So. Again with the Harry Potter. Sorry guys!

I’ve been in a “post-Potter state of depression” (tm Sarah) since finishing the last book. It seems so silly but I’m incredibly sad. 🙁 It’s been a great ride for me… I didn’t start reading the books until the summer of 2001, right after college graduation. I was a “late bloomer,” as they say, hehe. One of my college roommates recommended them to me after she read the first 4 books during our senior year. I remember wondering why in the world she was reading children’s books. Little did I know. 😀 Fast forward to the summer when I had no job (no full-time job anyway) and lots of free time to do nothing. It sounds fun but doing nothing all day gets old pretty quickly. I used to pick up books from the Borders across the street regularly and one day, I finally broke down and bought the first HP book. After reading the first few pages, I was hooked. And I raced through the next 3 books that same week.

The HP world has been a part of my life since then. That’s 6 years of re-reading the series, speculation and discussion, impatient anticipation for the next installments and midnight release parties. It just doesn’t seem real that Harry’s story is over. Well, at least there’s always the last 2 movies! They’re not nearly as good as the books but I love them just the same.

I feel so lucky to have been a part of the HP phenomenon. As soon as I got home with Deathly Hallows, I knew that millions of people around the world were doing the exact same thing I was. I find that freaking incredible, you know? Anyway, I sat down to type up my thoughts on DH and I’ve totally went off on a random tangent, lol.

Here goes.

I loved it. But you knew that. 🙂 It was an absolutely engaging story from beginning to end…

Things I Didn’t Care For
1. Draco’s story. It was a little disappointing. I’ve always found him to be a fascinating character. I never thought he was actually evil… he was certainly taught to be but I don’t believe that he shared the same conviction as his parents. After HBP, I felt like he was going to make a choice for one side or the other. Or at least he had the set up to do so. But nothing really happened to him. He’s not entirely good but not entirely evil. Meh.
2. Ginny. I used to like her just fine but the H/H shipper in me has developed irrational hate. Sorry. :/ Plus, I kinda think she’s a little *too* perfect.
3. Snape’s redemption. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually really loved his backstory but I think it came too late for me to feel bad for him or to really dwell on the impact of his sacrifices.
4. Inter-house unity theme being dropped at the end. That was an important thread running through the book and it was seemingly squashed in the epilogue. UGH.
5. Aaahhh, the epilogue. Yeah, I could have done without it. I would have at least liked to find out what the other characters were up to (Luna, Dean, the Professors at Hogwarts, the other Weasleys, etc). Plus, I feel like the final chapter was so intense and powerful that the epilogue just felt tacked on. It just didn’t pack the same emotional punch. For me, anyway. I guess I’ll have to settle for JKR’s post-HP interviews like this one to find out what happened to everyone.

Deaths 🙁
1. Hedwig. UGH. Stab to the heart right from the start. (I rhymed!)
2. Dobby. *sob* I’ve always been a bit indifferent to Dobby (he was so annoying in CoS though I loved his devotion to Harry). But OMG… his death made me unbelievably sad. And Harry burying him just about killed me.
3. Fred. I had a feeling one of the Weasleys was going to die. I just wish it wasn’t one of the twins. :/ Percy would have been okay. Oh, just kidding.
4. The 3 above were the ones that really pained me… the deaths of Mad-Eye, Tonks, and Lupin, while still sad, didn’t really affect me the same as the others. I guess I almost expected their deaths. Maybe not the exact characters, per say, but I knew going in that there would be a fair amount of deaths in DH. Plus, I just don’t really have the same emotional connection to them. Well, maybe Lupin. He’s a big reason why I love PoA so much.
5. Snape. I think he’s an absolutely intriguing character. And I love him for that. But I can’t reconcile his actions with his motivations. I know he was working with Dumbledore because of his love for Lily but it just doesn’t seem enough to explain away the horrible things he’s done and how he’s made Harry feel during the series. I’m not surprised by his death, though, and I think it was necessary for his sacrifices to really mean anything.
6. The Baddies — Wormtail, Bellatrix, and Voldemort. Their deaths were just a matter of time so nothing unexpected there. I did like the circumstances surrounding each of their deaths, though. Very appropriate for each of them. Sounds horrible but it’s true.

Moments/Things I Loved
1. Anything Harry-related. He’s my favorite character in the series and he was seriously inspirational in this book.
2. Dudley thanking Harry for saving his life.
3. Neville’s always kind of flown under the radar for me until these last few books… he’s really become a brave, confident young man and I’m so glad he had the chance to play an important role in the battle. I loved when he pulled Gryffindor’s sword out of the Sorting Hat and then killed Nagini. I do have to admit that a small part of me wanted him to finish off Bellatrix. Molly killing her was just as sweet, though,
4. Potterwatch! That was awesome.
5. Snape’s relationship with Dumbledore.
6. Kreacher making treacle tart for Harry and later, rallying the house elves for the Battle. YAY Kreacher!
7. Pansy Parkinson pointing out Harry when Voldemort demands his surrender and all the other houses come to his defense.
8. The Marauders (+ Lily) walking with Harry to face Voldemort. This gave me chills.
9. Narcissa covering up for Harry after asking about Draco.

But probably my favorite moment was the following…
Hermione had taken his hand again and was gripping it tightly. He could not look at her, but returned the pressure, now taking deep, sharp gulps of the night air, trying to steady himself, trying to regain control. He should have brought something to give them, but he had not thought of it, and every plant in the graveyard was leafless and frozen. But Hermione raised her wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them. Harry caught it and laid it on his parents’ grave.

As soon as he stood up he wanted to leave: He did not think he could stand another moment there. He put his arm around Hermione’s shoulders and she put hers around his waist, and they turned in silence and walked away through the snow, past Dumbledore’s mother and sister, back toward the dark church and the out-of-sight kissing gate.

Yes, it’s shippy — SORRY! I love them so.

I think I’m going to do a re-read. 😀