Well, what else could I say? Though, I do enjoy that I've already been "quoted" twice on that since I posted it.
After saying that, I called Cat Head, as I knew she was still dying to talk to people about it, and we discussed it for a while, including our thoughts on the "is Snape really evil, or did Dumbledore sacrifice himself" question, including potential consequences; Cat Head has a bit of a thing for Snape (he's her favorite character), and very much wants, in her words, a "happy fluffy bunny" ending for him, but neither of us really see that for him, no matter which side he really turns out to be on.
Oh, and I think Hermione was clearly doing a "I'm such a teenage girl" reaction to Ron's "I'm such a stupid, teenage boy, overreacting to the past and doing stupid things" behavior.
I, too, felt a bit sorry for Draco in this book, unlike in past ones, and saw a potential for him to maybe not turn out to be another Lucius in the long run.
As for Snape, my first OMG moment was when I had the same reaction as Bella when he did the Unbreakable Vow. I didn't know for sure, but I wasn't completely surprised when it was made completely clear what Draco's assignment was, so I kept doing a "is he really evil, after all, and not just creepy and slimy, or how is he going to get out of this one?" After all, I was pretty sure that Malfoy's task was to kill, and that the intended target was either Harry or, after a little thought, Dumbledore. But the way it happened -- OMFG -- not what I was expecting...
And I also see a possibility for Lily's death being connected to Snape switching sides. As you said, he didn't care much for James, but there have been hints (somewhat blatant ones, for me to remember them so clearly, I think) that he was a bit fond of Lily; I think it was somewhat unrequited, in that I think he felt more for her than she did for him, but she also seemed to be the nicest to him that we saw anyone be in the relevant flashbacks.
Oh, and I so agree with the whole prophecy thing; I thought the whole "the prophecy is correct because that's what you'd do anyway, you're not doing it because the prophecy was made" explanation was great -- Harry wasn't born to fight Voldemort, he just happens to have enough of a reason to do so that he won't stop until one of them no longer survives...
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After saying that, I called Cat Head, as I knew she was still dying to talk to people about it, and we discussed it for a while, including our thoughts on the "is Snape really evil, or did Dumbledore sacrifice himself" question, including potential consequences; Cat Head has a bit of a thing for Snape (he's her favorite character), and very much wants, in her words, a "happy fluffy bunny" ending for him, but neither of us really see that for him, no matter which side he really turns out to be on.
Oh, and I think Hermione was clearly doing a "I'm such a teenage girl" reaction to Ron's "I'm such a stupid, teenage boy, overreacting to the past and doing stupid things" behavior.
I, too, felt a bit sorry for Draco in this book, unlike in past ones, and saw a potential for him to maybe not turn out to be another Lucius in the long run.
As for Snape, my first OMG moment was when I had the same reaction as Bella when he did the Unbreakable Vow. I didn't know for sure, but I wasn't completely surprised when it was made completely clear what Draco's assignment was, so I kept doing a "is he really evil, after all, and not just creepy and slimy, or how is he going to get out of this one?" After all, I was pretty sure that Malfoy's task was to kill, and that the intended target was either Harry or, after a little thought, Dumbledore. But the way it happened -- OMFG -- not what I was expecting...
And I also see a possibility for Lily's death being connected to Snape switching sides. As you said, he didn't care much for James, but there have been hints (somewhat blatant ones, for me to remember them so clearly, I think) that he was a bit fond of Lily; I think it was somewhat unrequited, in that I think he felt more for her than she did for him, but she also seemed to be the nicest to him that we saw anyone be in the relevant flashbacks.
Oh, and I so agree with the whole prophecy thing; I thought the whole "the prophecy is correct because that's what you'd do anyway, you're not doing it because the prophecy was made" explanation was great -- Harry wasn't born to fight Voldemort, he just happens to have enough of a reason to do so that he won't stop until one of them no longer survives...
Think that's long enough of a comment?