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The secret to liking Harry Potter and the Fifth Fiasco

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Amrunelen
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Posted: Sat 04 Jun , 2005 11:31 pm
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"Men charged over plot to sell new Potter novel
2 Britons charged with firearms offenses, handling stolen book


LONDON - Two British men were charged on Saturday with firearms offenses after allegedly trying to sell a stolen copy of the new Harry Potter book to a tabloid newspaper before its release.

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Police were called to an address in Kettering in central England on Friday after reports of a shot being fired.

The Sun newspaper said the incident came as the men tried to sell one of its reporters a stolen copy of “Harry Potter And the Half-Blood Prince” for 50,000 pounds ($90,880).

Northamptonshire police confirmed two men from Kettering had been charged in connection with the incident.

“A 37-year-old has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and handling a stolen book,” a police spokesman said.

“A 19-year-old man has been charged with the theft of the book and a possession of an imitation firearm intending to cause fear of violence.”

The latest Harry Potter book, set to be released on July 16, is the sixth installment in the hugely popular series about a boy wizard written by British author J.K. Rowling.

The fifth adventure, published in 2003, made publishing history by selling 5 million copies within 24 hours.

Orders for the hugely-anticipated sixth book made it the top seller on Amazon.com in the United States and Britain months before its publication.

Rowling’s legal firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain issued a statement saying it had obtained an injunction against the two arrested men.

“This order was made following our client’s discovery that a copy of the forthcoming Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, had been obtained by unauthorized persons who had subsequently offered the book to newspaper journalists,” the statement said.

The Sun said it had intended to expose the men’s attempt to cash in on stolen copy which was now safely in the possession of police.

Police said the two suspects had been granted bail and were due to appear before magistrates early next week."


:Q Crazy people...

Only 1 month and 12 days left. :D :D

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Teremia
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Posted: Mon 06 Jun , 2005 5:51 am
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I have NO IDEA what's going to happen in HP6, but I'm betting my eyeteeth that at the end of HP7, Harry's going to have to sacrifice his magical abilities.

Oh, and if Dumbledore's alive at the end of HP7, I will fall out of my chair in surprise (happy and proud surprise: imagine Rowling bucking tradition that way!)


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peeg
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Posted: Mon 06 Jun , 2005 7:37 am
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Yea, i read that in the paper too, Rune. Not crazy people, very stupid people!! If i got a hold of an early copy of HBP i'd be hoarding it like dragon's gold, not trying to sell it to the papers ;) :D

As for the Dumbledore issue, it would such a lovely surprise if Rowling didn't actually end up killing him my HP7, but to pull that off convincingly he'd have to get a new role....i mean, his main role in the books seems to be fighting Voldemort, so what's he gonna do after Voldemort's gone? It'll be something like him being past his use-by date..... ;)

ducks a blow from Leafy

Ok, ok, no fanfics!! But i think you can trust my taste in writing.....i like HP too, after all. And i only like one fanfic writer- goes by the name of Arabella and is co-founder of the thesugarquill.com :D ducks again Ok, ok, i'll shut up!! Sheesh...... ;)

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Eruname
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Posted: Mon 06 Jun , 2005 5:14 pm
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Pippin4242 wrote:
Yeah, Sirius deserved a much more dramatic exit- with plenty of blood and gore. Or is it just me who thinks that?
I don't know. I think the suddeness of his disappearance made it a lot more shocking....but I'm a moderator at a Harry Potter board and got his death spoiled for me by someone posting it in a thread title. :rage: Also it's even harder on Harry because he doesn't get to see Sirius at all and has no opportunites for closure since he doesn't know what happened to him.
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Did he see Cedric Diggory die? :scratch
Yes. That's why he could finally see the Thestrals in book 5.

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halplm
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Posted: Tue 21 Jun , 2005 3:46 pm
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Personally, I think Dumbledore will be alive at the end. I think Harry will be alive as well, and still have his Magic.

I can't see the books ending without a "happily ever after" moment. I'm sure I could be wrong, though. It's just that everything is so very very bad for Harry in his childhood... and I don't think the message of the books written for kids is going to be: Life sucks... then you die.

I think it will be a bit more uplifting. IF Harry had anything at all to look forward too in a non-magic sense, then I would agree he might have to give up those powers. HOWEVER, I don't think he does.

What's entirely likely, I think, is that Voldemort is going to take back from Harry the power he gave to him with the aborted curse. He will do this thinking to gain enough power to win. However, I imagine this power has been inhibiting Harry, rather than helping him, and he will be even more able to fight Voldemort.

