Status Updates From Freedom And Not Peace (Sacr...

I waited 4 books and one novella to get a glimpse of romance. That’s what I call slow burn

This will definitely take me a while. Too much politics in the beginning for my taste

I really like the way Connor has grown in this book, and I can’t get enough of him and Draco teaming up for Harry’s benefit.

Much of this story has come back to me as I’ve read—I remembered the ritual to free the southern goblins right before it happened, for example—but I must have blocked this Whitecheek thing out. Jesus Christ.

I wish we knew more about these corrupt rituals Voldemort likes to use. I never felt like we got a decent explanation for the justice ritual he used at the end of COoDM, which for me undercut the certainty of that ritual that had been so emphasized earlier in the story. I’d like an explanation for this corrupted truce dance too.

Glad Harry noticed kids of other Houses attending Walpurgis this year. Also I find this whole Dobby thing pretty silly

I keep expecting them to refer to Light or Dark as minhag.

I get Harry is an abused child going through it but Jesus Christ is this “nobody can love me because my soul is inherent garbage :’(“ shit obnoxious. Get over yourself

I forgot about this empathy thing but I love it. I like the concept of a magical heir but think it’s cheap that a person can double their power (or whatever) when their parent dies. Very glad Julia didn’t make Draco lord-level strong.

I would read a series that was exclusively following Rufus at the Ministry.

I get Draco is under compulsion, but it is so obnoxious of him to think Harry doesn’t care about his interests when Harry explicitly is trying to find out what’s up with his new book. That IS interest, idiot.

I’m surprised neither Harry nor Snape (IIRC, anyway) considers challenging Parseltongue’s legal status as a Dark talent. Make the Ministry defend why talking to snakes is evil while talking to, say, dogs, wouldn’t be.

The first time I ever read the goblin/Evan Rosier scene, I had to stop in the middle because my family went out to get dinner and then go to Spirit, so every time I’m in a Spirit I think of Rosier spouting poetry on the hill. Glad the timing has worked out that I’m there at Halloweentime again.

I'd forgotten that that ending is solid enough to take a break before the next story. Useful given that I think I could use one

Seriously, the gore is just so tedious

What does it say that I know an epic battle is coming up and I just...don't care? Yes, war, angst, blah blah blah. There's just not really anything interesting about it besides the world building. Wooo blood and gore. Blood and gore are boring. Let's get back to Harry's childhood trauma

I had completely forgotten about the mists

Heading toward bored again and am pretty sure it's just my own restlessness. May take a day or two to write or read something else. TSA is great for world building and moments of brilliant prose, but rather less so for engrossing plots

I still don't understand why the Potters don't have an annual tradition of going into the Maze. They've got an alien artefact that shows them their entire lives and forces them to see what they did wrong and how they can improve, but it sounds like most of them never even set foot in it. Complete waste of a useful personal development tool

Scrimgeour getting irked that Harry convinced Tybalt to get Umbridge sacked will never not bother me. There's a difference between demanding something happen just because you can and ensuring a bigot doesn't stay in charge of the very people she's bigoted against. And Harry asking for werewolf rights isn't new. If Scrimgeour doesn't consider it a priority, that's his problem

I have just remembered that the arrests don't happen until the beginning of the next story (I think. 95% sure) and now I'm not sure if I want to finish this or take a break now the way I was planning to once it was done. I know I'm going to want to at least get through the arrests and the next story is stupid long

As cringe as the Harry/Draco + Unicorns build up is (and it *is* oh my god), the imagery of Harry freeing the unicorns is absolutely fucking stunning. I *wish* I could write that vividly

Did we not know Walburga's name until after HBP? I could've sworn it came up at some point in OotP

Draco's potion obsession is quite possibly my least favourite subplot in the series. Snape going stupid is annoying but at least leads to interesting things. Draco and the potion is just a tedious way to result in the break at the end of the book. Which, frankly, I don't and have never seen a need for. It's another obnoxious plot arc.