Deathly Hallows Final Thoughts

It’s easy for me to remember, about 32 hours after the release of Deathly Hallows, sitting on my bed teetering with sleep deprivation, surrounded by boxes of snacks and still in my Hogwarts costume, turning the very last page of the book and bawling. I became a hermit for those two days, refusing to leave my bed until I was finished. Harry Potter was, and always will be, a monumental part of my life and it was a huge experience to reach the very end. I’d attended midnight book releases for Goblet of Fire and all the books after, but none of the ones before were as huge as this one. I know I was joined by millions of fans who felt the same way. Rowling is a huge influence on the literary world and on society; you’re living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Harry Potter. Many people will say that Rowling taught them how to love reading, and I think it must be a great honor for her to know that.
That said, my perceptions of Snape and Dumbledore definitely changed with Deathly Hallows. I had a feeling Snape was good, but I didn’t know the entire circumstance—it made the fanfic writer in me squeal when I found out that he was in love with Lily. My view of Dumbledore was quite shaken as well. He was untouchable in until Deathly Hallows; he was crazy, eccentric, but we always trusted him and knew that he knew more than we did. So it came as quite a shock to find out the real reason he never accepted the Minister of Magic job. I was so upset when my view of him was so tarnished by his past; he was no better than the Nazis with his “for the greater good” slogan. It was even worse when I thought he’d betrayed Harry and thought Harry was no more than a puppet to him, from Snape’s memory. I think that scene with him at King’s Cross was really needed to gain the reader’s respect for him again—it made me cry to think of how he and Snape had both kept terrible secrets and had to suffer quietly for them for so many years.
I was really proud of how Hermione, Ron, and Harry grew up. I think Hermione was always the most mature of the group, so it was reassuring to see Harry and Ron meet her level. Harry became a much better friend than his arrogant Order of the Phoenix self, and dealt with his suffering in more dignity than he had in the past. Ron grew up by miles in this book. He abandoned them, but then realized he was in the wrong and came back to him. I loved how after he came back, he took on the role of leader and was trying to motivate them to find the rest of the horcruxes.