Thoughts on Spoilers

[lls_mutant]

Well, everyone's talking about it in all sorts of ways, so here's my thoughts.

First off: I love spoilers. I seek them out, and then I panic about them :) I seem to be doing this a lot right now, because there's something I'm very worried about in my own life (the possibility we may move), and it's easier and less depressing to worry about Harry Potter characters than it is about leaving the house my husband and I put so much of our hearts into. I mean, I'll move if we must, but... you see my point. Right? Since the move is a vague thought that may never even come to fruition, and spoilers are not all that important, it's MUCH easier to obsess over them.

However, I fully respect that not everyone is a spoiler lover like me. So there will never be a spoiler not posted behind a cut... except one.

Yes, in exactly one week, we get the ULTIMATE spoiler.

I am the girl who will open Half-Blood Prince and flip to the back chapter first. (That way, in case I die before I finish it, I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.) So do you REALLY think I am going to wait another 18 weeks to find out if I'm having a boy or a girl????? Yeah, right. On July 18, we have our sonogram, and we are SO finding out the sex of this baby. :) But yes, that is the ultimate spoiler- and one I'm even more excited for than the HBP!

(P.S. It would be wise not to comment on this post if you don't want spoilers for the HBP. I rambled behind the cut. A lot.)



I've now sat and thought over the spoilers that have been leaked, and I'm really wondering about their validity. Here's why:

1.) They're all about adults or popular fanon characters. Snape, Draco, Lupin... there's NOTHING about Harry in those spoilers. Does that seem kind of fishy to anyone? (Someone made that point in my last post, and it makes sense.)

2.) The source is "my cousin who knows a book reviewer. Cousin hasn't read past PoA." Hmmm. How does cousin know who Tonks is? How does cousin remember Bill Weasley? Someone's lying- either the book reviewer about what he/she can remember, the cousin about not reading past PoA, or the poster about any of this being true.

3.) The source can remember that Tonks and Lupin are supposedly together, but cannot remember the name of Harry or Ron's girlfriends. Now, the source might be lying about this, but hubby can remember that Harry had a thing for Cho Chang, and totally forgot that Bill and Fleur were together. Hubby's pattern seems much more believable.

Now onto thoughts about each individual spoiler.

The big death is Dumbledore.

Yawn. We've heard this rumor before. In fact, I actually thought Dumbledore was the death in OotP. Is this rumor correct? It wouldn't surprise me either way. Is this a spoiler obtained from reading the book? Possibly. It would be very easy to open to the last few pages and see if a death was mentioned. But this "spoiler" has been going around for ages. And although I wasn't around for pre-OotP, I'm betting it was going around before OotP as well. When you're 150 years old and the mentor, it seems almost inevitable people are going to think you're living on borrowed time, you know?

I also still doubt that there's only one big death. I really do. (Of course, our version of what counts as a big death and the normal people's version of what counts as a big death might be different.)

Minerva's really worried whether they'll be able to keep Hogwarts going without Albus Dumbledore.

OBVIOUS. I mean, the woman DOES care very much about her students- we see that throughout the books. She's strict, she's not emotional most of the time, but she is a very good woman and very devoted to her teaching. Of COURSE she's going to worry about the hundreds of students under her care. Maybe this was gleaned from the book, but couldn't anyone who remotely understands the character of Minerva McGonagall figure this one out?

Draco apparently joins the D.A. in secret for some reason. By in secret, apparently this means unbeknowst to other Slytherins. Harry is against Draco being involved but Hermione persuades him to let him in. This could be why he is "taken" by Voldemort at the end. Cousin had no comment on that. More on Draco: He has a falling out with someone in Slytherin over Lucius and this precipitates his "detour." Cousin said the reviewer said the fight was between Draco and someone she'd never "heard of." That doesn't mean that it couldn't be Blaise Zabini, who has only been mentioned once or some other marginal Slytherin. Also, Lucius apparently attempts to contact Draco but is deterred somehow. Unclear whether he is still in Azkaban.

Hmmmm. Draco joining the D.A.? I can't really see it. I really can't.

Okay, let's say that Draco decided he was anti-Voldemort. (I don't think Draco is as much a Voldie supporter as a Lucius worshipper, but that's a shade of grey.) Draco's always considered DADA to be rubbish, but even if he decided that there were some very, very powerful and useful spells there... Why would he be asking HARRY to teach him? And why would Hermione actually agree to it?

Now, I think that Hermione DOES need to fall on her face a bit. During my reread of OotP this weekend, I actually got kind of annoyed by her- she's getting a little too girl power-y. (And, to be honest, I adore Ron, and there wasn't enough Ron in OotP for my taste.) But I can't really see Hermione falling on her face over the issue of trusting Draco- especially after Marietta sold them out. I DO think Hermione will push for House unity, but the case of Draco? I mean, Theodore Nott, sure. But DRACO? This would require one heck of a setup for me to buy. And I can't see her and Ron remaining very close if Hermione takes Draco's side over his and/or Harry's.

Do I think JKR could do it? Yeah. I do. But do I think it's likely? I'm beginning to wonder. This is the only non-shipping rumor I've seen about a kid, and it happens to be about a fandom favorite. Maybe it is a valid spoiler, but it seems kind of fishy.

Harry gets a girlfriend and there is some talk, peripherally, about Charlie getting married! But Ron and Hermione do not get together. Cousin said that the book reviewer said that the main romance in the book is between Harry and "some girl." Now, Cousin swears she asked the reviewer if "some girl" = Ginny and the woman said she "couldn't remember." Ginny has been pretty prominent in the books, so I'd have to think that if it was her, the woman would have remembered

Charlie getting married- possible. Who knows, y'know? The guy's been out in Romania, and we know nothing about his life. I could believe Charlie getting married, but...

