness for the Mirror of Erised scene, and the scene where Dumbledore is talking to Harry in the hospital wing, both from Philosopher's Stone. I do love that book.
And Luna Lovegood commentating on the Quidditch match in book 6 is a great moment for laughs - but maybe "Give her hell from us, Peeves!" could beat it. Do you realize how hard this question is to answer?
Sorry to double-post, but I keep remembering this:
. This arguably isn't that big of a deal from the perspective of a children's book (At least until book 7, when everything hinges on the adult world and the plot goes off the rails because of it — but that's a rant for another day) but causes serious problems with the books' logical consistency from an adult perspective.
I'm interested in that "rant for another day," Nornagest. Please, clarify what you mean.
edited 8th Jul '10 6:03:20 PM by vifetoile
Harry's first flight in Philosopher's stone is one of my favorites, and then the quidditch match that follows it. I also loved all of the parts with Harry and Ginny. <3
Amateur cook Professional procrastinator... All of them?
I mean, I don't object to people shipping those two, but it's definitely something the fanficcers had to flesh out after the fact, if you catch my drift.
edited 9th Jul '10 7:29:03 AM by Iaculus
What's precedent ever done for us?Well yes there was some rushing for it, but I found it believable and I had wanted them together since the second book. So I took what scenes I got.
Amateur cook Professional procrastinatorSpeaking of Book 6, I gotta say that Slughorn is one of the most realistic characters in the books.
Really, he's not a monster but he's also not so good it's unbelievable.
He is in it all for himself but not to the point he'll commit horrible things in the name of geting what he wants.
I liked that about him.
In short, he actually lives up to what Slytherin is -supposed- to be. It's not supposed to be the House of Evil.
When it comes to Slytherin, I think these two quotes are best to describe them
Dumbledore: "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules."
Phineas Nigellus "I thought to be in Gryffindor you were supposed to be brave. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.”
edited 10th Jul '10 9:32:42 PM by Nikkolas
^ Except Slytherin... sort of.
As time went on Slytherin was described less and less like "House Of Evil" (whereas in the first book every word said about them was negative, but the actions of the house as a whole became more and more negative. To the point where Rowling says (paraphrased) "I wanted to make Slytherin as a whole less evil" and the fans say "yeah, right."
I mean that, say, in the first few books, Slytherins were jerks and the animosity was there, yeah, but it was more like popular kids vs unpopular kids, the only ones truly antagonistic were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, and they were nowhere near as heartless as they got in the later books, where they steadily became an entire class of minor antagonists, until you ultimately get to the final battle and none of the Slytherins wanted to help. Without exception.
The sole reason I liked Blaise Zabini's character was that in his very brief scene he went against the hive mind and actively support the Death. But that was only shown as him using that to put down someone else.
I got the impression that Rowling's intention was to have the only way a Slytherin could ever end up a good guy was to try being evil and then get a rude awakening... or be Slughorn. It didn't really annoy me all that much, but it would've been nice to have a scene or two where a random Slytherin wasn't a complete asshole.
So maybe I am agreeing with the "characterizations got more rigid" comment after all.
edited 11th Jul '10 5:17:42 PM by KnownUnknown
It doesn't completely excuse the absence of good Slytherin in the series, but it makes some sense that there wouldn't be any, since some or even all of them are the children of Death Eaters- not that you always turn out to mirror your parents beliefs, but you generally do.
On the other hand, while he (obviously) turned out to be evil, it hit me that Tom Riddle was in Slytherin and no one really thought it odd that he was in that house and (appeared to be) The Ace.
Also, I don't know if Rowling ever commented on this, but I got the impression from the flashbacks in the 2nd book that Hagrid was also in Slytherin, and he's a nice guy- he probably is so biased against them because Riddle framed him and ruined his life.
edited 11th Jul '10 7:50:51 PM by Jordan
HodorDoes it say he was a Griffindor (can't spell that)?- I mean, that would be the most obvious, but it certainly seemed like he and Riddle were in the same house as students, and Riddle was in Slytherin.
