#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 199. I always wondered why there was an epilogue like this at the end of the series and I guessed it was so there really wouldn't be any question about the finality of Voldemort's death. There is truly peace in the wizarding world for decades after the Battle of Hogwarts. It feels strange to be done with the series because it took a long time going so slow, but it also went by quickly. I want to watch the films again.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 197/198. I think a big overarching theme in the series is choice. Aside from the choices he made, Harry could have easily been very much like Voldemort. Part of the reason he even makes it out of the woods alive was due to his choice to save Draco. When he finally faces off against Voldemort, I love how he regains his angsty, sassy attitude. Harry condescendingly calls Voldemort out on all of his nonsense. Finally.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 195/196. I think the real hero here is Dumbledore. He took a terrible situation and did the best he could to forgive Snape and help him earn some redemption. Snape is neutral at best because he has such an abrasive attitude. After Harry finds all of this out, he wastes little time going down to sacrifice himself. I understand why he doesn't say goodbye to anyone but it really sets the tone for how isolated he feels.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 194. Voldemort gets so obsessed with the Elder Wand that he figures he could probably have better chances to kill Harry if he kills Snape first. I can't tell if he really does want the most powerful wand in history, or if he's just secretly worried that Harry might actually defeat him. It might be a little of both, but it's clear to Voldemort that his path to more power requires him to murder Snape.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 192/193. Voldemort's most obvious flaw is his pride. Harry capitalizes on this over and over and manages to uncover the secrets of the lost diadem. As usual, just when things are coming along okay, Draco and his cronies show up. Things get a bit too real. Clearly, Hogwarts can not undergo a war unscathed, but the loss at this end of this chapter is insurmountable. Of all the deaths, Fred Weasley's is the worst. ಠ_ಠ

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 190/191. Albus always gave people the benefit of the doubt and trusted people, but his brother seems very skeptical and untrusting. Some of the things he slips into conversation shows why Aberforth never really got along well with his brother. The students at Hogwarts are ready and waiting to overtake their school and seem to just need to take some orders from Harry when he shows up. He then agrees to let them help.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 188/189. Even though a lot of planning goes into the Gringotts Heist, things start going wrong immediately. Harry is calm in a crisis, but chaos ensues despite his quick thinking. Things go off the rails (literally) and Harry, Ron, and Hermione manage to work together to get out. To mix things up a bit, Voldemort begins to go through the Kübler-Ross Stages of Grief and Loss. We see steps one and two in this chapter.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 186/187. Harry gets to a point where he feels he has to prioritize between Hallows and Horcruxes. He makes a choice knowing he will not likely have time for both. Not long after, he sees Voldemort take the Elder Wand. Harry puts his trust in Griphook and hopes that the goblin will assist him in breaking into Gringotts. He gambles a lot on what Griphook will do. He also puts faith in Dumbledore, Ron, and Hermione.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 184/185. Harry is very preoccupied with immortality, the Hallows, and how they could help him. He admits to himself how strange it is that he and Voldemort would be after the same thing. After getting captured, Harry and Ron witness Wormtail's murder by his own magical hand after he shows mercy toward Harry. Draco also shows the same strange, uncharacteristic hesitation. They both seem to resent following Voldemort.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 182/183. Ron tells Harry about how much worse things have gotten since their journey began. Voldemort is taking advantage of select people using his name and other wizards are making a prophet catching people on the run. Many things are taboo that weren't before. Even Xenophilius is overcome by fear when they go to visit him. Fear can change people more acutely than anything else; it makes people do terrible things.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 180/181. Its surprising how much Harry believes about Dumbledore when he himself had been the victim of Rita Skeeter's skewed reporting. Harry feels like he is finally learning the truth, while Hermione remains skeptical. When Harry is saved by Ron, Harry feels that Ron showed more courage than he did and makes him use the sword. Harry took his sweet time getting in that water. Your Slytherin is showing, Harry.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 178/179. Harry faces some demons in Godric's Hollow. While he lets his guard down to express his grief, he gets a bit frivolous with the safety precautions. He and Hermione are let into a trap by what appears to be Bathilda Bagshot. It's kind of remarkable they aren't killed. Voldemort and Harry are both driven by a will to survive as well as kill the other. Wizards are terrible at celebrating Christmas sometimes.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 176/177. Harry, Hermione, and Ron begin getting frustrated with each other over food scarcity and uncertainty about what to do next. Ron gets a bit stir crazy and decides to abandon the mission. He expresses resentment against Harry for not having more of a plan. I think a lot of this is due to the locket and everyone getting hangry, but since when are teenagers really good at managing their feelings anyway?

