Harry Potter Discussion and Appreciation Thread

[John_Sheppard]

Lol. That sounds like where I live. On the day of the 5th Harry Potter book release my sister made me go early with her (I would have rather slept in and gotten it later). There was probably 50 people lined up ... biggest line up ever I tell you that. Two little kids were dressed as Harry Potters and it was like the biggest highlight. Everyone was taking pictures and what not!

[iLemon]

I was just thinking, in the 6th book wont some of the Death Eaters lose faith in Voldermort? He did just lose to Harry... again. And this time the fight was fair, and Harry still won! Voldermort cant keep on making excuses for every time he loses. I'm suprised his Death Eaters are still faithful to him!

[Purpleyin]

I was just thinking, in the 6th book wont some of the Death Eaters lose faith in Voldermort? He did just lose to Harry... again. And this time the fight was fair, and Harry still won! Voldermort cant keep on making excuses for every time he loses. I'm suprised his Death Eaters are still faithful to him!

Well losing to Harry or not, Voldemort isn't someone you want to get on the bad side and he seems to take loyalty seriously - so it's being faithful and keeping up a good show of it or pretty much risking a painful death (if they're lucky on that one)

[gatehorse]

Lol. That sounds like where I live. On the day of the 5th Harry Potter book release my sister made me go early with her (I would have rather slept in and gotten it later). There was probably 50 people lined up ... biggest line up ever I tell you that. Two little kids were dressed as Harry Potters and it was like the biggest highlight. Everyone was taking pictures and what not!

I stayed FAAAAAAR away from the bookstores that day! But I watched the news, and I can tell you, there were more than a few little kids dressed up and waiting in line till midnight so they could get their copies right away.

I NEED my sleep, that's why getting it online is so great...although I feel sorry for the mailman, he must have had a heavy load that day!

[BruTak]

Okay kids, we're at T-Minus one month and counting.

How about a little speculation about the identity of the Half Blood Prince? After fairly rattling through books 1-4, I have a suspicion - but I'm not going to tell you, yet. (chuckles nastily)
Who do you guys think is the Half Blood Prince?

Next: Prof. Quirrell was never given a first name, but I bet it begins with an "S". S. Quirrell - squirrel geddit?
Next: Is it just me, or would "The Unforgivable Curses" be a great name for a band?
Next: Am I the only person who's profoundly annoyed by not having the same cover artist from book to book?

[Purpleyin]

Okay kids, we're at T-Minus one month and counting.

How about a little speculation about the identity of the Half Blood Prince? After fairly rattling through books 1-4, I have a suspicion - but I'm not going to tell you, yet. (chuckles nastily)
Who do you guys think is the Half Blood Prince?

Well having not given any thought to it or having had any chance to reread the other five books then I don't have any intelligent guesses. We've already been told it isn't Harry or Voldemort right?

I'm thinking most character we know aren't half bloods or have been eliminated by gender. I'd be tempted to guess Dumbledore but I'm not sure what the chances are he could be a halfblood without it ever getting mentioned. Problem is what makes a halfblood? It's fairly obvious if you have one magical and one non-magical parents then you're going to be a halfblood but what if you have 2 muggleborn parents what does that make someone? And could you be considered a halfblood by having a muggle or muggleborn grandparent or two?

As a rather random guess I'm wondering if it could be

Spoiler:

Snape. And yes he was a deatheater and a slytherin but as we know Voldemort is halfblood and also got into slytherin. I'm not sure if being a halfblood would be enough to stop you being a deatheater. Presumably loyalty, skill and hatred for the 'inpurity' would be enough to get you in to that. My main problem in guessing is what if the halfblood prince - halfblood whatever the classification is and obviously male - but does prince show youth or just lack of marriage? Crazy question but is there a half-blood king (or queen or princess for example!) Really Snape is a just a vague guess, otherwise I'm not sure who we know already who could be them. I'm not sure if we've even been introduced to the character yet.

Next: Prof. Quirrell was never given a first name, but I bet it begins with an "S". S. Quirrell - squirrel geddit?
Next: Is it just me, or would "The Unforgivable Curses" be a great name for a band?
Next: Am I the only person who's profoundly annoyed by not having the same cover artist from book to book?

Well it wouldn't surprise me if it was S, maybe someone needs to ask...
And yes it would make a great bandname.
As for the artists, not noticed the difference, I pay little attention to the covers and only actually own 3 out of the 5 so far.

[iLemon]

The half-blood prince could be the new DADA teacher.
But just what exactly is a half-blood prince?

[SlytherinGal]

you got me there MG...but I think a half blood prince is someone who is a half-blood and...oh I dunno

[iLemon]

Got another question (I'm just full of them )

I've just reread the 1st book, and I'm not sure if anyone else noticed but Quirrel called Voldermort by his name! Did JK do that intentionally? Or was it an accident?
And also this whole deal with alchemy. The stone can turn everything into gold, but isnt that really easy? Especially considering that you can turn tables into pigs and yourselves into animals, which would a lot more complex than turning things into gold.

[Purpleyin]

Got another question (I'm just full of them )

I've just reread the 1st book, and I'm not sure if anyone else noticed but Quirrel called Voldermort by his name! Did JK do that intentionally? Or was it an accident?
And also this whole deal with alchemy. The stone can turn everything into gold, but isnt that really easy? Especially considering that you can turn tables into pigs and yourselves into animals, which would a lot more complex than turning things into gold.

