My dear F-List,

I know I'm the worst correspondent ever but I need your help.  Ever since Time Warner was installed as my Internet Service Provider in early June it's been nothing but trouble.  The connection has gone down several times over the past few weeks before stopping completely last Sunday.  Since then, the signal has been on and off (mostly off!) but my friends at TW promised to fix it today.  Unfortunately, they forgot to show up!!

After spending 45 painful minutes reaching an actual TW person, I now have a new appointment for this Sunday.  Yes, it's another 3 days without a stable home internet connection.  (And I don't want to tell you how much work I've lost through not saving before the connection died during this time!)

So why am I bothering you with this after months of silence?  It's simple - I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!  TW SUCKS!! 

{Ahem}

Surely there is a better service provider to be found?  I used ATT DSL pre-move but the speed was painfully slow for broadband.  I'm hoping some of you would be willing to share your thoughts about your ISP and direct me to a better solution here.  If you're willing to help, please share the following info:

1) What provider do you us?
2) How is the connection speed?
3) How much are you paying per month? (TW is charging me $37)
4) Have you ever had any issues and were they addressed?

Thanks so much to whoever is willing to respond.  I'm at my wit's end here!

Your result for The Harry Potter Husband Test...

Mrs. Lupin

Your perfect HP man is Remus Lupin.

Take The Harry Potter Husband Test at HelloQuizzy

You know what they say about the best laid plans?  Well, staying in Toronto an extra day has really turned out to be a bad idea.  Here is the chronicle of events so far:

• I came down with a terrible cold that kept me inside all day yesterday.
• I had to change rooms to avoid a migraine headache from to loud reggae concert going on just outside the window
• Fire alarm sounds at 12:35 am.  The fire department arrives and the announcement says the problem is on the third floor.  Everything turns out fine but the alarm continues to sound on and off for an hour.
• I try to purchase batteries and cold medicine at small convenience store, only to have the clerk mistakenly charge me $215 dollars to my credit card TWICE.  I spend nearly an hour watching her try to fix (and fail) before taking the money in cash.  This means I didn't get the medicine or batteries and I had the exchange the CAN cash into US dollars.  This transaction costs me $55.
• I print my boarding pass only to find middle seats available for today's flight

At this point I can't wait to get out of here!  And it's such a shame after all the fun we had a Prophesy.  Oh well ... it's just bad luck I guess.

On to LA...

After finishing HBP, I remain frustrated and bitter even after a few days of reflection.  The destruction of both of my favorite Potter characters was bad enough.  (Who knew one would murder the other?)  But this is only the first stab in the heart.  The knife then twists by revealing the murderer to be deliberately evil rather than the anti-hero I believed him to be.  And finally salt is poured in the wound by the planting of confusing clues designed to feed a hope for redemption that will never come. 

There is no doubt in my mind now of JKR’s intentions for Snape.  I’ve spent some time researching her interview statements over the past few days.  I’m convinced of her thought processes now.  In short, Severus Snape was never meant to be anyone’s favorite character.  In fact, I don’t believe she even sees Snape as a full human being.  To her he’s just a catalyst for evil.  And Albus Dumbledore was always meant to have a fatal flaw: his abundant capacity to love.  Here are the quotes on which I base these opinions:

Ali: Why specifically does Dumbledore trust Snape?
JK Rowling replies -> Another excellent and non-answerable question. I shall merely say that Snape has given Dumbledore his story and Dumbledore believes it.

What about Snape?
JKR: Snape is a very sadistic teacher, loosely based on a teacher I myself had, I have to say. I think children are very aware and we are kidding ourselves if we don’t think that they are, that teachers do sometimes abuse their power and this particular teacher does abuse his power. He’s not a particularly pleasant person at all. However, everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I’ll just say that because there is more to him than meets the eye and you will find out part of what I am talking about if you read Book 4. No, I’m not trying to drum up more sales, go to the library and get it out. I’d rather people read it.

One of our internet correspondents wondered if Snape is going to fall in love.
JKR: (JKR laughs) Who on earth would want Snape in love with them? That’s a very horrible idea.

There’s an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape
JKR: He, um, there’s so much I wish I could say to you, and I can’t because it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that question, can I just say to you that I’m slightly stunned that you’ve said that and you’ll find out why I’m so stunned if you read Book 7. That’s all I’m going to say.

Q: Who's your favorite character besides Harry Potter?

A: It's very hard to choose. It's fun to write about Snape because he's a deeply horrible person. Hagrid is someone I'd love to meet.

Given all of the above, I’m arrogantly offering my Book 7 predictions on what will happen with my favorite characters.  When you read it you will know why, for me, all of the magic has gone out of the Potter world:

• The story will be a Harry Potter version of The DaVinci Code with the trio traveling to magically historic places in search of the missing Horcruxes.  Each location will reveal more of Snape’s and Voldemort’s secrets. 

• The story will pick up immediately after HBP events and reveal Snape as relieved and delighted to finally be free of his tiresome role serving Dumbledore and teaching his ungrateful brats.  Free of being a double agent, he will dive whole-heartedly into his revealed role as Voldemort’s right hand man.  This probably means he has a few rivals to kill to keep his place secure before the ultimate end (Bellatrix? Lucius? ).  He will have no contact with the side of light until the final battle.