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 175. The Ministry of Magic is super corrupt and Harry realizes what is going on just in time to help some Muggle-borns escape. There is an attitude much like xenophobia happening within the higher levels of the ministry and those who do not support the agenda (like Arthur Weasley) are about to be targeted as well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione barely make it out with the horcrux, and end up learning how bad things are.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 173/174. While hiding out at Grimmauld Place, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are visited by Lupin. He confesses feeling guilty about Tonks and their future child, but Harry sees his actions as a betrayal to his family. Weeks go by, and the three of them carry out a plan to sneak into the Ministry of Magic. Harry seems anxious to do something productive, rather than continue to make plans, and they have many quests ahead.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 171/172. Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up in Grimmauld Place trying to escape the Death Eaters. Trying to hide somewhere that isn't obvious is complicated, but the trip ends up being surprisingly productive. After learning the story of the locket, Harry finally takes Hermione's advice and tries to be nicer to Kreacher. Perhaps he doesn't want to repeat Voldemort's mistakes and take Kreacher's loyalty for granted.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 169/170. Dumbledore leaves some suspicious items for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It seems hard to believe Dumbledore won't be around to help them with this dangerous mission. When people gather for the wedding, things appear normal, but there are already a lot of small disputes over trivial things. It seems a bit hopeless that even people who want to see Voldemort defeated can't agree on much else at times.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 167/168. I think the person who is vulnerable in this chapter is actually Voldemort. He's really losing his shit these days and can't seem to figure out why he can't curse Harry to death. Harry later considers going it alone, because he's dim sometimes, but Ron and Hermione let him in on all the sacrifices they've already been making in preparation for leaving.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 165/166. Harry says goodbye to the Dursleys....sort of. It's weird because it's probably very final. Dudley surprises everyone by expressing he doesn't dislike Harry. Later, everyone shows up and it's clear to Harry how they'll be getting him out of Privet Drive. Harry is very unwilling to let his closest friends risk their lives to get him to safety.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 163/164. Voldemort uses intimidation tactics over his followers and it causes a lot of tension. The relationships here are really strained and forced. Meanwhile, Harry seems to forget that articles and memories can both be heavily skewed. Even with the best intentions, people don't have a very reliable way to remember events accurately. Memories change over time to suit our preferences and should be scrutinized.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 161/162. Amid all the sadness there are quite a few budding relationships going on. Perhaps too many close calls can scare people into being braver about verbalizing their feelings. In the last chapter, Dumbledore's funeral attracts many different characters. Some seem to have ulterior motives while others are mourning very openly. Then Harry sort of breaks it off with Ginny because he isn't quite miserable enough.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 159/160. Dumbledore shows Draco mercy by understanding him and acknowledging his predicament. He gives him a chance to do the right thing. Dumbledore asks Snape for mercy. Harry feels betrayed by Snape but then Snape also expresses betrayal after Harry uses his own jinxes against him, much like James did. Also the world is a sad mess and Harry keeps losing his mentors.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 157/158. Harry has to trust Hermione and Ron to keep watch on Malfoy and also trust Dumbledore in order to leave with him. Dumbledore trusts Snape, but Harry feels Snape is responsible for the death of his parents. Harry and Dumbledore overcome fear and dark magic in the cave. It seems they only manage to do so as a team. I don't think Voldemort ever prepares to guard his horcruxes against more than one wizard.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 155/156. I feel like this entire chapter is the expanded version of Dumbledore's quote, "It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry seems to have grown up a lot but then spends the majority of the following chapter stalking Malfoy, nearly killing him, lying, getting detention, and obsessing over Ginny. At the end of the day, Harry is still a 16-year-old boy.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 153/154. Harry is sneaking around trying to find out why Draco is sneaking. Both characters have their own agenda and justify going where they feel they need to, but Harry can be a little hypocritical. Later he uses Felix Felicis to get Slughorn's memory. I enjoy seeing how the opportunities unfold in this chapter. Slughorn also takes the opportunity to collect some venom. Everybody wins!

