Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

Stop! If you haven't finished reading the book, don't go any further. I know I'm a little late now; most have already finished the book earlier. But if you haven't, stop reading this post, because I don't want to spoil the story for you - just like how it was almost spoilt for me.

On Thursday, the 26th of July, my father passed me the entertainment section of the daily newspaper and right on the front page were the words, "Anyone who cares about Harry Potter must know by now that he does not die". Damn! Why did I even pick it up in the first place? And then my "spoiler" cousin typed in my chatbox here on my blog, "Can I spoil it for you? Harry did something revolting in the end. And did you know that Dobby died?" Although after I'd finished reading the book, I still didn't see what the revolting thing was. I actually pictured him cutting something off his body when she said that.

Anyway, I'm here to give my critique on it. I'll try not to be too draggy; I want all the main points to suffice. As a general overview critique, I'd have to say that Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows is probably the best in the series, mainly due to the climax at the end. But I must admit that, for me personally, it was quite long-winded at times - especially during the second and third quarters of the book, when Harry, Ron and Hermione were on the run.

The first chapter gave us a good overview on what had happened in the wizarding world after we left off from Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. Snape and Yaxley's arrival brought out suspense the moment I read the first line, "The two men appeared out of nowhere..."

And then there was the chapter on the memory of Dumbledore, In Memoriam, where all those nasty rumours arose about him, making things not only worse, but more complicating, I thought.

The Dursleys Departing was both funny and heartwarming to me, especially when Dudley appreciated Harry for saving his life from the Dementors previously.

I believe the chapter on The Seven Potters was a crucial point in the story. That was when Harry's wand acted of its own accord. I had a strong feeling that Dumbledore was the one who controlled Harry's wand at that time. Because when Harry thought he saw a blue eye in that shard of mirror he had, I had hoped that Dumbledore was still alive.

I must admit that I didn't really care that Mad Eye Moody died during the chase in the skies. He was a good man, very brave, but somehow I felt that Rowling would probably kill off a character from the Order of The Phoenix in the end.

It was so touching that Ron and Hermione had really decided to follow Harry through with his daunting task. The bond of friendship and camaraderie between them was unbreakable. Imagine leaving their education behind and backing Harry instead.

The Will of Albus Dumbledore was a shocker. Intriguing, how those three objects were chosen by Dumbledore to be given to Harry, Ron and Hermione. It was somewhat like The Da Vinci Code - Rowling probably wanted to include a trail of secrets in this final installment.

And then we come to The Wedding. Nice, sweet ceremony that took place before the harsh reality came round. Gave me a very bittersweet feeling to know that suffering would have to take place after watching two people vow their love for each other.

And now the dragginess began when the trio went to hide in Grimmauld Place. Kreacher's Tale showed us a letter from Lily Potter addressed to Sirius. The moment was very heartwarming indeed. Lily's words were very warm. I could tell she was a woman with a kind heart, who was very sweet and loving. It was painful to know that she had died saving Harry's life.

The Bribe told us about Lupin's weakness. I don't blame him, though. Imagine knowing that his son might also recieve the curse he had received. I was wondering how hard a life he would have to live and accept...

Magic is Might. The Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Long-winded chapters. Just to get that locket? My God, so much to tell...

The Thief gave me a bit of intrigue. Who was that person who stole from Gregorovitch? And what exactly did he steal?

The Goblin's Revenge - dialouge, dialouge, dialouge. No doubt useful information, but all talk, talk, talk. I somehow hate to read too much conversation between people...

Ahh yes, Godric's Hollow. Splendid. Tears welled up in my eyes at the graveyard scene. And it was Christmas, too. I could just feel the effect when you combine the two things together. Death and joy. Mourning and celebration. Painful for Harry, and yet I thought it was a good gift to see his parents at last... And blimey, James and Lily died so young, at 21 years old. And since they died in 1981, it was actually 1997 now. Harry was 1 year old at their death...

Bathilda's Secret was no doubt creepy. Snake emerging from her body and stuff...

Rita Skeeter's The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore was a waste of time. Yes, it was interesting to know about Dumbledore's past, not to mention hearing it from Rita Skeeter. But so what if he wrote that letter to Grindelwald? I didn't find it much of a controversy. I actually thought he was being his usual self in that letter, polite and reasonable.