Okay, you can remember a minor character getting married, but you can't remember the name of the major character's love interest? As I said earlier, someone is lying here. Charlie is barely more than a name on the page, whereas Harry is HARRY. Either the reviewer is lying about what she can remember, or the cousin is lying about all of this, or the poster is. There is no way you can not remember the name of Harry's love interest, and if there is, please don't be the person to review my book. Honestly.

According to the book reviewer, Ron's girlfriend is someone in his house. So Luna is out. Since Hermione is also out (and so is Ginny for obvious reasons), that means it's either Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, or a new character in Gryffindor. Harry is not dating Hermione, either. Cousin said reviewer still "couldn't remember" who the girl is.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that she can't remember, given the paragraph before, but honestly. This- more than anything- is what makes me doubt the validity of these rumors.

We find out what happened with Umbridge and the Centaurs. Whatever happened there directly leads to Fudge leaving the Ministry. New Minister is, according to reviewer, Cedric's dad.

I can believe this all might happen, actually. But again, this is all common sense or good guesswork. What happened between Umbridge and the centaurs (which, frankly, I'm not overly worried about- some things are fine just implied, and that's one of them) could be explained in two sentences. We all know Fudge is leaving the Ministry, because JKR has flat-out said that. And the new Minister being Amos Diggory is a guess I've had for a LONG time. I really don't think the Minister would be a known Death Eater- that's silly. I really don't think the Minister will be Amelia Bones- she'd be too helpful to Harry. Amos Diggory would be on the side of good, believe Harry and Dumbledore, but be Crouch-like in his methods, I think. Very interesting. Even more interesting, I think Diggory has the capacity to learn from his mistakes and to apologize, if needed. I see Diggory as a potential how-Crouch-should-have-been. But again, these are all things that, even if they happen to be true, I wonder about how the person got to these conclusions.

"Bill Weasley - werewolf! Squee! And it might be Remus that's infected him.

I love, love, love this particular spoiler. I hope it's true, because I (note the big "I", not JKR) would have so much fun with it.

There's some reasons that it makes sense. There's that old adage that if you pull out a gun in the first act, it had better go off by the end of the third. I don't think we've seen the last of the lycopanthric side of Remus. I also say "hmmm... so THIS is what JKR was setting up with the werewolf in Arthur Weasley's ward!" And finally, there are nine Weasleys. Something bad has to happen to at least ONE of them. I figure at least one member of the Weasley clan must die, and at least one must be permenantly changed for the worse in some way. It's just the law of averages, y'know? So Bill becoming infected as a werewolf fits that aspect.

However.

Remus infecting Bill? Maybe, but... First of all, after nearly biting people and causing Pettigrew to escape in PoA, I wonder how Remus would ever let this happen. Especially with potential access to Wolfsbane. We don't know that Snape is still providing Remus with it, but it's a logical guess that he is. Also, the guilt that Remus would be under for causing something like this... I'm a big believer in that you can only add so much angst to one character before it becomes unbelievable. Remus is already an unemployed man with an uncurable disease who is shunned by society and had his best friends either killed or turn traitor. Does infecting the eldest son of two of the only wizards to accept him break the balance?

I also wonder how much this would affect the plot. Again, as someone in my comments on my last post pointed out, these are all adult-related rumors, and the bulk of the plot is likely to take place at Hogwarts. Now, a lot of the plot of OotP took place at 12 GP or the DoM, but still.

I like this spoiler. But again, it's kind of out there, I suppose. But it's interesting.

Tonks falls in love with Remus (awwww!) and Harry discovers it. The Remus and Tonks thing is real and it is apparently a shared crush. Cousin said reviewer said that the relationship develops "cutely" but at the end of the book you're not sure what comes of it.

Okay. I HATE Remus/Tonks. I love Remus/Sirius, and I don't want Tonks's big role to be Remus's love interest. See, I figured out why I can handle her shacking up with Charlie Weasley and not Remus. With Charlie, Tonks is the bigger character. It's almost more like Charlie exists more to be HER love interest than the other way around. But I like Tonks single.

That said, I can understand why Tonks would fall for Remus. As ignipes said, who hasn't? I can even understand why Remus might be interested back. (Nothing is more attractive than someone who is interested in you!) And if the Bill-the-werewolf rumor is true, the poor guy needs something happy in the plot to keep the angst-balance in line. I also don't think that this ship is implausible, per se. They ARE around each other a lot (proximity breeds attraction), and I don't think Tonks is nearly as immature (or that Remus is so overly mature) as some fans like to think. The age difference is a concern, but it's not disgusting. I would say there was most definitely NOT a ship there in OotP, but there could be in HBP with very little manipulation on JKR's part. Something we marauder fans need to remember is that the marauders aren't quite as important as we like to think they are ;)

The implication of the spoiler is also that if the relationship DOES happen, it's not nauseating True Love 4-Ever. Which makes it a little more palatable, I suppose.

But again, I'm wondering how the reviewer can rememeber Tonks/Lupin, and can't remember Harry's girlfriend.

And the biggie!
*gets out the pompoms*
Severus Snape is the Half Blood Prince! Harry's totally convinced he's a traitor by the end of the book after Snape disappears from Hogwarts."

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now, I agree with something the_dark_twin said: the Half-Blood Prince is not so much a mark of royalty as it is some sort of historical concept. Could it be Snape?

