Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

(a note to readers I will be divulging scenes and moments from this book. Being a HUGE Harry Potter fan I do not under any circumstance want to ruin this wonderful moment for anyone. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I beg you, if you have not finished the book but fully intend to...DO NOT READ any further! I would hate to be responsible for ruining this most important book in the entire series for anyone!)

It is with a heavy heart and a great deal of mourning that I say to you that I have finished the last book of the Harry Potter series. It has been a great ride and I have to say that I went through about a 12 hour bummer fest this weekend once I was finished. I don't know about anyone else but I felt as though I was saying goodbye to a good friend that I knew I would never see again. I believe that all Harry Potter fans feel a bit of ownership to the Harry Potter universe, we have read his intimate thoughts and feelings for almost a decade now. For most of us we went through our teenage years with this book under our noses. It's hard to let go.

I have to say that the Deathly Hallows is my favorite but most saddened book of the series. The action is so intense in some scenes that I literally could not stop reading. The sadness in some scenes was so real that I wept tears over the pages. When JKR said that there would be deaths in this book she was not lying or stretching the truth. We have to say a hurtful goodbye to a lot of our favorites in this book and more times than not the deaths are not dwelled upon. There is no time to say goodbye in a war, as JKR makes perfectly clear thoughout this book in particular. Harry is time and time again forced to say goodbye to his friends and companions breifly and quietly. He has to move beyond the deaths so that he can focus on the task at hand. (Please if you have not read the books please DO NOT read any further...here is where I will start divulging some of the inner workings and details of the book.)

Let's start with one of the greatest moments of heart in the book. I loved this scene for so many reasons, I have to start here. The book opens with a disturbing scene in the Malfoy home, which has been reluctantly turned into a Death Eater checkpoint of sorts. This scene was disturbing and uncomfortable to read. I personally wanted to reach through the pages and save Draco (which being one of my least favorite characters is saying something), you really get a view of Draco's sad existance throughout this book. The scene I do want to skip to came shortly after. It was the departure of the Dursley's. The Dursley family, whose name I have thought from the beginning sounds like a horrible disease (oh you have the durslies that is so horrible), is being moved to a safe location by the Order because they know that Voldy will definately torture them to get info on Harry. The scene is amazing and deep on so many levels. First there is the typical Vernon tantrum, always wanting to have the control over his own life, which Harry squashes pretty quickly. You can tell from the start of this scene that Harry's transformation into a man has been complete. He is no longer the quiet little boy living under the stairs, he speaks his mind and forcefully makes his point. He comes off, for the first time in a long time, like the powerhouse in this household-it made me feel proud and elated for him. The part, though, that not only blew my mind but made me get choked up was the goodbye between Dudley and Harry. These two boys grew up with each other. Dudley tormented Harry but having older cousins that were as close as siblings growing up, I can say honestly that his torments were nothing more than what is typical. The two Order members that were sent to escort the Dursley's to their safe haven were upset because there was no formal goodbye between Harry and the family that raised him. Harry explained that it was okay they could care the less about him, making a comment along the lines of "they think I am a waste of space". Dudley chimed in and said "I don't think you are a waste of space." WHAT? Never saw that one coming and neither did Harry. For Dudley, that is practically an I LOVE YOU. It was a touching scene to say the least. These two boys who were always at each others throats were now two men going their seperate ways. Maybe it was the sense of loss that got to Dudley. He was losing someone he has been with since he was one. There is a bond, although it may be an odd bond, there is a bond that is created between people raised together. After a touching goodbye with Dudley, ending with a very formal handshake, Harry was left alone with Petunia. I expected more from this scene but knew what I got was appropriate. She gave a knod of her head and went to the door. She gave a little pause at the door, like she wanted to say something, and then continued on her way. It was amazing. Very true to character and very deliberate in action. JKR made what could have been a very simple scene smolder. In true JKR fashion she put a deeper more emotional scene in something that could have been very dull.

The book takes us on a journey from the very start. Across Britain and into the depths of human emotion. What a wild ride this book is. Once left alone, Harry is picked up by the Order. They have an ingenious plan to have 7 Harry's fly out of the house. Polyjuice potion of course is used and 7 Harry's with 7 different Order guards are flown out of the house. They get ambushed, of course, and a harrowing and wild ride ensues. This scene had two deaths that were very sad. The first being Harry's beloved owl, Hedwig. She is killed by a Death Eater aiming for Harry but then as her cage is falling to the earth Harry hits it with a curse and it explodes. It is so sad but yet again they are in a time of war and there is little time to recoup from that death before you are thrust right back into the thick of the battle. Once they get to the Burrow, Harry realized that the others have been ambushed too. Slowly they stagger in, beaten and bruised. Slowly they make their way to the safety of the Burrow. Fred loses an ear in battle, some good jokes come out of this one in true Fred & George style. But then they realize that Mad Eye Moody is missing along with Mundungus (who becomes a REAL scumbucket throughout this book). Lupin has the horrible job of delivering the news, Moody was killed in battle. Immediately, there is a group that is formed to go out and find Moody's body before the Death Eaters get it. They never find it. His magical eye is later found in the Ministry.