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 151/152. It's too bad Harry can't force McLaggen to work well with the rest of the Gryffindor team as easily as he can force Kreacher and Dobby to work together. Hermione and Ron are also friendly again. Later, Dumbledore and Harry experience more memories and learn how far Voldemort will go to take things he feels entitled to.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 149/150. Slughorn tries to alter his memory. His perception of the real memory is something he is obviously ashamed of. Also Riddle uses perception to his advantage by framing his uncle for murder. Harry seems determined to catch Malfoy, but isn't very focused on the things he is expected to do. And nothing says determination like a love potion. Ron seems extremely determined after he accidentally consumes it.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 147/148. Hermione tries the Ol' Make A Dude Jealous By Dating Another Guy strategy and it backfires. It's not like her to use people, but things get uncomfortable at the party. This is a situation where being honest is safest. During Christmas the Weasley family gets an unexpected visitor or two. Harry decides he's had enough mind games with Ministers and just comes right out with everything. It's rather refreshing.

#hpchapteraday 145/146. In the earliest known memory of Voldemort's childhood it becomes uncomfortably obvious that he has always been cruel. The reasons for his unusual behaviors are touched on later, but aren't discussed in detail. Then during Gryffindor's first match Ron learns the power of his own confidence. Personally I think putting importance on luck (good or bad) can lead to a lack of accountability. Also Ron is acting like a tool.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 143/144. Many of the characters use deception in little ways, but it's rare that Hermione uses it. When she does, it's usually a testament to how much she cares about Ron or Harry. Also for there to be an attack on a student, there isn't a lot of violence. I noticed Harry acting more violent than usual when he was upset with Mundungus. He's losing his temper much easier these days.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 141/142. While Harry takes his chances using his used copy of Advanced Potion-Making, Hermione is very stubborn about following the rules to the letter. Even when she learns the tips are helpful, changing her ways would mean losing faith in her textbooks. Harry then learns about Voldemort's parents and the madness that runs in his family. The bit about the love potion ends up being extremely relevant later on.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 139/140. Slughorn is obsessed with status but he doesn't have a very proper method of finding impressive students. Shouldn't he look up their Facebook page or figure out who has the highest grades or something? Meanwhile we all know that Draco is hiding something, so why are Ron and Hermione brushing it off? Maybe they've wrongfully accused him too many times to take it seriously anymore.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 137/138. With all of the real life serious stuff happening, it's kind of tricky that the kids still have to balance all that with school-related business. I feel sad for Harry thinking he cannot continue his aspirations because of one teacher. Also, compared to Diagon Alley, is Knockturn Alley any more sinister? It seems like a blur. The only pleasant place is the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 135/136. Dumbledore shows kindness to those he dislikes, which is basically just him not cursing people immediately. I admire how even-tempered he is. He also shows Harry kindness by being so understanding all the time. Then he totally USES Harry to pressure Slughorn into taking up a teaching job. How weak-willed are you when a quiet teenager can change your mind during a 10 minute conversation?

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 133/134. The book begins with a change in power as many people justify blaming the person in charge when things go wrong (pretty spot on in this case), but there's a downside to changing things at a vulnerable time. Meanwhile, Snape seems surprisingly capable of justifying his actions to the Death Eaters. One way or another, he is manipulating someone (either Dumbledore or Voldemort) and it's quite impressive.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 131/132. Harry hears the prophecy via Dumbledore's memories (what doesn't this guy know?) and struggles with accepting that Sirius is gone. It's a pretty somber ending to one of the darker books in the series. I felt like it always set up the 6th and 7th, but there was definitely more than I remembered going on. Looking forward to Half-Blood Prince!

