The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death
The Harry Potter Book Seven release party on Stephen Avenue walk was SO MUCH FUN. There wasn't nearly as much interesting things to do or buy as I thought there would be, but just dressing up and looking at the other cosutmes and enjoying the atmosphere was wicked. I went with my sister, Michelle, Laura, and Jill W but I ended up spending most of the time with my sister because we were the only one's buying the book that night and it actually took half the evening to stand in line.
Check out the outfit! My sister knitted the scarf. I definitely think I would be in Hufflepuff if I went to Hogwarts, although I don't remember if we decided if I was Hannah Abbott or "Anonymous Hufflepuff student # 21".
These guys were at our train station so we felt a special closeness. Check it out- the guy on the right is dressed as Harry's Patronus!! What a brilliant idea!
Actually, my favorite costume of the night was the guy dressed as a Wizard trying to dress like a Muggle. I really couldn't tell why he looked like that for a while, the it clicked. I wish a got a picture, he looked brilliant.
My sister, dressed as Luna Lovegood (on the very left), and our "Line Posse". We stood in line for 45 minutes at McNally Robinson to pre-purchase the book and these guys were right in front of us. They were awesome, easily the highlight of the evening. They were so much fun.
As for the book itself...
It wasn't until about an hour after I put the book down that I finally stopped crying...
DO NOT CONTINUE TO SCROLL DOWN UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY READ "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS"
VERY EXPLICIT SPOILERS AHEAD.
I don't know why I was so emotional. I cried throughout the entire last 100 pages or so. A couple reasons I suppose...
PERCY!! I always had a soft spot for him. I know that makes me sound pretty terrible but I knew there would be some sort of redemption for him and I'm just so in love with the entire Weasley family and seeing them reunited was so wonderful.
But then "No! Not Fred!" I had just very recently decided that the twins are my absolute favorite characters (doesn't help that I'm madly in love with the actors) especially Fred. I know it sounds kind of weird to have a favorite of the twins but of course he had to be the one that dies. Especially so soon after the family was finally back together.
My favorite element of the entire series is the Marauders, I just love James and Sirius and Remus, as all of us do, but it killed me for a while that Lupin was the only one of the Marauders left. I thought "how sad that must be for him" but I didn't mean that I wanted them to be reunited!! Of course, the moment when Harry used the ring to bring back the three of them and his mom was easily my favorite part of the book. I've never gotten as emotional over a book as I did in that moment.
And I knew Snape couldn't be evil!! Dumbledore had faith in him and we have faith in Dumbledore and it all fit so perfect and I've never liked Snape so much. Snape was protecting Harry all those years! Who would have guessed? Harry even used Severus in his son's name. So cute!
My second favorite part of the book was when the trio saved Draco and Goyle from the burning Room of Requirement. Really powerful, if you ask me.
Oh, but why Dobby?! I never cared for Dobby much, but I never wanted him to die.
I am not at all comfortable with the fact that Rowling felt the need for a "Nineteen Years Later" chapter and even less comfortable with what the chapter contained. First of all, I hate Ginny and I never approved of her and Harry together, it just bothered me. Second of all, we didn't need a "Nineteen Years Later" section to tell us that Ron and Hermione were going to end up together. The whole last 7 pages of the book was just so cheesy.
I didn't like that Harry was a Horcrux, so to speak, and the whole sacrificing himself and then coming back to life in an ultimate triumph over evil was way too "Gospel" for me.
But I think it's awesome that Arthur's Patronus is a weasle, don't know why I never thought of that before.
The whole thing reminded me a little too much of "The Da Vinci Code". With the Deathly Hallows symbol and the myths and the significant blood lines and the clues and the statues and all of it.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with how slowly it started, and hated the last bit, but I think everything was tied together brilliantly. Not my favorite book of the series, but it did justice to the books and I throughly enjoyed the day and a half it took to read it.
I guess the most emotional part is just that it's all over. No more books and no more speculating and no more theories. I can't imagine life without another book to look forward to and guess at.