Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald

I've always thought that the final battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald raised some questions.
The bearer of the Elder wand  is supposed to be unconquerable. The wand lets you win all battles, and as long as you're fighting with it, your opponent does not stand a chance. I think this is what we all interpreted the definition of the Elder wand as.
Then how is it that in the epic battle between two of the world's greatest magicians, both of whom were almost equally matched, the bearer of the Elder wand lost the battle?
Agreed that Dumbledore was a 'shade more skillful' than Gellert Grindelwald. But the latter had been engaging in dark magic for a long time before Dumbledore's conquest of him. And of course, he had the Wand of Destiny by his side. Given all of these, is seems highly miraculous that Dumbledore emerged the winner. Was this because the wand did not, in the full sense, belong to Grindelwald? Or did Dumbledore somehow manage to disarm him?
These questions are unanswered and will probably remain so, but one can always let one's imagination decide it.
So can you answer this question? What, in your opinion, led to Dumbledore defeating the owner of the Deathstick? Was it mere chance, or a maneuvered scheme that paid off?

The Dragon War - Du Fyrn Skulblaka

Bloodshed all around... drops of red drain pouring from the sky in torrents... savage fighting enveloping all that is good and pure... and at the centre, a young boy, kneeling on the floor with a precious gem-like egg cradled in his arms...

The Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini, is not very widely known or appreciated. But it remains my firm favourite till date. Only Harry Potter, I should think, can precede it on my list of best novels to read.
Though the series has borrowed a lot from various others, it retains much originality and the style of writing is just superb. What really caught my attention, though, was the vividly described history of the land of Alagaesia.
Beginning from the times when only dwarves dwelt in the land, at one with earth and stone, until the Great Dragon War almost destroyed the kingdom, every bit of its history is as fascinating as the present proceedings.
The elves arrived at Alagaesia much later than the dragons, but with their pride, burning spirits and carefree youth soon put the dragons in danger of subordination. They treated the dragons as mere animals and when one young elf made the mistake of hunting a dragon down as game, the others were enraged. Conflicts ensued, and this soon turned into an out-and-out war. The elves attempted to explain themselves, but the dragons' ferocity in their onslaught made them retaliate in kind. There was soon no stopping of this war. Both races would fight to extinction. During these dark times, many evil weapons and strategies were forged. The 'dauthdaert', the dragon-killing spear, was forged then and it is said that the blood of the dragons poured down from the skies like rain!
Destiny plays many games, and so it was that a young elf named Eragon came upon an abandoned dragon egg one day. He hatched the youngling and named him Bid' Daum. Soon a friendship as strong as the bond of brotherhood was forged between the two, and then Eragon and his dragon travelled the kingdom, pleading for peace between the two sides at war. Resulting from their effort, treaties were signed that stopped further hostility or violence.
These treaties formed the very essence of the story, they forged a bond between dragons and elves which resulted in the formation of the Dragon Riders.
The working of this bond, I leave you find out, by reading the story yourself, and do believe me when I say, it will definitely be worth your time...

Character sketch!

What's a story without good characters?

Every story is equipped with a vast array of characters. The hero, the villain, and all of their cohorts form the main character base for most stories. Here's a list of the usual set of characters you find in a novel:-

THE HERO

The hero, male or female, usually has a history. Something inexplicable in his life. Either he has a troubled story or a completely normal life with just a few things totally out of place. The hero is always on the good side, and will stick to his principles forever. No amount of bribery will make him join the evil side. The hero's usually brave and determined. And the hero always does what he has to, because two out of three times, he/she has lost a loved one because of the villain.

THE SIDEKICK

There's always a sidekick, or in many cases, multiple. But the common thing about these sidekicks is that they're absolutely loyal to the hero. They will stick by his side no matter what. Some other times, the sidekick might initially be portrayed as a rival, and later grows on to form a deep bond and friendship with the hero. The thing about them is, most people love them better than the hero, not any less because they usually provide the comic relief in the otherwise serious story.

