Random thoughts

I am just reading The Room of Lost Dreams over at the exchange.
Of course, the point of fanfiction is to fill in blanks the original author left us (and heaven knows JKR left us enough to last a lifetime), but there is something pretty much all of the stories have in common that JKR didn't touch at all, and that is the simple act of surviving the war.
JKR didn't bother to deal with traumatized, injured, depressed people. She jumped up seventeen years and all was well.
In fanfic, it isn't, and those seventeen years didn't just fly by while everybody who lived lived happily ever after.
No matter whether the writer ignores or uses the epilogue, no matter whether the people who died in DH are dead in the fanfic or not, we try to deal with the inevitable.
Survivor's guilt, Post Traumatic Stress, marrying quickly and having children early, the psychological and the political effects of a war.

And it's not just because we want to be able to write steamy hot lemons and long hurt/comfort fics. Somehow, it feels that in her determination to wrap things up JKR not only put every single character she ever mentioned before into DH to finish the specific plotline more or less cleanly, she also made her characters less human in the end. Even the ones she had taken the time and effort to make nicely life-like, realistic and complex before were turned to mere cut-outs to file away somewhere and leave the desk nice and tidy.

As we want to continue to play, it makes sense we can't leave it at that. But still, I think we're being much kinder to the people and the universe JKR created than she herself was.

Don't worry, there are no spoilers. Not that I expect anybody who's afraid of spoilers to still read the flist, which raises the question why I'm still posting HP related stuff, but there you are.


If Tom Riddle really didn't know about Horcruxes - that is, how to know make one - by the time he asked Slughorn about it, he did not make the Gaunt ring a Horcrux when he killed his father.
Because in the memory Slughorn tampered with, Tom already wore the ring when he asked Slughorn, so it would have been too late after that one murder to create the Horcrux. Dumbledore suggests something like that when he tells how he found the ring and says that After Tom made the Horcrux, he didn't want to wear the ring anymore, but I never really noticed before.


Also, Dubledore is a strong enough Legilimens to break through Tom's memory spells on Morphin Gaunt. Wouldn't that mean that he would notice if Snape was lying to him?

I suppose when it comes to the question of Snape's loyalties, it's still all a question of whether Lord Voldemort or Albus Dumbledore would work harder to find out.


Also, Phineas Nigellus seems to know why Dumbledore trusts Snape. And as he's a Slytherin, he's unlikely to think that love, as suggested in the theory of Snape's love for Lily, is a good enough reason.
Speaking of Phineas, the scene when he wanders off at the end of OotP to look for Sirius in Grimmauld Place - the idea of seeing him walking from portrait to portrait, calling out for him, after claiming over and over again that he's worthless, a blood traitor - ouch.



Dumbledore wears the Gaunt ring when he and Harry visit Slughorn. Dumbledore counts - and rightly so - on Slughorn recognising the ring. But does Slughorn recognise it as the ring Tom Riddle owned, does he know it is a Horcrux, what actually does he know?
I must say I can't decide on Slughorn's loyalty. He is extremely fixated on his own interests, and he loves to know famous people. Who's more famous than Lord Voldemort?



Another funny thing: In "Snape's worst memory", Harry actually sees Severus use the Sectumsempra curse. Severus uses it on - James, I think and cuts his cheek open. Yet when he uses it on Draco and sees what it does, he doesn't realise that. He doesn't realise that he's seen it before.

I'm finding something new every day. So here's for today. And it sure fits me - eceopt the Hufflepuff part. I insist I'm a Ravenclaw...

Your Patronus is the Badger! The badger is a symbol
of aggressiveness, passion and drive. He is
also the mascot for Hufflepuff. As your
Patronus, the Badger will bite and claw to
protect you. Congratulations!

That your Patronus is a badger says that you are
very driven in whatever you do. When you enjoy
something, you go at it with all of your heart.
Unfortunately, you also tend to be aggressive,
and this can lead to a bossy attitude. Try to
keep that aggression in check, and you'll be a
wonderful witch or wizard!


What is Your Patronus? Version 1
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