Don't Read This: Halfway Through Harry

I've been taking my time with Harry Potter: The Last. I've gotten so used to listening to the series during long car trips that I almost can't do it any other way. Almost.

Anyway, I'm at the halfway point, and here are some disjointed thoughts on it:

1. The Escape From Harry's House scene sets an good tone for the book. By the end of it, I fully believed that any character could die at any time. This is enhanced by the fact that none of the Deatheaters from book five or earlier do much now but whimper in the shadows. The chase featured a new crew of large bearded men as Voldemort's go-to goons... minions who I don't remember being utterly useless in previous stories.
2. Fleur gets to become an extended member of Harry's crew, but Victor Crumb gets shoved aside the moment he reappeared. My dreams of a Crumb/Luna teamup were so close to being fulfilled...
3. What's an epic fantasy without interminable chapters of characters being crushed under the weight of their own burdens? Disc after disc of Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the run, passing a single likeable personality between them, and making worse and worse decisions. I know it was included deliberately, but that doesn't mean I am not so very glad that part seems to be over.
4. It was worth it all for the Nagini scene.
5. I question both why people would tell Harry that his wand can't do Magic Things, and why anyone would think wearing Voldemort's soul next to their bare flesh would be anything but a terrible idea.
6. Even though every previous book has been about some new event/object never before mentioned, the Deathly Hallows really seem to come out of left field. I think it's because the book had been dealing exclusively with the repercussions of book six until now then.

Still, I'm enjoying the book. Though for a series that's drawn its best moments from character interaction, I question Rowling's decision to lock the main three characters away from everyone else for long stretches of time. I also wonder if the last sentence will be, "And then, Harry sat down to finally read Hogworts: A History."