Today is an important day. First, the Veronica Mars Movie is being released. Second, it’s pi day. Third, it’s Ashley’s birthday! Go wish her a happy birthday.
CHAPTER 8: THE WEDDING
At the end of The Half-Blood Prince, Harry remembered that there was one last golden day of peace to be enjoyed with the wedding of Bill and Fleur. The hype, the anticipation, the glorious grandeur of a wedding has everyone in a tizzy. The big day has arrived along with guests, decorations, butterflies, and sunshine. Even Fred talks about getting married someday, which should’ve been our first clue.
I am having a hard time putting into words exactly how much I love this chapter because I just really love weddings. Man, these people know how to throw a party. This is even fancier than “swans in your bathtub,” which is pretty darn fancy.
“I wanna buy eight hot dogs, and eight hot dog buns to go with them, but nobody sells eight hot dog buns, they only sell twelve, so I am removing the superfluous buns!”
Everyone’s in a great mood, as long as no one mentions Percy to Mrs. Weasley. The whole gang is here! Even Xenophilius Lovegood shows up with Luna. They’re wearing sun colors, which I think is a delightful wedding tradition. Viktor Krum was invited, too, much to Ron’s dismay. Auntie Muriel gets in a few jabs at Harry, who is standing right by her. She doesn’t notice, because Harry gets to spend the day as a ginger. (The Doctor would be so jealous.)
Sorry, buddy.
The wedding itself is lovely. Harry spends most of the ceremony thinking about Ginny. (I wish she’d been able to go on the quest with the trio. Alas, earwax.) Afterwards, Viktor hangs around Harry (a.k.a. Barny) and bemoans the fact that “Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?” In addition to stirring up a bit of tension between Ron and Hermione, Vicky is also there to drop two super key pieces of information. One, Grindelwald had a famous symbol he used to indicate his power. Xenophilius sports the symbol on a necklace. Two, Gregorovitch was a wand-maker. Thanks, Vicky! Have a good rest of your life.
Harry sidles up to Elphias Doge and spends some productive time gleaning details about Dumbledore’s life from both Doge and Aunt Muriel. Bathilda Bagshot, author of A History of Magic, might be leaking details about Dumbledore to Rita Skeeter. This can’t be good. The Dumbledores used to live in Godric’s Hollow and we see that Harry’s very complicated relationship with his headmaster will carry on beyond Dumbledore’s death.
The party is interrupted by the lynx Patronus of Kingsley Shackelbolt.
The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.
The wedding smashers trope is perhaps a bit overdone, but like all things wedding, I still love the trope anyway. I thought most often this time around of The Fiddler on the Roof. As a kid, that was probably my first introduction to the idea of destruction following an event so blessed. It came as something of a shock. With Bill and Fleur, it seems inevitable that the golden day of peace would be disrupted and so this is the case. Luckily, we still have these memories to carry us through the sunrises and sunsets of life.
My gosh, I had the biggest crush on Motel as a teen.
Stray Thoughts:
-I am tickled to death by the idea of some young muggle kid getting his hair summoned away from his head. Can’t you just imagine Fred, hidden around some corner, accio-ing away this boy’s ginger curls one by one? The kid would rub the back of his head, look magnificently annoyed, and turn around to see what was going on? And then when he’d let his guard down, Fred would do it again? So funny, right?
-Aunt Muriel and Aunt Marge should probably go and get a cuppa together sometime.
CHAPTER 9: A PLACE TO HIDE
I mean, this whole series should simply be called, “Harry Potter and All The Times He Didn’t Die Because Hermione Granger Was There.” Homegirl packed a clutch with everything they might need in the event of an escape. She’s got a whole mini-library in there, even. I am a notoriously awful over-packer, so I love the idea of this.
Listen, I’m gonna be honest. There’s not a ton that happens in this chapter. Harry, Ron, and Hermione needed to get away from the chaos of the demonstration at the Weasley’s and they had to face some sort of immediate danger. A couple of Death Eaters catch their trail, although they fend off the Death Eaters not quite handily, but effectively. (When I re-read Deathly Hallows, I love to look back at the scenes where they almost get caught and find where they said Voldemort’s name. The whole notion of that is brilliant, really.)
