The Real Voldemort

What Voldemort looked like before he split his soul...

Apparently, Harry and Voldemort are friends...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Having just finished what I think is the best story/series ever, I'm going to devote this post to a discussion on Harry Potter. (Ugh, of course, it's only now that I realize that what I should have done was to make a post of my predictions before reading the last book...oh well.)

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts before/while reading book 7:

• Even though there is pretty much no evidence for it, I had a strong suspicion that Snape was ultimately good. I felt that, with all the hype surrounding Snape about whether he's good or evil would be pretty disappointing if he were, as he'd always seemed--evil. I mean, everyone already saw what he did, and it'd be pretty boring if there wasn't a twist in there somehow. I think the general lesson learned from learning Snape's true character is that there's always a reason for people being the way they are. And that you should always treat others in the best way possible because you never know what might have happened in their past to make them the way they are today.
  
• I knew that Nagini was one of the Horcruxes. (Though...I don't know for sure, but this might have been revealed in one of the previous books...)
• I correctly predicted that Lupin was probably going to die. :( After Sirius, Lupin is my favorite character, pre-book 7. (After book 7, he's my third favorite, the first two being Sirius and Snape)
  
• I never took "neither can survive while the other one lives" to have 2 meanings:
• 1. One can survive without the other <--the one the characters in the book believed
• 2. Both has to die <--what Dumbledore believed, revealed in the chapter, The Prince's Tale
• When I first found out that Harry had to die in order for Voldemort to die, I was pretty upset. But by the end of that chapter (The Prince's Tale), I was ready for it. Thus, it seemed kind of cheesy at first when I realized that Harry hadn't died. It seemed as though Rowling purposely did this to make it a happy ending. Though, I guess the final battle between Harry and Voldemort made it worth it and satisfying.
  
• I'm still a little confused about why Harry hadn't died after Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on him. According to page 709, Dumbledore said to Harry, "He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily's protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!" So, does this mean that as long as Voldemort lives, Harry can't die? For some reason, I think Harry's reply of "I live...while he lives?" confused me more than it should.
• I'm confused about the Horcruxes--I thought there were supposed to be 7 of them...but I counted 8:
1. Riddle's Diary <-- Basilisk Fang (Harry)
2. Marvolo's Ring <-- Gryffindor Sword(?) (Dumbledore)
3. Slytherin Locket <-- Gryffindor Sword (Harry)
4. Hufflepuff Cup <-- Basilisk Fang (Hermione)
5. Ravenclaw Diadem <-- Fiendfyre (Crabbe...technically)
6. Harry <-- Elder Wand--Killing Curse (Voldemort)
7. Nagini <-- Gryffindor Sword (Neville)
8. Voldemort <-- Elder Wand--Killing Curse (Voldemort<--his own curse rebounded after the wand got into Harry's hands)
• I thought Voldemort himself was a Horcrux (because he technically is since a part of his soul is within him, according to book 6, page 497: "A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.").
• According to p503 of book 6, Dumbledore said, "...But firstly, no, Harry, not seven Horcruxes: six. The seventh part of his soul, however maimed, resides inside his regenerated body. ...without that, he has no self at all. The seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack--the piece that lives in his body." So,I guess Voldemort himself doesn't count then.
  
• Hm...and yet, in book 7, p709, Dumbledore said, "You were the seventh Horcrux, Harry, the Horcrux he never meant to make."
• Oh ok, at first I thought there was a contradiction but I guess the last part of that sentence, "the Horcrux he never meant to make", explains it: There's seven Horcruxes. Voldemort is not one of them. The reader only learns about the seventh Horcrux for sure in book 7.
  
• The only uncertainty that remains is the thing that was making noises that Harry saw before his encounter with Dumbledore in the second to last chapter. p706: "He recoiled. He had spotted the thing that was making the noises. It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath." My only guess is that that's the part of Voldemort's soul that had been inside Harry but since then, escaped. The baby could be Voldemort right after he was born? From book 2 and how Tom Riddle came out of the diary, we know that the memories encased in Horcruxes can come out in real life. This could be another instance of it.
  
• Some cool/exciting parts of book 7:
1. Chapter 12, Magic is Might--When Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into the Ministry of Magic and Harry managed to snatch the locket from Umbridge and free a bunch of Muggles.
2. Chapter 21, The Tale of the Three Brothers--The story of the Deathly Hallows
3. Chapter 23, Malfoy Manor--Awesome fight/escape scene
4. Chapter 26, Gringotts--When Harry, Ron and Hermione broke into Gringotts, Hermione impersonating Bellatrix
   
5. Chapter 33, The Prince's Tale--The story about Snape's past
6. All the final battle chapters (28-36)
• Final comments:
• It was fortunate for Harry that Narcissa was the one Voldemort called on to check to see if he was really dead; had Voldemort called on Bellatrix, the result would have been drastically different.
  
