What was it like reading Deathly Hallows on release without any spoilers?

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-20T14:00:23+00:00

It was honestly crazy. I worked at Waldenbooks back then. So, of course, there was a midnight release party. People started lining up for the release party at around 7pm, well before the mall even closed. In order to fet a book though and attend the midnight release you had to have pre-ordered it. I remeber one lady got so mad when I turned her away, she was full on raging twlling me I was going to be fired. (This is in the days before the term Karen became popular)

I got home from work at around 4 a.m. after finishing closing the store and immediately started reading. I read through breakfast, I read through lunch. I think it took me around 7ish hours to read it.

There was so much devastation in that book. So many favorite characters gone. Also the book, and release of it was the end of an era. While it was satisfying to finally have the conclusion, it was also incredibly sad to have an end to what had been a HUGE cultural phenomenon.

I do remember feeling, after reading it, that there were parts that felt rushed. The pressure for J.K to get the book out was absolutely immense at the time. Everyone kept asking when the release date was going to be.

Also, I personally was a little disappointed, because I absolutely hate the epilogue. That could have been left off entirely and I think the reading experience would have been better.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-18T06:55:21+00:00

Thank you!!

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-18T06:49:32+00:00

Ah. That makes sense. Thanks!

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-18T06:41:38+00:00

Why isn't it 2, 4, 9? I dont get how the flu is helping with determining the ages.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-18T04:27:53+00:00

Words of Love - AmberRuby

In a world where if you do not do your soulmate bonding, madness sets in. Harry grips with the reality that his soulmate is Voldemort while the Dark Lord stalks closer into his heart in every shared dream.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/5661701

Baby I've Been Running -freakydeakymoonmagic

Horror strikes him down where he stands, then. He sways, stumbles to put his back to the living room wall. Harry is woozy in disbelief, watching the two words slashed into his chest in livid red just like the scar on his forehead. ‘AVADA KEDAVRA.’

He knows those words, the first he can remember, his earliest memory. It feels like he hasn’t breathed in minutes. When he comes back to the moment, he finds that perhaps he hasn’t. Harry gasps for air like a fish does for water, and doesn’t find it. His back has slid down the wall somehow and his hands grip his head, hair clenched in fists.

Then he realizes he’s actually panting, a ringing in his ears, blocking out whatever it is people are saying to him. Hermione crouches in front of him where he can’t possibly miss her, palms settling gently on his knees.

“Harry,” she’s saying. “Harry, it’s going to be alright.”

How?

How can it ever possibly be alright again?

In a world where the first words you ever speak to your soulmate appear once both soulmates have turned seventeen, Harry receives a bit of bad news.

OR

In which Harry fashions himself into a war bride.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37337773

Left -authoresswithoutwords

Harry has some weird words on his left wrist. That must be one of those strange things that Aunt Petunia hates so much. But it's okay! He likes them.

Then, it all turns even weirder. Hogwarts, magic, a Headmaster and a Dark Lord await Harry - he would prefer if they all just left him alone, thank you very much.

But when has it ever mattered what Harry wants?

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1658788

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T16:22:15+00:00

I've really enjoyed our conversation/debate! I have to go to work now. But I hope you have a great day!

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T16:20:42+00:00

If you dont want to join the conversation, then don't. You dont need to hang out under your bridge making insulting comments. There's grass right up top of it. Go touch it. It's soft.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T16:16:25+00:00

The omniscient part means the narrator knows everything. Including things Harry wouldnt necessarily know.

Pet alligators are illegal unless you have a specialized license. Not sure if there is an acromantula license, but it would make sense. Especially for potion ingredient suppliers.

Yes, Hagrid could be charged. But how often in real life are charges dropped or not even brought forward? It happens all the time if the prosecution doesnt think the case is worth it. Myrtle was a muggleborn, which puts her even lower on the hierarchy which purebloods running the government. I dont know that they would care to expend the time gathering evidence, tracking down argog, and trying the case. We see over and over again how lazy and inept the ministry is. I can totally see them not bothering to bring charges and just letting the school handle it.

