Book #41
Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him.
I can't even begin to describe how much my opinion of this book has changes with every read. Although I can't pretend it's my favourite of the seven, it holds a lot more sway for me each time.
Many of the elements which I had distaste for on my previous read throughs have been redeemed in my eyes. I see the reason behind these now, the symbolism, and the meaning. For example, I didn't like Rowling's stories of Dumbledore's past, how she told of him dabbling in lowly, and ignoble acts. But, why not? Our heroes can't all be shiny, golden idols. I think Rowling is trying to make a point of the fact that Dumbledore made mistakes, he was imperfect, but what a man!
When the book came out in 2007, I was almost upon my 20th birthday (which is, incidentally, on the 31st of July, the same as Harry's, and JK's). I tried my best to be immovable, invincible, and impassive. I was of the opinion that Harry's death should have been inevitable. Rowling, however, felt the need to give Harry a loophole; a chance. And Harry deserved this, because good people deserve good things. This is what I've come to realise.
So, my opinion has changed. Yes, I am a massive fangirl, but these books mean so much more to me than light entertainment. This series has taught me, over a fourteen year span, the merits of friendship, bravery, honesty, and love. This will all sound horribly cheesy and unlike me, but there are only a bare minimum of you who I will expect to understand. No saga has made such an impression on me as this one. A different burst of emotion is experienced on every page. It is nothing less than wonderful, and I'd like to thank J.K. Rowling for giving me something that can be cherished as much as this can.