• Ron and Hermione should have kissed a lot sooner.
• Ron is hilarious.
• Kreacher is more likable.
• I feel so bad for Snape.
  
• I wish magic existed and there is a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry out there (or something similar to it). *sigh*

With that, I'll end with the Potter Puppet Pals' chant:

Snape, Snape, Severus Snape
Snape, Snape, Severus Snape
Snape, Snape, Severus Snape!

That Time of the Year

I truly dislike the gift giving-receiving aspect of Christmas, or for that matter, any holiday that requires gift giving and/or receiving. (Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas itself.) Every year, I'm faced with the same dilemma: What should I get for people whom I've decided to get gifts for? And how much should I spend?

Last year I remember my Discover Card bill for December came out to be $800 something. And did I get the things I wanted? Not really. Why? Because I didn't really know what I wanted and therefore couldn't exactly tell people. My parents always give me money, which, is good I guess. But I would like them to put some more thought into it from time to time. I mean, I always have.

In fact, not to sound too egotistical or anything, but I think I'm the most thoughtful person I know. It's true, I think about my friends and family, and if I come across something that I know they'll love, I make a mental note of it and when the time comes, give them that. And a lot of the time, these things aren't expensive at all (sometimes even free if I make it myself), but I would have put a lot of thought into it. Of course, this would be the easy case. For example, I already know exactly what I'm going to give one of my friends for graduation next May. Most of the time, however, I'm not lucky enough to come across things that I think people will like and therefore I usually rack my brain for ideas. The other thing is, I sometimes feel pressured to buy things that are expensive for people close to me. For example, I always spend a lot on my mom because I'm afraid that she'll be disappointed if I didn't. She would never tell me that she's disappointed, but I'm sure she would be since I've always gotten her expensive gifts. And I'm not saying she's not worth it or anything but at times, I feel that a simple card with a nice message would suffice. I also feel pressured to get something nicer and more expensive every time I give a particular person something. I.e. "I've already gotten them something last year, I can't not get them anything this year." Or "I can't get them anything less expensive than what I had gotten them last time."

Being on the receiving end isn't too pleasant either. A lot of times, if I'm close enough to someone, I'd want them to guess what I want and then get it for me because I love surprises. But, this method, as I've realized, is too idealistic. One of two situations can happen:

Situation 1: I get what I want.
Chance of happening: 2%

Situation 2: I don't get what I want.
Chance of happening: 98%

Experience tells me that if I don't tell them straight out what I want, there's virtually no way they're going to figure it out for themselves. Lesson learned: things obvious to me might not be obvious to others. I'm pretty much setting myself up for disappointment here. Note to self: Never have ANY EXPECTATION of what I think I'm going to get. <--This in an of itself is an impossibility. How can I not have any expectation when I expect a particular person to know what to get me? The disappointment is worsened if I had put a lot of thought into what I'm getting that particular person (which is usually the case).

The only other way to get what I want is to tell the person, which completely annihilates the element of surprise. And that makes gift giving seem like a chore. It's like, if you tell them, then they are kind of obligated to get that thing for you, which takes all the fun out.

So, either way, I lose.

Of course there are in-between ways like you can tell the person several things you want and have them get one of them. You can also tell the person the general thing that you want. For example, if you wanted a hat, you can just tell the person and let them get it for you so that you know what you're getting, but not exactly what kind. This way, while you are kind of chore-ifying it, you do have some uncertainty as to what you're going to get. Both of these methods haven't worked out too well for me. A lot of times, I'll have a list of things I want, but I don't value everything on the list equally. For example, I'd want one thing more than another. So even though I am giving the person a choice, secretly, there is still only one thing that I want the most. (And not getting it would probably make me disappointed.) I guess the disappointment issue for me is a problem. I just can't help it. I can't help but expect people to get me the thing I want them to get me. I'll tell myself not to expect them to, but I always end up expecting them to!!
The second method (i.e. generalizing the gift) isn't perfect either. Whenever I do this, it's usually because I have my eye on something specific, but in order not to chore-ify it for the person who's getting me the gift, I generalize it so that they have options. And when they don't end up getting me the thing I had my eye on (through no fault of their own), I get disappointed.

Then there is the case where I know what I want, but the thing is too expensive for any one person to get me. In this case, I just tell them that I don't want anything because they most likely wouldn't allot that much budget for my gift anyway. For example, I'd really love to have an iphone. But it's unlikely that I'll get it this year.

I've thought about not getting anyone anything, but have always decided against it because it's not very nice. But maybe this year I will (not get anyone anything). This way, I'll actually be successful at convincing myself not to expect anything!

How cynical of me.