I remember when I first finished the Harry Potter series, right after the seventh book came out. I was so sad to find Harry Potter come to an end. Especially with how action packed the second half of the seventh book. I finished the book in about two days after I got it; I wasn't able to put the book down. Now, every time I read the series, I find more and more interesting details. This time around, I finally found out exactly how Harry defeated Voldemort, something that I never quite understood. This was one thing that I never liked about the seventh book; the confusing details that all got shoved into the action packed ending. But, like I said earlier, every time I read the series I find out a little more details about the series.
My favorite chapter in the entire series is “The Prince’s Tale” where we finally find out about Snape’s true allegiance. I remember at the end of the sixth book when Dumbledore died and Snape killed him, it seemed fishy to me about the way Dumbledore addressed Snape. When Snape finally killed him, I felt like there wasn’t something quite right about it. When that particular chapter comes around and Snape is realized to be the hero hidden in the darkness, I loved it. I was always curious about Snape, why he seemed to hold so much grudge against Harry about his father. In this one chapter there are so many different details that come together and in the chapters afterwards it always bugged me that you never hear much about this great secret being out in the open until the very near end when Harry tells Voldemort and then the part in the epilogue where Harry tells his son how Snape was one of the bravest people he knew. Overall Snape’s character is one that goes into very great detail and every time I read it, I love reading how Snape reacts to certain scenes knowing his true nature.
Dumbledore however was a character that greatly bugged me. I found it very difficult to grasp how much of his past that was never mentioned in earlier books. When reading from Harry’s perspective and finding out how much he is hating Dumbledore for putting him through so much without ever telling him much of anything, I felt Harry’s anger right along with him. Dumbledore’s past was always something of curiosity, who he was as a child and how he gained his reputation as one of the greatest wizards of all time. When Harry visits the “Kings Cross” and Dumbledore is there, I was surprised that Harry didn’t start yelling once more, but Harry had just been through such an ordeal that he had grown past his angst and just wanted answers. When all of Dumbledore’s secrets come out, it makes me still feel uncertain about him. He plays people almost as much as Voldemort does, but in a much different manner. As Dumbledore himself says, he plays a lot on his guessing, and though his guessing usually turns out to be right, it leads Harry, Ron and Hermione through a lot of trouble.
During the series you see a lot of growing from Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry goes from this very angst filled teenager to an adult who has matured so much in order to defeat the wizard who has caused so much trouble and anguish in his life. He is even willing to die to protect all of these people, not even knowing if he will come back or not. This, we know is something that has been with Harry for a long time, this “saving people thing”. So, he matures and becomes stronger and more self-sacrificing than ever before. With Ron, you see him grow also from being a sort of mothered child to being able to take care of himself and others. As Harry says, Ron was used to having three meals a day and being taken care of by someone else. He leaves, and after realizing how much he owed to Harry and Hermione, he returns a different person who is willing to do anything in order to help his friends. We saw this behavior also in other books, like in the Sorcerer’s Stone when he sacrificed himself in the chess game. Hermione’s character also changes: she goes from acting like there is nothing more important than her education at Hogwarts to doing anything, even leaving Hogwarts to help Harry on his quest to destroy Voldemort. In books early on, breaking the rules was just as bad as dying, according to Hermione but now she is willing to do anything to make sure that Voldemort dies. You see these qualities early one, but the really emerge in this final volume.
Over all, I think the series has made a great impact on society. You now have themes parks dedicated to Harry Potter along with many highest grossing films with the final movie coming out in just seven weeks, it will be without a doubt be a huge event to so many fans. When this final bit of Harry Potter comes out, Harry Potter will still manage to work its magic to the hearts of many different young souls and live on for many great ages as a great piece of literature.
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