It's Harry-Freaking-Potter! pt 2

"Back to witches and wizards and magical beasts, 

to goblins and ghosts, and to magical feasts. 

It's all that I love and all that I need at Horgwarts. 

Hogwarts!" 

First of all this blog is taking so long because....

• I am working very hard on it
• Okay so maybe the first point is not entirely true. It is mostly because of POTTERMORE. 
• I was one of the first thousand in!
• I was officially sorted into Ravenclaw (I always felt like a ravenclaw, and now it is JKR official). 
• The wand that chose me is Chestnut wood, 14 and a half inches, unicorn hair core, and hard. 
• Unicorn Core- Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.
  Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.
• Chestnut- This is a most curious, multi-faceted wood, which varies greatly in its character depending on the wand core, and takes a great deal of colour from the personality that possesses it. The wand of chestnut is attracted to witches and wizards who are skilled tamers of magical beasts, those who possess great gifts in Herbology, and those who are natural fliers. However, when paired with dragon heartstring, it may find its best match among those who are overfond of luxury and material things, and less scrupulous than they should be about how they are obtained. Conversely, three successive heads of the Wizengamot have possessed chestnut and unicorn wands, for this combination shows a predilection for those concerned with all manner of justice.
• What Ollivander says on flexibity and length... Many wandmakers simply match the wand length to the size of the witch or wizard who will use it, but this is a crude measure, and fails to take into account many other, important considerations. In my experience, longer wands might suit taller wizards, but they tend to be drawn to bigger personalities, and those of a more spacious and dramatic style of magic. Neater wands favour more elegant and refined spell-casting. However, no single aspect of wand composition should be considered in isolation of all the others, and the type of wood, the core and the flexibility may either counterbalance or enhance the attributes of the wand’s length. Most wands will be in the range of between nine and fourteen inches. While I have sold extremely short wands (eight inches and under) and very long wands (over fifteen inches), these are exceptionally rare. In the latter case, a physical peculiarity demanded the excessive wand length. However, abnormally short wands usually select those in whose character something is lacking, rather than because they are physically undersized (many small witches and wizards are chosen by longer wands).Wand flexibility or rigidity denotes the degree of adaptability and willingness to change possessed by the wand-and-owner pair - although, again, this factor ought not to be considered separately from the wand wood, core and length, nor of the owner’s life experience and style of magic, all of which will combine to make the wand in question unique.

• I have also been brewing some potion, and dueling with other first years. Pottermore is amazing, and I truly feel like a Hogwarts' student. 
• Currently Ravenclaws are winning the house cup! Suck it everybody else! We are the smartest and we know it. 
• Life is full of surprises, and sometimes it takes you away from blogging. Utah here we are! 

Some of my favorite parts of the 7th book that are not necessarily important. . .

• When Ron and Hermione finally get together. Dan called their relationship after reading the first book. I did not realize it until during the fourth book, but after rereading the whole series it is obviously always suppose to happen. Their kiss is absolutely perfect because let's all face it... even though we wanted Ron and Hermione to get together, Ron was never worthy of Hermione (I will refer you to this article) until the very end. The precise moment it happens is when Ron worries about the safety of the house elves, and finally proves himself mature and empathetic enough for Hermione. Jane Austen would be proud. I don't love Jane Austen, but her pride still exists. 
• When Cho is about to show Harry the Rowana Ravenclaw statue with the diadem, but Ginny insists that Luna takes him instead. 
• When Mrs. Wesley calls Bellatrix a bitch. That very well might be my favorite part in the book. 
• The taboo on Voldermort's name, and when Harry calls Voldermort, "Tom" and "Riddle." 
• Kreacher appearing at the final battle and fighting Voldermort for Regulus. 
• The death of Fred is still the most emotional part of the book for me, but I am glad Percy came back, and his struggle with Fred's death is powerful. I am still upset that Fred's death was not a bigger part of the movie. 
• Harry digging Dobby's grave w/o magic, and the headstone saying, "Here lies Dobby, A Free Elf." I am so glad they included that in the movie. 
• When Ron uses Wingardium Leviosa to get them into the shrieking shack. First spell ever taught! 
• How nearly every character and place from the first books is in it. I think the only "living" character that doesn't make a reappearance in the 7th book is Gilderoy Lockhart. 

Now what we learn in the book about... 

