Later…Big discussion at Sword of Gryffindor. I'm still digesting.

Sunday, October 21: I'll be honest with you: I don't care about this. There's so much going on in my life right now, I can't summon the energy to say more than this: The fact that Rowling says character Dumbledore was attracted to men doesn't change how I feel about the Harry Potter series. I'm fond of the books, especially Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I will always highly recommend the series to anyone who asks. I can say this for JKR: she's got her finger on the pulse of the publicity machine.

Chapter 31-Epilogue

In Chapter 31, Voldemort makes an announcement to the school, loud-speaker style: “Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.”

Slytherin Pansy Parkinson makes to seize Harry, now in the Great Hall, and the students point their wands at her. Still looking for Ron and Hermione, Harry sees Muggle-born Colin Creevey, who snuck into the school to fight. Harry sets out to look for the diadem Horcrux. Since Flitwick told him no one as seen it “in living memory,” Harry realizes a ghost might know what happened to it. He asks Nearly Headless Nick about the diadem, who tells him to ask the Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s ghost.

The Grey Lady was Rowena Ravenclaw’s kid, and she’d stolen the diadem. Dying, Rowena sent the (Bloody) Baron to find her daughter, whom he loved. She refused to return with him, so he killed her, then himself. That’s how he became the Bloody Baron, Slytherin’s ghost. The Grey Lady hid the diadem inside a hollow of a tree in a forest in Albania. This answers a fandom question, “In Book 1, why was Voldemort hiding out in Albania?” The Grey Lady told a young Tom Riddle about the diadem. He found it and hid it in Hogwarts. After he tried to kill Harry, his half-self went back to the secluded forest to hide.

But where was the diadem now? In the hiding place version of the Room of Requirement. In Book 6, Harry hid his potions book in a room filled with dangerous and banned objects. He marked the spot by putting a wig and the diadem on a nearby bust.

Ron Speaks Parseltongue?

Deathly Hallows, like all of JKR’s books, is rich in detail. Asking and answering questions, making observations, and commenting on everything that made me stop and go, “Hmmm,” would fill up enough books to make a seven-part series of my own. Consequently, I’ve skipped over a lot of things I wanted to explore more fully, but I have to pause for this Ron-speaking-Parseltongue thing.

Starting with Book 2, it’s been drilled into our heads how rare this talking-to-snakes “gift” is. Harry can do it because some of Voldemort’s powers were transferred into Harry when he tried to kill him. We learn in Chapter 31 that Ron spoke Parseltongue to get into the Chamber to get the fangs. How? Did he fake it? If so, how was did his fakery fool the Chamber?

Three More Dead and Panic Attacks

Moving on…Ron tells Harry that Hermione destroyed the Hufflepuff Horcrux with one of the fangs. The trio enters the Room of Requirement (now the Room of Hidden Things) to find the diadem, and Harry’s ambushed by Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Spells start flying, and so does the diadem. Crabbe tries to kill Hermione and Ron with the Avada Kedavra curse, misses, and conjures a cursed fire that chases the trio.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione grab brooms to escape and double back to try to save Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. All escape the flames except Crabbe, who’s killed. The fire destroys the diadem Horcrux. In the corridor, the Death Eaters attack. Fred is killed.

The diadem is destroyed, now it’s time to kill Nagini, the snake that contains part of Voldemort’s soul. Harry sees Voldemort and Lucius in the Shrieking Shake. He sends Lucius to fetch Snape. The trio head to the Shack.

I have to pause here to highlight a nice parallel JKR set up. In Book 1, Hermione panics when Harry and Ron are about to be suffocated by the Devil’s Snare on the way to the Sorcerer's Stone. She remembers that it doesn’t like fire. Ron tells her to make the fire, and she yells, “But there’s no wood!” In irritation, Ron says something like, “There’s no wood? Are you a witch, or not?”

In Deathly Hallows, they’re about to enter the Shrieking Shack but must get past the Whomping Willow. Ron says, “How’re we going to get in? I can—see the place—if we just had—Crookshanks again—”

In Book 3, Crookshanks the cat pressed a knob at the base of the tree to stop the branches from moving. Now it’s Hermione’s turn. “Crookshanks? Are you a wizard, or what?” Cool.

So the trio goes through the tunnel to the Shack and sees Voldemort and Snape, who keeps insisting that he must find Harry Potter for him. Voldemort believes Snape is the true owner of the Elder Wand, since he killed Dumbledore, the last holder. In a most inglorious and un-heroic scene, Voldemort sics Nagini on Snape, killing him with a bite to the neck.

And that’s it. The most intriguing character in the series, the double agent who risked his life spying for Dumbledore, who loved Harry’s mother, and who promised Dumbledore he’d protect Lily’s child, is snuffed out. I was hoping Snape would get his moment of glory, reveal his treachery, and stand physically between Voldemort and Harry in a duel, fighting alongside him. Can you picture it? Snake face, Snape, and Harry, dueling at Hogwarts. Alas, it was not to be. Snape drops like a sack of potatoes on the dirty Shack floor.

