heidi | (no subject)

I'm never going to manage to get all my thoughts about the last third of DT on paper in a coherent form because every time I try, someone emails me a fic rec (like the one this morning by

casirafics) and I get all weepy again and I have to stop and hunt down popcorn and diet coke.
But I've read so many absolutely astute perspectives from so many of you - those who loved all of it, those who loved the story but got twitchy at the Epilogue, those who liked parts but had Issues with others, and even those who are disturbed or upset by aspects of, or the whole of, the book and the series.

I'll just briefly touch on one issue that I have a specific concern with, and then go back into bullet-point mode with Things I Now Believe

So, Remus/Tonks. I want to like it and love it and be happy with them being Happy Together but I can't. Somene said they were represnetative of something alchemical, and that makes me weep - two characters I loved in OotP and before, being used as plot-points and not as characters with essences of their own? Meh.

And yes, I love my Sirius/Remus but a romance for Remus after Sirius is dead doesn't mean he never loved Sirius, so it's not *that*. And it's not the idea of both parents racing into battle that makes me just go "oh please no this is just wrong" - I mean, I understand the theory behind it.

But Tonks doesn't race into battle because she's an auror and that's what she Is Trained To Do - and as a mom who couldn't leave her 3 month old to pick up HBP at midnight 2 years ago, I can't imagine how Tonks left Teddy like that at all.

What bothers me is that she raced *after Remus*. Had she gone into the battle by asking "where do you need me?" or "where can I do most good?" She chased Remus - and he was more important to her than their child, and I just..... I can't imagine that. I'm sure there are mothers who would but..... I don't understand it, and it squicks me badly.

What I Choose to Believe
That Draco marries Eloise Midgen

That Harry spends a lot of time in Snape's memories after the end of the book.

That Harry or Hermione writes a biography of Snape

That sometime in June of 1998, Narcissa and Draco (and maybe Lucius) go to tea with Andromeda and Baby Teddy and everyone talks a lot. And by this time, at least Andromeda knows about Regulus and she tells them and it's Good for Draco to learn about what his brave cousin did to stand up against Voldemort. And yes, he eventually does babysit for Teddy.

That a special dispensation is given to everyone who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and would have been a 7th year that year, allowing them to take NEWTs in August without attending a full year of school, and Hermione pulls fourteen.

That Kingsley enjoys a long tenure as Minister of Magic and Percy gets his old job back. And gets to keep his accrued vacation time which means he has time off to travel with Oliver to overseas Quidditch matches, la!

That Dolores Umbridge is assigned to the Commission on Toilets. And that she was also impacted by the Horcrux she wore, and would have still been a deranged bitch without it, but might not have been so effective with Crucio.

Neville/Luna. I don't care what you say, JKR! There was no reason to shoot down that ship and it really bothers me that you did, especially as you also said someone would do magic late in life and, er, I missed that.

That having three kids by the time one is 34 does not mean that one does nothing but make babies!

That James Potter II's middle name had better be Sirius, thanks.

That nothing in the books destroys my belief that Lucius Malfoy was a social climber who saw becoming a Death Eater as a way to get in good with his wife's family and relished the power trip but really was completely out of his depth.

That Colin Creevey's mum was a witch who died just after Denis was born and that's why he was still at Hogwarts that year.

Also, two things I may've missed:
Did Crookshanks go to Australia with the Grangers?
Did the Squid do anything in the Battle? I hope so!