Post of various subjects

Today is the 2nd of February, and I am writing this offline, due to the current lack of internet. Today it has snowed in my city, which is not a regular occurrence for us in the South of England. Everything in my street is topped with white. When snow falls, I can’t help being 5 years old and excited by it, I don’t know about everyone else. It also somehow gives permission for mild hooliganism. People collect snow from other people’s cars and throw it at buildings. Nobody cares though. We laugh or smile.

I had some bad news about 45 minutes ago. My sister called me, which in itself is a very strange thing and also not a regular occurrence, so I naturally assume that she wants something or something is wrong. The latter. She told me that she had just been shopping and had noticed that the front page of the local paper had a story about a 23 year old woman who had died in a car crash, just before midnight on Saturday. This girl was in my year at school, so she thought best to call me and let me know.

The snow began to fall right after I heard this news, and without sounding emotional, it lifted my saddened spirit a little. This girl was always happy and joking (and quite often had pink in her hair if I remember rightly). I don’t remember ever having a bad word to say about her, or hearing a bad word about her. She was the naughty but fun kid at school, with the infectious smile and the fun spirit. I know that things like this are always said when we hear that someone we know, or knew of, has deceased, but this is true. You will not be forgotten.

In the same newspaper, a would-be bomber of our city has been jailed for life, so that’s good news at least.



That noted and her remembered, I’ll now move onto the fact that I FINALLY read the last Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows. At a loss yesterday evening, and with nothing that intriguing on TV, I thought ‘now is the time’. I have been reading the books for over a little short of a year. I was never aware of them when they first came out. Harry Potter only came to my attention when someone leant me the first film on video. Since then I was hooked on the movies, but on the advice of many, many friends I decided to read the books. They are, as everyone will agree, exceedingly better than the films, as is usually the case with book-to-film stories.

I finished The Half Blood Prince on Christmas Eve just gone, hoping and praying that my father had bought me the final book for my birthday, and he had, and I don’t know why I have left it until now to read it. Maybe because I knew that once I picked it up, I would never put it down and that I don’t want the story of Harry Potter to end.

So, I did pick it up yesterday evening, at about 6.30pm. I read, and I read, I cried, I laughed. I was completely absorbed in this fantastic story and it wasn’t until I read the last word at 7.10am this morning, that I allowed myself to sleep. What a fantastic story. I was right though, I feel sad that the story has ended.

I wish that the epilogue had been a little more informative. I don’t wish to pick holes in JK’s story or ideas, I think the woman is fantastic to have captured so many minds of so many ages and nationalities with the story of this boy, but there are things that I am left wondering. If anyone wishes to enlighten me on any of these points, then I say feel free. If I have missed something then I would love to know about it.

- If Dudley changed and began to appreciate or like Harry, then are they still talking? Furthermore, where did the Dursleys go when they were taken into protection?

- Was anyone else infuriated that Harry seems to refuse to kill? He had so many chances to take down some of the Death Eaters. My mind tells me that perhaps it’s just not in his nature, but what about all those Death Eaters that came back when Voldemort returned? What if they were still to cause trouble? Or are we to assume that given that Harry is the more powerful wizard, that they will just cower and fade?

- Who repaired Hogwarts? Just out of interest.

- Are Draco and Harry on speaking terms, or was the nod at the station just to say that they respectfully leave each other alone?



- What happened to Fred and George’s shop? Does George now run it alone?

- Where do the Potters now live? Grimmauld Place?

- What happened to everyone else? We know Neville is a teacher, but what about Luna, Dean, Seamus, Cho… in fact, the rest of the DA.

I want to know these things.

(weirdly, an advert for something made by a company called ‘Potters’, was just on TV as I write this.)

I always thought that Snape was a good guy. I was horrified when he killed Dumbledore in what seemed like cold-blooded murder, so I’m glad to know that it was at Dumbledore’s request.



I wonder if I am the only person who thinks ‘I am disinclined to acquiesce your request’, a la Pirates of The Caribbean, when they hear the word ‘request’. Probably.