The ministry is taken over by the Death Eaters, the minister of magic is killed, and every muggle born witch and wizard now has to be registered as if they are animals. It is a terrible time for the magical community. Snape becomes headmaster at Hogwarts, Death Eaters are sent in to teach the children and the kids are forced to sit through classes designed to create little Death Eaters. Neville becomes HUGE in this book. I love his role and growth in this book. No longer a stuttering clumsy little boy, he heads up a movement from within the school. He is tortured and beaten for his defiance but it doesn't even squelch him. He goes into hiding within the school and creates a sort of "Underground" railroad within the school to escort other children to safety. It is amazing to see this demention of Neville. He really becomes an amazing character that after reading all the books I finally love him. He is strong and brave. He has a sort of soft detachment to his own existance and continues the DA long after he realizes Harry is not coming back. Dumbledore's Army becomes more than just a bunch of kids learning the Dark Arts in this book, it becomes a movement. A sort of teenage version of the Order. It becomes a slogan and a subject for grafitti for those that oppose the current regime at Hogwarts. It is yelled out in times of peril to lift spirits. It is worth hanging onto for these kids and Neville is at the steering wheel. I absolutely LOVE JKR for putting Neville in this role. Finally he has become a character worth reading about.

Harry's journey through Britain in search for the Horcruxes is great. There is danger and snags all along the journey, but it brings him back full circle to the place where it all began for him, Hogwarts. Along the way we see him deal with going to Godric's Hollow to visit the graves of his parents, Ron's short disertion of Hermione and Harry, death and love. It is all there. It is just amazing. JKR delivers a powerful mastery of emotions in this book. Through his journey you see Harry grow from being a floundering lost human to being a man on a mission. He is seeing into the depths of Voldemort's mind this time, but using it in a way that is helpful. He delves into the inner workings of Voldy's mind to allow himself the access he needs to get to the Horcruxes. Absolutely one of the most amazing and spooky parts of the book. Harry is using the mind of evil for the greater good. Their journey takes them deep inside the Death Eater run ministry. To a scene of havoc and despair as Muggle born witches and wizards are brought to trial. Muggle borns have been accused of stealing magic from purebloods. In a scene much like something out of the holocaust it is distrubing on so many levels. These Muggle borns are coming to the Minstry (not realizing of course that the Minstry has been taken over by the Death Eaters because they also control the media much like current terrorist groups or much like Hitler's regime did) and they are stripped of their wands and put on trial for trumped up charges. They are ushered along like cattle, it is so sad. We see, through the eyes of our favorite trio, Umbridge (whose office door now has the eye of Moody hanging on it) taunt and even laugh at the Muggle borns as they plead for their lives. They are sent to Azkahban which becomes a sort of Muggle born concentration camp, all real criminals being released. We see here a very disturbing interaction between a Muggle born woman and Umbridge, in which everything she says to defend herself is turned over to mean something else. It is a disturbing and uneasy read, to say the least. In true Harry Potter form these people who happen to be there on the day the three infiltrate the ministry are saved. Moody's eye is buried and they move onto the next big adventure. I think this book will possibly upset many readers because of the depth in which JKR goes. The Death Eaters cruelty is definately shown in true form in this book. They have actual hunters out trying to find non registered Muggle borns, runaways from the school, and of course the ultimate prize of Harry or his devoted followers. We also get a glimpse at an underground radio station run by Lee Jordan and other members of the Order. The Death Eaters regime is very disturbing, all other books seemed to water down this but this book puts it all out on the table. Children and old women are killed by them and no one is safe. It is very difficult to read many of the parts.

