Discuss Chapter 24

[BillP]

This thread is for discussion of Chapter 24 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

If you wish to discuss events from later in the book, please post in the appropriate thread below.

Spoiler Warning: If you have not read past Chapter 24, this thread may contain plot spoilers.

[ghostbuster]

Who would have thought that the saddest and most emotional event of the book up to this point would be the burial and death of Dobby the house elf. This is the part which I felt the characters, especially Harry, seemed most sad anyways.

[kpeterson32]

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ghostbuster wrote:
Who would have thought that the saddest and most emotional event of the book up to this point would be the burial and death of Dobby the house elf. This is the part which I felt the characters, especially Harry, seemed most sad anyways.

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Totally agree with you. I cried more when they were burying him than I did when he actually died. The part where Harry is expecting to explain why he's digging the grave by hand, but Ron and Dean just grab spades and jump in to help him was incredibly touching.

I canNOT believe that Dumbledore had that wand all this time. Absolutely incredible. And the fact that he didn't want Harry to have it is amazing. I'm glad that Harry is figuring this all out and knowing that he still has to go after the Horcruxes. Even if he had that Unbeatable Wand, he still couldn't kill Voldemort without first destroying the Horcruxes. I'm sure hoping that the Lestranges' vault has more than one. But I suspect that's asking a little too much. After all, there are still nearly 300 pages to go...

Oh, and I think that Ariana Dumbledore is still alive...

Message Edited by kpeterson32 on 07-24-2007 01:58 AM

[iDigHermione]

why do you think Ariana is still alive?

What I don't get is... alright, so Voldemort now has the Elder wand... the wand that can never be beaten. It was passed down succesfully; it's previous owner had died. But, this wand, the Elder wand, mus not have to be passed down by the death of it's owner... cause if it did... Harry would not be able to beat Voldemort ever... and the rest of the 300 pages of the book would be worthless. Unless, Harry owned Voldemort cause Voldemort didn't have his wand at the current time, but that's unlikely. So, I seriously doubt that the wand has to be passed down by the death of it's previous owner. Dumbledore was a smart man. There must be something about destroying the Horcruxes that is far more important then posessing the Elder wand. Someone had earlier said that Harry would just have to Kill Voldemort 4 times is he did have the Elder Wand cause Voldemort could just regain life in one of his other 3 horcruxes.

wow, it's hard to take it all in... i'm happy, frustrated, confused, and hopeful.

[kpeterson32]

I agree with you that I think there must be other ways to pass that wand besides the death of the previous owner...BUT, how does someone else get the wand if they can't kill the person that possesses it? There must be a way for Harry to defeat Voldemort without the wand.

As for Ariana...here's why I believe she's still alive. Atop the Astronomy Tower, Dumbledore offered Malfoy the protection of a staged death with such confidence there can be little doubt that it has been done before. As far as I have been able to tell so far, Ariana's funeral was held closed-clasket with very few visitors and no one actually saw her body. Perfect cover to fake the death of his supposedly-ill Squib sister and send her to live a normal life in the Muggle world under a different name. Like, for example...Arabella Figg?

[pallavi054]

I CAN'T BELIEVE DOBBY DIED!

[Nimabu]

I can't believe you people cried.

[kpeterson32]

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Nimabu wrote:
I can't believe you people cried.

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Why?

[Nimabu]

Well, maybe it's the fact that I sorta outgrew the magic of the first few books. The books have gotten darker and it's expected that bad things will happen. I don't know...

[kpeterson32]

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Nimabu wrote:
Well, maybe it's the fact that I sorta outgrew the magic of the first few books. The books have gotten darker and it's expected that bad things will happen. I don't know...