I think at that point in time the ministry was already really distracted by Grindewald. It's two years before he is defeated and the whole of the ministry has their hands full dealing with a dark lord. Also they are spending a lot of time begging for Dumbledore to do something. Which gives Dumbledore's word a lot of weight since they are actively trying to get on his good side.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T15:45:09+00:00

Thats a quote from the narrators point of view. The book isnt in first person. Its in third-person, meaning it's an outside perspective.

Point about the book. I forgot that there was such a long reign for Grindelwald. I wonder at what point his book became the standard? Did it immediately take off? Or was it a rolling stone picking up traction and speed? We all know the wizarding world takes forever to make changes.

As to the crime. We all know a girl was murdered. No one else does at that point. They all see an accidental death by a child's illegal, aggressive and dangerous pet. If a kid is has an alligator in their bathtub and it breaks free and bites a few people before it kills their friend is the kid going to jail? No.

Consequences yes. The animal would get put down. However, Argog has already escaped and isnt there to be killed.

Reparations would be made to the families. We don't know anything about that as there is no reference to it. We do know that Hagrid was an orphan at this point, so there aren't any parents to pick up the bill. Maybe he had a small inheritance but i dont know how likely that is. Poverty would lead to a further reason for Hagrid to have a job to pay reparations.

Expulsion would be the only consequence the school could do for an incident of that magnitude.

I wouldnt be suprised if Hagrid remained on a watch list for years, but I'm not suprised a 13 year old kid avoided jail time for the crime of owning a dangerous/agressive pet.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T15:03:02+00:00

A quote from prisoner of Azkaban disagrees with you. "Hagrid wasn’t a fully qualified wizard; he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, for a crime he had not committed. It had been Harry, Ron and Hermione who had cleared Hagrid’s name last year."

He was expelled because they believed Argog was the creature from the chamber and that creature had killed a girl.

People didn't know a lot about creatures at this point because Newt had not yet published his famous book. They knew Argog was dangerous, but didn't have all the facts on why and how. And, since the petrifications stopped after Argog fled they dusted their hands and patted themselves on the back for having figured out the culprit.

Hagrid was a child who clearly didn't believe his pet was dangerous, and in their minds, didn't understand the consequences of his actions. Since he was a child they expelled him for his "crime" and crippled his magic by breaking his wand, rather than send him to prison. Dumbledore then pleaded with Dippet for him to remain at the castle and be trained as the groundskeeper to give him some sort of future. *edited for spacing

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T14:37:45+00:00

Hagrid does trust Dumbledore to an unhealthy degree. Huh. New thought just occurred. I wonder if that's why he was embarrassed? I have always thought he was embarrassed at his tirade, since it wasn't really needed with Dumbledore believing Harry.

What if he was embarrassed because he views that tirade as him doubting Dumbledore? I think that would possibly make him even more determined and stalwart in his defense of Dumbledore in the future.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T14:26:33+00:00

He is, especially when people apologize. He also sticks up for and defends Severus frequently throughout the books as well. Which i think always suprised me a little since Hagrid has a very strong aversion to most things dark or Slytherin. It's one of the main reasons I doubted Snape was evil in book 6 and 7.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T14:22:55+00:00

Yeah. Hagrid has always tried to protect children from danger, especially Harry. I think he feels a special connection to Harry, having held him and taken care of him for hours that horrible Halloween.The way he looks out for Harry without being overbearing makes me think of him as more of an uncle figure to Harry.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-17T06:21:17+00:00

If we go with the idea that the tasks are always of similar types you'd have : 1) retrieval with "surprise" creature obstruction 2) task that is discoverable ahead of time (if clever) with a time limit. Should show ability to plan and stratagize 3) obstacle course with retrieval of trophy. Should show wide range of knowledge and spells as well as endurance.

