That's me, peeking through the doors of the Skull and Bones building on campus. Isn't it a freaky picture? The freakiest part is that there was light coming from under the door and when I put my eye to the crack of the doors I could see the inside was lighted (but I couldn't see anything else). Molt has a pizza, you know, just in case the door opens and we need an excuse.
Speaking of secret societies and freakiness, it's high time I blogged again about our dear Harry Potter. Unfortunately, Molt and I will be hermetically sealed and locked up in German School for the next 7 weeks, so we will miss the release of the last book (we aren't allowed to read, speak, or think anything but German). So, before we go into German lockdown, I have to give my predictions. And pray that I don't hear any spoilers before I get to read
Deathly Hallows in August.
Here we go:
RAB is: Regulus A (Aberforth?) Black - mentioned several times in
Half-Blood Prince as a plant for the next book. Underestimated by Sirius (who thought he was an idiot), known defector from the Death Eaters.
Horcrux #3 (the locket) is: the locket found by Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys while cleaning out Grimmauld place in
Order of the Phoenix. Thus, it is either 1) with Kreacher, who was stealing things "magpielike" from the refuse pile or 2) with Mundungus Fletcher, who we know has been stealing valuables from Grimmauld place (why include this bit of information in
HBP if it is totally irrevelant?).
So, Harry, Ron, Hermione will probably be involved in some interrogation of Kreacher and Mundungus, as well as returning to Grimmauld Place (now Harry's, conveniently). Maybe check out that interesting family tree of the Black family again...Also, did Kreacher accompany RAB to hide the locket in the cave? He could've ridden on the boat with Regulus, since he isn't a full wizard.
Horcrux #4 (the Hufflepuff cup) is: connected to Zacharias Smith, whose name has a startling resemblance to Hepzibah Smith - use of rare Hebrew names and shared last name. Zacharias is probably descended from Hufflepuff...and maybe we'll learn more about the cup from him. Also, an adventure to the Hufflepuff countryside may be necessary. At the beginning of
HBP, we hear of Death Eaters causing the collapse of Brockdale Bridge - in antiquated English brock=badger and dale=valley. Remember the Sorting Hat song: "Sweet Hufflepuff from valley broad."
Ollivander will figure in somehow - we have more to hear from the kidnapped wandmaker, maker of both Harry's and Voldemort's wands. Perhaps Voldemort is going to have a new, better wand - one that won't get all funny when it encounters Harry's.
Is Harry going to go, Aeneas-like, into the realm of the dead? There certainly is a growing population of dead people he could visit! Does "Deathly Hallows" hint at this? I think Rowling has said that we'll find out why some people are ghosts and some are properly dead...Maybe a visit with the truly dead will give us this information. And don't forget that two-way mirror from Sirius!
Lilly will definitely be back in the picture - long-neglected parent figure, mentioned again and again but only in a shallow way ("you have her eyes," "she was a dab-hand at potions") while Harry's father and his gang have been the prominent ones. Of course, this leads us to the big one:
SNAPE. I think I have done all the theorizing on Snape that I can. I think he's on the side of good, but still a nasty piece of business. Falling in love with a girl you hate, then losing her to your arch-enemy and then mistakenly KILLING her and then teaching her son who worships his father, your arch-enemy, can make you very grouchy. I'm guessing he will die, somehow redeemed and justified. And Harry will know all the sordid past.
I think Snape's goodness/evilness is more interesting than whether Harry dies or not, but I'll venture a tentative guess: I think he will live. He was and is and will be "The Boy Who Lived."
Now off to Deutschland!
And here's the sign on our recycling bin - apparently, the German school administrators are VERY thorough about the whole total-immersion thing!
Hopefully I'll be able to read this soon, so I can recycle correctly.
That's me, peeking through the doors of the Skull and Bones building on campus. Isn't it a freaky picture? The freakiest part is that there was light coming from under the door and when I put my eye to the crack of the doors I could see the inside was lighted (but I couldn't see anything else). Molt has a pizza, you know, just in case the door opens and we need an excuse.
Here we go:
These are "soup dumplings" from Joe's Shang-Hai in Chinatown (long line outside). (Their Chinese name is "Xiao Long Bao," literally, little basket bun - as in, steamed in a little basket.) They are super special because not only does the dumpling have meat inside (usually pork) but also a delicious broth. The ones we had were superb - and the ones pictured above were extra special because they had crab meat! You dip the dumplings in vinegar and minced ginger. Nibble the skin just a little so that you don't squirt when you bite down on the whole thing, then enjoy the meaty soupiness of it all.
They were super fresh and, if you look closely at the cream filling, made with real vanilla bean:
Don't look too close - it's a little gross. The head's somewhere on the ground. I guess there's some killing-masculinity-protector thing going on here. I was all for buying a snake trap, but that wasn't "manly" enough for Molt.
Safer fun with a tractor. Surprisingly easy to drive, by the way.
Goofing around with Lena, the adorable German shepherd.