Well maybe it's got to do with gold having magical properties? Like pigs into tables is hard, yourself into an animal alot harder, but one non-magical thing into a magical element would understandably need alot of power. That said I'm just speculating because there is no evidence gold is thought magical. But I bet gringotts would have something to say about people making gold coins... Though maybe there's a decent reason why making lead to gold permanently is difficult.

[iLemon]

Well maybe it's got to do with gold having magical properties? Like pigs into tables is hard, yourself into an animal alot harder, but one non-magical thing into a magical element would understandably need alot of power. That said I'm just speculating because there is no evidence gold is thought magical. But I bet gringotts would have something to say about people making gold coins... Though maybe there's a decent reason why making lead to gold permanently is difficult.

I think I've got it. Magic isnt very permanent. A lot of the spells seem to die out after a bit. So maybe transformations arent permanent either. Although we havent seen much proof that transformations arent permanent, so its only a theory.

[BruTak]

Having now reread all five books back to back (took me about six and a half days), I wonder if anyone else has noticed that in each book something seemingly unimportant happens, but becomes vital in the next book?

Example: In Philosopher's Stone, Harry speaks to the boa constrictor at the zoo. Then in Chamber of Secrets, we discover that he can speak parseltongue.

I've also noticed that JKR puts really subtle stuff into the books for the grown-ups to laugh at - the reference to Dumbledore's brother performing "Unnatural charms upon a goat" for instance.

Then we come to Ron and hi family - I'm beginning to wonder if Weasley isn't a deliberate misspelling of Wellesley. As in Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington?

And finally (until I think of more weird stuff) when Order of the Phoenix is filmed, and they come to the scene where Harry and Mr. Weasley are in the Ministry of Magic's Auror's department, I kind of got this image in my head that it'll look like an NYPD detective's squad room, and that the Auror's should have their wands in shoulder holsters.

[iLemon]

Having now reread all five books back to back (took me about six and a half days), I wonder if anyone else has noticed that in each book something seemingly unimportant happens, but becomes vital in the next book?

Example: In Philosopher's Stone, Harry speaks to the boa constrictor at the zoo. Then in Chamber of Secrets, we discover that he can speak parseltongue.

JK has hinted theres some stuff in the 5th book which will have an important part to play in the next one. I've reread that book, but theres just so much stuff that could also be used in the next book that I'm not sure which part she's hinting at.
I know for sure that the mirror which was given to Harry by Sirius will be in the next book. And there should an explanation about the dais, but I'm not completely sure about that.

Then we come to Ron and hi family - I'm beginning to wonder if Weasley isn't a deliberate misspelling of Wellesley. As in Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington?

I thought his name had more to do with weasles.

[Purpleyin]

I thought his name had more to do with weasles.

I quite enjoyed that mugglenet (I think it was, Brutak gave the link for the site a few pages back) editorial about the possible significance of the chess game in the first book.

but on the weasel connection.

Aesop's Fables: The Bat and the Weasels : Will Snape (often refered to a batlike) somehow end up having a major plotline with the Weasleys? I never read the fable though, might be good to incase it could have any significance. I just thought this was interesting - people equate Snape-bat to he must be a vampire somehow but it'd be amusing if that wasn't it remotely but another reference.

Also found this
http://www.eracle.it/eracle2004/oper.../pagina_41.asp
That some stocks even traced their lineage to beasts will be shown in the chapter on Greek Divine Myths, and the presumption is that these creatures, though explained as incarnations and disguises of various gods, were once totems sans phrase, as will be inferred from various examples. Clemens Alexandrinus, again, after describing the animal-worship of the Egyptians, mentions cases of zoolatry in Greece. The Thessalians revered storks, the Thebans weasels, and the myth ran that the weasel had in some way aided Alcmena when in labour with Heracles. In another form of the myth the weasel was the foster-mother of the hero.


And this I imagine some of you might already have heard/read but there's the part about Basilik's and weasels.
http://www.occultopedia.com/b/basilisk.htm

"Accordingly, anyone who sought to slay a basilisk was wise to carry a mirror, so that it would kill itself with its own look. The other method was to set a weasel on the monster, since it was thought to be the only creature capable of wishstanding the cockatrice's [basilisk's] deadly stare"

Also found this interesting.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/...l/Basilisk.htm

The antagonism between the Weasleys and Malfoy? Considering Malfoy was the one suspected of being the heir... Or perhaps simply between Harry and Voldemort/riddle - specifically that the weasel dies as it kills the basilisk. You could consider Harry to be an adopted Weasley almost... it's tenuous but fun to look for connections.
This is not the only way the basilisk can be overcome. An antagonism between the weasel and the basilisk is first found in a third century BCE work attributed to Democritus.5 This antagonism, although not of great importance in antiquity, comes to carry more weight as the legend of the basilisk travels through time and cultures. This rivalry between weasel and basilisk can also be found in the former quote from Pliny, ‘…yet to a creature so marvelous as this…the venom of weasels is fatal…’ and

They throw the basilisks into weasels’ holes, which are easily known by the foulness of the ground, and the weasels kill them by their stench and die themselves at the same time, and nature’s battle is accomplished. (8.xxxiii)

[BritAngie]

The half-blood prince could be the new DADA teacher.
But just what exactly is a half-blood prince?

I wonder if it's a Prince who's half muggle and half not?

Eeep only a few weeks to go till HP day!