Reflections on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been a much anticipated book. It is the final installment in the Harry Potter series and answers many of the questions that have been burned into our minds as we have read all of the previous Harry Potter books. What will become of Harry, Hermione, and Ron? Is Dumbledore really dead? Is Severus Snape good or evil? Who will die? Who will live? Will Harry Potter and his friends triumph over Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters?

Just like the millions of other Harry Potter fans in the world, I was excited to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. My wonderful husband went to the store for the midnight release in order to procure me a copy as early as possible so that I could begin the final adventure. This past weekend held very little sleep for me and I was transported into the world of Harry Potter for the last time.

Eager to begin, I read tirelessly. The first few hundred pages were seemingly slow as Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron attempted to get their act together and figure out the clues left to them by Dumbledore. There were little bits of adventure mixed in, just to keep it interesting.

What exactly are the Deathly Hallows? They are three magical items that each contains a magical property that when all held by a single person will make them invincible from death. The invisibility cloak is one such item and Harry already possesses this. The Elder Wand is supposed to win every duel that the rightful owner enters. The wand can only be transferred to the witch or wizard that defeats the previous owner. And finally, there is the death stone. This stone can bring back the dead. Dumbledore leaves clues for the kids about the Deathly Hallows. At one point, Harry considers searching for the Deathly Hallows rather than continuing on his search for the Horcruxes. In the end, he stays on his original quest.

Adventures

Leaving Privet Drive for the final time was a great adventure and a good way for J.K. Rowling to bring some excitement to the beginning of the book. My biggest problem with this part of the book is the untimely death of Hedwig. It was unnecessary and played no greater part in the book. It was as if J.K Rowling needed to kill off someone and rather than kill a character, she appeased this by killing the owl. Other than that, I feel that this adventure was extremely well written and carried out.

The trip into the Ministry of Magic was one of the best adventures that these characters have ever undertaken. It was suspenseful and emotional as well as a complete disaster. I truly felt for Reg and his wife. I wanted Ron to reach out to his father. I wanted Delores Umbridge to keel over dead. I wanted everyone to escape the Ministry unharmed. I could hardly breathe. I was happy with the outcome. Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape with their lives and the locket Horcrux. I only wish we knew what became of Reg and his family.

Breaking into Gringott's was supposed to be one of the biggest adventures in the book. Hermione as Bellatrix was ill conceived. It was obvious from the beginning that this was not going to end well. While they accomplished their mission of retrieving the Horcrux, they also alerted Lord Voldemort to their plans. They all narrowly escaped and were forced to push things along too quickly. This was where the book really started to cram in all of the finality that we Harry Potter fans were needing to know.

The final battle was broken up into several sequences. This included Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix battling the Death Eaters. This was all quite confusing and difficult to follow. Amidst the fighting, Harry and his friends were still searching for the diadem Horcrux hidden in the Room of Requirement. J.K Rowling seemed a bit scattered, and her writing came across this way.

Severus Snape

It is finally revealed whether Severus Snape is good or evil and many Harry Potter fans will be surprised to learn that all along, Snape was working with Dumbledore. It turns out that Lily Evans (Harry's mother) and Snape grew up together and were great friends at Hogwarts until Snape made friends with those practicing Dark Magic. When Snape learned of Lord Voldemort's plans to kill the Potter family, he pleaded for Lily's life. When this did not work, Snape set off on his betrayal of Lord Voldemort. He sought out the help of Dumbledore to protect Lily. When she was killed, he vowed to Dumbledore that he would do everything in his power to keep Harry safe.

The biggest surprise in any of the Harry Potter books was when Snape so quickly killed Dumbledore. It was shocking to discover that this event was orchestrated by Snape and Dumbledore. Yes, Dumbledore was really dead and Snape cast the spell. However, we learn that Dumbledore was already dying from the curse that infected his hand. This was brilliant! Learning Snape's true intentions was one of the best parts of any of the books in the series. It was emotional and fulfilling. I was very happy with the outcome. Until the very end, Severus Snape was Dumbledore's man.

Deaths

Hedwig's death was unnecessary, as previously stated.

Mad Eye Moody's death was described after the fact. I think it would have been much more effective if it had been described as it happened. He was a major character and his death should have been given more attention.

Snape's death was anticlimactic. It was over so quickly. The only good thing about his death was that Harry was able to retrieve Snape's memories and learn Snape's true self.

Fred Weasley's death was awful. J.K Rowling knew that not everyone could live. The way the Weasley family reacted to his death was moving and very real. It was quite sad, but also satisfied the reader's need for someone to die in the final battle.

Lupin and Tonks' deaths were not given any attention. One minute they are there and the next they are in the line with the dead. These characters deserved much more than this, especially since it had been revealed that Tonks had given birth to a baby boy. These new parents and faithful members of The Order of the Phoenix deserved more.

Bellatrix and Mrs. Wesley's fight was wonderful. You don't screw with an angry Mom and Bellatrix learned that the hard way. It was pure genius.

Neville

I think I may be in love with Neville. J.K Rowling has progressed this character from a bumbling, clumsy, wizard into a courageous, talented leader. When Neville pulls the Gryffindor sword from the Sorting Hat and instantly kills Nagini is one of the most memorable moments in the entire series. Neville has avenged his parents and made his family proud. He has done more than anyone could have ever anticipated. This was possibly the best progression of character in any book I have ever read!

Harry's Death

What a copout. I knew that Harry was not truly dead because there were still a hundred pages left for me to read. And then there he is speaking with Dumbledore. I realize this was orchestrated to give answers to many of the questions Harry and the readers needed answered, but it all seemed wrong to me. It almost felt that J.K. Rowling was planning on killing Harry Potter and then chose not to based on fan reaction. I know others will completely disagree with me.

The Battle between Good and Evil

Lord Voldemort and Harry finally come face to face for the final time. And all they did was talk! One spell was cast by each of them and then Lord Voldemort was dead. What?!?!?! I wanted so much more than that. Lord Voldemort was defeated both mentally and physically, but there could have been more to his death. It was over too quickly.

Nineteen Years Later

This was the biggest disappointment of all. Yes, I am glad that Harry and Ginny found happiness. Yes, it is wonderful that Ron and Hermione come together, marry, and have children. But this whole epilogue felt wrong. It felt forced. I would have either preferred to make my own assumptions as to what happened to my favorite characters after the final battle or have had J.K Rowling make a more complete epilogue that included what happened to many of the other characters we have grown to love. This ending was a true disappointment.

Final Thoughts

There was a lot of build up to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. J.K. Rowling made it no secret that there would be deaths and hinted that some major characters would not make it to the end. I was looking forward to this book for so many reasons, but one was to finally see who lived and who died. This may sound awful, but I was disappointed that there was no death of a major character. I felt like all of the hype had gotten to me and I was waiting and waiting with my tissues in hand and then there was nothing.

I felt that the style of this book was much different than any of the other Harry Potter books. This story felt forced. It did not flow well. I still enjoyed the book for the most part, but in the end I was disappointed with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.