I'm sure anyone who

[alt_padma]

got their copy of Pure Victory in today's post (the proper one, that is, not the counterfeits that made their way into people's bags last week) is positively aching to rip right into it - but remember, school first. It's no good trying to read while walking down the corridors or trying to go up the stairs--you'll just regret it. (Certain third-years know who they are. Next time you trip on your robes, try not to fall against the portraits. Sir Moribunt is still giving tongue-lashings to the whole upper east wing.) And no reading during lessons, of course!


Someone mentioned reading aloud in a group. I'm sure that's a fine idea, so if anyone would like to give it a go, I'll be happy to bring my copy along to the large classroom we usually use for History Club. Finnigan, you don't mind if we suspend the club for the night to get us started? I promise it won't be a regular occurrence. It shouldn't take more than three evenings or so to finish it. And again, we don't want anyone neglecting homework, so perhaps we'll finish up at the weekend, or pace it out so everyone has time to get their other assignments done.

Comments

Private Message to Parvati

[alt_padma]

I got your letter!

That's--I mean, have you met him? Does he seem nice? Was this Dad's idea or Mum's? And.... I mean, are you really upset about it? Or excited, or...or what?

I mean. Thirty-two? That's pretty old. But not terribly old. I mean, not like some of the ones Dad's mentioned. Does Haruman know him--he'd have been a seventh-year when Haruman was a firstie, but still. What else do you know? TELL ME EVERYTHING.

[alt_seamus]

Of course I don't mind. Do you have any volunteers yet to do the reading?

Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

I have the morning free and I've been reading. It's NOTHING like

It's not as good as the first two, I guess I'd say. I mean, the best part of the first two books was Amaranth, you know? And in this one, so far, she's screamed several times, cried a lot, and fainted twice.

Also, I think we're supposed to like what she's done with Phoebus because he used to be so annoying and now he's not. Only, it was the way he was annoying that made him fun to read.

And all the people who were in danger at the end of the last book just got killed off in chapter one. I guess that's one way to avoid a cliffhanger. (Sorry for the spoilers, but you did at least take a peek, didn't you, before class? It happens on page five.)

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

Yes, I glanced at it. I was going to start reading but then Mackrell and Shelby made such nits of themselves falling on the stairs that I just had to post instead. And now it's nearly time for Herbology. Honestly, I'm not sure why I kept on at it but it's so important for Potioneering.

I don't know how I'll get through lessons today, between that and Pavs' news.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

What's her news? I saw you had a letter. And you didn't look very

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

There's a b... a man. Inderpal Sharma. I don't know much yet--she really didn't say a lot because I don't think there's a lot to know yet, but he's approached Mum and Dad--or maybe just Dad, I'm not sure--about courting Pavs. He's thirty-two and he works for the WWN. I think he's the music librarian or something. I haven't had time to look him up properly. All I've found out so far is that he was a Ravenclaw and he played oboe in a consort that was active here when he was a student. He must be Kshatriya or Dad wouldn't even entertain the idea of him courting Parvati but you know, Mum's been saying all year that she really should make a start, so, maybe she wore him down. I don't know.

And Pavs sounds.... I can't tell. I mean, I think she's excited that he's only 32 and has sort of a nift job, not like some dry-as-dust washed up fat merchant. You know? But it doesn't even sound like she's met him properly yet and what if he's dreadful?

I dunno.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

ONLY thirty-two

I don't know, it seems mad to be getting married at our age. His job does sound nift. Do you want to go look him up in the old annuals later, at least see what he looked like when he was at school? Or you could ask Professor Vector about him.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

That was awful.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

The book, you mean? Not more news from Parvati?

I kept hoping and hoping it would get better and it only got worse. Seven children doesn't make up for having NO PERSONALITY. Also, I LIKED Efrain; I wanted him to turn out to really be a pureblood. Amaranth could have still married Phoebus -- either would have been fine, but having him turn out to be howlingly evil the whole time was just ridiculous.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

The book, and the turnout for the reading--and the reading itself....

Was it me or did the whole thing just not...hold together? I mean, reading it aloud, it just made no sense.

What on earth was that whole bit with the ancient tunnels? And that section where Amaranth pretends to have lost her memory? That was just odd, wasn't it?

It's NOTHING like

At any rate, I don't think we'll be coming back for another reading like tonight.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

You know, I was sort of not listening after a while because I'd read it earlier, but you're right, it's worse out loud.

I guess I was willing to just roll with the ancient tunnels and the lost memory, it was the fainting that really got to me. Also Amaranth screaming and crying all the time when she'd been so stoic the first two books. It was like -- oh, Hydra Lestrange suddenly turning into Lavender Brown. One morning. And expecting that no one would notice.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

Oh, she was far worse than Lav! (Although, to be honest, ever since Lav and Lines started dating they've both been frightfully more--I dunno, histrionic.) And you're right, it's just as if all the characters had their personalities mixed up.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

It didn't even sound like it was written by the same person.

Those counterfeits, you know, I imagine -- not that I've seen any -- but I expect whoever counterfeited them made the effort to tell a good story. (A shockingly subversive story that of course one would understandably want to suppress.) And they probably tried very hard to mimic the way Miss Morgansen told the story in the first two books and probably attempted to tie up loose ends in a way that didn't involve just killing everyone people liked for no reason.

I expect the people who read both versions found the counterfeit version more satisfactory as a story. If not politically.

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_padma]

You know, I was thinking about what I expected to happen and what I didn't expect.

I'm glad Cucullain didn't die but I think it might have been better if Efrain hadn't been evil. And I'd wondered whether Phoebus and Agrona would have wound up together, but she died, which I wasn't expecting. (That felt like it came out of nowhere. Well, the whole book did, really. I think maybe the second-years could write a better ending if they had access to Professor Slughorn's oak-aged mead. You know?)

Re: Private message to Padma

[alt_seamus]

Yeah, I was definitely expecting Cucullain to die, too. It just seemed likely. And I thought Phoebus and Agrona might make a somewhat unexpected but very nice couple (I liked Efrain for Amaranth, and obviously Phoebus needed somebody if he wasn't going to die heroically.)

And yeah, I agree about second-years and some mead. This version book was just a mess.