Dumbledore

• Dumbledore leaves the trio different things in his will. Hermione gets  DD's copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Ron gets the deluminator (crafted by DD, himself). Harry gets the first snitch he ever caught, and the sword of gryffindor (the ministry doesn't know where it is, but says it wasn't DD's to give anyways). 
• These three things say a lot about what DD knew about the trio and their personalities. 
• The deluminator brought Ron back once he left, so DD assumed that Ron would have the hardest time on the quest, and that he would need something to keep him in touch with the other two even if he walked out on them. 
• Hermione was left with the kid's story book that references the deathly hallows. This is very crucial to how DD wanted Harry and the others to see the hallows. If DD wanted Harry to find the Hallows, I don't believe that he would have given the book to the skeptic. He definitely wanted Harry to know about the hallows, and possibly for more than one reason, but he never wanted to Harry to chase after them. He knew Hermione would doubt their authenticity and keep them on the path to the horcruxes, so he gave her the book that would allow the trio to discover the hallows. 
• He of course leaves Harry the sword because that is what can destroy the horcruxes. Then the snitch ends up being the resurrection stone, so Harry can have his family/friends who have passed close to him as he goes to sacrifice himself. What he leaves Harry is fairly obvious and Harry figures it out quickly. 
• We learn A LOT about DD's past in the book, and it is hard to learn that he wasn't always a perfect loving guy.
• He was power hungry 
• He chased the Hallows
• He was actually close to Grindewald when he was young, and they were planning on creating a Wizard run society that put muggles in their place "for the greater good."
• He also lived at Godric's hallow
• His mom died when he graduated from Hogwarts
• His dad was arrested for killing 3 muggles
• his sister was "frail" and kept in the house. She later dies under DD's watch. 
• His brother, Aberforth, had a strange affinity for goats, and broke DD's nose at their sisters funeral. 
• All of that comes together when Aberforth explains that his sister was severely abused after she exhibited magic, by three muggle boys. Their father ends up killing these three boys. The sister goes crazy and cannot control her magic after this so she is kept in the hosue by the mother and family. The sister can't control her magic and accidently kills the mom. DD comes back to take care of the sister, and Grindewald is visiting his aunt (Bathilda Bagshot) at the same time and they become great friends. Aberforth gets mad because DD is planning on going off with Grindewald when he needs to stay with the sister. They all fight around the sister (Grindewald, DD, and Aberforth) and one of their spells accidently hits the sister and she dies. This is why Aberforth is mad at DD, and why DD quits hanging around Grindewald. 
• We FINALLY learn what DD would have seen in the mirror of erised, and that is his curse not being the one that killed his sister. 
• DD understood Harry was going to be the one to destroy Voldermort in the end from when he was a baby. That is why he allowed Harry to tackle greater things from the get go. DD was raising up a sacrifice until the 4th book (why he has a gleam of triumph in his eyes). 
• DD possessed the Elder Wand and figured that Voldermort would go after it (remember that Olivander was kidnapped in book 6), so the plan that Snape kills DD with DD meaning to be killed was suppose to stop the transfer of the Elder Wand, but Malfloy foils this plan (in the end it makes it better). 

The Hallows

• DD along with Grindewald were obsessed with the Hallows, but few other witches/wizards believe they are real. 
• The Hallows consist of the Elder Wand, the Cloak of Invisibility, and the Resurrection Stone. 
• DD has the Elder Wand
• HP has the Cloak 
• The Resurrection stone was an heirloom that Gaunt had, a horcrux, and eventually ends up with HP thanks to DD's genius. 
• Voldermort does NOT know about the hallows. 

Voldermort

• Learns of the Elder Wand, but not of the deathly hallows (Ollivander knows nothing of the hallows in the book. Only of the Elder Wand). 
• He then hunts it down, so that he will finally have a wand that can beat Harry's. 
• Voldermort ends up making the same mistake twice. His lack of belief in love and sacrifice is eventualy his demise. He doesn't understand the importance of a "pure" soul. 

Snape

• Snape is "good." 
• Most people love the story of Snape and claim him to be the true hero of the book. While I love his story... he is still something of an "anti-hero." He only protected Harry because of his love for Lily. Not because he wanted to see the Voldermort defeated nor because he was worried about the prejudice that was a huge part of Voldermort's philosophy. It was strictly based on his love for Lily. Yes, this can be seen as romantic, but in the end Snape was never the man for Lily because of this. She wouldn't fall in love with someone just because they had an unending love for her. No, she fall in love with that prick, James, because he not only loved her, but he fought for what was right. 
• Snape is the one that brings Harry the sword, and in the end is the one that tells Harry that he has sacrifice himself because he is the final horcrux. 

Why Harry survives AGAIN

• Harry survives again because of DD's "gleam of triumph in his eyes" in the 4th book.  This is also when Harry Potter blows your *bleeping* mind. 
• That happened when Harry told DD that LV used his blood to get his body back. 
• Why did that help?
• We knew that the "bloodline" protection helped Harry before. LV couldn't attack the Dursley's house because Lily's sacrifice carried on in Petunia's blood until Harry reached age. 
• We knew that the "bloodline" protected Harry from being killed by Quirell/LV in the first book because he wasn't able to touch him due to Harry having Lily's blood in himself. 
• LV continued Lily's protection when he used Harry's blood that night. He tethered HP to the earth just like he had tethered himself with the horcruxes. 
• Harry's tether was more powerful though because it came from sacrificing yourself for another instead of killing others for your gain (Ayn Rand is so pissed at JKR right now). 
• It was beautiful because in the end when Harry "dies" but is still tethered he has a choice to die or go back. When LV "died" at the beginning he had no choice to go on to the next life. He was forced to live as an insignificant creature living off of the bodies of snakes. 
• Harry survived because he chose sacrificing himself for the cause instead of beating LV to the deathly hallows. He survived because not one inch of him was selfish or power hungry. Harry survived because he had a "pure soul." In the final battle the only person LV could fight was Harry because he had sacrificed himself for everyone else, and thus the killing curse would not work for LV once again.