This is the second time that I have read the series fully, and I always feel that same little bit of letdown. I always feel that I would have liked to have known what happened to the wizarding world, what happened to Teddy since his parents died, if Hogwarts reopened and whether Harry Ron and Hermione went back to take their NEWTs, and things like that. The epilogue does explain a lot in the aspect that is alludes that the wizarding world is ok and so is Teddy, and Hogwarts obviously reopened, but I think following the series for so long, I would have liked to have seen more done with that.I can understand what she was trying to do ending it there, though.
The way that Rowling toys with the characters of Dumbledore and Snape was some of the greatest writing I have ever read. You are constantly changing your mind about how you feel about both of them, and it's really like being in Harry's shoes. The first time I read the 7th book, I was so sure that Snape had tricked Dumbledore the whole time. When you realize that he really was trying to help Harry, you do think back to the 6th book when he wouldn't attack Harry after he killed Dumbledore. Everything really makes sense once Harry is able to see Snape's thoughts in the Pensieve, also. I was blown away that he was truly in love Lily and to find out that they were best friends when they were younger. This especially is surprising since he calls him the Half-Blood Prince, which shows that he was obsessed with his blood line. Also since he became a death eater, it is very interesting that he immediately wanted to be friends with Lily when he knew she was a Muggle born.
I had always loved Dumbledore because he seemed to be the one constant force in Harry's life and someone that truly cared about him. Throughout the last few books though, I wasn't sure what to think about Dumbledore. He constantly seemed to be putting Harry in more and more dangerous situations without giving him all of the information needed to get through those situations. This is especially true of the 7th book with the Horcrux. You learn about Dumbledore's past and his interest in Dark Arts, which makes both the reader and Harry doubt whether he truly had Harry's best interests in mind. You finally realize in King's Cross when Harry "dies" though, that Dumbledore really did love Harry but he knew Harry had things to do that Dumbledore couldn't tell him about for his own good.
Ron and Hermione grew to be more and more helpful of Harry's quest. I think it was really realistic to show Ron and Harry's changing relationship and where Ron sometimes feels jealous or misunderstands where Harry is coming from. It also shows Harry sometimes resenting his friends because they are free if they want to be. I think Hermione was truly the one that has changed the most. She has grown from a know-it-all that never did anything wrong, to being the most loyal and dedicated friend. She went so far as to make her parents forget that they had a daughter to keep them safe.
The series really builds on how people pull together in the face of tragedy. This is something that can be placed into any social context. There is also the idea of social class that plays along in the tragedy that is happening all around. We can relate this to genocides in our time era, such as in Darfur. Social class also brings in other issues that are relatable to our culture, such as the old bloodlines, which in the United States would be akin to old money.
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