False alarm.

[icarus]

It turns out Amazon was just striking terror in my heart covering their bases. I got the book on time and should not have believed random emails about "we might be late." *panics again*

Have read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Loved it. Though if I knew someone about to read the HP series right now, I'd tell them to wait until the next book is out because, while this is not quite a cliff-hanger, it's so close to one as to leave you a little hungry.

Comments

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to fight for the theory, because it is conjecture.

What I do insist is that we don't know what it was Dumbledore drank. We are assuming is was just a poison of some kind. JKR has led Harry to that assumption, and there is an established pattern of Harry's assumptions being dead wrong dating all the way back to book one.

I do insist that it had to be more important than simply a protection that will kill the person after the talisman. It doesn't make sense that Dumbledore would sacrifice himself for so little otherwise.

Icarus

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Good point. Although to be fair, Harry is getting better at guessing. I mean, this time, Hermione and Ron thought he was wrong about Malfoy, but it WAS Draco with the necklace and the poison, and the Room of Requirement WAS important...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's true, Harry is improving with his guesses (concerning everyone but Snape). But he hasn't really asked the question "what did Dumbledore drink?" since he believes Snape's a traitor.

Totally different subject:

The textbook was 50 years old. It pre-dated Harry's father. That means it also pre-dated Snape.

Ten bucks said the textbook was originally Voldemort's and then Snape got it after him (via the same means Harry did?).

Icarus

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Ah, but I thought that method of discovering the owner was somewhat flawed. It tells you that it can't belong to somebody who finished school BEFORE the date it was published, but even the book could be bought years after publication, couldn't it? I rather doubt somebody owned it before Snape.

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Especially as Snape maintains that he's the Half-Blood Prince. And who better to leave excellent helpful hints than a future potions master? One question though: How could Harry not have ANY clue that that was Snape's writing?

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Well, it took *me* by surprise. So embarrassing. I mean, it's a *potions* text... And I even thought the description of Eileen Prince sounded like a female version of Snape - and even then I didn't make the connection... *feels stupid*

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

It's not that it didn't take me by surprise, but your comment just inspired a thought: If Snape inherited his mother's talent for potions, there's a good chance that a lot of that came from the book which may have been written in by his mother to some degree, in which case he might or might not have matched his handwriting to that already in the book in order to...I dunno, take credit for it all? I kind of got lost halfway through that thought, realizing it wasn't complete. Anywho, I didn't match the description of Eileen Prince to Snape...and I also managed to miss teh Way slashy "Draco Malfoy in you" imprications, so I'm right there with you in the missing obvious connections boat.

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Heh, there was SO much dodgy subtext in this one - it had me in stitches ;-)

Not convinced it's not Snape's own work and writing - I think it is - but it's an interesting idea.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

She was noted as Captain of the Gobstones club, but there was no mention of any potions talent, was there?

Icarus

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

How could Harry not have ANY clue that that was Snape's writing?

Probably someone already answered this, but Harry had seen it before in Snape's pensieve, as young Snape wrote his Owls. (But heck, I didn't remember it.)

Icarus