Reason to Waver #1: This spoiler was found on a site where Snape fans are plentiful. The news that Snape was the half-blood prince would be very, very happy news there.

Reason to Waver #2: JKR was never explicit about Snape's parentage, and as I said, I think the HBP is a concept more than a birth thingy. But Snape the half-blood prince... I don't know.

Reason to Waver #3: I DO think Snape is not a traitor. I am HOPING we'll find out why Dumbledore trusts him this book- or at least get a hint. (I really think it has nothing to do with Lily- at least, not romantically.) Harry being convinced he's a traitor... I can see it either way.

Reason to Believe #1: Hey, it's possible. I really have no clue as to who or what the Half-Blood Prince is. I've kind of guessed Dumbledore, and wondered if maybe he DOES have royal blood in him, and that's why he refuses the Minister's job- he's afraid that if he took it, then the Ministry would become more of a monarchy than any sort of democracy. Two problems here: one is I'm looking at British politics through an American lens, and two, you couldn't pay ME to be the Minister of Magic. Maybe Dumbledore just doesn't want to do it. But regardless- I really have no better theories than it's Snape.

Reason to Believe #2: We've only ever gotten a description of one person's handwriting (that I can remember), and that's Snape's. (Before you tell me we have the others, apparently the different handwritings only show up in certain editions. Yeah, I didn't know that either.) But the black, spiky handwriting of Snape matches the handwriting of "Half-Blood Prince" on the cover perfectly. That was what really made me think there might be some validity to it. BUT, again, if -I- can draw that conclusion, so can anyone else putting thought into this.

As for Snape disappearing, it would be interesting if the Draco rumor WAS true, because I've kind of wondered if maybe Snape hasn't been trying to save Draco from going down the same path he did and all that all this time. Don't know.



So my conclusions after all this long-winded babbling?

1.) These spoilers may or may not be true. Someone somewhere along the line is definitely lying, but who and for what purpose is indeterminate.

2.) I have too much time on my hands, but it's better to obsess about Harry Potter than to obsess about moving, especially since the latter bothers me far more and may not happen.

3.) Spoilers about baby are much more fun :)

Comments

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you've said. I just can't take seriously somebody who can't even remember Harry's girlfriend's name.

And, yeah, the emphasis on the adult characters? That's a bit hard to believe. These all feel like fanon constructs. I mean, just think about what the spoilers would have been for OotP...Why doesn't this person mention the new Defence teacher? Or the new Minister of Magic? Or the identity of that lion-man from the excerpt? Things that, you know, we know are going to happen in the book? Are any of those genuine questions even addressed?

But the only one that would really bother me from that list, if it were true, is the Snape one. I don't like the idea that the HBP is a modern flesh-and-blood person, and I just can't see how it fits in with the wizarding world as we know it. There is no royalty in the modern wizarding world, and JKR didn't choose the word "prince" by accident.

And I can't WAIT for the spoilers about the baby! :) :) :) Do you have names picked out? (Is that a really annoying question?)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Never saw anything addressing the genuine questions. The only plausible thing I could come up with was that the leaker wanted to give small details that she didn't think mattered, as opposed to major spoilers. But even that falls flat, because DD dying and Snape being the HBP would count as major details.

I don't like the idea that the HBP is a modern flesh-and-blood person, and I just can't see how it fits in with the wizarding world as we know it.

I don't, either. I think that's why I've never come up with a real candidate for it. Did you read the_dark_twin's post on the subject? I really liked her thought that the thread that was to tie HBP and CoS together was the history. In no other book do we get the kind of magical history we get in Chamber of Secrets, and you could see where the Half-Blood Prince plotline would work into that- and be easier to take out without affecting the what's-happening-at-Hogwarts plotline.

But I suppose half the fun of being a spoiler addict is speculating on if they really COULD be true!

Do you have names picked out? (Is that a really annoying question?)

Not on-line for some reason :) We've talked about it a little bit, but nothing too concrete yet. We want something unusual but not weird. So no Emmas or Joshes. For a boy, we really like the name Toby- at least, that's the only one we've agreed on so far. Hubby didn't like my other names (Garrett, Christian (the most tolerable, in his opinion), Stefan, and Colby.) We both like Joshua and Alexander, but they're VERY popular names. He hasn't really had any other suggestions yet, so I'm kind of stuck on Toby. :) It IS unusual, but not at all abnormal. For girls... ugh. I LOVE the name Juliette, but hubby doesn't like it at all. (He also didn't like Melanie, Sabrina, or Leah.) He liked Isabelle (vetoed because we already know two baby Isabelles), Robin (I hate it), and I think that's all he suggested. The short list for girls includes Angela and Dawn.

He's admitted he's kind of waiting for the ultrasound to make his list of names. If they can tell us for sure it's a boy or a girl, then it's only one list to make, he says. (I say we should still be prepared with a name for the other, because it's not an exact science!) My sis says that if I really get stuck on a name, I should wait until after labor when we've got the baby in our arms and just look up at him all tired and tearful and say, "hon? Could we name her Juliette?" Hehehehe. We'll see how cooperative he is ;)

The one thing we've decided is NO family names. My mom kind of wants me to name the baby after my dad, which I don't want to do. For one, my dad did die awfully young, and while I certainly want to remember him and honor his memory, I'm a little superstitious about naming the baby his name. And for two, I'm not a fan of the name John. And hubby is Howard Sherman III. (Can you see why we don't want to go for a number 4?) So between a.) not wanting to offend either side of the family (we'll just offend them both equally!), and b.) having really sucky names throughout the family on both sides, we figured we'll skip the family names. (Heh. Names on my side include Elmer, Clarance, Florence, and Lucile, and names on his side have Howard, Sherman, and Gertrude.) The only minor issue is his mother's sister was Dawn, but you know what? If we can agree on a girl's name, screw it :)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I do love the idea that the Half-Blood Prince is some sort of historical or mythological figure. That would add a really interesting dimension to the stories -- and if there is going to be a journey to the 'underworld' as has been speculated from the cover illustrations, that would fit in beautifully.

