Oh the emotional Hell i have been through today, and all because of a sodding book! the object in question arrived at half past seven this morning, but since i was at work today i had to wait until half seven this evening to read it. 6 hours later i have finished.
some of my theories were crack, some of them spot on. i was let down, and dissapointed and yet completely elated at various points in this story.
but all in all i am absolutely gutted and completely regret wanting to throttle certain characters early on in the book.
yes, this entire rant is going to be about Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks.
the book started off as very promising from their point of veiw and had me punching the air in triumph when i learned that Remus and Tonks had gotten married.
there were even more grins from me when Tonks starts proudly showing off her ring to all and sundry. yes Remus is quite quiet at this point, beut hes not really the 'Oooh look at me' type really.
all so far so good, from a shippers point of view.
their abrupt exit form Harry's birthday party had me thinking, but i figured that since he is a werewolf he really didnt want to be around when the Minister for Magic turned up. especially given the anti-werewolf legislation and Fenrir Greyback's attack on Bill Weasley. his unhappiness at this point is more worrying, and was both brushed off and placced deep seated fears/doubts in my mind.
the scene at Grimmauld really flummoxed me. for a start Remus' 'I am Remus John Lupin...' malarky really bothered me, and would continue to bother me. it just sounds way too pompous for Remus.
as for the rest of the scene, i felt that Remus was really out of character (or maybe i have just been influenced by the character of Remus that comes through in fanfiction.) yeah he's being all professory by bringing the kids up to date, berating Hermione and Ron for their lax security etc. but everything after that seems ludicrous.
the announcement that Tonks was pregnant should have been a cause for mass celebration, the first of their multi-coloured werepups was on the way! but its Lupin's coldness that got to me. and his conviction that James would want him to leave Tonks and the baby to go with Harry smacks of trying to convince himself and Harry that he knows what James would ahve wanted better than Harry would. discussing his regret for marrying Tonks is really absurdly out of character, since the kids were kept completely in he dark about anything between Remus and Tonks in previous books. and then him kicking chairs, pulling his hair and pulling his wand on Harry. it all flies in the face of the suberb self control we have come to expect from Lupin.
at this point i felt like strangling one Remus J Lupin.
not surprisingly, Tonks has gone into hiding at her parents. despite her being a fiesty Auror, this seems completely in character. if you were an Auror, a member of the Order of the Phoenix married to a werewolf and expecting his child as well as being the estranged half blood relative of half of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters, wouldn't you go into hiding too?
hearing that Remus and Tonks are back together, however noncommitally from Ron gives hope that there will be happily ever after.
i have to admit that the Potterwatch scene was Lupin's finest hour, at least in this book. we seem to see the Remus we know and love here; he has forgiven Harry, and showing complete faith in him once more. he's back with Tonks, he's back on Harry's side.
but we are back to Wacko!Remus with the scene at Shell cottage. and again with the pompous greeting 'it is i, Remus John Lupin...' yes he is undoubtedly ecstatically happy to be a father after his previous doubts, but is it really worth risking various people's security to announce it in person? that bit really lost me, cos it seemed a bit of a contrived way to bring the R/T sub story back into the main plot.
and then we come to the climax of the book; the battle at Hogwarts. this part of the book was in many ways exactly what i had imagined and yet completely dissapointing. i frequently found myself getting lost, and losing the plot thread at this point.
it makes sense that the Order would be on hand to help in the final battle. even Remus and Tonks. but surely the start of a bloody and climactic battle is NOT ther perfect time to start showing baby photos. of course Tonks came after Remus though she had to leave Teddy at home; she has fought so hard for Remus in the past she is not waiting at home to be told she is a widow.
and then, their deaths.
their deaths were completely unneccessary and completely cruel. if anyone had everything to live for it was Remus and Tonks. given that they are killed off their entire back story seems so contrived, so vain. what was the point of all the suffering, of offering them a chance at happiness in their son if they are only going to get killed?
and then if they DID have to die, why weren't they given the fanfare and glorius exit they deserved. Remus was instrumental to Harry's Defence instruction and was the last of his fathers friends. whilst Tonks was undoubtedly less close to him, Ginny and Hermione were extremely fond of her, even seeing her as a big sister. why then were these characters not given the glorious exit they deserved, fighting off a hundred death eaters side by side? i'm sure i'm not the only one who feels betrayed by the lines 'remus and Tonks, lying still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.'
what a waste of two thoroughly fascinating characters, and what a dissapointing end to their story. why wasn't there a conflict with the werewolves to go with Remus' mission the year before? why was Tonks made a Metamorphmagus when apparently all that is good for is amusing teenagers?
if you are still reading this i congratulate you, for i cannot quite believe i have just written all that. must be the shock,and the grief i feel for losing my favourite characters, indeed the only reason i read the Harry Potter books.
J K Rowling might have let her fans, the R/T shippers down with the final chapter in her series, but i hope, and i know that Remus and Tonks will be avenged through fanfiction. they will live on through fanfiction!
Oh, and if anyone managed to keep track of the last chapter/epiloguey bit, cos i really couldn't. maybe i had switched off by that point.
