Chapter names. What did you think?

[LostInTheForest]

Check this out guys and girls and interesting Deathly Hallows discussion we can have. Im from the UK so i read the british version but this year i bought the american version of the book. And you guys will knowat the beginning of the book there is a list of chapters. No we never had thatr unless there were spoilers and i always tried to stay clear them.

So what i want to know is how many of you tried to guess what would happen from reading the chapter names?

And what were you interesting predictions of what though would happen by reading the name.

Theres one obviously anyone would know are going to be about but some are really cool name you would have to think about.

Post away.

P.S im sorry to leave out people who havent read the US versions but this thread should be fun to read wheather youve read that version or not.

[Rush]

Neat Topic!

Here are my original thoughts (as much as I can remember) when reading the chapter names. I read the U.K. versions, so I would have already read the previous chapters in DH. Here are three of the chapters I thought were most interesting. Some chapters I had no idea (The Seven Potters, King's Cross) and some were obvious (The Dark Lord Ascending, A Flaw in the Plan)

The Will of Albus Dumbledore - I didn't think the chapter had anything to do with his written will, but rather something that Dumbledore had wanted done.

A Place to Hide - As I had already read the Wedding chapter I knew it had to do with Harry, Ron, and Hermione being on the run, but I would've thought it had something to do with the location of a horcrux

The Missing Mirror - The Mirror of Erised maybe?

[eaglestreasure]

Originally Posted by Rush

Neat Topic!

Here are my original thoughts (as much as I can remember) when reading the chapter names. I read the U.K. versions, so I would have already read the previous chapters in DH. Here are three of the chapters I thought were most interesting. Some chapters I had no idea (The Seven Potters, King's Cross) and some were obvious (The Dark Lord Ascending, A Flaw in the Plan)

The Will of Albus Dumbledore - I didn't think the chapter had anything to do with his written will, but rather something that Dumbledore had wanted done.

A Place to Hide - As I had already read the Wedding chapter I knew it had to do with Harry, Ron, and Hermione being on the run, but I would've thought it had something to do with the location of a horcrux

The Missing Mirror - The Mirror of Erised maybe?

I agree, nice thread!

The Will of Albus Dumbledore - I thought originally that this would be some kind of communication from DD to the trio (see last chapter), like posted above, I thought it meant his will like getting things done.

A Place to Hide - I immediately assumed that it was the Order hiding out from the Death Eaters. I had just finished reading the Wedding, so I assumed this would be everyone all together at Grimmauld Place...

The Missing Mirror - I thought it would be Sirius's mirror, the one that was lost in OotP. I thought that it would be a connection to the dead, and that Harry would find the mirror and use it to talk to someone who would help him (like DD, see first chapter)...

I was waaay wrong -- I need to work on my predictions (Although I must say, I was pretty imaginative)

[wickedwickedboy]

It is an interesting topic and also interesting to see what people expected. Oddly enough, I don't read chapter names. I don't read them in the index and I don't read them while turning pages either. So I never had any expectations. The reason I don't read them is because I generally read adventure/fantasy, magical fantasy, sci fi and mystery/detective stories. The titles are like clues and I don't like clues, but rather to figure stuff out on my own, so I got out of the habit of reading them ages ago.

I have read them subsequently as I have had to quote from various chapters in forums when writing and some of them were quite clever or relevant to what occurred in a specific chapter; but I still see no real point in having them at all for myself. It is cool to see that others actually place more emphasis on them though and have fun guessing what is coming based on a title.

[TheShley]

Although Ive only read the UK versions of the books, I do love the titles of chapters. However, I never try to guess what is going to happen within the chapter, I like to find the part of the chapter that the title is reffering to. Does that makes sense? Eg. *grab the nearets potter book to me - GoF* Chapter 22 - The Unexpected Task. Which was asking a girl out. Which was possibly unexpected in itself! So I enjoy discovering what it actually means. (I know you were talking about DH, but I could not be bothered to get up, and get it.)

[bellatrix93]

The one I really tried hard to gues what it would contain was: The Life And The Lies Of Albus Dumbledore, but all I guessed was obviosly wrong, I never thought that Rita Skeeter would get involved once more, I could guess a bit of it after reading the 'In the memorandum' chapter, though .

[Morning_Star]

I read the UK edition, but I know that if DH came a few years ago (like in... 2005) and I had the US edition, I would have read the chapter index. Mainly because I was curious of how many chapters there were, what I could expect to happen, etc. I seldom guessed what the headings actually meant, I just wanted to get a general idea of what the book was about. But not so long ago (after hundreds of books with chapter indexes, I'm a really slow thinker ), I found that if I read chapter names before I read the book, some of the things that happened wasn't as surprising, as shocking, as sad, as it would've been if I hadn't read the names. Chapter names are spoilers. I don't like spoilers. Therefore I qiutted reading chapter indexes, and read happily ever after without spoiling the books for myself.

But I did guess what The Will of Albus Dumbledore would be about, before starting to read the chapter. I thought his "Will" was something he wanted the trio, or just Harry to do... It sort of was, the things Dumbledore gave were things the trio would need in the Horcrux hunt, which was indeed Albus Dumbledore's will (if it is possible to use will that way in English, I have no idea). Twist the facts around a bit, and you're usually at least half-right in whatever you guessed beforehand.

