Reaction: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Here's my off-the-cuff first reaction on the conclusion to the Harry Potter series:
General Thoughts: I felt that Deathly Hallows was a fine conclusion to the series. It wasn’t fantastic, but it did the job. I was relieved that Harry triumphed over Voldemort and that Snape ended up not being the bad guy (I wasn’t sure how either of those things would end up playing out). I loved learning about the entire history of the Deathly Hallows and finding out how they tie into Harry’s history was a fantastic addition. With the exception of a few placed, the story flowed nicely and answered MOST of the questions that I had.
I’m kind of torn about my feelings on learning about Dumbledore’s sordid past. I really wanted to believe that he was pure good (against Riddle’s pure evil). The whole back-story there was very touching (poor Ariana!).
One thing that was very frustrating for me was that, every time they made a plan, things went horribly wrong. It was only when stumbling on a solution with no forethought (how’re we going to get into Hogwarts? Oh, look. A tunnel!) were they able to do so safely.
What I loved:
- Learning more about Harry’s history. Prisoner of Azkaban has remained my favorite because, in learning about Harry’s family, we learned more about him. These bits of the past add so much depth to the story and keep the characters from seeming isolated. I am SO GLAD that Rowling took us to Godric’s Hollow and that Harry was able to visit his former home and see the memorial placed there. I was thrilled to see years placed on the headstones of Lily and James (timeline confirmation meant a lot to me) and I never loved Hermione more than when she conjured roses for him to place on their graves.
- Glimpses of non-primary characters out in the world. It was really nice to have cameos. Lee Jordan running Potterwatch was a stroke of brilliance and really helped pick up the dragging camping scenes.
- Neville Longbottom. I would’ve been really angry with Rowling had Neville not been given an opportunity to shine - having built up all that confidence in the DA and the battle in the Ministry, he deserved to do something important. I actually cheered when he appeared in the tunnel at the Hog’s Head (and when we found out he was continuing the DA in Harry’s absence).
- Taking the Malfoys down a peg. Seeing Draco sitting nervously at the table at the beginning of the book while Voldemort talked about Charity Burbage was great. My theory is that he was all talk until he had to actually experience the evil of the Death Eaters himself, then found he couldn’t stomach it. I wasn’t bothered by the fact that Lucius and Narcissa survived while Bellatrix did not, but I am curious to know how it was that Draco was free in the world (and were his parents?) at the end of the book. And I really loved that the first time Crabbe tried to step out of Malfoy’s shadow and starts talking (a HUGE SHOCK to me), he died.
- The Battle of Hogwarts. This was amazing. While it was a little cheesy how everyone showed up, I guess it was the appropriate time for it to happen. McGonagall and Molly kicked serious ass.
- The Escape from Gringotts. Hello Dragon, how are you?
- Snape. I tend to read the surface of a story and don’t dig too deeply. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he was in love with Lily. Seeing his memories made me change my mind (slightly) about how I felt about him. It was very noble how love turned him against the Death Eaters, yet his love for her was not enough to keep him from being a dick to Harry (of course, I’m sure he resented him, but he was still HALF Lily). Finding out that he sent the doe was a HUGE shocker.
- Kreacher. He wins my “Most surprising turn around” award. I fell in love with him.
- Going back to Hogwarts. I missed it.
Historical note: now that we have some actual dates, it is interesting to note that Riddle was at Hogwarts during the Nazi regime. Could this be where he got his ideas???
I cried the most when: Harry was going to meet his fate and face Voldemort. Having all those people come out of the Resurrection Stone to help cheer him on was gut-wrenching. That entire chapter was so beautifully sad. When he asked "Does it hurt?", I bawled. I was thankful that Mark had gone to the store at that moment because I...was..a...mess.
What I didn’t like:
- Hedwig dying. That was totally uncalled for and not necessary. And, moreover, I was really angry with Harry for barely mourning her, even though he planned this beautiful funeral for Dobby.
- Percy showing up. He’s a prat and deserved to die instead of Fred. Or George. Or whichever one it was.