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 130. Well. This part sucks a lot. I think it's terrible that Harry found a parental figure in his life only to lose him after a short time. And poor Remus....I think he probably feels the most at this point but holds it together. Emotion can blind our senses, and if everyone lost their minds they could have been overtaken by the Death Eaters. Fortunately Dumbledore shows up from God Knows Where and saves the year.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 129. It seems like the Death Eaters are focused on self-preservation. They're each driven by wanting to please Voldemort and not getting punished by him. Meanwhile, the DA kids are trying to help each other. They each do their best to defend the group, distract the Death Eaters, and carry each other to safety. They're not really good at keeping unscathed though.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 127/128. Flexibility is important when you're rebelling against the Ministry and Hermione proves it. I see a lot of characters being really inflexible too. Umbridge and the centaurs are both really stubborn. There's also a lot of mystery involved in the next chapter when Harry and the other students are unsure where they are going or what they will find.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 125/126. Hogwarts students take their O.W.L.s exams and stress is at an all-time high. I think if you need to study 8-10 hours a day your class time isn't sufficient for what you're learning. There's a gap between what is taught and what is tested. As usual, Harry shows us how not to make decisions when we are frantic and stressed out. Desperate times equal poor planning, but getting caught was a long time coming.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 123/124. Harry and the other students are faced with discussing their careers. I love McGonagall's responses to Umbridge in these situations. Later Harry and Hermione learn what Hagrid has been up to. He has a loyalty to Grawp that the two don't understand. I think Hagrid struggles because he knows what it feels like to be abandoned and not to have any family.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 121/122. Marietta turns the DA in, but it doesn't quite work out the way anyone expects. Of course, Fudge takes all this to confirm Dumbledore's betrayal. He believes everything with no proof at all as Dumbledore uses his own paranoia against him. Later Harry learns more about what an unsavory character his father used to be, and reluctantly feels bad for Snape.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 120. The students witness Trelawney getting sacked by Umbridge, something that had been building up all year. Dumbledore seems to hire the only replacement Umbridge might dislike more than Trelawney, given her obvious dislike for people who aren't all human. Dumbledore and the other teachers try to get revenge on Umbridge where they can.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 118/119. As term resumes at Hogwarts, things are pretty dreary. Snape invades Harry's mind and violates his privacy during Occlumency lessons. Later, Hermione asks Harry to do a similar thing and divulge his story to Rita Skeeter. The spin the media puts on the prison break makes it more obvious something else is going on, but others, like Umbridge, are clinging to the stories in the Daily Prophet.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 116/117. Mr. Weasley recovers at St. Mungos during Christmas. The Weasleys try to treat Harry like family. Harry struggles with some guilt before Hermione arrives to host an intervention. Just when things are getting more cheerful, everyone finds out what happened to Neville's parents. There is some stigma against mental health problems in the wizarding world as well, it seems.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Day 115. Umbridge seems to have a prejudice against Hagrid that becomes more glaring during her inspection of his class. I think Hagrid loves misunderstood creatures because he can relate to them sometimes. Harry has a weird kiss with Cho who is struggling with acceptance about what happened to Cedric. Maybe she is drawn to Harry for closure or understanding in addition to liking him.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 113/114. This is when I really get worried about Umbridge; when she overrides McGonagall. Things are getting even more corrupt at Hogwarts before Hagrid makes it back. We find out that he's been trying to convince the giants that Dumbledore is an okay kind of guy, but things go pretty poorly. I think it's realistic to show that it's always harder to convince people to do what's right than what's easy.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 111/112. I'm so excited that we finally get to the Room of Requirement! The students really need it because Umbridge is starting to demonstrate that she knows more than we think. Giving people too much power when they are in charge is a concern in safety vs. privacy, and this is a good demonstration. The DA isn't taking no for an answer though! Most badass study group ever...

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 109/110. The new decree making Umbridge High Inquisitor seemed unrealistic before this last year. For one thing, she's also teaching. For another, she doesn't seem to know anything about education. I think this is a perfectly good reason for Hogwarts students to rebel a bit. It's pretty harmless really; they're not protesting or writing letters or even missing class. They just disagree and want to study independently.

#hpchapteraday Challenge Days 107/108. Umbridge's choice to punish Harry and her ability to do so make her so evil. It's not like she's just mad and loses her temper because it takes days to carry out. Harry feels a sense of betrayal when he reads Percy's letter, but Sirius seems to feel betrayed by Harry that same night. Of course, Harry is trying to be the adult in the relationship (somehow) and Percy is just an opportunistic brown-noser.