The Silver Doe came just in time as a good injector of some action. That was when Harry found Gryffindor's sword to destroy the Horcruxes. The last part of the chapter was absolutely hilarious. That was when Ron came back and Hermione went bonkers. The style of writing was actually pretty serious, but I took it to be a funny scene...

Xenophilius Lovegood. Turn of events there. Nice guy, Xenophilius. Pity he was threatened by the Death Eaters.

The Tale of the Three Brothers was nostalgic. It was as though I was hearing a fairytale - but this time a real fairytale. Muggles would be mesmerized...

Now that I'd realised what The Deathly Hallows were, I thought they were quite cool. The Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone, and The Cloak of Invisibility were all pretty good treasures for a quest.

Malfoy Manor was where the climax was starting to build up. Scary how they got caught and fought their way out of it. And that was where Harry beat Draco Malfoy to be the next master of the Elder Wand, huh? Although it wasn't stated at that point in time.

The Wandmaker and Shell Cottage were quite unnecesary to me. I thought they were just acting as a breather before the climax reached its peak.

Alas, the worst chapter in my opinion: Gringotts. What an awful waste of time! I know they needed to find that damn cup but the things which happened in that vault, they were so exaggerated! Items multiplying themselves and burning red-hot? I was expecting something more spectacular than that... Not to mention escaping on a dragon, how cliched can that be?

The Final Hiding Place, albeit short, was very nicely written. I liked the way Rowling brought us into Voldemort's thoughts. Very realistic, indeed...

The Missing Mirror, the scene where Aberforth Dumbledore came to their rescue, was once again unnecessary, although it was good to hear the truth about Albus Dumbledore's past.

And now the climax was about to unfold with The Lost Diadem. I loved it that they returned to Hogwarts and saw that there were students who rebelled against the new system, gathering secretly in the Room of Requirement. That really got my pulse racing...

The Sacking of Severus Snape was the prelude to The Battle of Hogwarts (boy, I love that title). I somewhat thought that a battle scene would be a good way to end the series. No doubt it's a cliched one, just like The Lord of The Rings, but it would be awesome to see the students and teachers of Hogwarts fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

I had a feeling that Snape was actually on the good side all along. And yes, I knew he would die in the end, no doubt. Cruel way to be killed by a snake...

And then of course, The Prince's Tale answered all those questions that had arisen since the very first book. No doubt it was touching and painful at the same time to hear how Snape had loved Lily Potter all this while. Once again, a story of lost love has ripped apart our hearts, and shown to us how love can penetrate any boundary and go on even after death...

And now it was time for Harry to sacrifice his life in The Forest Again. Although there were many people who speculated that Harry was a Horcrux, I didn't believe so because if he really was, Voldemort wouldn't want to try and kill him in the first place. But since Voldemort himself didn't realise that he had left part of his soul in Harry, I guess those people were right: Harry was a Horcrux.

King's Cross reminded me of so many things. It was the most bizzare chapter for me. It reminded me so much of Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End, when Jack Sparrow was stuck in the Undead world, a vast stretch of cracked land, nobody but him alone. I guess Rowling wanted to describe something like a near-death experience. Just as King's Cross was somewhat like a transition between the wizarding world and the Muggle world, Harry thought that he might be dead but he also knew that he could go back if he wanted to. Again, that was where Dumbledore himself clarified his past and reassured Harry that all was going well.

The final chapter, The Flaw in the Plan, was the ultimate showdown between good and evil. As the wizards and witches battled in the Great Hall, Voldemort and Harry had their last duel together. They did it in a cowboy-like shootout - except that it was more a case of using wands than guns. The problem is, I still don't quite get how The Elder Wand had backfired at Voldemort. Earlier on in the forest, when Voldemort used the killing curse on Harry, how come it didn't backfire then? Voldemort did fall unconscious, but how come he wasn't dead? Was it because he still had Nagini, the snake, as a Horcrux?

And now, I've come to my favourite chapter - only thing it isn't a chapter, more like an Epilogue which was named, "Nineteen Years Later". Yes, it was the most heartwarming ending for me. To see Harry and Ginny married with two boys and a girl, and Ron and Hermione also married with a son and daughter has got to be the best thing that has ever happened in the Harry Potter series.

Now that the 7th book has been released and read by thousands of fans, this 10-year chapter has finally come to a close. And what an experience it has been. I give my heartfelt thanks to J. K. Rowling for receiving the inspiration for Harry Potter, and look forward to what the future holds. Long live Harry...