It is fun to speculate about the spoilers, but some of them make me giggle. Not to mention they were obviously written by a Slytherin fangirl -- which JKR is definitely not. Also, it's amusing that there are not actual plot points in the so-called spoilers. No indication whatsoever what happens, except Dumbley-dore biting it. Highly suspicious.

Anyway. This has nothing whatsoever to do with your unborn child, but Alexander is, quite possible, my most favourite boy name ever. So much so that I have this rather disturbing tendency to name a disproportional number of my male characters in original fic Alexander. And sometimes, even when I name them something else, I secretly think of them as Alexander.

Ah. Um. Well. Now that you've had your Rather Alarming Insight Into Kali's Brain...

I love the name Juliette. It's so pretty and feminine (which, of course, means she would grow up to be a total tomboy...).

My dad's name is John, too. That's a very popular dad name.

You could name your son Elmer Clarance Howard Sherman IV. And he would HATE YOU FOREVER. Hehehe.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I do love the idea that the Half-Blood Prince is some sort of historical or mythological figure. That would add a really interesting dimension to the stories -- and if there is going to be a journey to the 'underworld' as has been speculated from the cover illustrations, that would fit in beautifully.

I agree. I think there will be a journey somewhere, and I'll be very curious to see where. I think there's going to be a LOT of Founder History in this one, and I suspect Hogwarts: A History exists for more purposes that to have Hermione quote it! History of Magic is probably taught by a boring teacher for a very, very deliberate reason.

I actually think that we marauder fans are going to be a bit disappointed in this book. At one point, I heard a rumor (but couldn't find the quote) that said Lupin had a small part in book 6, and then a large part in book 7. Don't know how true THAT is- especially since that was a long time ago. But I suspect that, while the marauders ARE important to an extent, they aren't as important as we all would like to believe. Too bad.

Not to mention they were obviously written by a Slytherin fangirl -- which JKR is definitely not.

Yeah. There was a LOT of Slytherin stuff there. (And just the mention of Blaise Zabini always makes me raise my eyebrows. WHAT is the deal with Blaise Zabini? Theodore Nott makes much better speculation, in my mind, than some kid we've heard nothing about.

Alexander is, quite possible, my most favourite boy name ever.

I'm very fond of it too, thus the Alexes in Part 1 of AIL. :) Although my pet name is any variation on Adrian. I used to write Pern fanfic, and I had an utterly incompetent (but fun) Weyrleader named A'drin, and a very pet brownrider named A'drias. (You can see where both names came from.) And A'drias eventually became Adrian when we tried to translate his story to Terran terms.

Juliette IS pretty and feminine- and if she's a tomboy she can call herself Jules :) (Actually, it makes me think of Bend It Like Beckham, which if you haven't seen you really, really must because it's a truly good movie.) I think Howard would be DELIGHTED if she was a tomboy. He gets bored with the cliche "we dont' care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as it's healthy." True, but boring. His is "we don't care as long as it plays with Legos." (Which translates to "as long as we can buy Legos for Howard to play with.") Which now means we'll have a girl who likes Barbies and dolls :)

And I don't think I could yell "Elmer Clarance Howard Sherman, get your butt down here!" with a straight face!

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I actually think that we marauder fans are going to be a bit disappointed in this book.

Not I. If we never learn another detail about the Marauder's lives, I will be perfectly happy, because then we don't have to change anything about prankstersguide. Yep, I've got my priorities straight. =D

I would like to see more Lupin, but, really, who I really want to see come into his own is Ron. I want Ron to have a HUGE important part. I want Ron to save the day. I want the books to be subtitled Ron Weasley and Those Other People Who Help Him. Yeah. It's nice to dream.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

::Snerk:: Actually, I've thought the same thing about Accidentally In Love. That's part of why I haven't really gotten far on Part 10. One thing I DO know or hope) is we'll find out a bit more about how James and Lily defied Voldemort, and that I'd like to work with.

I want Ron to have a HUGE important part.

YES. Ron! Ron! Ron! Ron! I adore Ron, and that's actually one of my main complaints rereading OotP. Not enough Ron, espcially in balance to Hermione. And given that Ron is one of the main three characters, we've got a far better shot at seeing that than more Lupin. I actually adore all the Weasleys, and would like to see more of the whole crew. (I'm DYING to know how the Percy-Weasley thing is going to play out.)

It always baffles me that girls are so into Draco when there's a guy like Ron for them to drool over. I'm not sure if Rupert Grint is all that attractive, being, oh, twice his age, but I do know that when I was 15, I would have been crazy about Ron. He's an idiot at times, sure (but can you name me a guy that's not), but he's such a great person and so funny and sweet when he thinks no one's looking....

I'm also seriously ready for much more Neville. (I also really doubt I'll be disappointed on this count!) Neville's such a great character as well, and I'm really eager to see what happens in his life.