As for Dumbledore dying... I just don't see why that's necessary. I think everyone is a bit cynical as JKR has said things will get pretty bad. We all think people have to die... I won't be surprised if they do, but I think Harry is going to come out of the story with a happy ending, which means that I don't think anyone else close to him will die.

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Pippin4242
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Posted: Tue 21 Jun , 2005 6:24 pm
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I think Percy might be next. Even Harry never liked him much, so that would make it feasible by halplm's theory. What with Mrs Weasly's bogart and everything, I can't help thinking one of them's going to get it in the neck before too long. :scratch

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Eltirwen
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Posted: Tue 21 Jun , 2005 11:08 pm
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I have a theory. Would it not be poetic justice for Snape to sacrifice himself for Harry? Clear once and for all suspicion, redeem himself, that sort of thing? He would know You-know-who's weaknesses. Could be dramatic. I don't think Dumbledore can die - he's almost taken the father role over for Harry.

Someone at TORC thinks Hagrid is the half-blood prince. :Q

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Jude
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Posted: Wed 22 Jun , 2005 12:57 am
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Eltirwen wrote:
Someone at TORC thinks Hagrid is the half-blood prince. :Q
Well - not so impossible, come to think of it. In book four we learned that he's half-giant - maybe that's what half-blood is referring to?

I have no strong attachment to this theory, only mentioning that it is possible.

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satch
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Posted: Fri 24 Jun , 2005 8:56 pm
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Argh!! I just wrote a really long post then accidentally closed the page..! :Q ARGH ARGH!!!

*Breathes deeply*

I can see how - with JKR's whole putting things in 2 books before it actually happens - the Hagrid as the HBP could work, but I can't really imagining it happening. Or, I'd rather it not be him. Either or, I guess. I don't have any other theories anyway.

And I'm still really struggling to seperate canon facts with fanon. I mean, sure - some fan fictions are so bad that it's obvious that they're fan fictions, or they're obviously not canon for other reasons - but some are so well written it's kinda hard to remember what is "real" or not. :roll: :scratch :help:

It makes guesses about the next book really hard!

(On the subject of fanfictions... Psssst Peeg! These:
Mirror of Maybe (Unfinished)
Time out of place (Finished)
Dormiens, Sinister and then Veritas (Very long, but very worth it... although it's not finished yet - but that's really not the point.)

...are fabulous, and if you haven't read them already I recommend them :):D.)

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peeg
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Posted: Sat 02 Jul , 2005 4:13 pm
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WOW, only 12 more days to go. Can't wait. :D

Hagrid being the half-blood prince is actually an interesting theory, though not very feasible. He's already has his limelight in CoS....and a bit in GoF, but frankly i thought the rest of his parts were just boring. He's not the most amazing character.

Besides, Dumbledore being the half-blood prince is just so much more appealing. Although i'd never think of Dumbledore as anything less then "kingly"....

Satch, my thanks for proving me with fodder to indulge my very bad, time-wasting, current obssession with HP fanfics. The first two i hadn't heard of.....i'm reading time out of place now. As for the last one.....Cassie Claire might be really good at writing the Very Secret Diaries, but somehow i don't think HP is her forte. i started reading Draco Dormiens and really disliked it. I can't understand why it's so popular. I can't really pinpoint what it was about it that really irked me....maybe the fact that i'm a Draco/Ginny shipper, or maybe the fact that Harry and Draco being close and stuff is just weird, or maybe.....well, any number of things, but either way, i really hated that last one :D

Oh, WOW.....only 12 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes and 20 seconds to go...... :D ;)

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halplm
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Posted: Thu 07 Jul , 2005 11:23 pm
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Sorry, back to book 5, which I'm reading again.

I simply can't believe how long it is.

Umbridge might be my favorite literary character in a very long time. I mean, you can't help but hate everything about her. Voldemort I can dismiss, because I'm not too worried about running into a dark wizard that can kill me instanty. Every time I think how utterly horrible Umbridge is, I can't dismiss her, because there ARE people like that. Even if she's worse than stereotypical, I could believe someone could be that bad.

In fact I remember high school teachers that seemed that bad in their ignorance and stubborness.

A near perfect book villian.

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Faramond
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Posted: Thu 07 Jul , 2005 11:51 pm
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Let's see ... who is going to die?


Neville is going to eat it.

One of the Weasley twins will die, and the other will commit suicide.

Dumbledore will live but be badly maimed.

Sirius Black will come back from the dead as Sirius White.

Draco Malfoy will kill Hagrid.



Actually, I do think Neville will die. He's as doomed as Goose in Top Gun.


