Page: 559
Which is: Hagrid has sent word Aragog has died
Lag: -28
Time Spent: 62.65 hours
Pages Remaining: 209 (95% Complete)
Favourite Character: Ron
Cool Moment: Harry day-dreaming about Ginny
Random Quote: “I love you Hermione,” said Ron, sinking back in his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily. Hermione turned faintly pink, but merely said, “Don’t let Lavender hear you say that.”
Well back into lag for the first time in 20 days. Which is fine because today is basically it. 209 pages in 3 1/2 hours. Even if I choose to go out tonight to buy the book I’ve still got until midnight at the earliest – and it’d probably make more sense to go a little after midnight. Not sure what to say since I’ve read so little since last time. How about a word about Harry’s pensieve sessions with Dumbledore? They are a major feature of this book after all.
I have this theory that JKR – who famously had the whole thing planned out before writing book 1 – was carefully dropping hints, clues and information to be used later in the early books, thinking she’d drip-feed us the various bits of back-story we needed. Then, my theory goes, she gets to book 6 and realises how much of Lord V’s history in particular still needs to be filled in. Huge swathes of exposition. So she invents the “private lessons with Dumbledore” idea and gives us the requisite information that way. A mixture of as-if-we-were-there flashback and straight story-telling from Dumbledore. And you know what? I find I don’t mind. There’s some interesting Harry-Dumbledore interaction and the back-story itself is fascinating. It’s fuel for speculation about the ending to come.
Although, is it me or is the very first flash-back – visiting Marvolo, Morphin and Merope – straight out of To Kill a Mockingbird? And of course the scene in the garden at the Burrow with Scrimgeour was pure Pride and Prejudice.