Dan > Recent Status Updates

The relationship has always been the part of the story I care about least, compared to the worldbuilding and the war, and I have no idea how LotW is going to make me care about them again by the end of the book, given the way Harry and Draco are behaving.

Now I’m sure I’m remembering the ending right; there’s no reason Harry would re-mention the Switching potion’s limitations so far into the book.

I think I liked Snape/Regulus better unspoken, something obvious but not explicitly talked about since the story had more important things to do.

There needs to be more Asian Lords and Ladies; it drives me crazy that there are so many from Europe but only one from China.

The pacing in this story is WAY better than in the previous two. I had to focus to make sure I hit my goal of at least 2% a day of ASiToR, but I am breezing through this one no problem. (To be fair, though, 1% of this is equivalent to only 0.75% of book six.) But still, I expect to be finished before the end of next weekend.

Cannot believe Harry can write a gigantic paragraph so legibly out of fire letters in the air.

I CALLED IT

Four chapters of the midwinter fight ahead, and I have to wait till my stupid workday is over since I want to give them the attention they deserve—reading at my desk while on the lookout for my boss won’t cut it, I don’t think.

My guess now is McGonagall’s heart is irreparably damaged so she’ll stab herself to take out sword Horcrux. But I don’t think I can imagine Snape taking over headmaster duties for all this time left in the story.

The Stone! Didn’t think we’d see that again.

“Harry asked, wondering if Draco really could change something that had been intrinsic to the way he spoke to Harry since they met. Among the first worst they ever exchanged had been Draco scolding him for not calling him by first first name”

Is Harry for real being shitty about Draco telling Harry what he wants to be called when he was eleven? Shut the fuck up, dude.

I am getting really sick of Harry. Seven books in a row of hiding his feelings and injuries, including an arm burned like a piece of toast, and he STILL thinks he’s in the right even though Draco and Snape have done a good job in being supportive. It’s the same thing over and over again and I’m tired of it.

Oh no, if Argutus is going with them, I fear he will be the sacrifice to destroy the Horcrux in a parallel to Sylarana.

My prediction is Michael will die to destroy the ring. It’d be great foreshadowing for Connor and Harry, and it would justify Medusa and Eos’s deaths as something more than gratuitous violence.

This PDA in this series continues to drive me crazy. Hooking up in an empty classroom is nbd, but Draco kissing Harry when he’s doing alliance leader things or hugging Harry in the middle of an academic advisory meeting is too much.

“Strange that so many children are less afraid than their parents are.” Have you never met a seventeen-year-old in your life

Any scene about the Wizengamot passing laws makes me wish we got more about the legal system: why didn’t Harry challenge the Dark status of Parseltongue in book four, given Light snakes also exist? Why aren’t Dark wizards trying to fight the outlawing of Dark magic when Dark is functionally an ethnicity? The Healers searching for clarification on spells they use (see: Dobbs)? Is there just no court of appeals?

Every Connor POV we get only reminds me of what’s coming at the end. I don’t remember the mechanism by which he goes, though—oh wait, now that I’m typing this out I think he drinks the Switching potion and then another potion immediately afterward to sacrifice himself? I was just about to say I hope he runs himself through with the Sword but now I’m 99% sure that won’t be it.

You’d think after the werewolf graveyard scene in book four, I’d stop being surprised at the level of gore in this series, but even few chapters I still find myself grossed out.

I found Harry’s arguments re: war ethics far more convincing back before I ever read Animorphs.

What I find silly about Sylvan and Oaken is that Indigena mentions earlier in the book that it was the Ministry’s outlawing of Dark magic that led them to join Voldemort’s side. As if torturing twelve people a year to death were legal under Scrimgeour’s Ministry.

I could have sworn there was a scene in book six where Harry topped, but this scene is suggesting that has not happened before.

It’s pretty annoying to see Harry STILL acting this way seven books in, obscuring his feelings because he’s making up how other people will react. He HAS to know by now that Draco and Snape just want honesty from him.

I loved the meeting of Lords and Ladies. I bet LoTW could have made a great sequel series about them—but I suppose it’s better she didn’t, since it would have been another billion words.

Why is Draco so shocked his mom is racist against Muggles? He grew up racist because of his parents.

I completely forgot about Neville’s grandma being half-Werejaguar. Probably because it’s unbearably stupid.

I truly cannot understand Harry’s reasoning here, that making efforts to push back against the tunnel Voldemort dug into his mind would be anti-vates behavior. You can still be a pacifist if you punch someone to get him to stop beating the shit out of you, right? Same thing.

Oh boy, 4% in we’ve got some foreshadowing. Very glad I remember the end of the book so I can catch this stuff.

NOOOOOOOOOO Rufus and Percy :’(

One weird thing about this book has been some descriptions of Harry’s appearance: Draco’s POV has a line about Harry’s curls, and Snape recently mentioned something about copper undertones in Harry’s hair. Are we supposed to picture Connor as canon Harry and TSA Harry as sometime else? I’ve been picturing Harry regular Harry and Connor as an OC with reddish brown hair.