Words... what do they all mean?

My Harry Potter game is exploding this weekend. OMG. Voldemort had the Lestranges kidnap Ginny, then put a full-page ad in the Daily Prophet that said, "Harry Potter, I have someone that belongs to you, Lord Voldemort" and then Owls him a note with a date (this past Friday) and time, and a Portkey to the Lestrange house. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters are planning on assembling at the Lestrange house fifteen minutes after the time Voldemort told Harry, for a "celebration."

So Harry goes to rescue Ginny, and it doesn't go well. The Order managed to find out about it, so they portkey in, just in time to find Harry's dead body laid out on the dining room table, and all the Death Eaters arriving for their celebration. Huge hairy battle ensues. With, yes, holy crap, character deaths. _Player_ character deaths. Whoa. And Snape showing his colors and knocking out Lucius.

Then there's a thread for the Order folks returning to Grimmauld and getting a body count, and Narcissa and Parvati (who is married to Snape, long story) being worried wives at the Manor - how very Gone With the Wind - where Severus brings an unconscious Lucius (who Cissa of course initially thinks is dead, because he isn't moving), and Narcissa emotionally thanking Sev and making him feel guilty and uncomfortable (tee hee).

Saturday the Daily Prophet reports the death of Harry Potter, and so the character journals explode all over the place; Order folks going omg what do we do now? and Death Eaters and sympathizers going neener neener.

And on Sunday Lucius goes to Severus' house, because he _remembers_ it was him who threw the hex at him during the battle, and they fight and ONE OF THEM DOES NOT COME OUT ALIVE. My Cissa muse is _freaking_out_. Neither of the muns will tell anybody, not even us girls who are playing their wives. And I'm _terrified_. I was not even this wound-up about DH itself.

EDIT: Okay, so it looks like Luc is losing the popularity contest. *pout*

Edit the second: MY LUCIUS LIVES!!!!! But, oh god, Snape... Cissa and I will both miss him.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 15 minutes. ish. Spoilers, of course. And yeah, maybe don't try eating or drinking anything while you read it.

inell's Broken Promises has an absolutely fantastic Narcissa Malfoy. DH spoilers, be warned.

Um, really not too much I can say that isn't a spoiler. Heck, there isn't even a synopsis on the jacket. But I really quite liked it, outside of a couple "omg nooooo" moments, as the folks with whom I was chatting as I was reading can attest.

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J.K. Rowling
Pages: 759 (hardback)

12 / 50 books. 24% done!

And for my own personal goal:

12 / 12 books. 100% done!
Less than half the year left, now, to read another twelve books for my modified personal goal of twenty four this year, and I doubt that any will go as fast as this one, but we shall see.

Also, since this is a public post, please refrain from spoilers in the comments.

Remus: oh _hells_ yes
Harry: eh.

Oh, and

Right ON!!

It's taken me way way too long to read this one. So I thought I'd have plenty of time to do so on the plane. Nope, finished it while still sitting in the gate in SFO. Oops. And silly me packed my second book into my checked bag. But yay! One more down. Unfortunately this means that next on my list is OotP. Oog. Anyhoo, no startling revelations with this one. It's not one of my favorites, but I don't actively dislike it, either. As usual, I noticed things I didn't before. Little details about Moody especially that made me snicker. Sorry I don't have a more coherent or comprehensive review, but most of you on my f-list have already read it, anyway.

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 734 (hardcover)

8 / 50 (16.0%)

Am slowly catching back up to read_hp.

PoA is one of my favorite books in the series. It was the first - and remains the only - book I've ever read straight through in a single day. My friend Stephanie couldn't believe it when I gave her copy back to her at dinner, when she'd just loaned it to me at breakfast. I love the backstory of the Marauders and Snape, and this book is the first one that feels like we're really getting started on the overarching plot. Things are put into motion in PoA, people and things introduced, that are still resonating as of the sixth book, which hasn't been true for the first two books (which is probably why I don't like them as much).

Plus I'm madly in love with Remus Lupin.

Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 435 (paperback)

7 / 50 (14.0%)

Bit behind the times for read_hp, but I'm still making progress.

CoS I'm kind of meh about. I never disliked it as much as I dislike OotP, but it was never one of my favorites, either. I think really I like it only for the backstory it provides in regards to Tom Riddle. And, well, it's always nice to be able to roll one's eyes at a character like Lockhart.