THE THIRD WHEEL(s)

The other good characters, who usually stick to the background, but come to the fore in some situations, just to let you know they're there! They're predominantly good, and they usually tend to die easily, just because they're easy to kill without disappointing fans.

THE TRAITOR

More often than not, there's a character who is portrayed originally as good, but goes over to the enemy side later, shocking everyone completely. He thinks that the grass is greener on the other side, and assists the villain in his.... uh.... villainous actions. Usually, though, the traitor has a change of heart nearing the end, and comes back on the good side, playing a very crucial role in the defeating the villain.

THE VILLAIN

The villain is mostly self-confident, slightly or totally nuts and wants to bring the  whole world under his subordination. You can't help liking him/her a little (after all, who else in the book is so freaking evil?)

But when the end approaches, you must side with the hero. Evil is awesome, until it starts killing your favourite characters randomly.

VILLAIN'S ARMY

Every villain has an army. One completely dedicated towards mindless slaughter, and willing to do anything to show its support to its master. These usually make interesting sideline topics, and have some history behind them.

WISE TEACHER

I've always wondered how is it that almost all novels have a wise-old-man character. But that's the way it is. Be it old Dumbledore, or even older Gandalf, there is always a teacher to guide the hero along on his journey... and he always has a beard!

Friendship - The Meaning

One of the most fascinating bits of Harry Potter was the friendship between Ron, Hermione, and Harry. When I started reading Harry Potter, I was a little kid of nine years, and my idea of a tragedy was getting too much homework and not being able to go down to play, and a villain was a teacher who yelled at me, or a friend who didn't let me sit by the window in the bus. In spite of barely understanding the series on a deep level, what captivated me the most and made me read on was the friendship of our three heroes. From the very beginning, after they fought the troll, till the very last chapter, when they fought alongside each other in the Battle of Hogwarts, though everything - and everyone - changed, their friendship remained.

We've all had friends since the beginning of our lives. Some come and go, and some remain as a constant in our lives - sometimes, the only constant in our lives. In Harry's world, everything was constantly changing. Harry lost his parents at a young age, suddenly Hagrid appeared out of nowhere and took him off to Hogwarts, Harry found out about Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore and Sirius dying...these were some of the big changes. But there were small changes, too. Like when, suddenly, all his Gryffindor mates didn't trust him anymore, and Cho had a boyfriend and didn't seem to like him, then Ron and Hermione getting together...small changes, but very, very important and significant changes in his life. Even the villain wasn't constant. In the fifth book, all of us hated Umbridge more than we hated Voldemort, admit it. Umbridge was the one we wanted dead in that book, not Lord Voldemort.

Yet, throughout the series, their friendship remained. Sure, they had arguments, but then, the essence and meaning of true friendship is that no matter what, you stick together. And they did that. In spite of all the problems in the world, they stuck together, by each others' side, and we see that even 19 years later, when they have their own families, they still retain that friendship.

This is what - in my mind - is the meaning of Harry Potter: to show that no matter what happens in life, there are some friends who will be there for you, forever. You just might not have met that friend yet. Harry Potter, along with an amazing plot and vivid characters, explores the true meaning of friendship and tells us that you do have that one true friend out there.

So whenever I'm feeling down or depressed because life is hard, I remember what Harry Potter teaches us: that don't give up, don't despair, don't worry that no one cares for you. Because there is always that one friend who will give up his life for you.

Parabatai

"And it came to pass... that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul... Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul."