So where can they be safe? Oh yeah, at Harry’s house. Because he owns a house. He’s seventeen and he owns a house. Number Twelve Grimmauld Place is a mess, but at least it’s safe. The Weasleys are safe, too, much to Ron’s relief. Harry’s scar starts to bother him and he sees into the torture chamber that’s been set up at the Malfoys’ mansion. Draco appears to be doing the torturing, too. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Stray Thoughts:
-I saw a really great tumblr post once that detailed the wand movements of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the diner scene from the movie. Basically, it said that since Harry had so much combat experience, he used his wand like an extension of himself. Ron and Hermione weren’t at that level yet. I’m not doing it justice and I can’t find it now, of course, but it was really interesting.
-Glad to see that Ron’s making good use of the Deluminator.
The Harry Potter Medicinal Re-Read 
I know the post you’re talking about and I too cannot find it.
When we did this movie on Made of Fail, I remember talking about how in previous movies and in the books, the focus of combat was to liken it to duels, but this scene made it all that much more realistic in context because it was a -shootout-. No dueling involved, it was dirty fighting and gritty spellwork.
I will forever love the Beaded Bag of Holding.
Well, it’s nice to know that I’m not crazy and that the post does exist.
I hope we get more real-life fighting in Fantastic Beasts.
I just remember this: http://neenya.tumblr.com/post/57116693621, I don’t know if that’s what you meant, but it’s cool anyway (p.s. Henry?).
ah, I should have read all the comments, my bad.
No worries! (Also, you’re right. Henry?!)
As the great John Rogers once said “You say trope, I say well-honed narrative tool.”
Okay, I saw a similar post on tumblr that shows how Hermione uses her wand as an extension of herself. Either way, I love that the filmmakers took the time to think about something like that. Not everyone is going to use their wand in the same way. It’s like how the EU writers all found ways for the various Jedi to use the Force and their lightsabers in ways that are unique to them.
If you thought that reference was dorky, wait until you see this one: Along similar lines, a recent artist (maybe Ethan Van Sciver) decided to give each of Earth’s four Green Lanterns very distinct ways of using their rings. For example, Guy Gardner, the hotheaded ginger of the group, is so amped-up and ready for a fight at all times that his ring is constantly sparking and letting off little bursts of energy, even when he isn’t using it.
Fun fact: John Stewart is the only Green Lantern whose will exceeds the capabilities of his power ring.
That’s why I keep pushing for a John Stewart led movie. Also because I just can’t bring myself to care about Hal Jordan.
The John Stewart Green Lantern movie should feature a scene where he goes on the Daily Show.
I don’t hate Hal. He’s a bit of a swaggering asshole, but that can be interesting if done well. (Which is why, although he isn’t a physical match, I think Nathan Fillion’s voice is perfect for Hal.)
Guy and John are my guys. Kyle is a whiney simp.
MOGO-led movie imo
Yeah, that was probably the same post. I think it said something about Ron’s style working because he’d grown up around magic and wands? Wish I could find. Also, I love the EU lightsaber stuff.
That is a fun Green Lantern fun fact.
I’ve always appreciated the diner scene in the movie. I think it did a good job of illustrating how magic would be used in a very real and spontaneous context, instead of a duel or even a battle where there would be some degree of preparation. Basically just echoing what Kevin said, but yeah, I concur.
Off topic, sort of: I was really pulling for the Twelfth Doctor to be a ginger, but I like Peter Capaldi’s snappiness.
I also love the people working at the diner. They’re awesome.
Maybe Thirteen will be ginger? And maybe a woman? And maybe with a different showrunner? Basically, I just want Bonnie Wright to be the Doctor.
Found the wand technique post! http://grlgoddess.tumblr.com/post/57314793914/neenya-check-out-your-differences-in-wand
Well done! Fifty points to Ravenclaw.
THAT’S THE ONE
Excellent work! Good thing you found it, too, because I did not remember it very well. Ha.
So my birthday wrecked my plans to catch up on the internet. Thank you very belatedly for the birthday wishes!
You’re very welcome!
(Fellow Motel-lover here.)
I’m so glad you brought up that tumblr/wand post! I remembered seeing that forever ago but couldn’t remember much about it.