And one day I'm going to write a gen fic with Alice having to meet up with Gran, because you know that would just be tons and tons of fun.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

One thing I DO know or hope) is we'll find out a bit more about how James and Lily defied Voldemort, and that I'd like to work with.

Okay, that would be a nice thing to learn. I want to know a lot more about Lily, actually. It really annoys me that she gets so little attention from JKR; I hope it changes in the future (as JKR has indicated it will). And not at all because Lacy is planning to write a vignette along those lines for the next PG guide...no, not at all, nothing to do with that at all...

It always baffles me that girls are so into Draco when there's a guy like Ron for them to drool over.

It is one of the greatest mysteries in the HP universe. Draco is a whiny, sniveling, pathetic little brat who hides behind his daddy's robes rather than having a single original thought on his own. There's nothing remotely attractive about him. I just don't get it.

And one day I'm going to write a gen fic with Alice having to meet up with Gran, because you know that would just be tons and tons of fun.

That would be a great story. What a mother-in-law to have!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

BTW- working on my review for prankstersguide. It should be posted tonight.

I want to know a lot more about Lily, actually.

Me too. I think it will change in the future- being a boy, Harry was naturally more interested in his dad, at first, I think. I have a theory that she was working with Dumbledore to cast her own protection on Harry... that whole SK swtich seems a little too hare-brained a scheme for how I read Lily.

And btw- LOVE the name Lily. Hubby hates it. Phooey.

There's nothing remotely attractive about him.

Except Tom Felton, I guess? (I really don't know, but....) H/D slash kind of baffles and disturbs me, as well. If I was going to read Harry slash, point me towards Harry/Ron, please. Or Harry/Neville. (but I'd prefer Harry/Ron.) Except Harry pings me as straight, so I never read Harry slash anyway. (Actually, anything more than kissing kind of squicks me with Harry.)

That would be a great story. What a mother-in-law to have!

Gods, can you imagine? I'm lucky- I have a great mother-in-law. (Which doesn't make for interesting stories, but...) But Gran, especially since she so obviously wants Neville to be his dad... Oh, Gran would be SUCH fun to write.

Kind of like having Granny Weatherwax as a MIL. Sort of.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Except Tom Felton, I guess?

Is Tom Felton hot? I think Rupert Grint is a cutie, and even Daniel Radcliffe a little bit. (I'm a dirty old woman.) But Tom Felton not only has serious hair issues, but he really does look like a ferret.

Kind of like having Granny Weatherwax as a MIL. Sort of.

Ha! But how much fun would it be to see Gran Longbottom kicking arse like Granny Weatherwax does? I bet she's a pretty formidable witch. (Now I have this idea for a story in which all the Dignified Not-Very-Young-Anymore Lady Witches -- Professor McGonagall, Amelia Bones, Gran Longbottom, Madam Pomfrey, etc. -- fight and totally destroy a group of cocky young Death Eaters. That would be awesome. Maybe I'll write that for my fem-gen fic.)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Is Tom Felton hot?

I'm not sure, to be honest. I guess it depends on what you like. I do agree that he looks like a ferret- actually, I thought he was a PERFECT casting job for Draco, and that he does a great job with the part. Especially the "my father" bits. Hehe.

I like Draco as a villian, if you know what I mean. He's a great whining bully who thinks he can get everything his own way and is completely stuck on himself. But I like Harry far, far too much to ever want them in the same room, much less the same bed. Ick.

But how much fun would it be to see Gran Longbottom kicking arse like Granny Weatherwax does?

Oh, SO much fun. I'll bet she would, too. And I'd so read that fic- that would be a GREAT fic. (Because everyone knows that Little Old Ladies and their equivilents are some of the most dangerous people on earth.) I do have a theory that McGonagall and Poppy together is just Hell on Earth for anyone who crosses them.

I've got secrets for mine. I'm thinking of doing Hermione finding out Lupin's a werewolf and deciding to keep it secret... without her having a crush on him to motivate it. (Although I'd understand! But we see how she acts with a teacher crush. Honestly, I don't think much of Hermione's taste! :) )

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I don't think Draco is really much of a villain, but he does serve his purpose. (Which is not Shagging Harry, Being the Half-Blood Prince, or Wearing Leather Trousers, oddly enough.)

Then again, I don't think Voldemort really makes much of a villain, either. Umbridge -- now she was a good villain.

I'm thinking of doing Hermione finding out Lupin's a werewolf and deciding to keep it secret... without her having a crush on him to motivate it.

That would be really interesting. I do wonder why she decided to keep the secret. It makes sense from my POV, but Hermione was a 13-year-old, rule-obsessed student whose best friend was being targeted by a crazed murderer. So why keep a dangerous secret? I'd love to read that, if you write it. :)

I was going to do something very Serious & Meaningful for my story, but now I'm thinking that funny might be better. The Old Ladies never get enough credit, anyway.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I loved Umbridge. Because, you know, everyplace has a secretary EXACTLY LIKE HER. She was probably JKR's best villian to date, except maybe Peter Pettigrew. I agree that Voldemort isn't a great villian- he's too Evil Overlord. I have a VERY hard time writing Voldemort, because he's just so Darth Vadar-ish in certain ways. He serves his purpose, but he's not a brilliant villian.

Draco does work for me as a villian in the first few books, especially because, like Dudley, he's the sort of "villian" most kids come up against. I certainly knew a few Dracos, and I'm sure most kids today do as well! Like Umbridge, I find Draco very relatable (is that even a word?), whereas Voldemort is just the archetypical Evil Overlord.

but Hermione was a 13-year-old, rule-obsessed student whose best friend was being targeted by a crazed murderer

Not only that, but one of my big dilemmas I'm giving her is here is a chance to prove to Snape that she IS smart. Snape must frustrate Hermione to no end on some levels, and the chance to say "I figured out what you wanted me to know" must have been really, really hard to pass up.

