(no subject)

Don't ask me what reminded me of this, because answering that question will be long, tedious, and reveal my utter geekery, but I was thinking about Wizard's Hall tonight.

Wizard's Hall is a book written by Jane Yolen, about a young blond lad who is suddenly shipped off to school to learn to become a wizard. His two best friends at school are a red-headed boy and a black girl. (Her name is Tansy. For some reason I remember that, but not the boys' names.) 

At the climax of the book, the main boy... Thornmallow, that's his name, (or something like that) defeats Nettle, (the big bad evil wizard), who used to be at the schol but left for many years and (in)conveniently comes back just when the one kid who can defeat him is there. A defeat, I might add, that Thornmallow only accomplishes by breaking every rule in the Hall.


I distinctly remember that the first time I read Harry Potter, all I could think of was Wizard's Hall, and the obvious similarities. (And yes, WH was published long before HP.) Yet somehow, I forgot all about this book until tonight.


Now, I love Harry Potter. We all know that. And the books are quite different, what with HP being seven books and having hundreds of characters, and what with the dying and all, but... Well... I think it's the red-haired best friend that gets me. Wizards and evil guys who once were good (hellooooooo Anakin!) are common enough, but red-headed best buds? With freckles? (Although, and given, I haven't read WH in about 10 years, if I recall correctly, the WH kid does not have a personality that resembles Ron's. So it's just a cosmetic thing.)

 

What is my point here? I don't know. I guess it's: has anyone else read Wizard's Hall? I'd like a second opinion.











P.S. Expect more HP posts soon.

Didn't I Tell You To Expect More HP Posts?

So, I finally finished reading HBP yesterday, and now I can FINALLY start Deathly Hallows.


But before I do, I would like to register my predictions for this book. (Much as I had to register my predictions for the third PotC movie to a witness before the movie started. Predictions, I might add, that were correct.)

I'm not cutting this, because it's only my opinion, and as such is not spoilery.


1. Harry will kill Voldemort. (This is about as much of a prediction as saying "Anakin will go to the dark side in Ep. III," but still. It's less of a "if" and more of a "when" and "how".)
2. R.A.B. is Regulus A. Black. (What does the A. stand for? No clue. Let's say 'Alphonse,' because I'm really into Fullmetal Alchemist at the moment.)
3. Snape is good. (Ok. After re-reading all six books in close succession, I have to say that Snape is not evil. He's mean, he's a jerk, he's a bitter old man with a grudge, but he's not evil. And, he's not even as bad as Harry thinks he is. Harry is determined to hate Snape (with good reason) but that hatred blinds him to a lot of more subtle things about the man. In conclusion: Snape is an ass, but that doesn't make him evil.)
4. Snape is going to bite it. (It's really the only suitable way for him to redeem himself. And if he does it saving Harry, so much the better.)
5. We'll find out that Dumbledore and Snape had that whole AK thing on the Astronomy Tower totally planned. (Fo' realz, yo.)
6. Sirius Black will return from beyond the veil, sweep Remus off his feet, and the two of them will live in homosexual bliss, being the "uncles" to Harry's children, until they peacefully pass on. Together. (Tonks can come along too. If she wants. I'm all for threesome love.)


I'm not saying anything about if Harry lives or dies, if Ron and Hermione get together, if Ginny accepts Spiderman's Harry's decision to save her by leaving her, if Remus gives in to Tonks, or if Draco lives or dies, because all those things have already been spoiled for me. (And y'all know I was kidding/fantasizing about number six, right? Right. A girl can dream.)



Oh, and please PLEASE don't tell me if I'm right or wrong about any of these things. I don't want to be any more spoiled than I already am. I'll find out soon enough anyways.