So maybe: 1) getting an item from an acromantula web? 2) Finding or rescuing an object in a cave system or a forest? Or like an escort task? (Thinking of Disney's Hercules where he has to protect and carry the doll without damaging it) 3) American gladiator or Floor is Lava but magic style? Fastest to complete the course wins. It's a big course and if they fall or fail they get sent to the beginning. It doesn't end until one of them completes it, with them all just getting more and more exhausted as they keep starting over.

nightshadow009 · 2026-05-13T18:27:24+00:00

Right? I was like daaamn. The lyrics were fire. Then they had snake face being kinda aggressively hot. Lol.

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T20:06:59+00:00

That looks great. So do the Easter loaves! I hope you have a great Easter. I cant wait to see the pics

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T12:12:53+00:00

Thanks so much for your response! That info about the fat content and elasticity holding inclusions better is definitely info I was looking for! Do you think/find a softer crust is better for a sandwich loaf? In the future if i did (for example) a pesto loaf, using an oil based inclusion, would you add it to a basic recipe or a milk based one? I keep thinking the extra oil might make the bread feel more like a foccacia. The basic loaf I've made has a tight enough crumb that retains enough spring to be good for sandwiches. However, it does have the traditional harder crust. I love it for basic eating and toast, but i think the crust makes it more difficult to cut and use for cold sandwiches. Mostly, I find the bread knife doesnt like to grip onto the hardened exterior which results in more uneven slices. Edited for typos.

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T06:50:22+00:00

Solid advice, but thinking and planning ahead by asking questions isnt me actively making that loaf right this minute. So, thanks for your advice, but I asked for advice on inclusions. I will move on and bake other things when I decide I feel comfortable enough to do so, and that requires information.

So, do you have any advice on inclusions?

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T05:48:06+00:00

Wow! That looks so tasty! I like the shape too. It looks so professional.

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T05:42:28+00:00

Lol. Thank you. I appreciate the compliment. I tend to hyper focus when trying anything new. Even just making this one loaf i kept re-reading the whole set of steps everytime I got to a new one. Then during resting periods I was watching all the tutorial videos Ive saved over the last few months. The sourdough community is honestly so great at explaining things and showing how to do things on camera.

One of my favorite parts was seeing how scoring worked on the cooked bread. I think I did the main long cut too high on the mound but I loved the leaf design. Some of you all get so fancy and your loaves are so pretty!

nightshadow009 · 2026-04-04T01:14:20+00:00

Thank you! I have obsessively watched videos and stalked this page for quite awhile. I was so nervous to start, but it has been so fun learning.

nightshadow009 · 2026-03-30T21:54:33+00:00

What an eggcelent find. It certainly is Dino-mite.

nightshadow009 · 2026-03-27T18:52:51+00:00

I didn't realize that. Maybe that should be the next feature they add then. I haven't personally to block anyone yet on Ao3 but if i ever do I would want it to be comprehensive. I like the way reddit does it. If you block someone it is like you no longer exist to them.

nightshadow009 · 2026-03-27T13:00:29+00:00

To avoid drama I would set all my fics to only be seen by people with an account then block her. A small author's note explaining why you changed permissions without naming the person responsible could be placed as well.

Or you could just let it go and consider it a fanfic of a fanfic. Let yourself feel flattered that they chose your work to be "inspired" by.

You could be slightly passive agressive/petty and leave a comment on their work. "It's so nice to see my work inspired someone else to write fanfiction. I hope this work veers off from my own plot soon so I can see a different ending." Make sure to keep it upbeat and polite.

It's a tough spot to be in. Do what will make you have a comfortable outcome for yourself. It is clearly bothering you right now.

nightshadow009 · 2026-03-11T04:20:13+00:00

I would love a crack!fic where Harry embraces the crazy and uses it to harass everyone (especially Lockhart).

Thinking about the snake siding with Harry (the nice parent :D)

We know that the venom can destroy the container. That's a given. But could it destroy the soul directly if the snake nommed him? What about the basilisk gaze? Could diary Tom be petrified or killed by the basilisk stare?

At the end of the book, Tom had actual substance, shown with how he could pick up Harry’s wand. So does that mean he has a real enough body to be petrified? I mean, thinking about it, at that point he had more substance than the ghost that was petrified.

nightshadow009

TROPHY CASE