Whee! Now I can move on to Prisoner of Azkaban!!! *dances*

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Authot: J.K. Rowling
Pages: 341 (paperback)

5 / 50 (10.0%)

It's taken me way too long to get my fourth book under my belt. I started about three different books, but none of them really grabbed me enough to make me just plow through the way I wanted to. So, inspired by seeing read_hp up on the spotlight, I decided to reread the Harry Potter books (which, honestly, I've only read once each).

So, huzzah! I'm on-track and finished SS today. Lots of interesting bits of foreshadowing and other details I didn't realize the first time I went through. It makes me wonder exactly how much JKR had planned out before she completed this first book.

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 309 (paperback)

4 / 50 books. 8% done!

I've picked up yet another character in my HP game over on GreatestJournal: Fenrir Greyback. Yeah, whoa. He's scary and I wasn't sure I could even play him well. I feel a little more confident after doing a scene with someone, but he still rather makes me nervous.

Oh, and the scene? Was with Bellatrix. He thinks she'd make a fantastic alpha female werewolf and doesn't bother disguising that much, which sort of puts her off. Bwa ha ha! Fenrir has a wonderful big scary grin (which, alas, Sean Connery - my avatar for him - does not, so people just have to use their imagination!), which puts her off even more:

She didn't quite like the look in his eyes. Only certain people could bring the fear out in her, and so far Fenrir seemed to be one of them. "And I do not like that look in your eyes." She said bluntly, with a cold stare back at his grin.

"What look?" Fenrir asked innocently, "I'm just enjoying having civilized conversation with you."

"The innocent act doesn't work with me Ro- Fenrir." She shot back at him, then mentally scolded herself for even thinking of her husband around Fenrir. "The look that says you're thinking about something." Bellatrix added, in answer to the question.

"Well, I am," Fenrir insisted, letting slide the opportunity to needle her about confusing him with her husband. "Enjoying it, that is. And in regards to thinking," he shrugged, "Same as always, darling. Mostly about dinner."

"I'd never consider you innocent in a hundred million years." Bellatrix shot back, thankful that he'd either missed her confusion or chose to ignore it. "But I'm glad you're enjoying civilized conversation, with probably the only self respecting Death Eater that would speak with you and not hex you." At his mention of dinner, she couldn't help but to breathe in some, surely he wasn't blood thirsty all the time?

Fenrir noticed her little hesitation. "Oh, not you, of course," he said, "You're much too good for dinner. Could only enjoy you once, that way. You're the type of girl a man likes to keep around for a while." He gave her his best grin.

Bellatrix didn't know whether to feel flattered or slightly creeped out by his comment. "I- thank you, I think?" She asked more than said. Maybe that meant he wouldn't touch her even if this had been a full moon, which thank Salazar it wasn't. One in a million could confuse Bellatrix to this point, and Fenrir certainly was the type.

"You're most welcome," Fenrir replied, still relishing in how off-balance he could throw her. He'd never been allowed to play with her like this while they were working together, and he rather liked the new arrangement.

So I think Bella/Fenrir is my new crack pairing of the moment, and the girl who plays Bella seems to enjoy them, too:

OOC!Bella: You know... Fenrir's not so bad...
OOC!Fenrir: *big cheesy grin*
OOC!Bella: *glare* Ok no cheesy grins. That isn't how Rodolphus won me over...
OOC!Fenrir: Do you want me to win you over?
OOC!Bella: I don't know... I already have Rod... then Augustus and you. So many to choose from!
OOC!Fenrir: *pouts* I'm third?!
OOC!Bella: But you could try and win me over? And no, you're tied at second with Aug.
OOC!Fenrir: That would be a long and delicious courtship
OOC!Bella: So long as you don't turn me... yet
OOC!Fenrir: They'd only be love nibbles, precious
OOC!Bella: So long as you promise they are only love nibbles. And not I'm-biting-you-so-you-will-join-me nibbles.
OOC!Fenrir: Believe me, you'll know the latter when it happens
OOC!Bella: It better not for awhile.
OOC!Fenrir: As you wish.

Ahh, I love these moments that make roleplaying worthwhile.