And potentially, I could see that being the right house for Hagrid- he loves bizarre, often malevolent creatures, and people in Slytherin (at least Malfoy's dad and Snape) seem to go for the occult stuff.
This is some Alternate Character Interpretation, but I can kind of imagine Hagrid joining Slytherin because they would be the ones most interested in things like basilisks and giant, talking spiders. Then, he gets framed by Riddle, and isn't defended by any of his House, and that's why he hates Slytherin. Hagrid had a habit of stretching the truth around Harry and co., especially where his past was concerned.
edited 11th Jul '10 8:02:52 PM by Jordan
HodorI imagine that it's quite possible that the issue's with the House, not its members. Even if the Sorting Hat's criteria for putting someone in Slytherin are no more or less moral than for anywhere else, having a big-time Dark Lord or two passing through is likely to leave a lasting taint. A few too many Gryffindor wizards turning Dark whilst in school, for instance, might have turned them into the local poster-boys for Villainous Valor.
... Or at least, that's the explanation I hope for and find most interesting. The alternative is just... too depressing.
edited 11th Jul '10 8:01:22 PM by Iaculus
What's precedent ever done for us?Sorting Hat:
All the brave and stupid people go Gryffindor.
All the smart but useless people go to Ravenclaw.
All the evil people to Slytherin.
...and then there's Hufflepuff.
Jesus, the hat even calls them "the rest" after listing all the good traits the other founders had in their students.
Hufflepuff is just pointless.
@Jordan: I seriously doubt Hagrid was in Slytherin. Slytherin values blood purity and ambition as entrance criteria, as explained in the Sorting Hat songs
. Somehow, being half-giant doesn't exactly scream "pure ancestry" to me.
He was probably in Griffyndor. Or, at a stretch, Hufflepuff.
edited 11th Jul '10 8:23:03 PM by jaimeastorga2000
Legally Free ContentI wonder if that is a product of the Medieval class structure at the time of founding- because from the Hat's description, it sounds like Hufflepuff might be the "peasant House" and the others are geared more toward nobility (knights in Gryffindor, scholars in Ravenclaf, and evil aristocrats higher nobility in Slytherin).
^Ah, but that's pure blood in the sense of "no-Muggle ancestry", maybe giant-ancestry would be a step up, since they are creatures in the "magical world"- like how Fleur was half-Veela.
Edit- ok, Rowling said that- well, it would have been interesting if he was in Slytherin, because that would make the house less Always Chaotic Evil, but what can you do?
edited 11th Jul '10 8:08:59 PM by Jordan
Hodor^^ The way that Draco talks about Hagrid's ancestry - and the way that Rita Skeeter writes about it, and the sort of letters that Hagrid gets after his half-giant-ness is made public - make it abundantly clear that a half-giant is a bad, bad thing to be in the eyes of the pure blood aficionados. Heck, Madame Maxime tried to outright deny it, saying she was "big-boned," when, as the Headmistress of one of the most prodigious schools of magic in Europe, you'd think that she'd be over that kind of identity insecurity by then.
And for that matter, I always thought that Fleur probably received flak for her mixed blood as well, we just never saw it in the books. Madame Maxime's behavior towards her indicates a favorite student - perhaps Maxime saw herself in the younger girl, and tried to protect/help her along the way, similar to Harry and Dumbledore.
Admittedly it was a stretch, but I was thinking that in part, people seemed to be prejudiced against half-giants not just because of the "blood" issue, but also because they figured giants where Always Chaotic Evil. And since Slytherin is the "evil House"...
I wonder how Slytherins feel toward like vampires and such- are they ever Equal-Opportunity Evil?
But really, it's his love of illegal creatures that would be my strongest argument for the crack theory that Hagrid was in Slytherin.
HodorLiking things that could kill you in a heartbeat strikes me as a very stupidly brave thing to do, and thus perfectly Gryffindor. Honor Before Reason and all that.
The fact he's half-giant just means he's more likely than most to survive raising them.
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Yeah, I always liked that part too, especially seeing what everyone's patronus were.
You are not alone, and you are not strange. You are you, and everyone has damage. Be the better person.