Romilda Vane: she illustrates all that is wrong in the world. Important things are happening all around her, and all she wants to know is whether Harry has a tattoo.

Snape: I am wondering about his sabotage of Harry and Ginny. I feel I am reading too much into it if I once again draw on his memories of seeing James with her, but I thought I'd put it out there. It may not be his primary motivation, but I cannot help think that it may be a factor.

Snape killing Dumbledore is such a good scene. I have already mentioned my weakness for the episodes where Snape does good while appearing to do evil. This one is quite powerful to me. His hatred, of the act, and his anger at what Dumbledore is making him do. It is lovely.

Trelawny: her descent into alcoholism has so far gone unnoted, I think. Still, her predictions are right. I assume Dumbledore has dismissed her because he already knows what they mean, but has no intention of sharing or averting them.

Draco: the whooping. Is it really Draco celebrating? I cannot quite make that fit with what we have been seeing of him lately.

I like him on the roof top as well. He is honest about not wanting to do it, about being forced, but then he is clearly also drawn to the glory of the moment. I like the dithering.

Dumbledore: he cannot tell Harry why he trusts Snape. It isn't doable. It would be such a violation of trust.

I like his reaction to what he sees as Voldemort's crudity and how he reads it in light of his fears of physical injury. Especially after the description of him as doing almost imperceptible magic, it is delightful. It serves to lift him above others, not only marking out his expertise, but through the reaction of disappointment rather than horror at the thought of the blood requirement, his placement so far above Voldemort is really brought home.

Similarly, his steady insistence that he is the one who will run the risks. It does of course make sense in light of what we later learn about how Dumbledore was already dying, but his continual resistance to Harry's hero complex is lovely.

I am a little confused by his great horror. I had thought the visions were of his sister being tortured, but he is talking about "them", not "her". I assume it is about the students being hurt. At any rate, again Dumbledore is cemented as a Good Guy in that his great fears are of hurt to others, not himself. The same is there in his objection to the use of "mudblood" as he is about to die. It is emblematic of the man: no compromise on the objection to what that word represents, regardless of his own position.

The comment on the roof top, ``It is my mercy that matters'' -- is that about what he has made Snape promise?

I also love the ``Jokes? No, no, these are manners.'' Dumbledore through and through.

And then the pleading. Not to be saved, but to be killed before Draco is forced to do it. It is very well written. I love this scene.

Voldemort: I am a little surprised that he would think official qualification is the key to power, when he had already reached the point of considering horcruxes, and had already killed his family, when he was still in school.

He is also very clever to make the test compassion-proof. Not only do you have to be able to force someone else to endure horrible pain, you must then also be able to resist touching the water to bring them solace afterwards.

Harry: his hero complex is challenged. Like all the good guys, he is less able to deal with injury to others, while being less worried about the dangers he himself runs. When Dumbledore mentioned danger and following orders, you know his mind is on having the courage to do the dangerous stuff; and then Dumbledore forces him to stand aside and watch him run the risks and endure the pain. I am not sure he would have been able to do that in the last book.