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Lord_Morningstar
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Posted: Fri 08 Jul , 2005 12:01 am
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halplm wrote:
Sorry, back to book 5, which I'm reading again.

I simply can't believe how long it is.
I think that JKR stumbled with OotP. In retrospect, I’m inclined to style it as the weakest of the HP books. Nothing really happens (we spend a whole chapter cleaning curtains), the battle in the DoM is infested with stormtrooper syndrome and the constant pressure of school work, stormy romance and cabin fever is downright depressing. I used to rate it as being better than CoS and P/SS, but I re-read CoS last night, and I found it an altogether better book; faster, funnier, with a more interesting mystery and far more backstory and information to the overall plot than OotP. I’ll re-read PS soon and probably come to the same conclusion.
halplm wrote:
Umbridge might be my favorite literary character in a very long time. I mean, you can't help but hate everything about her. Voldemort I can dismiss, because I'm not too worried about running into a dark wizard that can kill me instanty. Every time I think how utterly horrible Umbridge is, I can't dismiss her, because there ARE people like that. Even if she's worse than stereotypical, I could believe someone could be that bad.
Oddly enough, I fear Lord V more, but that’s probably just because I have an over-active imagination and I can see a group of death eaters coming into my house at night for a ‘spot of muggle torture’ before I can see my life being made miserable by an Umbridge-like superior.

8 sleeps to go.


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peeg
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Posted: Fri 08 Jul , 2005 10:03 am
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Exactly one more week to go!! :D :D

Faramond, i don't think Neville is going to die. I think he has a much more important role in the series than to just be another convenient boo-hoo-but-there-are-always-casulties-in-war sort of death. After all, it could have been Neville instead of Harry and it was just by chance that Voldemort chose Harry instead. That's gotta count for something. And just think.....then all the books would've collectively be known as Neville Longbottom. :damnfunny :D
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One of the Weasley twins will die, and the other will commit suicide.
I LIKE this one.....not that i want the twins to die- it would take all the humor out of the books. And their deaths would have to be for a really good reason. But it could work if she wrote it properly.
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Sirius Black will come back from the dead as Sirius White.
That is, like, practically canon :P ;)
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Draco Malfoy will kill Hagrid.
:suspicious: The basis behind that bieng.....?

As for who's more scary, Umbridge or Voldemort.....probably Umbridge. At least Voldemort has a brain and you can attempt to argue with him, right before he kills you that is. Or maybe he's not that scary because the threat of him isn't as real as that of people like Umbridge, who is just stupid. Stupid people scare me.....you can't beat them with witty arguments, cause they don't get it ;)

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halplm
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Posted: Wed 13 Jul , 2005 5:28 pm
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Ok, I'm just about ot get to Dumbledore's massive explanitory speech at the end of book 5 (I think my timing is working out pretty well :) ).

It struck me again and again how great JKR is at writing infuriating characters. I'm right there with Harry feeling rage and helplessness. It is the only strength of the book. Even Dumbledore is infuriating in his "mistrust" of Harry.

Which leads me to the unbelievably horrendously large flaw in this book. There is no way, the two most powerful/intelligent wizards in the world would do things the way they were done in this book.

Voldemort clears out the entire Ministry of Magic so that his dozen-odd death eaters and Harry's gang can get to the prophecy, but he won't risk going himself? Dumbledore sacrifices himself so that Harry can stay in school, say's the ministry will regret ousting him, and then goes off and for all we can see accomplishes NOTHING but leave Harry vulnerable to Voldemort, and end up getting Sirius killed? Harry and the rest FLY all the way to London, while the rest of the OOTP can get their almost instantly, but don't arrive until they're just in time to "save the day" and get Sirius killed, of course.

Maybe there are purposes for these actions, but I can't see what they are. I guess the main problem is it strains whatever small internal consistancy the wizarding world has. Perhaps such a collapse was inevitable as the plot expanded outside of the relatively secluded setting of Hogwarts.

So I think the secret to enjoying the book, is to not analyze it at all. Just accept the plot as it unfolds and believe that things outside of Harry's point of view WERE happening and HAD to happen, he just never knows why.

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DaMuzikMan
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Posted: Wed 13 Jul , 2005 5:41 pm
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Hal:
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So I think the secret to enjoying the book, is to not analyze it at all. Just accept the plot as it unfolds and believe that things outside of Harry's point of view WERE happening and HAD to happen, he just never knows why.
"Willing suspension of disbelief". Any time someone reads ancient folklore - try Beowulf, for example - they have to avoid overanalyzing that there's no way all of those times and actions add up in the long run.
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Voldemort clears out the entire Ministry of Magic so that his dozen-odd death eaters and Harry's gang can get to the prophecy, but he won't risk going himself?
Actually this strikes me very much part of Voldemort's charcter. His biggest fear is death, and he really doesn't want to be discovered, and he doesn't mind putting his servants in harm's way.

