Countdown: Two Days!

Okay, if you're one of the midnight showing people, it's only 16 hours for you. As I like staying awake for my movies, it's two days for me.

I'm cheating on this one. My #2 favorite HP moments both involve a kiss:

The Silver Doe chapter:




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I'm certain I've said this before on this blog, but The Silver Doe is my favorite chapter in all of HP canon. The entire series rests on the trio's strength as, well, a trio. Here is where it all reaches it's decisive and dramatic point. The trio succeeds or fails here. When Riddle Harry and Riddle Hermione emerge from that locket for a makeout session, we aren't sure how our boy Ron will take it. For a moment, we think he's possessed, that it's over for Ron, but he comes through like a champ. The series again reveals it's structure--Ron's journey begins in book 1 with a kickass chess match, and here, against the locket. Both times, he proves why the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor.

And, of course, THIS. KISS. YAY.



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Man, we waited a long time for this one, slogged through a bunch of fanfic to get our fix, and kept our fingers crossed that these two would snog before either one got killed by Voldie. JK delivered, as usual, and gave us a satisfying but not overly saccharine resolution to this relationship. I read that Watson and Grint have already filmed this scene. It better be hot, or I will, will, um, write a VERY angry blog post about it. There. Quake in your boots, Watson and Grint.

I've saved my bestest moment for last. Check in tomorrow, and then, go see the damn movie.

Top Three Countdown: Day 3

On this, the Half-Blood Prince movie's eve-eve, I'm ready to announce the beginning of my TOP THREE HP MOMENTS!

Numero tres:

Dead Dobby!




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Sorry. Was that too flip? Dobby's death really did move me, more than any other death in the series (yes, more than Dumbledore's). The house elf plight, given short shrift in the films, is an important thread in the novels. The elves are the lowest rung of the magical ladder, and yet, they are, arguably, the most powerful creatures. Their love of service and passivity make them easy to push around. But not Dobby! Dobby rescues the trio and friends at their most dire hour, sacrificing himself for them, foreshadowing what Harry must do later. It was a lesson Harry had to learn. That he digs Dobby's grave by hand is also testament to Harry's gratitude to Dobby. After all, Dobby is Harry's biggest fan. And I'm Dobby's:)

Everything about Dobby's funeral is perfect (and in complete contrast to Dumbledore's extravagant ceremony). Luna's speech is a tear-jerker, and the headstone, "Here Lies Dobby, A Free Elf" is the ideal tribute.

One Week Countdown: Day 4

Four days is totally manageable, right? You can do this, HP fans!

My #4 favorite Potter moment:

Malfoy Freaking Manor!



Can you say heart in your throat, edge of your seat, omgwtfbbq storytelling? And keeping the action in the cellar with Ron and Harry, having Hermione's screams as the only indication of the horror above their heads, is brilliant and tense and, dare I say, Hitchcockian. Of course, the story demands that control, as the perspective is always Harry's. Nevertheless, there is nothing more chilling in all of the books put together than Ron clawing the walls to get to Hermione, who is being tortured to death, and nothing more telling about Harry's and Hermione's characters as the fact that they keep it together in that moment.

And that artist up there, Makani? Isn't she AMAZING?

One Week Countdown: Day 5

Five fabulous days, folks (say it five times fast).

My #5 favorite HP moment is...

Our first look at the BURROW!

Ron: "It's not much, but it's home."
Harry: "I think it's brilliant."

And wouldn't you know it, the Burrow has it's own Wiki entry, where you'll learn it's on the outskirts of a little village called Ottery-Saint Catchpole (Hermione's Patronus is an otter. Is there a connection?), and it's architecture is nothing short of magical, with rooms popping up here and there and impossibly held together.

More importantly, it's the only home, aside from Hogwart's, that Harry knows. The Burrow is all warmth, fun, and mollycoddling--just what Harry has never had. It makes me so happy to know that these will be his in-laws.

We're winding down now, folks. Jedi J.? Your take?

One Week Countdown: Day 6

Number 6 on my Half-Blood Prince Movie countdown of my favorite HP moments is:

Neville's Destiny




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I love how history repeats itself, first with the James/Lily/Sirius generation and the creation of the Order, then with Harry/Hermione/Ron, etc. and Dumbledore's Army. The most poignant element of the cyclical nature of this rebellious group is Neville's backstory.

Neville's visit to his parents at the hospital is a bit of brilliant storytelling. His mother, Alice, hands him a gum wrapper, obviously unaware of who her son is, and Neville pockets it, tenderly. I imagine that he keeps little wrappers with him, and later, when Neville becomes the man he should be, these, along with the image of his parents, fuel him.

I love, too, how the Boy Who Lived could have been Neville. Voldemort chose his enemy, and easily, his red gaze could have turned on Neville. This speaks to the overriding theme of the novels--that it is our choices that define us. Truer words were never spoken (thanks, JK). Neville makes all the right choices when it really matters.

Two Week Countdown: Day 7

One week to go! This time next week, all the anticipation will be a thing of the past.

My #7 best HP moment is...

Angsty Harry!



The Order of the Phoenix, though a dark, dark book, stands out in my imagination as an authentic rendering of teenage angst. Harry goes through a lot (understatement of year) and reacts predictably--isolating himself, begrudging his friends, indulging in whine after whine. The film captured this well, too. And so, angsty Harry it is for number seven.

And as a "Week to Go" treat, here's some Wizard Angst, courtesy of the Potter Puppet Pals!



"I feel cranky and pubescent today and I don't know why!" (shake, shake)

Two Week Countdown: Day 8

Eight! Eight! Eight!

My #8 favorite HP moment comes from Deathly Hallows, and is shippy again (I'm saving the more poignant, less shippy moments for later in the countdown, natch):

"Always the tone of surprise."



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Why I like this: All through books 1-6, we blame the failure of the Ron/Hermione relationship on Ron. Truly, the boy is thick. But he isn't all to blame. Hermione dishes out a particular brand of superiority that's hard to fall in love with. In this scene from DH, the members of the Order, having Polyjuiced themselves to look like Harry in order to get the Boy Who Lived to safety, are attacked by Deatheaters. Hermione arrives safely at the Burrow first, and has to wait for Ron to arrive. When he does, she embraces him while Tonks commends Ron's prowess with a wand. Hermione, characteristically, responds in disbelief. Hence Ron's clever retort: "Always the tone of surprise," which he uses again later in the book.

For the first time, Ron is calling Hermione out on her treatment of him (though in a gentle way). The girl learns her lesson, though, gushing about "her man" in one of the final chapters and leading to the shippiest moment of all...

NOTE: Jedi J has been posting her favorites in the comments. Check 'em out! And thanks J:) Now, where IS that V?