[vampiricduck]

I always try to avoid reading chapter names in a table of contents, because I can't understand exactly what I can gain from even having an inkling as to what happens. I like to be surprised in a book, and I'm usually one of those people who doesn't care about spoilers! ! The Harry Potter chapter titles were never too bad, but some of it was a bit of a giveaway at times. I came to appreciate them more later on for their quality in perfectly setting up a chapter, in a way that without reading it, I would not otherwise usually recognise, but I never focus on them at first reading, because it builds me into thinking one thing about what will happen, even though I might be incorrect.

[DeathlyH]

I never tried to guess what would happen in that chapter, basically just wondered what it could be about. I didn't spend too much time looking at them, because I really wanted to start reading. Because none of the chapter names really gave away huge parts of the plot. Some of them, like The Flaw in the Plan, could mean anything. Reading the chapter titles beforehand and trying to guess what they could possible be about was always fun, though.

[gipro2003]

I'm one of those people who never reads chapter titles either. I don't want to be spoiled in anyway, and I don't want to risk the chapter titles giving away hints and clues to what is going to happen. It is defintely an interesting idea, and some of these predictions were interesting to read.

[madbouthp]

I can't even remember any of the Chapter titles!
I was so absorbed by the book, I didn't even glance at them!
But thats what I tend to do, if I'm really into a book, I never read the Chapter titles
and as so for guessing what will come in that chapter, surely that would take forever! >Best to get on and read it!

[vampiricduck]

Originally Posted by DeathlyH

I never tried to guess what would happen in that chapter, basically just wondered what it could be about. I didn't spend too much time looking at them, because I really wanted to start reading. Because none of the chapter names really gave away huge parts of the plot. Some of them, like The Flaw in the Plan, could mean anything. Reading the chapter titles beforehand and trying to guess what they could possible be about was always fun, though.

"The Parting of the Ways" was a bad one for me.. I knew straight away what was going to happen in it.. But it's really that their genius lies in looking at them on a re read and realising how clever they are in their assertions and how they never give away too much.

[Freelander]

Nice thread This motivated me to go upstairs and bring down all my books! Then I realized one of my friends has had my Order of the Phoenix now for years and he really needs to give it back. Anyway, let me have a look through the chapters...

My favorite chapter of ANY Harry Potter book is Chapter 22 of PoA, called "Hermione's Secret." I remember seeing the name of that chapter as I was looking through the chapter list for the first time and wanting to know so BADLY what that chapter was about. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. I love that chapter, and it's title.

I also loved the eerily named "The Beginning" as the last chapter of Goblet of Fire. I didn't know what it was going to be about, and it was surely a great chapter. One of my favorites, actually.

I knew it was going to be bad news when I saw the last chapter of HBP was called "The Second War Begins."

I remember almost freaking out with excitement when I first got the 7th book, and was looking through the chapters and saw "Godric's Hollow." I had always said, since Book 1, that Godric's Hollow is one place that I really REALLY hope Harry visits in a later book, because I would love to go check it out. Well, book after book came out and he never went. I had given up hope. Then I saw it listed in DH and was so excited! Godric's Hollow is one of my most favorite Harry Potter chapters of all time. .

And lastly, the chapter "A Flaw in the Plan" seemed optimistic, to me, for Harry. This gave me a beacon of hope in the Harry Potter world, and the notion that things are going to turn out alright.

And they did

[Annielogic]

I don't tend to pay attention to chapter titles, usually just a quick glance, it usually depends on the author's style. I really like them if they're ambiguous or have double (triple) meanings, etc.

The Prince's Tale I like, although it tells the reader who they're going to hear about, it doesn't give anything away. Also, I love the 'Prince' referrence.

On an extremely rare occasion they can give something away. An example would be in the King's Cross chapter. Harry is gradually taking in his surroundings, describing the place, trying to work out where the place is taking the form of. But, because I read the chapter title I already know, King's Cross, so instead of working it out with Harry, putting the clues together, I felt a bit like I was waiting for him to catch up.

[snapegirl]

When I first read the books, I never looked at the index of chapter titles, because I didn't want to be spoiled. While reading, I would just quickly glance at the title of the chapter I was on. I never tried to figure out the chapter just by the title, I liked to wonder what the title was about while reading.

[merry18]

I always went and read through the chapters beforehand. I don't think there was ever an instance that spoiled anything for me. Besides, I think JKR would be smart enough to spoil anything important by giving it away in the title.

[BubblyShell22]

I always read chapter indexes if there are any because I love to speculate about what will happen and what the chapter is about. In POA, the chapter I was most intrigued about was "Hermione's Secret" because I knew she had a secret, but I wasn't sure what it was. I was also intrigued in DH by the chapter "The Prince's Tale" because I wanted to know what it was about. "King's Cross" was also intriguing as was "Shell Cottage." Those were the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

[katana]

Right after I picked up the DH book, I was driving home and my hubby had started to read the first chapter.....out loud!! I told him not to and I told him to just read me the chapter titles. There were a few that I had figured out, but most of them threw me off. Like...'The Forest Again'. What actually happened was not what I was thinking would happen.

I had 'Godric's Hollow' mostly figured out. I figured LV would find them there, but the Bathilda/Nagini scene totally shocked me.

[tombo125]

My favorite are the ones with multiple meanings like Wills and Wont.

I also try not to read the chapter titles before I start reading because you can usually guess something about what happens in the chapter.

[arithmancer]

I only read the DH chapter titles as I came to them, even though I do have the US editions. And a good thing too. Up until "The Silver Doe" I spent some time mentally biting my nails, something I would not have experienced if I knew there was a late chapter titled "The Prince's Tale".