I feel as though I had a different experience reading Deathly Hallows than perhaps most others. Sadly, I was not one of those that waited in line for each book as they were released. As much as it pains me to admit, I did not much care for the series when I was first handed The Sorcerer's Stone as a kid. For whatever reason, I had written it off. I did, however, fall madly in love with the movies. It was not until after the third in fact that I began my journey into the Harry Potter books. I staggered my reading experience to prolong it as much I could and could not believe that I had waited so long! When it came time for Deathly Hallows, I was actually on a long bus ride coming home from a trip and I had several hundred pages left to go. I delved once more into its depths, determined not to come out until I was finished. Once I had, a great sense of accomplishment intermingled with all manners of sadness quickly overcame me. I was on a bus, surrounded by strangers and had just finished the single-most important series to ever have been written (in my opinion, hopefully shared). It was definitely a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions, let me tell you.
I will start off by saying that I do think it ended well, and the epilogue served its purpose. I have no quarrel with the epilogue other than possibly wanting more. We were given a glimpse into their futures and that only made me want to keep on reading. What affected me most from the ending of Deathly Hallows was the reveal of Snape's true allegiance. I for one did not see it coming that he was in fact good. After Half-Blood Prince I had written him off as evil and even found myself in a state of disgust every time I read a passage about him after he killed Dumbledore. Here was a character I had time and time again struggled to trust and just when I began to do so, he betrays me. Well, not me personally, but those I came to care for in the series which I in turn take personally. I think we could all admit we feel a part of the trio's journey while reading it. "The Prince's Tale" has since become my favorite chapter out of any book. It was within those pages that we discover Snape's true nature. Here was a character already so complex becoming even more so. We learn of Dumbledore's plan to have Snape kill him, of Snape's struggle to trust Dumbledore in his rather secretive endeavors and also of Snape's love for Lily Potter. The chapter made me rethink the entire series. Not only in terms of Snape, but in terms of most of the important points in the overall story arch. I came to truly sympathize with Snape and he is to this day my favorite character, perhaps of any series.
The chapter also gave me a new light on Dumbledore. I know some friends that came to almost loath him after reading Deathly Hallows. They did not like how Dumbledore raised Harry to be killed at the right moment. They could not understand how he could leave Harry, Ron and Hermione with so little information for which to fight Voldemort with. While yes, I agree with them to some extent, I was not as angry. Dumbledore was always a sort of ambiguous character. I never truly knew what he had planned, but still trusted him to come through in the end of each book. My main quarrel with Dumbledore was that I believe he had too much faith in himself. He at times admits that he made mistakes, yet I never really saw him learn from them. I truly believe he had the best of intentions for Harry, but I think there could have been a better, easier and more feasible way for Voldemort to have met his end. I personally do not believe that Dumbledore needed to die as he thought he did. It is almost as if Dumbledore was very into theatrics instead of a reasonable course of action. He tiptoed around the truth and only delved information to others when he thought necessary. He didn't want to "put all of his eggs in one basket", but he kept too much to himself for it all to be handled appropriately. In the end, I respect Dumbledore and his decisions, but I do believe there were other ways to go about things that might have ended in much less death.
My feelings towards Harry, Ron and Hermione remained rather unchanged throughout the series. I felt their growth as friends, as witch and wizards, and came to love their unbreakable bond to each other. Their friendship was truly tested in Deathly Hallows and in the end, they all came out alive because of one another. When Ron left Harry and Hermione as they were traveling, I honestly had no doubt that he would return somehow. I thought to myself "No. You have been through too much for it all to vanish in mere moments. You will be back. See you in a couple chapters Weasley." I do not blame Ron for leaving, it was the horcrux that wore him down. He even says himself he regretted it, but could not find his way back to them (at first). The trio to me represented everything a friendship should be: full of honesty, full of uniqueness and ultimately, full of love. They struggled through the worst imaginable situations, and did so together. I have no quarrel with any character in the trio. I admired their friendship and the many up's and down's it took. It felt real, which in turn made the series feel all the more real and relatable.
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