- Camping. Boy did that drag. Ron leaving was not a surprise. He’s done that before. And it was nice for Harry and Hermione to have some time together.
- Ginny’s family keeping her out of the fight.
- The Gringott’s Break-In. I was really disappointed that Harry and Ron thought it would be a good idea to double-cross Griphook (though Bill’s speech did make me think twice) who really seemed appreciative of Harry’s willingness to save him. Furthermore, the fact that Harry (and others of the Order) freely used the Unforgiveable Curses was… well, unforgiveable. They are supposed to be above such things.
Where were my reactions inappropriate?
- The Locket Horcrux. The whole time, I kept calling out to Mark “It covets The Precious.”
- Aberforth - Couldn’t get past the thought of his goat charms.
- “For the greater good.” Hot Fuzz. Kept chanting it. All… the… time.
- Dobby. Didn’t really care too much that he died. He was the JarJar of the Potterverse (though he actually had an important purpose.)
- Dudley - “Who Imperiused him?”
- When Harry said “Voldemort” while Hermione yelled “Harry, NO!” For a good 5 minutes, I kept slow motion running and reciting this part for Mark. (God, what must he think of Harry Potter?)
The Deaths:
- I was rather surprised that someone more pivotal didn’t die. I expected one of The Trio to bite it. I would’ve been pissed if Hagrid had been killed off.
- Hedwig - the saddest one in the book for me.
- Tonks and Lupin - meh. Didn’t bother me much. I LOVED when Harry stood up to Lupin and told him to get his shit together and go back to his kid, though.
- Dobby. Beautiful funeral. Annoying character. But, I will admit that, after all my hatred for SPEW (and the fact that it got more attention than Hedwig’s death) waned a little when Harry realized how much he meant to all the “lesser” creatures.
- Snape. Wish he wouldn’t have. But, once this movie comes out, at least we’ll know that Alan Rickman will be there almost til the very end.
- Mad-Eye. Damn that Mundungus. Imperiused or not, he’d have fled.
- Bellatrix - “GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”
What REALLY disappointed me:
- Epilogue. I could’ve totally done without this entire chapter. “Here. Let me tie everything up in a nice little bow.” In the Potterverse, happily ever after means marrying your high school sweetheart and squeezing out lots of babies, OR going on to teach at Hogwarts. I really didn’t want Ginny and Harry to end up together (just didn’t work for me) and I absolutely gagged at “Albus Severus.” I’m okay with Ron and Hermione because that was building from Book 1, and they, at least, gave their children nice sensible names. Learning that Neville was teaching at Hogwarts, but not learning about the careers of the Trio was absolutely unfair. And what about Teddy? Harry was his godfather… Did Harry and Ginny raise him, or did he just hang with his grandmother? How wolf-ish was he? And, if he and Victoire got together, what would they make (what with Bill's bit of a bite) ? (I realized today that my feelings on this particular issue are a reflection on my own life. The fact that I am not married and don’t want kids doesn’t make me unsuccessful. Interesting that I ended up following Neville’s path and teaching instead of the alternative. And, speaking of Neville, I REALLY wanted him to end up with Luna.) For me, the story ended (beautifully, IMO) in the headmaster’s office.
- Sorting. This was the thing that ticked me off the most. In the Epilogue, Albus *gag* is worried about ending up in Slytherin. The fact that sorting continues, in spite of everything that happened, really got under my skin. In the Potterverse, you’re either an evil Slytherin, or you’re against them. Didn’t anyone good ever come out of Slytherin? And why didn’t they realize the mistake of the past that separate isn’t better?
It’ll be interesting, a few years from now, to go back and re-read the series with the ending in mind.
And I’ll be VERY DISAPPOINTED if Rowling goes on to publish any other books in this setting or with these characters. She developed this fantastic world with so much depth (I love that she often had to go check facts at the fan-sites). Continuing to use it would be too easy and would deprive her fans of applying her talents to some other reality. It took seven years of work to get her first book published. Now that she’s no longer an unknown, Bloomsbury and Scholastic will buy whatever she writes. She needs to take this opportunity to develop something new and separate.