The scene at Godric's Hollow is very interesting. There is a touching moment where Harry finally gets to his parents' graves. Where Harry finally sees the ruins of the scene that created his destiny. He also sees a memorial of sorts put up in the form of a statue of himself as a baby with his parents. There is also a moment of fear as an old woman escorts Harry to what he thinks will be Gryffindor's sword, only to have her body be ripped apart by the large snake that has infested it. Very scary scene. Again, they get away by the scuffs of their necks. They do this quite a bit in this book. One of the most disturbing and possibly hardest chapters comes when the trio is caught by these human hunters. Now the part you have to realize is that Voldemorts name has been made a Taboo. What this means is anyone who refers to Voldemort by Voldemort only (Death Eaters believing this to be a sign of disrespect) will give off a sort of beacon to themselves and they will then be taken in as opposers of Voldemort. Harry says his name and they are immediately swooped down upon. They are taken to the Malfoy residence where they are imprisoned until Voldemort gets there to confront Harry. By far the most disturbing part of this scene is when the boys are sent downstairs in the basement to wait and they can hear Bellatrix torturing Hermione for information upstairs. It is disgusting and horrible. Ron is yelling out her name and it is all so dramatic. It literally brought me to tears. It was horrible. But in pops Dobby to save the day and that he does, but not without a price. Dobby is killed by Bellatrix right as they are Disapperating from the house. Harry feels such loss and remorse for this that he digs Dobby's grave by hand alone. He places Dobby in the grave alone and etches out the words "Dobby a Free House Elf" on his tombstone. This is one of the only deaths we are allowed by JKR to dwell on and it is a hard hit. Dobby has been a constant since book two and has saved Harry's neck on more than one occasion. It is a very hard death.

Harry also finds out about the Deathly Hallows. It is explained through a children's story about three brothers who escape Death. Death then gives them three prizes for doing so. One is a wand that can beat any other wand the strongest in all of the wizarding world, a cloak that allows the wearer to escape death by being invincible, and a stone that when turned three times can bring back the dead. It is these three Deathly Hallows that become a focus throughout the book. These were the obsession of Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore's life and history (family in particular) comes into play quite a bit in this book. It is Dumbledore's brother that is helping Neville get children out of the school. There is a history on Dumbledore's family and sister Adriana that was tortured at 6 years old and refused to use magic. It is her death that set forth the events of Dumbledore's life. The reason why Dumbledore never took the ministry of magic position is also explained in this book. A good deal of time is spent in one of those deep heart to heart talks between Harry and Dumbledore (which I will explain how in a little bit) in which Dumbledore explains these things to Harry who is starting to question Dumbledore himself. It is amazing how all of a sudden everything makes sense. JKR really ties all the loose ends together in this book.

One of the biggest questions going into this book was the true loyalty of Severus Snape, the man who killed Dumbledore. Was he a Death Eater in disguise or an Order member in disguise? It was answered in one of the most amazing scenes. Because Snape killed Dumbledore than Voldemort came to the conclusion that it was Snape he had to kill to gain full control over the wand (THE Deathly Hallow wand) that he stole from Dumbledore's grave. Snape is attacked by Nagini (while Harry watches from under his cloak) and left to lie there and die by Voldemort who is now practically skipping with delight because he thinks he has finally got full control over the wand. Harry goes to Snape and in his last moment of life Snape releases his memories to Harry. When Harry goes to the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office he finds out the truth behind Snapes loyalties and his deep hatred for Harry. Snape had been in love with Lily (Harry's mother) since childhood. He had loved her so deeply and fully and yet because of his love for the Dark Arts Lily could never fully love him back. When Voldemort threatened Lily and then eventually killed her, his loyalty became fully Dumbledore's. When Dumbledore found the Horcrux ring he reaslized this was the stone that was the Deathly Hallow. It was the only Deathly Hallow that Dumbledore wanted with all his soul. He wanted to bring his sister back to life. He made a fool's mistake and put the ring on...he was poisoned. He was given one year to live in which time he would die in pain. He didn't want Voldemort (knowing that Voldemort would eventually figure out what his want was and the person who kills the previous owner is its rightful owner) to be responsible for his death so that he wouldn't get become the rightful owner of the most powerful wand in history. So, he made Snape promise, in order to keep Draco's soul pure of killing, to kill him. Snape did just that. He was sickened by it and hated himself for doing so, but he also did as Dumbledore asked and gave Harry this information before he died. It was one of those moments in the book where it all became very clear after it was put out there. Of course he hated Harry, Harry was the exact image of his father whom Lily married. The man that won out over Snape. But yet Snape had to protect him because he was Lily's child. It must have been hell for Snape to have a constant reminder right there in front of him of what he could have had. Of the woman he loved so much. Snape's patronus is a doe, the same as Lily's. It was this doe that was sent into the forest to bring Harry Gryffindor's sword so that he could destroy the Horcruxes. It was Snape that sent Dobby to rescue Harry from the Malfoy's house. It all became very clear. The children were not in that much danger because although he played the part of a Death Eater, Snape would never allow the children to be killed because he was Dumbledore's man. Harry actually named his child after Snape at the end of the book. And claimed that Snape was one of the bravest men he ever knew. How true that is.

