HOL Ravenclaw

Hello pranksters!

Let us know what your thoughts on Life after Fred! Did you enjoy it or not? Any interesting ideas it brought to mind?

Please post your comments below and we look forward to everyone's thoughts!

This task will be due on April 29 at 11:59 pm HOL time.

I have do admit, I expected more from this short movie. Then again, it is only two minutes long, 30 seconds of that is the "introduction".

The set was quite nice, all little tidbits from Hogwarts years, like the Gryffindor robes and Marauders Map. The view from the window was a little confusing, since there were cars and if I remember correctly, they were living in Diagon Alley, unless George moved after the war, which, I suppose, is quite possible.

It must be just me, but I hated that the actor playing George had both ears, but with scar clearly visible where the prosthetic was attached. I do not think it would have been in his nature to do it, especially since I think he would remind himself too much of Fred every time he looked in the mirror. But that is just my speculation.

It would have been nice to see some original content rather than just archive dialogue from the films as it would have given it more emotional depth and momentum. However, in a way this showed the bleakness of George's life after his twin dies and how, no matter how we wish it, the pain never really goes away.

I agree with Maxim that I expected more and I was left wanting some original content. I was hoping this would show more about how George is continuing the joke shop with Ron, how he got married and has kids, but this just seems rather bleak and shows a George that is seemingly different than the one JKR wrote about. It's like that Youtube series, Hermione Granger and The Quarter Life Crisis, (though a lot more liberties were taken with that.) I just felt they were trying to write a narrative that wasn't consistent with what we'd already been given.

This video sort of suffers in comparison with the one of Voldemort. Perhaps if I'd seen this first, I'd like it more? As it is, I was sort of underwhelmed when I watched it.

I think that if the makers of it had shown more clearly that this was made very soon after the Battle of Hogwarts, and not years later, that it would make more sense. After a while, a person doesn't put out a bowl of cereal for someone who isn't there. Yes, for the table settings and such, but no to the actual food.

Also, for me, and as Arianna wrote, it does not agree with George's character as written in the HP books.

I agree with all the comments made so far. I was also disoriented by the presence of the Marauders' Map in front of George because I distinctly remembered that the map was in Harry's possession throughout the events of the final book... and stayed under his 'control' until his eldest son James stole the map for his own personal use. As for Tarma's suggestion that it would make more sense that the video was made 'very soon after the Battle of Hogwarts, and not years after', the presence of Rose and Hugo Weasley on the map means that the timing of the scene is most likely sometime around 2020: after all, Rose only started Hogwarts in 2017 and Hugo was a couple of years younger than Rose!

In fact, due to the scope of the disconnect with the canon I remembered, I didn't even realize that the redheaded man was supposed to be George Weasley until I heard the words "You okay, Fred"... which in turn made me wonder why the younger Fred (George's son) didn't show up on the map! I mean, it's possible that Fred could be younger than Hugo and (if the timing worked out 'properly') not yet at Hogwarts, but it just feels like a different 'George' was created to make the loss seem more poignant.

I actually really liked this one. I do wish it would have been longer and did some of things the others mentioned like showing the joke shop and stuff and also about the ear. But on a minimal budget, that may have been difficult to do, so they decided to show scarring instead?

This short was very emotional for me. While I realize Fred and George are identical twins and have an extremely powerful connection, it reminded me of my own life after my brother died and how my world just felt empty and still feels empty at times without him there. One less person at the table. One bedroom door closed for good. One less pair of shoes by the door. Yet there were still pieces of him all around the house that I had to stare at day after day realizing that he was never coming back.

So this short hit a hard spot for me, and I'm sure it would for others who know this experience intimately of losing someone who is basically your other half like my brother was to me.