What Harry Potter Taught Me

          Overall, though I was disappointed in the epilogue at first, I loved the end of the series. We finally discover Snape’s true allegiance; we finally understand that even the most respectable, seemingly perfect individuals (or in this case, wizards) have flaws and make mistakes; we see that love, this theme that Rowling has been pounding into our heads throughout the entire series, really does prevail over hate, which in this case comes in the form of Lord Voldemort. Almost all of our questions about the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort’s past, Dumbledore’s past, and the future of Hogwarts are answered in three to four chapters. 

          The only moments that I thought were problematic occurred when I first read Deathly Hallows and I was so excited and I read through it so quickly that I still had several questions unanswered because I had overlooked the answers. For example, how exactly did Harry master the Elder Wand with having never touched it? However, after a second, third, and fourth rereading of the text and careful reflection, I was able to answer these unanswered questions. There are two moments that still trouble me: 1. What happened to the Dursleys? They were such a large, though negative, part of Harry’s life up until this point; yet, we see them for one or two chapters in the beginning and then they seemingly disappear into a wizarding protection program. Did they ever make contact with Harry again; or did they continue to pretend he never existed and fall back into the habits of their “perfect” lifestyle? What about Dudley? He and Harry seemed to have made peace in their last encounter. Could Harry have gained, if not a true family member, but at least a friend in Dudley? And secondly, why DIDN’T Harry die when Voldemort performed the killing curse that day in the Great Hall? Yes, Dumbledore explained that Voldemort only killed the piece of his own soul, the last Horcrux when he cast that spell, but I think it’s more than that. I think Harry didn’t die because he had finally become the “master of death.” He had owned the invisibility cloak for several years, he used the resurrection stone for strength as he accepted and walked to his own death, and he was made master of the Elder Wand after he overpowered Draco at Malfoy Manor. Yet, the end of Deathly Hallows does not clarify this. 

          Now that I have finished the series, I place the series as a story of love and sacrifice in the larger social/cultural context. It has grown from a series of children’s stories to a cultural phenomenon, involving theme parks, movies, fan fiction, clothing, etc. There is a lot to learn from the series of Harry Potter, particularly The Deathly Hallows, in that it teaches you about love, sacrifice, friendship, and humility. At least, I know I learned something from every character.