General Thoughts: I felt that Deathly Hallows was a fine conclusion to the series. It wasn’t fantastic, but it did the job. I was relieved that Harry triumphed over Voldemort and that Snape ended up not being the bad guy (I wasn’t sure how either of those things would end up playing out). I loved learning about the entire history of the Deathly Hallows and finding out how they tie into Harry’s history was a fantastic addition. With the exception of a few placed, the story flowed nicely and answered MOST of the questions that I had.
I’m kind of torn about my feelings on learning about Dumbledore’s sordid past. I really wanted to believe that he was pure good (against Riddle’s pure evil). The whole back-story there was very touching (poor Ariana!).
One thing that was very frustrating for me was that, every time they made a plan, things went horribly wrong. It was only when stumbling on a solution with no forethought (how’re we going to get into Hogwarts? Oh, look. A tunnel!) were they able to do so safely.
What I loved:
- Learning more about Harry’s history. Prisoner of Azkaban has remained my favorite because, in learning about Harry’s family, we learned more about him. These bits of the past add so much depth to the story and keep the characters from seeming isolated. I am SO GLAD that Rowling took us to Godric’s Hollow and that Harry was able to visit his former home and see the memorial placed there. I was thrilled to see years placed on the headstones of Lily and James (timeline confirmation meant a lot to me) and I never loved Hermione more than when she conjured roses for him to place on their graves.
- Glimpses of non-primary characters out in the world. It was really nice to have cameos. Lee Jordan running Potterwatch was a stroke of brilliance and really helped pick up the dragging camping scenes.
- Neville Longbottom. I would’ve been really angry with Rowling had Neville not been given an opportunity to shine - having built up all that confidence in the DA and the battle in the Ministry, he deserved to do something important. I actually cheered when he appeared in the tunnel at the Hog’s Head (and when we found out he was continuing the DA in Harry’s absence).
- Taking the Malfoys down a peg. Seeing Draco sitting nervously at the table at the beginning of the book while Voldemort talked about Charity Burbage was great. My theory is that he was all talk until he had to actually experience the evil of the Death Eaters himself, then found he couldn’t stomach it. I wasn’t bothered by the fact that Lucius and Narcissa survived while Bellatrix did not, but I am curious to know how it was that Draco was free in the world (and were his parents?) at the end of the book. And I really loved that the first time Crabbe tried to step out of Malfoy’s shadow and starts talking (a HUGE SHOCK to me), he died.
- The Battle of Hogwarts. This was amazing. While it was a little cheesy how everyone showed up, I guess it was the appropriate time for it to happen. McGonagall and Molly kicked serious ass.
- The Escape from Gringotts. Hello Dragon, how are you?
- Snape. I tend to read the surface of a story and don’t dig too deeply. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he was in love with Lily. Seeing his memories made me change my mind (slightly) about how I felt about him. It was very noble how love turned him against the Death Eaters, yet his love for her was not enough to keep him from being a dick to Harry (of course, I’m sure he resented him, but he was still HALF Lily). Finding out that he sent the doe was a HUGE shocker.
- Kreacher. He wins my “Most surprising turn around” award. I fell in love with him.
- Going back to Hogwarts. I missed it.
Historical note: now that we have some actual dates, it is interesting to note that Riddle was at Hogwarts during the Nazi regime. Could this be where he got his ideas???
I cried the most when: Harry was going to meet his fate and face Voldemort. Having all those people come out of the Resurrection Stone to help cheer him on was gut-wrenching. That entire chapter was so beautifully sad. When he asked "Does it hurt?", I bawled. I was thankful that Mark had gone to the store at that moment because I...was..a...mess.
What I didn’t like:
- Hedwig dying. That was totally uncalled for and not necessary. And, moreover, I was really angry with Harry for barely mourning her, even though he planned this beautiful funeral for Dobby.
- Percy showing up. He’s a prat and deserved to die instead of Fred. Or George. Or whichever one it was.
