Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J. K. Rowling)

SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this stuff if you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, unless if you want to be spoiled with its’ plot details. You have been forewarned!

Adventure, drama, horror, angst, heart-wrecking love story, even a bit of humor. Just name it and it’s very likely that you’ll find everything you want in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (DH). It wraps everything up beautifully--no wonder it’s Ms. Rowling’s favorite out of seven.

There’s no way anyone could tell what the Deathly Hallows were prior to reading the book. However, after reading DH until the end, you get to admire how befitting it is as a title. The role it played to the final battle and to Harry’s ultimate understanding about the nature of life and death--one could never ask anything better for a title.

The Deathly Hallows had been sought by wizards and witches for centuries due to their ability to make their owner Master of Death, so it’s told. They consisted of the Elder Wand which was so powerful it made its’ owner unbeatable--it’s also the most notorious; the Resurrection Stone which could resurrect the dead; and the Invisibility Cloak which I’m sure doesn’t need any further explanation. As we know, Voldemort chose to gain immortality by means of Horcruxes--he knew nothing about Hallows. Nevertheless, the fame of the Elder Wand captured his attention. Eventually, it was this particular wand which made him met his own end.

Surprisingly, it was Dumbledore who had been lured by the Hallows. It’s quite shocking because who would’ve thought that someone like Dumbledore--who had wisely said to Harry that death was just another journey--would’ve wanted something like that. I mean, it made him not too different from Voldemort--they both wanted to conquer death despite their different reasons. THAT, his desire for power, and him meeting the teenage Grindelwald when he was eighteen had brought painful consequences which Dumbledore couldn’t help but regret until the end of his life. Who knows what path he might take if it’s not for his brother Aberforth who managed to knock some sense into him.

In the end, it was Harry’s courage to face death which made him the true master of Hallows and another point which made him better than Voldemort.

Despite some fluffs which you could find all through the book, DH is “dark” for the most part. It’s impossible to be otherwise considering what happened: Voldemort’s terror in the wizarding world, constant danger that lurking behind Harry and co. in their search for the Horcruxes, so many deaths, Snape’s heartbreaking tale, the battle of Hogwarts. I love the way Harry Potter ended, yet the sadness still lingers.

Pathetic as it sounds, I felt like crying when I finished reading DH. Not just because the sadness in the story, it’s more because it felt like ending a long journey. Even though you’re happy that you finally reach your destination, you’re sad at the same time because you have to leave all good memories behind. It has been a truly incredible journey and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Thank you, Ms. Rowling! *sobs*