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I'm thirty years old and I'm not embarassed or ashamed to admit for one minute that I've been emotional throughout this book. I have spent the past six years reading them and getting to know the characters and waiting to learn the end of this epic tale. I know perfectly well that these people (and creatures) are not real, but I feel like I know them anyway, and when things happen to them, good or bad, I feel it. It doesn't mean that I'm a crazy person or that I'm too involved in the story. It means that JK Rowling is such a gifted author that these books have come to take on a life of their own. It's okay to care what happens to these fictional people.

[Nimabu]

Point taken, I was deaply moved in Book 5 when Sirius was killed and of course when Dumbledore died in Book 6. I'm still waiting to see if Sirius will reapear in some shape or form before this book ends. Needless to say, none of the death that have ocurred so far have impacted me. Maybe Hedwig, she was a defenseless animal.

[kpeterson32]

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Nimabu wrote:
Point taken, I was deaply moved in Book 5 when Sirius was killed and of course when Dumbledore died in Book 6. I'm still waiting to see if Sirius will reapear in some shape or form before this book ends. Needless to say, none of the death that have ocurred so far have impacted me. Maybe Hedwig, she was a defenseless animal.

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I would love for Sirius to make a reappearance. I don't know if it will happen, though. I think Harry learned all he needed to from his godfather. While Dumbledore was taken too soon, IMO, there are other ways for Harry to learn what Dumbledore didn't get the chance to teach him. Both of those deaths were shocking and senseless, and yes, I'll admit that I cried then too.

I don't mean this rudely, Nimabu, although I know it might sound that way and I apologize in advance. I just can't believe that Hedwig's death had a bigger impact on anyone than Dobby's. Sure, Hedwig was Harry's faithful pet and she was completely innocent. But Dobby was killed, not accidentally either, saving Harry and all of those other people when he didn't have to. And it happened so suddenly, too. Dobby died a hero, a title deserved even more for that fact that he would NEVER have thought of himself that way. And Harry, Ron, and Dean understood how significant Dobby's death was. So much so, that they dug the grave with their bare hands.

[coreen222]

It is good to see Harry maturing and showing some restraint in going for the horcruxes instead of the wand. I am from the Snape is good camp and believe that the wand is Snape's responsibility.

Dobby's buriul was the most emotional for me thus far. With Dumbledore I was too shocked to get weepy, and Serius, though sad, did not move me quite as much as this. Then again, I also read book 5 too fast to really reflect on that incident.

I think Dobby's status as a free house elf who died by coming to the aid of a wizard says a lot. He risked going to the home of his old masters, whom he feared. It was really touching. I started reading this serius 7 years ago, when I was 25, and the magic of the early books have not yet grown out of me.

[APenForYourTho…]

Dobby's burial was very emotional; I agree. I'll miss him...
The story of succession for the Elder Wand reminded me of the ascension to head bishop or priest or something at a monastery somewhere in Italy. Someone must kill the current head bishop in order to ascend to the position himself. Maybe that's where JKR got the idea. But I think the Elder Wand is different and it doesn't have to result from the previous owner's death.
I'm concerned that Voldemort has the wand now, though. I'm not really sure what's going to happen.
I still can't figure out if Snape is good or evil! It's driving me crazy! I've been debating with myself ever since the last book, and I still can't decide.
I'm glad everyone's okay, though. I was worried about them.

Message Edited by APenForYourThoughts on 07-28-2007 01:43 PM

[LiveUrLife]

When they buried Dobby I thought that it was a pretty sad part of the book. I think that when Harry talked to Olivander it gave us some insight about the wand from the deathly hollows. I think that Harry and his friends should try to find it. If Voldemort finds it first then he may be unstoppable. Then again, he is so afraid of dying that in the end death itself may destroy him instead of Harry killing him.

[LilMissCrimePr…]

When Dobby died, I cried so much!!!

[LilMissCrimePr…]

After reading Chapter 24, I had to go get more tissue!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Many readers feel that same way at this chapter, LilMiss!

~ConnieK

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LilMissCrimePrevention wrote:
After reading Chapter 24, I had to go get more tissue!

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