I was going to do something very Serious & Meaningful for my story, but now I'm thinking that funny might be better.

Of the genfic out there, more of it tends towards Serious and Meaningful. Good funny genfic that doesn't rely on sex humor (although we all know Old Ladies are not above sex jokes- and they're usually really raunchy!) is really, really rare, I think.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I loved Umbridge. Because, you know, everyplace has a secretary EXACTLY LIKE HER.

She was my fourth grade teacher. Exactly. Even my dad thought so. He's a retired schoolteacher, and after he read OotP he was just laughed about how many teachers he's known exactly like that.

(although we all know Old Ladies are not above sex jokes- and they're usually really raunchy!)

How much you wanna bet that Professor McGonagall knows all the words to the Hedgehog Song?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

How much you wanna bet that Professor McGonagall knows all the words to the Hedgehog Song?

Every. Last. One.

Funny old lady story and sex that might amuse you though:

My maternal grandmother was this very conservative, proper woman. My mom and her brothers liked to believe she'd only ever had sex three times. As a joke, one year we bought a Playgirl for her for Christmas. Well, the women in the family (including my paternal grandmother(*)) were sitting around as my maternal grandmother leafed through it. My sister and I were in hysterics, because we were preteens and it just was really funny to us. But Grandma sits there, expressing her disgust at each and every last page, sometimes holding it up so we can see exactly what she's talking about. Finally, she gets to the end. "Anyone else want to look at this piece of filth?" she asks. And of course, whose hand shoots in the air but my paternal grandmother's? "I do!!!" Hehe.

(*)My paternal grandmother is one heck of a woman and begs to be a character in a novel someday. (Or if I could get her to tell me more, I'd help her write her memoirs.) She went to nursing school, refused to get married for the longest time and ran off and joined the Army. She went to war during WWII, and eventually went over to New Guinea as a nurse. She did get engaged to a doctor there, but she decided she wasn't ready to be tied down and broke off the engagement. She ended up outranking either of my grandfathers in the military. She eventually came back and did marry my paternal grandfather (who'd left priest training) after a whirlwind courtship, and had my dad 9 months later when she was 40. (I asked. It was a full 9 months.) She's still around and pretty sharp at 95, and has survived both her husband, her son, and another baby that died in infancy or as a late miscarriage (we haven't gotten that story out of her too well). Old Ladies definitely don't get the credit they deserve!

[kabeyk.livejournal.com]

I really don't get people that don't want to know immediately the sex of their baby. Why the hell not?

Heh, you make a lot of good points here.

Also can't understand why everyone wants their favourite character to be the HBP. What if it's something really horrible? I was going to give examples, but sadly my disturbed imagination has failed me.

JKR has repeatedly pointed out that Draco's just a nasty bully. If he is redeemed or whatever you want to call it, it'll be at the end of the war and because his parents are dead.

Heh, I think Remus/Tonks is a very unlikely thing for JKR to put in, really, because Tonks is very close to Harry's age, whereas he sees Remus as a different generation, being that he was friends with Harry's dad. And if Bill becomes a werewolf, then she'll have to put some hot Remus/Bill in there, and I somehow doubt she will.

Handwriting? I didn't know there was handwriting in any of them. Cool.

Flip to the back first? Don't tempt me...

kxx

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Also can't understand why everyone wants their favourite character to be the HBP. What if it's something really horrible? I was going to give examples, but sadly my disturbed imagination has failed me.

I can come up with them :) But yeah- I've wondred that too. We have no idea what the HBP IS, although I do like the theory it's a historical concept. Also, secret royalty at Hogwarts sounds a little too... Arthurian to me.

JKR has repeatedly pointed out that Draco's just a nasty bully.

Apparently, and don't quote me as fact here, one of the few things JKR has said has been that we're too fond of Draco. Hmm. I'm not sure about that, because I'm sure she said some pretty disparaging things about him when she sunk Draco/Hermione. (The theory that Hermione helps Draco get into the D.A. goes so against that sinking!) But I agree. I don't think Draco's meant to be redeemable- at least not to Harry. Not evil, okay. I'm fine with that. I also think Snape's not evil, but that doesn't stop him from being an absolute bastard :) I doubt Draco will ever change towards Harry or vice versa, and at this point, I don't think either of them SHOULD.

Heh, I think Remus/Tonks is a very unlikely thing for JKR to put in, really, because Tonks is very close to Harry's age, whereas he sees Remus as a different generation, being that he was friends with Harry's dad.

I don't think it's as unlikely as we shippers would like to believe, honestly. We don't know Tonks's actual age, and she IS pretty mature. The age difference between Tonks and Remus really doesn't phase me. However, do you have the Mary Grand Pre cover of OotP? Turn it over and look on the back, where there's Moody, Tonks, and Lupin standing next to each other. Tonks and Lupin look TERRIBLE together on the back.

I think it's definitely unlikely anything was going on during OotP. He never would have left her lying on the floor of the DoM if he had a thing for her. But totally objectively... I don't see it being implausible. (Distasteful! but not implausible.)

Handwriting? I didn't know there was handwriting in any of them. Cool.

Yeah. The four marauders, the signature of McGonagall and Mafalda Hopkins, Dumbledore's writing, and Ron and Hermione and Harry's signitures. And Hagrid's writing. It's pretty cool :)

Flip to the back first? Don't tempt me...

