While we're on the subject of spoilers...

My family has had a little difficulty this year keeping secrets. As you can see by the last post, we hate to find things out before it's actually time to. Here are some family spoiler stories. Of course, not wanting to spoil anything for you, I've hidden the spoiler text so that you actually have to highlight it to read what's written. That way, if you don't want to know yet, you don't have to.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Coming home from a mission and reentering the world is delightful. You have a year and a half worth of movies to catch up on. And you get to read the next Harry Potter without feeling that you've had to wait for it. As soon as I was home, I grabbed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book, and started reading. To my disappointment, I realized that I couldn't quite remember all the details from the other books. Instead of going to sparksnotes.com, I foolishly asked my mother, who reads the last chapter of a book before she reads anything else anyway.

I said, "I don't quite remember the whole story with Sirius Black. I know that everyone thought he was bad and he was actually good and that he's Harry's godfather, but I don't really remember any of the other details." My mom replied, "Well, I remember that he died trying to save Harry." I started shrieking at my mother, "HE'S STILL ALIVE AT THE BEGINNING OF BOOK FIVE! HE'S STILL ALIVE AT THE BEGINNING OF BOOK FIVE!"

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Did you know that according to Chicago, Blood should be lowercased? Here's one instance where I don't agree with Chicago. Anyway. So this summer, Brother 1 and Sister-in-Law went to pick up Brother 3 from the Las Vegas airport. Brother 3 said, "You'll never guess what I just saw on the plane---"
"---I saw this shirt that says Dumbledore dies on page 596."
My sister-in-law started shrieking, "I'm still reading the book! I'm still reading the book!"

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

We planned to see this movie as a family on Thanksgiving. Of course, I assumed that everyone had read the book. Mom and Brother 3 went to see it earlier in the day on the East Coast. She called after the movie, and I put her on speakerphone so that they could talk to everyone.

Mom said, "Well, I'm not going to ruin it for you this time, Cicada. I'm not going to tell you who dies at the end."

I replied, "I've read the book, Mom. I know that it's Cedric."

Brother 1 started yelling, "I never read the book! I never read the book!"

24, season 4

It's ironic that I was able to spoil this one for Brother 2 because I haven't seen it yet. I got hooked on 24 earlier this semester when I borrowed season 1 from Sister-in-Law. I've dutifully watched all three seasons that are released on DVD, and I know I'll have about three weeks to watch season 4 before season 5 starts. But, you see, they've started airing commercials for season 5...

On Wednesday I was with Brother 2 and I commented, "You know it's kindof annoying that all the commercials for season five of 24 give away the ending of season 4---that everyone believes that Jack Bauer is dead and all..."

Brother 2 yelled, "I haven't seen season four!"

"I thought you had!"

"No! When would I have watched it? It hasn't been released yet!"

"I thought that you would have watched it on TV last year."

"No! I don't watch much TV, Cicada. I watch Lost and Law & Order with you, and then I watch House. That's it."

"Well... you would have seen the commercials at one point or another."

"No I wouldn't have! I don't watch enough TV to! Thanks a lot for ruining everything!"

I have to admit. I hate it when things are ruined for me, but there is some thrill in being the ruiner. Even if I am doing it unintentionally. It's just funny.