- Camping. Boy did that drag. Ron leaving was not a surprise. He’s done that before. And it was nice for Harry and Hermione to have some time together.
- Ginny’s family keeping her out of the fight.
- The Gringott’s Break-In. I was really disappointed that Harry and Ron thought it would be a good idea to double-cross Griphook (though Bill’s speech did make me think twice) who really seemed appreciative of Harry’s willingness to save him. Furthermore, the fact that Harry (and others of the Order) freely used the Unforgiveable Curses was… well, unforgiveable. They are supposed to be above such things.
Where were my reactions inappropriate?
- The Locket Horcrux. The whole time, I kept calling out to Mark “It covets The Precious.”
- Aberforth - Couldn’t get past the thought of his goat charms.
- “For the greater good.” Hot Fuzz. Kept chanting it. All… the… time.
- Dobby. Didn’t really care too much that he died. He was the JarJar of the Potterverse (though he actually had an important purpose.)
- Dudley - “Who Imperiused him?”
- When Harry said “Voldemort” while Hermione yelled “Harry, NO!” For a good 5 minutes, I kept slow motion running and reciting this part for Mark. (God, what must he think of Harry Potter?)
The Deaths:
- I was rather surprised that someone more pivotal didn’t die. I expected one of The Trio to bite it. I would’ve been pissed if Hagrid had been killed off.
- Hedwig - the saddest one in the book for me.
- Tonks and Lupin - meh. Didn’t bother me much. I LOVED when Harry stood up to Lupin and told him to get his shit together and go back to his kid, though.
- Dobby. Beautiful funeral. Annoying character. But, I will admit that, after all my hatred for SPEW (and the fact that it got more attention than Hedwig’s death) waned a little when Harry realized how much he meant to all the “lesser” creatures.
- Snape. Wish he wouldn’t have. But, once this movie comes out, at least we’ll know that Alan Rickman will be there almost til the very end.
- Mad-Eye. Damn that Mundungus. Imperiused or not, he’d have fled.
- Bellatrix - “GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”
What REALLY disappointed me:
- Epilogue. I could’ve totally done without this entire chapter. “Here. Let me tie everything up in a nice little bow.” In the Potterverse, happily ever after means marrying your high school sweetheart and squeezing out lots of babies, OR going on to teach at Hogwarts. I really didn’t want Ginny and Harry to end up together (just didn’t work for me) and I absolutely gagged at “Albus Severus.” I’m okay with Ron and Hermione because that was building from Book 1, and they, at least, gave their children nice sensible names. Learning that Neville was teaching at Hogwarts, but not learning about the careers of the Trio was absolutely unfair. And what about Teddy? Harry was his godfather… Did Harry and Ginny raise him, or did he just hang with his grandmother? How wolf-ish was he? And, if he and Victoire got together, what would they make (what with Bill's bit of a bite) ? (I realized today that my feelings on this particular issue are a reflection on my own life. The fact that I am not married and don’t want kids doesn’t make me unsuccessful. Interesting that I ended up following Neville’s path and teaching instead of the alternative. And, speaking of Neville, I REALLY wanted him to end up with Luna.) For me, the story ended (beautifully, IMO) in the headmaster’s office.
- Sorting. This was the thing that ticked me off the most. In the Epilogue, Albus *gag* is worried about ending up in Slytherin. The fact that sorting continues, in spite of everything that happened, really got under my skin. In the Potterverse, you’re either an evil Slytherin, or you’re against them. Didn’t anyone good ever come out of Slytherin? And why didn’t they realize the mistake of the past that separate isn’t better?
It’ll be interesting, a few years from now, to go back and re-read the series with the ending in mind.
And I’ll be VERY DISAPPOINTED if Rowling goes on to publish any other books in this setting or with these characters. She developed this fantastic world with so much depth (I love that she often had to go check facts at the fan-sites). Continuing to use it would be too easy and would deprive her fans of applying her talents to some other reality. It took seven years of work to get her first book published. Now that she’s no longer an unknown, Bloomsbury and Scholastic will buy whatever she writes. She needs to take this opportunity to develop something new and separate.