[Sirathiel]

I'm not wholly through the book yet - 40 pages left and stuck at work *gah*. I keep trying to avoid all these threads though I really want to read them and jump in with my own opinion. *big sigh* So I've skimmed through this one, read the list up to Snape and then stopped, since he's the last one I read die.

I've got to say that Dobby's end made me cry. Or would have if I hadn't been sitting in a bus full of people. But I really wanted to cry. His death was very unfair and very touching. A badly aimed silver knife? But he saved Harry, probably in more ways than one. Well, even if it sounds morbid: Thumbs up for Dobby's death. Very well written and heart touching.

As to the others... they kinda left me cold. Well not cold, but they didn't squeeze at my heart. It was more along the line of: 1 death, 2 deaths, 3 deaths... And I have to agree that they mostly happened "off-page" or in the middle of the big battle. No time to really dwell on them. Not for the people around, nor for the author.
SIDENOTE: Tolkien pulled this off though: gave depth and meaning to isolated incidents on the battle field. Going full out in his descriptions and all that. But then, ... we don't know that many people on the battlefield before Gondor than in the battle of Hogwarts...

I might be back later, once I've finished the book.
~Sira.