This line that every Shadowhunter learns, forms the very basis of the bond that connects Parabatai. Before I forget, let me tell you that I'm talking about the Shadowhunter Chronicles, which contains quite a few series of books, the most famous one being the Mortal Instruments. The world is based on a race of people called the Shadowhunters, who are born to kill demons and thus protect the mundanes ( you, me and every other normal person; 'muggles' would be a kind of synonym ).
The Shadowhunters can choose to be bound to another of their kind, completely and irrevocably. Before the age of 18, they can choose their partner, male or female, and they have to swear many oaths before the Clave to complete the ceremony.
Being someone's Parabatai means that you fight alongside them, you lay down your life for them if need be, and stay with them forever. Only death parts two Shadowhunters, unless one of them becomes a Downworlder. A Shadowhunter's obligation to his Parabatai is that he provide them with constant companionship, and refrain from going where his Parabatai cannot follow. This bond signifies giving everything you have for another person, and accepting the same from them.
And the angel's law states that a person cannot fall in love with their Parabatai. Though this happens time to time, despite the restriction ( after all, who can guide your heart? ), it is strictly taboo. Most Shadowhunters do not know the reason for this restriction, but it is rumoured to be the Clave's deepest secret.
Parabatai can feel when the other is in grave danger, or when something is wrong with their partner.
These link two people beyond any other bond. Parabatai are said to be closer than siblings, more a part of each other's souls.
Reality is often quite different from the idea built up in these beautiful words, yet there is a semblance to the bond shared by Parabatai  in the bond we call friendship. Plain, simple friendship... but it has something deeper in its meaning. True friendship is like the Parabatai bond. It will never fray "until aught but death part thee and me".

Divergent - Veronica Roth

I've been wanting from quite some time to write something about the Divergent trilogy.
But then I know that most people haven't even heard about Divergent. It is a trilogy by Veronica Roth, an American author.
Beatrice 'Tris' Prior is the protagonist of the story, which talks about human faults like greed, selfishness, ignorance, cowardice and falsehood. Tris lives in the future of the world, somewhat like The Hunger Games. The society (or what is left over after a huge war that wiped out nations) is divided into factions - groups that have different ideologies. The factions are called Abnegation - the faction of the selfless, Candor - the faction of the truthful, Dauntless - the faction of the brave, Amity - the faction of the peaceful, and Erudite - the faction of the intelligent. Each of these factions has their own headquarters, and residence.
Tris belongs to Abnegation, but somehow, she's never felt like she belongs. When the choosing ceremony comes, Tris is torn between Abnegation, where her parents live, and Dauntless, where her heart lives. Her choice will affect her entire life. And what's more, Tris is one of the Divergent, the people who have been singled out and killed since forever, and no one knows why. Tris' adventure in Divergent and its sequel, Insurgent, follows the path she takes to discover what it means to be Divergent and what the great secret is that all the leaders of Abnegation are hiding.
I definitely recommend this book for people who liked the Hunger Games series, but were disppointed with the last book. So far, the series has held my attention totally, and I hope that the third and final installment, Allegiant, will be up to the expectancy of all its readers.

Wormtail - A Gryffindor?

"Seriously? Peter Pettigrew was in Gryffindor? He should have been a Slytherin, he was seriously a coward. And he was never loyal to his friends! He got his best friend killed and threw the blame on another of his best friends! I just hate him and I think he should have been a squib!"
I know many people of this opinion, and I admit, I myself never saw why Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor, when he was clearly a coward, and was anything but loyal to his friends.
But the Sorting Hat is never wrong. So there must have been reasons for him being put in the scarlet house.
Of course, he was afraid that Sirius would find him and kill him, after Voldemort was gone. But then, any wizard who knew how single-minded and talented Sirius Black was, would have been afraid.
And whatever may be the reasons, it did take courage to seek out Voldemort, and bring him back to life. Pettigrew must have known that there was a possibility of Voldemort killing him on the spot, as he often did when he was in a murderous rage. Also, Wormtail was loyal to Voldemort throughout. Even when he saw that his Dark Lord was a tiny baby, capable of almost no harm, he did not desert him, but helped him regain his previous glory. And he did have a slight sense of honor, for he did not kill Harry and Ron when he could have. Instead, he hesitated, remembering the time when Harry had spared his life and this act finally cost him his life.
So maybe the Hat was not mistaken after all. Wormtail was a Gryffindor. Only, he was one who chose the the wrong side.