Quote:
Dumbledore sacrifices himself so that Harry can stay in school, say's the ministry will regret ousting him, and then goes off and for all we can see accomplishes NOTHING but leave Harry vulnerable to Voldemort, and end up getting Sirius killed?
I'm just as baffled about this as you are. But I just assume that whatever Dumbledore was accomplishing didn't make it into the news because of Fudge's weight on the Prophet (C'mon, politics does it all the time!)
Quote:
Harry and the rest FLY all the way to London, while the rest of the OOTP can get their almost instantly, but don't arrive until they're just in time to "save the day" and get Sirius killed, of course.
Well, if you add in the fact that thestrals are incredibly fast, the fact that Snape had to wait for Harry's return to Hogwarts - who knew when he decided Harry wasn't going to return - and then get a hold of the Order, and then they had to get a hold of Dumbledore, and then Dumbledore had to question Kreacher- again, how long would that take, and then they had to show up at the Ministry... it kind of adds up. a little. It makes the suspension of disbelief a bit easier, at least.

Besides, it's magic. ;)

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halplm
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Posted: Wed 13 Jul , 2005 10:07 pm
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Yeah, I just got to the part where the timeline is explained, and it's a LITTLE bit better, but there are just too many ways it should have worked better. Usually in fiction, you have to suspend your disbelief that things could go so well. I guess I'm much more used to that that suspending the disbelief that things could go so very very wrong.

I still don't buy the Voldemort not willing to go into the Department of mystery. He was willing to at the end, and the way was perfectly clear for Harry to get down there... Voldemort could have been in and out before Harry even got there...

Now, there could be a plot device for this... such as Voldemort had changed so much through is "death" and rebirth, that the enchantment preventing people from geting the prophecy didn't recognize him as Voldemort any more... So Harry was the ONLY one who could do it... but that's not what's said in the book.

I guess the end sequence of this book relies a little too much on the suspension of disbelief. It's well paced, and makes an exciting sequence, but it's just a little too farfetched in many places.

Oh, and I don't remember if this was the thread or not, but whoever said that JKR's humor wasn't childish should read book 5 again... from fireworks spelling "poo" to the repeated jokes about "Uranus" there is plenty of low brow humor to go around.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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DaMuzikMan
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Posted: Thu 14 Jul , 2005 3:46 am
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Hal... Voldemort never really struck me as the type of wizard who thought things through all the way. I mean, yes, he is very smart, very cunning, and he has thought-out plans... but a lot of his tactics are easily set aside by something he 'forgot'...

S/PS - Harry's protection from his mother's death so that Quirrel couldn't touch him.

CoS - Phoenix tears and their healing powers.

GoF - I'm still looking for an example here, really... but you would think Voldemort would spend less time gloating and more time anticipating Disarming Charms and the Summoning of Portkeys.

OotP - Voldemort not going into the Ministry himself to get the prophecy.

But what I don't understand (one of, anyway) is why Voldemort so desperately needed to hear that prophecy. It doesn't exactly say anything profound on how to destroy Harry, does it? But of course, he doesn't knwo that... anyone have any thoughts?

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Eruname
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Posted: Thu 14 Jul , 2005 4:21 am
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halplm wrote:
Oh, and I don't remember if this was the thread or not, but whoever said that JKR's humor wasn't childish should read book 5 again... from fireworks spelling "poo" to the repeated jokes about "Uranus" there is plenty of low brow humor to go around.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
That was Iavas in the GoF movie thread I believe. :)

I know the OotP could have gotten to the Ministry of Magic quicker but I guess it was important to the storyline for Harry and his friends to take care of things.
Quote:
But what I don't understand (one of, anyway) is why Voldemort so desperately needed to hear that prophecy. It doesn't exactly say anything profound on how to destroy Harry, does it? But of course, he doesn't knwo that... anyone have any thoughts?
I think you answered your own question. He didn't know what the prophecy says so that's precisely why he wanted to get it so badly. For all he knew it could have said how he would be killed and with that information he could protect himself.

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peeg
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Posted: Thu 14 Jul , 2005 8:41 am
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I still think Voldemort went to an unnecessary amount of trouble just to get that one prophecy. Actually, i found something that truely captured how i felt about the whole issue:

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By Simmysim on LJ :LMAO: :LMAO:

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