Harry Potter discussion

I was wondering what everyone thinks about the standards at Hogwarts.
Do you think it's as strict as it was?
What about the houses? The competition between them is very different. Slytherin is using new tactics. Students go into each others common rooms and eat at each others house tables. Do you like this or do you think it is too different? Do you think James should have friends his age from his own house? Do you like the fact that the students aren't split up by year any more, or do you wish they still were?

Tyram Wossname, the Headmaster just prior to Prof. McGonagall, made some signaificant changes in an effort to be more "progessive". I think it caused some big problems ar Hogwart's, like the emergence of the "Progressive Element". In the end, that was almost the downfall of Hogwart's. It was essential to this story but I bet the next Headmaster restores some of the old traditions.

i hope so

count on it... :-)

yay! It annoyed me that they could go to each others common rooms

It didn't annoy me much but I did notice that not all of the new changes helped. It specifically bugged me about different years having combined dormitories. I don't mind them being able to sit and eat with their friends in the great hall though. That kinda made sense.

I think it's nice. I would be soo curious about the other dormitories anyways. I really did like the Great Hall thing too. But I think it's too soon. Like it's only seventeen years after the last book, right? (thereabouts anyways) I'm not sure if everyone would be used to this new open-ness...

They aren't. lol That's why the new headmaster in book 2 goes back to the traditional hogwarts standards.

WHAT? Grr don't spoil it! I haven't read it yet!

Me neither!
But I agree with Aegine. It seems like it's too soon. When you say, Briansgirl, that they aren't ready for it I feel slightly confused because in HEC they seem pretty ready for it. (At least Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindors do. I think they would still keep up house competition between each other, and I mean more then just teams. It's just natural that when you split kids up into groups, they'll compete with the other groups, even if they don't hate each other.)

I kind of wish that there was more delineation between the houses. Competition isn't a bad thing on a group or an individual level.

I guess it just makes more sense after reading both books.

I'll get right on that!

I still need to read the second one, so don't give anything major away!

Agreed!

I like it I can understand sitting at your house table for the Opening feast, closing feast and even some other special events. Other times I think it makes sense that students can sit wherever they want. It probably would make there more inter-house friendships so I think that would defiantly be a positive for the Post Hogwarts era after the Battle.

As far as the students of all ages sharing a dorm room I thought that was kind of odd but I just go with it. I agree it would be nice if James was friends with a fellow Gryffindor who was in his year. Then again you look at Hermione she wasn’t really close to her two Gryffindor room mates it seems her closet gal pal appears to be Ginny.

The common rooms I thought was interesting but if students can just come and go then having a passwords or some other way to get in such as Ravenclaw asking a question seems pointless. I’d have like to have seen perhaps Hogwarts have a common area where anyone can just hang out somewhere other then that Great Hall or Library.

The first book takes place 18 years after the Battle.

Yeah I know, I reread the last book and realized I was off one year...

It would be nice if James had someone in Gryffindor to talk to. I mean, think about when they get ready for bed. You'd think they would at least get to know one another since they share a dorm, right?

His first year at Hogwarts James shared a Gryffindor dorm room with Teddy Lupin, who was a 7th year. Teddy is also his father's godson.

I know but that's practically family. He should branch out and find someone! It's nice that he was friends with Zane from the States and I thought he was really funny! And I'm sad he's not in the second one...

soooo they already came out? why didn't I hear about them before now?

The first 2 James Potter books are out and he's currently working on a third aiming for a December release. I didn't discover them until this summer myself.

wow.... so they are only on a website too?

The books are only available as ebooks, which you can download free. The author has a website for all the books set up here:

http://www.jamespotterseries.com

The new website went live this week. If you'd like to a print copy of the books, you have to be a bit creative. You can find instructions on the Knight Bus in the Grotto. (Link to grotto is on the website above).

ok. thanks!

I am reading it now. It is good, but I like Harry Potter better. It is SOOOOO hard picturing adult Harry, and I keep seeing a scar on James!!

Keep reading. After I got into the books I forgot she didn't write these.

Does James scar glow green? ;)

no, Is Harry's supposed to sometimes?

Hi all, I am just catching up on this conversation. I was amazed, when I first released "Hall of Elders' Crossing", how many people were uncomfortable with the idea of James mingling with other years, both in his dorm and in the Great Hall. For some reason, it never occurred to me as a controversial thing at all, as I was writing it. Now, of course, I see that it is a pretty big deal. Things did, however, change a wee bit in book two (not really a spoiler, trust me).

I do want to mention, however, that while students of any house are allowed into each others' common rooms, they may ONLY do so when accompanied by a member of that house, who must vouch for them. It isn't a complete free-for-all, in other words.

Anyway, loving the conversation here, and following closely now.

Thanks for stopping by Geo. It made sense to me that you could invite your friends to your common room, regardless of which house they were in, or sit by them and have lunch. I thought mixing up the years in the dormitories was more surprising.

I think so too, and it surprised me. First years take Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes? That bit totally surprised me. I thought you got to pick, in you second year if you want to take those classes for your third year. (not saying it is a bad thing, it just isn't like middle school anymore.)

I sorta like it here in the states. You basically go through the basics in all subjects (english, math, science, history/social studies) and then as you go on, you build on them.

like the third year in the Harry Potter books.

Yep. Only in high school, you have more choices, like different languages and doing music or some sort of drama.

I knew that. I want to take drama....

Take it Looney! It's very fun

I wish I could but I have too many and...I'm sorta shy....

Ugh. Honestly, this did seem like it might be good, but I started it and all it did was frustrate me beyond belief! Just leave Rowling's work alone, it's her's and other people should not be allowed to mooch off of her ideas! If she thought it was necessary to write another book continuing the HP series, then she would have. Yes, I get that she approve it and all, but come on, we all know it will NEVER be as good, and for me, it's just irritating. It's messing with the high standards of all the HP books and this new 'writer' isn't even getting the some of the key details right, you'd think he would have been able to figure out not to mess with certain things, like the whole common rooms thing, where students can enter any common room, that's just WAY out of wack, that's the whole purpose of Houses! So that students that belong to them can have a place to gather, and this is just ruining that fine balance. Rowling would have NEVER done that, because she understands that there are somethings that just can't be changed.

everything is perfect. Love it! I just wish I could attend! :(

Indigo wrote: "Ugh. Honestly, this did seem like it might be good, but I started it and all it did was frustrate me beyond belief! Just leave Rowling's work alone, it's her's and other people should not be allowe..."

You know it's called creative freedom and JKR wanted peope to write their own and probably understands the mistakes because she's made them too.

Every writer has their flaws.

True