After reading the entire series, I am happy the story ended up the way it did. It would not have felt right for Harry to die and Voldemort to win. It would not even have felt right for both of these characters to die. Good has to triumph over evil. It is what we are used to, and it is what we want. The way Rowling makes this old theme new again is through her innovation.
I loved how Rowling used Severus Snape to be a character in question until the very end. He always seemed bad, evil, or whatever you negatively want to call him, until everything was explained through the Pensieve and through Dumbledore’s ghost. Snape, in case you did not already know, is good. If a series this dynamic was going to have a good vs. evil plot, something big like Snape’s character development had to happen.
Snape changed throughout the story. He went from a nuisance to Harry and his friends, to an equalizer in the Order of the Phoenix against the Death Eaters. He then went from what looked like being purely evil to being probably the greatest actor known to man. Snape’s development as a character is crazy and surprisingly impressive. Who knew during the first book it would really all come down to Snape? Not many, I’m guessing.
Dumbledore’s character development is a little bit harder to swallow. The way I see it, he started the series in his prime, or at the very end of it. By the end, right before his death, he seems more like an old man waiting for death to call him name. It is hard to think about how influential one character can be in a book only to have him die before the end of the story happens. Besides his physical development, I saw how his relationship with Harry developed over the books. He always has the father figure rapped up around his finger, but Dumbledore does go from a teacher to more of a guiding spirit for Harry. He is someone who affects Harry even after his death, and he will always be with Harry because of what Harry and Ginny decide to name one of their children. This way, he will always be a guiding spirit. Dumbledore had to change into this type of character Because Harry did not need a father the way he did when he is younger. Harry needs a guide to the answer, and Dumbledore knew all the right paths.
Harry grows into a man. He is very mature for his age even at the beginning of the story, and he really faces many things that others do not face until they are very old. Harry is an interesting character in the first place because of his past with the Dursley’s and not showing much trauma at all. He also shows in the end how even in the face of death itself he decides to not use a Killing Curse. That shows HUGE maturity and bravery. Harry, is a man’s man.
Ron and Hermione were never really my favorite characters in the book. They did have very important parts. Hermione was usually the person figuring something out so Harry could do it, and Rob always had his humor and random answers to problems needed solving. I like their loyalty, but I also saw them getting married as early as the 4th book. Rowling could have made that assumption a little bit harder to make.
Now that I am finished (and about to start my second half of the final for this class) I would put this series with many other series that changed social aspects. Harry Potter is a culture. People are going to be making more stories about this until something bigger and better comes out. It is a present day life changing series. It teaches loyalty, bravery, and quite possibly that rules are not always the best thing to follow. For me, I would put this as one of the best present day series of books, but I am just one opinion. I do know I enjoyed taking the class, reading the book, and actually getting to write fan fiction.
Just remember: Trust the Snape in your life, they may be doing something for reasons you have know clue even exist.
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