jlh | So I read it, and I liked it. A lot (Reply)

But I honestly kind of don't know what to say. It may be that the overwhelming yuck that fandom sank into when we read each other's initial reactions to OotP makes me wary to post, but you know, we're all older and wiser and hopefully, kinder. Or it may be that I can't react just to this book, but to the entire series, and that puts so much stuff in my head that it might explode.

I really loved how stupid Tom was, merely because he felt that certain kinds of knowledge were beneath his dignity. In a way it was love that killed him, most particularly because it kept him out of Harry's head, but in much larger part it was hubris and a management style that really didn't get the best work out of his subordinates. I also loved how the Trio's plans were full of holes, but they would manage to get shit done mostly because there were enough other people who were sympathetic to get them where they needed to go. I love the whole resistance movement at Hogwarts and that after that crack about them in HBP it was Neville, Luna and Ginny getting things done, and the coins reactivating the DA. Note, also, the very different management style employed by Harry.

The epilog really didn't answer any of MY questions, like who was the headmaster who rebuilt Hogwarts? How did the Ministry change its attitudes toward Magical Creatures? What are any of these people doing for a living now, other than Neville?

In minor character news, I was so excited to see Ted and Andromeda that I squealed.
But mostly, mostly, while I would have been really okay with it, thank you for sparing my boys.