I Still Can't Believe It's Over

I absolutely loved the way J.K. Rowling ended the Harry Potter series. My biggest fear going into the final book was that Harry was going to have to die, and had this happened, I would have been furious. The first day I had the book, my dad picked it up, flipped to the last page and says “Well, Harry doesn’t die, I’m happy.” Although I was upset that he ruined the ending, I was still relieved that my biggest fear did not happen.

My biggest problem with the final book was that Rowling killed off so many unnecessary people. Primarily, the killings of Tonks and Lupin left me upset. I was particularly mad that it seemed like a side note that they had died at all, almost as if Rowling said “Oh by the way, they died too.” I do respectthe story coming full circle, with Harry becoming a Godparent to an orphan, but I think that Tonks and Lupin deserved a more elaborate death. The same holds true for Mad-Eye Moody. Secondly, I feel that the deaths of Dobby and Hedwig were unnecessary. I feel like Rowling included these deaths as an emotional blow to the reader, not because they were pertinent to the story.

As for my feelings towards Snape, they obviously changed. I was convinced he was truly evil after the sixth book; he did kill Dumbledore after all. However, the way it was revealed that he played such a prominent role in Dumbledore’s plan made me admire him and respect his character. I loved the way Harry refers to him as the bravest man he has ever met in the end.

My feelings towards Dumbledore did not really change that much. Ever since the third book, he has seemed more and more vulnerable so it’s not that surprising that he had flaws. I think it is very admirable that he admits his wrongdoings and uses them to guide Harry. In the end, he is still the very wise man he always was and it is his planning that led to the defeat of Voldemort.

My feelings towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not change at all over the course of the final book. Obviously the group had their ups and downs, but they remained close and the journey could not have been completed without any of the three of them.

Many aspects of the Harry Potter series can be related to on a cultural and societal context. I believe that one of the biggest messages the story tells is that no matter how difficult a journey looks, it is still worth fighting for and anything is possible. It also shows that individually, we are much weaker than we are in groups and we must trust those close to us in times of need.