• Dumbledore is well and truly dead.  He leaves no written directions and his portrait will only awaken to once the final battle is over.

• Snape will be revealed to have been serving his own ends at all times.  Yes, the greatest wizard of all times was made a fool by the consummate spy.  To support this, Snape himself will be revealed to be a very powerful wizard in his own right.  His skills allowed him to easily dupe and appease Dumbledore in all situations confirming the HBP chapter 2 version of events verbatim.  Dumbledore will be revealed to have been completely blinded by love and sympathy for what he believed was Snape’s genuine sorrow and repentance. 

• An ironclad reason will be provided as to why Snape is firmly in Voldemort’s camp and I believe it will be BLOOD.   Snape will be shown to be a direct descendent of the Dark Lord on his mother’s side.  This is why he was so proud as a teenager to be the Half Blood Prince.  This will also explain his passion for developing and practicing dark spells and potions.  He was striving as a very young man to impress his future master.

• In this way, Snape will make the perfect counterbalance to Harry in JKR’s morality of play of “choices”.  As Dumbledore always preached, your life and destiny are what you make it.  Book 7 will fully reveal the similarities of life experiences for both Snape and Harry and how Harry has consistently chosen well in comparison to the evil former spy.

• The present day Lord Voldemort will play just as minor a role in Book 7 as he did in HBP.  The bulk of the text will follow the course of the DaVinci Code styled adventure packed with all sorts of damning revelations about Snape’s easy duplicity to both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore.  We will be left in no doubt of Snape’s self serving path of evil destruction.

And then, just as all hope seems lost to Snape fans, JKR will hit us again.  Snape will have some sort of Road to Damascus experience just before the finale`.  This experience will cause him to pursue the path of redemption once again, only this time he’ll really mean it.  He will once again switch sides and help Harry defeat Voldemort.  And I believe this help will come in form of Snape somehow using his BLOOD or heritage as a weapon of destruction.

In the end I believe both Harry and Voldemort will die as a direct result of the weapon Snape provides.  (After all, Harry and Voldemort are connected in many ways.)  Who knows what will happen to Snape?  My gut says JKR is just as likely to kill him as she is to leave him alive to suffer the consequences of his evil.  I can definitely see a “death is too good for him” approach.

Regardless, one thing will be made perfectly clear: Severus Snape was NEVER a hero.  His choices to do the things he did made him the “deeply horrible person” he became.  And even his last act of redemption will never be able to make up for the evil of his past acts. 

Like I said, I’m bitter!  If you’ve made it this far, please let me know your thoughts on my ranting.  I just wish I could honestly say I feel better now!

Ljd

 And here are my thoughts from just a few weeks ago:

1. Snape is evil – and his story arc was mostly resolved in HBP.  As a result, he will be spoken of rather than seen in DH.  All information we receive about him will heap evidence upon the case of his evil nature and ability to fool Dumbledore.  (Based on JKR’s “deeply horrible person” quote and her revelation that Snape is based on a conglomeration of mean teachers she experienced in her youth.)
2. Harry is not a Horcrux.  Yes, Harry’s power "the Dark Lord knows not" is love but it’s the power Love gives him to draw people and magical creatures to him that really matters.  Harry will be able to unite the magical world in a way Voldemort won’t be able to fight.  Centaurs, Werewolves, Mermaids, Giants, Goblins and House Elves will all rally to him when the time comes because they recognize this power in him and are able to see Harry is fighting to save them too.
3. Harry will lead Voldemort through the veil which is where the final battle will happen.  Harry will appear to be “dead” to his followers and friends but his exit from the veil will be paid for by Dumbledore, Sirius and Wormtail (settling his life debt).  Harry will go on to live happily ever after with Ginny and friends.
4. The Marauder backstory will be revealed leaving readers with no doubts about the greatness of James Potter and Lily Evans.  During this reveal, Snape will be shown to have carried an unhealthy obsession with Lily which caused her to need protection from him.  This led her to fall in love with James.
5. We will find out Snape had an extremely loving mother who somehow sacrificed her life to save him from an abusive father.   Despite this, Snape chose to follow a dark path and as punishment he will suffer a meaningless and humiliating fate.   He won’t be considered important enough for either Harry or Voldemort to kill him so he’ll just suffer what I call a bug-hitting-the-windshield type of death.  And the story will move on without missing a beat. (Based on JKR’s quote on how Snape has known love which makes him “even more culpable than Voldemort” for his actions.)

• Yes, Dumbledore will be revealed as stupid about Snape but he will still manage to be helpful to Harry throughout DH
• The character doing magic late in life will be Arabella Figg
• All of the trio will survive to live out happy post-Voldemort lives
• Sirius will return from behind the veil with Harry and live out a happy life
• Hagrid will die (maybe even at evil!Snape’s hand)
• All marked Death Eaters will die with Voldemort because their marks are tied to his life force (so Snape is toast no matter what).

• Snapes on a Plane !!


• Ex-pellipanties !!! (I'm still randomly giggling over that one)
  


• Sinatra !!!!