Spies Like Us

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 12

So Kreacher has become a good guy to have around. A pleasant surprise for everyone.

Death Eaters are loitering in the square. Don't they know they're supposed to sit in a paneled van with lettering on the side proclaiming them to be a plumber, a delivery service or something equally unsuspecting, looking at monitors, wearing headphones and eating fast food. They could at least wear Muggle clothing to blend in.

Harry, Hermione and Ron have much better spy craft. Sneaking in and out day after day to do recon on the Ministry of Magic under the noses of Death Eaters would not please Voldemort. Their next job will be checking employee badges at the Ministry entrance if he finds out.

They've also chosen rather ordinary Ministry workers to use to get inside. More good spy craft.

Presumably the next chapter will reveal just how good our young spies are. They've just come face to face with Umbridge. That could be tricky.

Somehow they have to get into her office and find the locket. At least that's where it looks like this mission is headed. Fooling everyone has gotten them this far. They are going to have to keep outsmarting the unsuspecting Ministry. I can't imagine they could overpower or outmagic them to get out with the goods.

Of course, getting the locket is only half the battle. Destroying the horcrux in it might be the real challenge.

Another complication

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 11

The Lupin thing was weird. Agree?

Harry, it seems, didn't want Lupin to be in any more danger. He already didn't want his BFFs along for the same reason. But they were harder to tell no. Make Lupin mad enough to leave. That was the strategy. But it was quite uncomfortable for everyone.

Too bad about Scrimgeour if the story is true about protecting Harry. I take back calling him Schemegeour if it's true.

Voldemort is connivingly brilliant with his puppet leadership and his propaganda and silent takeovers. There is fear throughout the land, and that only adds to his power to control. Wait. That's why Lupin came. Wouldn't get that news without someone showing up at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Back to Voldemort. There's this Harry Potter fella he knows is a problem and gives people hope. His failure to deal with Harry is consuming him. Usually that creates blindspots and leads to an overconfident downfall. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What matters at the moment is that the locket with the horcrux has fallen into the hands of Umbridge, the High Instigator. Whose side is she on? With plot twists and surprises what they are, I won't attempt to guess. I'm keeping an open mind.

Right now Harry is convinced that destroying the horcruxes is the key to victory. But there are a lot of chapters left and lots of things we don't know yet. I would quit trying to figure it out, but what would I write about otherwise?

I'll keep blindly forging ahead much like Harry, Ron and Hermione are. No Lumos charm will help. Whatever class you learn that in at Hogwarts, I wasn't paying attention.

The Horcrux Hunt

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 10

RAB. I had to think for a few paragraphs what that was from. My reading has drifted for a while, but I'm back hoping to be diligent for another 26 chapters and end this thing.

So RAB represents the initials of Sirius Black's brother Regulus. He's the one he swapped the horcrux locket with a fake locket. It all made sense as I kept reading. Harry is now on the trail of a horcrux he thought was gone forever. It's still gone, possibly forever, but there is hope.

Kreacher. What a pathetic existence. He's in the house all alone. Of course, no one has been ordering him around, but still. I'm not as empathetic as Hermione, but still.

Kreacher now has the important job of finding Mundungus Fletcher and retrieving the horcrux. Not sure how Harry will destroy it, but there's probably something in one of those ancient books in Hermione's go bag.

The letter. Does it mean anything? Does it hold clue? Does Mundungus have the rest of it? Will we find out what Harry's mum said about Dumbledore?

I don't have a house elf to help me find these answers, so I'll just keep reading. I'd like to say I'll be finished in 26 days. But my track record says it will take longer than that.

But not too much. I promise.

The Great Escape

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Chapter 9

Suddenly the story is in action-movie mode.

Subbing for the car chase through tight European streets and alleys: A quick now-you-see-them-now-you-don't getaway thanks to Hermione's quick thinking and forward thinking to have the go bag of all go bags ready.

Subbing for the fight in a crowded street market: The cafe brawl with Death Eaters, and the "Men In Black" style memory wipes.

Subbing for the GPS tracker stealthily placed on someone's collar: The Death Eaters have a magical way of tracing Harry's movements. That mystery remains unsolved.

Subbing for the deserted warehouse or the cabin in the woods hideout: Grimmauld Place with the requisite amount of dust and creep factor.

Some good news comes through Arthur's patronus that all is well back at the Burrow. But Harry's scar is inflamed. He's seeing Draco being made to serve Voldemort's evil plans. More of these episodes to come.

What's next?

I can't see them sticking around the Black homestead for long. There are bad guys to stop and horcruxes to find. I don't think they'll all toddle around under the invisibility cloak together. But they do need to be able to move without being seen or traced.

Someone will figure something out. They always do.