The Deathly Hallows

I am a Potter-fan, but not to the extend of buying the book on the first day of release.

And not to the extend of spending RM69.90 (only applicable in Tesco and Carrefoure) to buy the hardcover version.

Yes, I am a Potter-fan, but I'll wait until the paperback version (which is way cheaper) is out before buying one. But that doesn't mean I'll wait that long to read it. And read it I did, after I acquired the book on loan from my eleven-years old student. Yes, she finished the book in less than a month, reading it like mad every free time she had. We had a very good discussion about the book just now, and it felt good to be able to share with someone who are as fanatic as me.

It took me two nights to finish the book, and the whole weekend to reread it again, just in case I missed any important details. Reading the book was fun, and nerve-rending, because it was filled with plenty of actions and revelations (and because I know that I would get tired and sleepy at work the next morning for staying up so late!)

The book is simply superb. The first 6 books were written in anticipation for this final book. Things that are mentioned in the earlier books were like missing pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle, fitting in nicely and snugly into the book. Rowling really had her plot drawn, laying it out nicely in 7 books, and bringing it to a perfect end in the final book.

Still, the middle part was a bit of a drag, where Harry, Ron and Hermione travelled the whole Britain in search of the Horcruxes. It was like a never-ending camping trip. That got pretty tiresome after a while. And you would have thought that the three of them would have learnt better from previous experiences not to get into each other's nerve. But Ron being Ron, and Harry being Harry (and a part of Voldemort), I guess they just couldn't help it. It was a good thing that Dumbledore predicted this and gave Ron his deluminator, so that he was able to find them again.

But the best chapter in the book to me was The Prince's Tale. Snape has always been one of my favourite character, not because he was evil, but because he seemed to be hiding a lot behind his greasy hair. And how Snape was doing good things, but all for the wrong reasons. He was doing it out of guilt and if it hadn't been for Lily, he would have been Voldemort's most trusted lieutenant. And the fact that every time he looked at Harry, he saw the eyes of the woman he loved in the face of the man he hated. That part was simply brilliant. Lost love. Almost brought tears to my eyes.

In the end, the arrogance of Voldemort (and Dumbledore's brilliant plan plus Harry's help) brought to his demise. It was beneath the Dark Lord to believe that Harry was more powerful than him. It was unthinkable that Harry could defeat him in a duel.

And of course, the epilogue was necessary, to put an end to everything. I think Rowling really meant it when she said the 7th book will be the last book in the series, hence the 17 years later.

Overall, I am highly satisfied with the book. I shall not reveal the whole story here, I think you all should discover the magic by reading the book yourselves. But of course, if you have read the book and would like to talk about it with me, I would be glad to share.

And here's to Dobby, the brave elf, who sacrificed himself for the greater good.

Here lies Dobby, a Free Elf