Everyone wants to know how Harry finally did it. How did he finally defeat Voldemort? That was one of the best parts of the entire book. Harry finally realized that he is the 7th Horcrux. Voldemort, on the night he killed the Potters, unknowingly transferred a part of himself into Harry. This means that Harry must sacrifice himself out of the love for his fellow wizards in order to make it possible for Voldemort to be killed. Once he realizes this he sets off to find Voldemort to give himself over freely to save the masses of innocents being killed. He, along the way, finds Neville and makes Neville swear he will kill Nagini (the only Horcrux not yet destroyed) and Neville tells him yes. Once he finds Voldemort he leaves his hands at his side, walks up to him, and hears Voldemort scream out "Avada Kedavra". All Harry Potter fans are now crying, at least I was, but then something happens that no one sees coming. A trip to the other side with Harry. We get to see him talk to Dumbledore. And what is then found out is the part that was actually killed in Harry was the part that Voldemort himself put into him. Voldemort actually killed his own soul and left Harry's not only in tact but for the first time free from the constraints of Voldemorts soul. He is then given the option to go back to where he was or to stay in the peaceful surrounding with all his friends and family that had died. He goes back. Hagrid, who was taken hostage by the Death Eaters, thinking Harry is dead is forced by Voldemort to carry him up to Hogwarts. Harry plays dead so that he can get as close to Voldemort as possible without putting Hagrid in danger of being killed by the Death Eaters that are surrounding him. Here is one of the scenes that has actually haunted me since I finished it. Voldemort announces that Harry has been killed trying to escape the Hogwarts castle and deserting his followers who believe in him. McGonagall screams first and this shocks Harry. But the worst sound he heard was Ron, Hermione, and Ginny screaming for him. He hears the Death Eaters laughing and then he hears Neville. Neville runs up front screaming NO and then he yells out DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY, which gets the crowd all worked up to fight again. Voldemort then offers Neville the chance to come over to the Death Eaters and Neville tells him when hell freezes over. Voldemort then decides to use Neville as an example to all those who oppose him. He binds Neville's body up and then puts the burning Sorting hat on his head. In a sign that the school will now be under Death Eater's rule and that there will be no houses besides Slytherines. Neville's screams make Harry decide that enough is enough. All at once Harry puts on his cloak, unbinds Neville who upon taking off the hat finds Gryffindor's sword inside, Neville cuts off Nagini's head, and then Harry puts up a sheild charm between Neville and Voldemort. All this time Hagrid is screaming because he cannot find Harry's body. A fight then makes it's way into the castle. You have the Death Eaters and Voldemort fighting against not only wizards but threstrals, hippogriffs, house elves, students, parents, siblings, and the Order. It is a wild scene. This was the second battle of the night for Hogwarts but it was by far the best. It was a crazy scene and very chaotic. In the end the deaths were numerous but the scene that captured it all was the final duel between Harry and Voldemort. Once Harry revealed himself people were cheering and screaming and then it became obvious what was going to come next. What I love about this scene is Harry calls Voldemort Tom Riddle, his given name, a name that Voldemort was ashamed of in life. It was an amazing touch. Also his death was so quiet. It wasn't this big long drawn out duel he killed himself basically. Both him and Harry did their spells at the same time. Harry a disarming spell and Voldemorts the killing curse. Harry got the sword and Voldemort was killed. He just died...nothing really drawn out. It was the perfect touch. Perfect scene. Really JKR did great in showing that Voldemort was just a man, a mortal man, and that he couldn't fight death. It happened. It was great. This final battle against good and evil came with a big price though. Amoung the dead are Lupin, Tonks, and Fred Weasley and 50 more nameless others.

But through it all there is hope and happiness. There are scenes that have you laughing out loud. Like Ron's rude aunt. Lupin and Tonks get married, have a boy, and name Harry the godfather. Bill and Fleur get married and are right there to support their family and Harry in the fight. Bellatrix is finally killed by Mrs. Weasley who calls her a bitch. Harry ends up marrying Ginny and Ron and Hermione fall in love and get married. There is a scene where they are about to go into the battle where Ron and Hermione start kissing. It is hilarious because Harry gets annoyed that they couldn't pick a better time to do that! The book ends with them sending their own children off to Hogwarts. Neville is the herbology teacher. Very good ending to a very good series.

If nothing else one can safely say that JKR has made it cool to read again! She brought a series that is going to be a classic for years to come. I can't wait to give them to my son to read or my grandchildren. They are never going to know, sadly, the frantic heart pounding adrenaline of a release day. Or the wait that leads to ultimate satisfaction in getting the book, but they will enjoy them just the same. I am sad to say goodbye to my friends in the wizarding world but I know that they are forever etched in my heart and mind. They have taught us lessons no other book series has and for that I thank her. We have learned to truly love a character and I look forward to the last two movies. Although, in my heart, I am hoping that she continues the series possibly with their children. It would be great but I am not getting my hopes up too far. Good luck to JKR in all of her ventures and I want to say thank you as well...for a wild ride!! We will miss Harry but will cherish the decade as one when magic entered back into our lives!!