PLOT HOLE ALERT!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph!

I think first-years would notice the weight of a great big sword when they put the hat on their heads!

No, I'm definitely going with the idea that the sword is NOT literally in the hat, but that a "true Gryffindor" can produce the sword from the hat when it's needed. It would be far, far too obvious a bloophole for Rowling and her editors to have missed by accident. It does make me wonder if this will set off a second Goblin Wars when Griphook finds out the sword is missing…

That's probably the idea behind the whole "pulling the sword out of the hat" deal. If that's the case, then I wonder what poor sod suddenly found himself without a sword when Harry pulled it out of the hat the first time, and then Dumbledore kept it. Hope it wasn't needed!

Well apparently Goblins are dispensible............

Although it does raise a question - if the sorting hat can produce the "sacred item" of Gryffindor, then why can't it do so for the other houses?

Would have been much easier to get the diadem back if it was just a case of grabbing a reasonably wise Ravenclaw and saying "dude, lucky dip" :p

Because the hat used to belong to Gryffindor. It is itself a relic from Gryffindor, along with the sword.

[today.msnbc.msn.com]

There's a bit more info than we were given in the Epilogue, but not everything. I think there's more to come, I'm trying to find the video of that interview...

I'm perhaps too impatient to read through all of the discussion. Apparently there's some question about the sword living in the hat? To me that's no big deal. The two things that remain questions in my mind are 1) why dumbledore didn't seem more upset about Snape's revelation that he told Voldemort about the Potters. He expressed no urgency to help save them. I thought that was odd. and 2) what was the meaning of the icky child in harry's death scene at King's Cross? He says in his duel with Voldemort that he's seen what V will become, but I still didn't quite get it.

Finally, I will say that I was disappointed that Harry did not return to Hogwarts to become the permanent defense against the dark arts teacher. It fit the symmetry that these books have exhibited from the start, Hogwarts was his only "home", once he vanquished Voldemort, the jinx on the position was lifted, and he had already shown an excellent ability to teach when he taught the DA. It just bugs me that he ended up at the ministry - the ministry is, to me, still a threat, even with better leadership. I would never have imagined any of them at the ministry, and, I wonder why JKR would do that. Perhaps she's thinking that with V gone, all is well, as she writes and the magical government will serve it's ideal purpose. I'm a little more of a realist, and seems to me that the ministry is still a treacherous place. Oh well, i suppose it fits her occasional randomness.

oh,and even though it's not the book, she has said in interviews that HP and Ron are in the auror's office of the Ministry and that hermione is in the dept of magical enforcement.

Still, I loved the book. The last two have left me breathless, to say the least!

I have an idea on that actually... My sister tells me she is writing a new book, but it's not a HP book. What's the chances of a new book in the same setting? Then Harry would have to have left to make way for the new hero- the equivalent of the sherriff leaving town, or Superman leaving Metropolis and going on holiday- co-incidentally giving the writers a chance to contentrate on Jimmy Olsen a chance at a couple of decent stories. Surely by now HP could stomp all over most threats?

How would you work the XP for taking out Voldermort all those times?
What level would he be in D&D ? In Vampire the Masquarde he'd be easy an Eldar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph!

I imagine he'd be pretty up there.

Also considering the cloak and the sword are one of a kind objects, how much bonus are you going to add to that die roll?

<because some people just like to say 'vorpal'>

bah, artifacts are nothing special. Given out more freely than lollipops!
I don't think he'd be any higher than 14th level.

I think level 14 might be a bit low but I haven't played D&D for a while!

Remember though, he has vanquished The Supreme Evil Being seven times...

Every villan thinks they are the supreme evil being. And there is always another just around the corner. But either way, it all supports my earlier theory, lol.

Voldymort was not THE Supreme Evil Being, he was a Supreme Evil Being, just the paramount Supreme Evil Being in JKR world at that time.

I know Spike could of taken him with both hands and one leg tied behind his back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph!

I'm another of the crazies who went to Barnes and Noble at midnight for Deathly Hallows. It was worth the waiting, sunburns, and exhaustion, especially since I've been following the series since book one came out. I loved it, but mostly because it was closure. I thought the ending was kind of rushed and was a little disappointed in the nineteen years later prologue...hopefully she writes the encyclopedia that is rumored so we can find out what happened to other characters.

Do Barnes and Noble have an Antarctica branch?

I could ask someone I know who was on the ice last summer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph!

I only asked because thefifthbear wrote:

.... who went to Barnes and Noble at midnight for Deathly Hallows. It was worth the waiting, sunburns, and exhaustion ...........

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

I read that bit, I know someone on the IMB site who spent the summer in Antarctica last year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph!

It could have been a very bright night...