Heh. I'm not even deluding myself. I did it for OotP- I'll probably do it again!

[kabeyk.livejournal.com]

JKR likes to confuse her readers, so yeah, I agree that the HBP is very unlikely to be an actual royal prince.

one of the few things JKR has said has been that we're too fond of Draco

Yeah, think that's the quote I meant. She's trying to tell the young fangirls that it's not good to go for the bad boys. Malfoy would never join any group run by Harry, I think.

Tonks is said to be only a year out of training somewhere in OotP, I think, and that would make her about 22 (given that McG tells Harry that Aurors train for three years). The age difference wouldn't bother me in a shipping sense, but I don't think it's some JKR would do. Heh, no, I haven't seen the back covers of any of the US editions. Yeah, but she's rather striking looking, presumably, and he's grey and tired-looking, so I doubt they go together well.

Oh, I feel like I've missed out not getting handwriting.

Wow, I didn't flip to the back for OotP, though I did read it as quickly as possible so I knew who died before everyone else did.

kxx

[(Anonymous)]

Now that I've actually read the whole spoiler, I find the whole Remus/Tonks thing even less likely than before. It's not that I can't imagine them together, because I can. What I can't see is JK Rowling spending that amount of time focusing on the 'crushes' two adults have on each other when she barely spent any time on the love-lives of the main characters. If it was just some off-hand remark about the two of them dating, I could buy it, but angst and deliberate ambiguity... It just doesn't feel like JKR, you know? She's got a story to tell and I can't imagine that she'd throw in all this totally unnecessary information about the personal lives of the adult characters. I'd be more willing to believe that Remus and Tonks were getting married, just because it would have an obvious impact on the characters and the storyline, than all this 'Do you like me, Check Yes/No' stuff.

Speaking of which... what's with all the romance, anyway? I know that JKR said that there would be romantic plotlines in the books, but after the way she treated the Cho situation in OotP, I find it hard to believe she'd dedicated so much of the next book to various romantic entanglements.

As for the rest... The Snape thing feels wrong to me for reasons I can't quite explain. Maybe because it sounds so romanticized, so melodramatic, something which is more inline with the fannish perception of Snape than JKR's. She finds him unlikable but moral, it's the fangirls who think that he's a Byron-esq tragic hero. So while it could be true, it just doesn't feel quite right to me.

Especially when it's coupled with the Draco thing. That just sounds like pure fantasy, the sort of thing that seems much more like a fanfic than something Rowling would write.

And why didn't the reviewer mention anything about what Voldemort is doing? Or the Death Eaters in general? JK Rowling said that this book would start to give us 'the answers' but if you believe these spoilers, the next book about romance and the wonders of Slytherin house, with no focus on Voldemort, the war, or anything of importance. Hell, they don't even match the previous spoilers, since there's no mention of the Lion-Man or anything from CoS (hell, if they were true, wouldn't JKR have said that the book brougtht up plots mentioned in PoA, considering that Remus is involved in at least two subplots).

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

It's not that I can't imagine them together, because I can. What I can't see is JK Rowling spending that amount of time focusing on the 'crushes' two adults have on each other when she barely spent any time on the love-lives of the main characters.

See, I agree there exactly. I CAN imagine them together, but I expect we wouldn't see much of it- very much like Ginny and Michael. And I can even imagine that happening in my head. But I still don't think it would work.

Maybe because it sounds so romanticized, so melodramatic, something which is more inline with the fannish perception of Snape than JKR's.

That's what I was looking for the words to say. What I do think is that Snape might KNOW a lot about the HBP and what sort of role or significance such a figure has. But I'm still really stuck on the HBP being a historical character. As ignipes points out, there is no mention of royalty at all in Wizarding politics or the wizarding world before this- at least not current day. And unseated royalty hiding at Hogwarts from Voldemort....

Snape seems to me to be the type of teacher you think is mean and evil, but later you find out that while no, he's not evil, he's still mean. He's bitter, lonely and happy to be that way, I think. There's something there with why he switched sides, but I don't think it was a threat to himself (he'd never be so willing to spy) or any sort of romantic love (because that's really trite). I have an utterly unbased theory that he was always fond of McG and she was threatened, and he switched sides to save her, but that's still too simple and silly. Whatever's there is something that goes truly deep- deep enough for Dumbledore to trust Snape implicitly.

And yeah, the reviewer didn't mention a LOT of things that I would have found more interesting. The only thing I can think, like I said, is that the reviewer just leaked minor "unimportant" details, and that's why she "can't remember" things like Harry's girlfriend's name. But that's really ascribing a lot to this.

As for CoS- from what I understand, part of the HBP plot was supposed to be in CoS and then got yanked. I always wondered how that could work, and the plot could be put in FOUR YEARS later, but then the whole history theory came up, and THAT made sense to me. But those aren't spoilers that the fandom's interested in hearing, because there's no romance and there's no Slytherin. (Actually, I think there IS Slytherin... just Salazar. Not Alan Rickman and Tom Felton Slytherin.)

[elsie.livejournal.com]

I have successfully succeeded in NOT reading any of the supposed spoilers. Whew. Go me!

Anyway...I just wanted to say, When Harry Met Sally reference, squeee! *squishes* God, I have to just stop writing this comment now before my eyes drift upward and I am DOOMED FOREVER.

Congrats on the baby, I was not aware. Good luck and all that!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I figure you'll get this in your email so you won't have to look at the post again ;) I admire your resolve!

Glad someone got the WHMS reference :) And thanks about the baby! Over halfway there :)

[jlarinda.livejournal.com]

Ok, two things: SQUEE You're using my drawing as an icon!! *bounces*
And, OMFG I really, really, REALLY hope that Remus/Tonks rumour is wrong!! T_T
But before OotP was released, a diary from USA I think said that the person to die wasn't either Ron or Hermione (they knew for certain cause a few books had been stolen) and JK made a law sue which she obviously won. Wouldn't she know if information was leaking and wouldn't she be freaking out about it?
Specially since the two biggest secrets are supposedly revealed; the identity of the HBP and also the one to die.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

And, OMFG I really, really, REALLY hope that Remus/Tonks rumour is wrong!! T_T

I hope so, too, but it IS plausible from a non-shipped point of view. Not incredibly plausible- as an anonymous commenter put it, it would be very hard to have a friend who comes up to you and says "I am so in love with this guy that is 15 years older than me and has an incurable disease that makes him both unemployable AND shunned by society!" and be happy for her. But then, I suppose that's essentially what Sirius did. (Of course, they were good friends before, and after he was a convict believed of being a mad mass murderer, so....)

As you can see though, I'm dubious as to the validity of said spoilers. I'm not saying they ARE wrong- maybe they're not. Maybe the source IS accurate. But except for Bill Weasley being a werewolf, they are either a.) logical via guesswork, and therefore may not be spoilers at all, or b.) totally out of character unless JKR really does some major changes to the structure of the DA or something. And Bill Weasley being a werewolf is just out there enough that it MIGHT be true, but I'll be REALLY interested to see how it's explained. (Personally, I just like that rumor because you know -I- would have fun writing that story.)

But yeah. Maybe they're true... maybe they're not. We'll see!

[wickedevra.livejournal.com]

These spoiler people just don;t seem that viable to me. Surely if you are smart enough to get your hands on one of the ost closely-guarded volumes in history you'd be smart enough to remember stuff like the names of the characters' significant others, and do something a little more lucrative than spam on fansites.

The only 'spoiler' mentioned here that seems vaguely plausible and not an obvious thing to make up is Charlie getting married. That could provide the 'pleasant reason' for Harry's leaving #4, and create a convenient opening to follow up the Percy situation, and re-introduce Ron feeling sidelined within the family - could you have five best men??? Ron HAS to have a more significant role in this story. I'm convinced JKR's been building up to this, and this isn't just my 'Kloves why did you turn him into a goofy wuss?' resentment building up.

I really like the idea of the HBP as a historical concept...I wonder if it could relate to another prophecy? I wouldn't put it past Harry to try and get back to the DoM to figure things out...

Anyway, enough rambly speculation. I love the name Juliette. It's so pretty. I love Emily but it seems overused now. What about Damien for a boy? Adrian is really nice too, or Adrienne? I like Jared and Daniel for boys. I'd rather have a book than a baby - you get to pick lots of names! Can't wait for your big spoiler!!!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I've actually thought the same thing about Charlie getting married, but I always assumed it was Bill/Fleur rather than Charlie. And yeah- Ron's GOT to be more significant. Please JKR? :) (And I agree with you on Kloves!)

I guess the spoilers aren't blatantly untrue- I always wonder about context. For example, the latest I've heard about Remus/Tonks is there's a death scene at the end, and they're holding hands. Comfort or romance? It's not clear. I could see that. But boy, does it sound different than a "cute" romance, doesn't it? And the Bill the werewolf thing... I really love it as a fanfic idea. I'm growing more and more doubtful about how it would work into the plot.

Oh well. We shall know soon. And you'll have it much earlier than we will! See? Good things about Australia!

I love Damien for a boy, but Hubby flat out vetoed that because of The Omen. Adrian... I've used it in our novel, and he's a kid who gets gang-raped and goes bulemic. Can't really use it :) (And while I like Adrienne, hubby will point to Rocky.) I did buy a baby name book- I figured all the rejects that I like can be used for character names! Hah!

[wickedevra.livejournal.com]

Well, if the person did actually read the book and is therefore as dumb as I suggested...they could have confused Charlie and Bill. I like the idea of seeing a wizarding wedding ceremony though, and even though Bill and Fleur doesn't fill me with joy, there should be some follow-up on the statement of their being together.

Remus and Tonks being friends makes sense. Have we been told or do I assume that her parents are no longer around? They'll both be lonelier with Sirius gone but...that doesn't HAVE to be romance. I like the way JKR shows (in my opinion, anyway) with Harry and Hermione that close platonic friendships are possible - even if Rita and Molly don't think so!

That is one good thing about the time differece, much as I complain about it otherwise!

Hmm, I can see why Adrian wouldn't be ideal. It's funny how names are so coloured by the people or characters that already have them. I always thought if I had a boy I'd name him Kevin - after a friend who died, he was just the most amazing person - but now I'm not sure that will happen, so I've named my favourite character Kevin instead :) I can imagine it's really hard to find names you both love enough to choose, but at least you won;t be short of character names after this!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Of course, if the whole Bill-the-werewolf thing IS true, I wonder if Fleur would still want him around?

We don't have any info on Tonks's parents (or Remus's, for that matter.) The platonic friendship (and I agree, Harry and Hermione are totally platonic) is what I'd rather see, but I keep seeing the "Remus and Tonks" spoiler. However, I also wonder if it's people parroting off what one person says and all that.... And R/T doesn't HAVE to mean R/S never existed.

Yup. LOTS of character names to come! :)