The Prince’s Tale

Harry enters the room, taking off his cloak. Snape gives Harry his memories, which he collects in a flask Hermione conjured. Before he dies, he whispers to Harry, “Look…at…me.”

This is one reason why Harry’s green eyes, so much like his mother’s, are mentioned throughout the series. Snape left the dark side to work for the good because he loved Lily and felt responsible for her death. He wanted to look into "her" green eyes one last time. A poignant scene but the Harry Potter slash fiction folks will have a field day with it.

Now here’s another convenient but unrealistic plot device: Voldemort makes another announcement, giving Harry one hour to turn himself in. OK. One of the world’s greatest sorcerers is giving his nemesis an hour to come up with a way to beat him? Real smooth. Why not give him five minutes or no minutes? An hour? Alas, Harry needs that hour to see Snape’s memories. How considerate of the Dark Lord!

Inside the headmaster’s office, Harry pours Snape’s memories into the Pensieve. We learn that Snape knew Lily as child. He was “that awful boy” Petunia mentioned in Book 5, the same boy many in fandom (including me) suspected she was referring to.

Captivated by Lily even as a child, Snape watched her perform magic while playing with her sister. The boy Snape told her what they were. He told her about Hogwarts and the letters they’d receive. They form a friendship. Lily knows about the arguments between Snape’s parents and how his Muggle father doesn’t like magic. Petunia, hiding behind a tree, is discovered when she loses her footing. After she insults him, Snape causes a tree branch to fall on her, and Lily runs after her, furious at Snape.

The scene changes, and we see Lily and her family and Snape and his on Platform 9 ¾ ready to board the Hogwarts Express. It’s revealed that Petunia, a Muggle, wrote to Dumbledore, asking to attend the wizarding school. So Petunia didn’t always hate magic. Probably already jealous of her more attractive younger sister, Petunia’s bitterness solidified when they were still children.

Lily and Snape encounter the future Marauders on the train. Snape, James, and Sirius exchanged the first of what will become many insults. The scene shifts again, and the first years are being sorted. Lily, in Gryffindor, watches her friend walking to the Slytherin table.

In a different scene, Lily is concerned about Snape’s fascination with the Dark Arts. He shrugs it off and questions her about James, who he knows fancies her. Oh, the Green-Eyed Monster will get you if you don’t watch out!

Snape’s Worst Memory

Many fans have wondered why the scene in which James and Sirius hex Snape is his worst memory. After Harry saw this memory in Book 6, an enraged Snape throws him out of his office. Was he merely embarrassed? Perhaps, but it goes much deeper. Wandless, Snape was unable to defend himself against James and Sirius. In his anger, he calls his best friend, the girl he’s in love with, a Mudblood. This ends the friendship. Later, he apologies, but Lily’s “not interested.”

Double Agent

In the next scene, Snape 's on a hilltop, waiting for Dumbledore. He confesses that he told Voldemort about Trewlaney’s prophecy about a child born at the end of July with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. Voldemort believes Lily will have that child. Snape pleads with Dumbledore to keep Lily — and her husband and child — safe. In return, Snape offers his services to the good side.

The scene changes again. Lily and James are dead. Voldemort found them. An anguished Snape, wanting to make amends for what he’d done, promises to protect her son. He makes Dumbledore promise never to tell Harry.

“My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you? If you insist…”

The scene shifts from Harry’s first year, where Snape complains to Dumbledore that Harry is arrogant like his father, to the fourth year, where Snape says his Dark Mark is becoming darker. Voldemort is getting stronger. In the next scene, we see Snape working spells over an injured Dumbledore. In Book 6, the headmaster had found the ring Horcrux, which contained the Resurrection Stone. In his desire to see his dead family, he tried on the ring. The curse “killed” him, but Snape stoppered his death, delaying it for about a year.

Scar Horcrux

Knowing he’s going to die in a year anyway, Dumbledore tells Snape he must kill him when the time is right. In the next scene, Dumbledore tells Snape why he’s teaching Harry — and Harry alone — about what he needs to do to defeat Voldemort.

The night Voldemort tried to kill Lily, his killing curse rebounded. Here’s the kicker: Harry’s scar contains part of Voldemort’s soul, which explains the connection between the two wizards. “[W]hile that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die,” Dumbledore tells Snape.

The realization hits Snape: Harry must die. Snape reacts in anger, accusing Dumbledore of raising Harry like a pig for slaughter. He’s been protecting the boy all this time, only to see Dumbledore send him to his death? But it’s not Harry Snape cares about. To clear up the headmaster’s confusion about why he’s angry, Snape conjures a sliver doe Patronus, the same as Lily’s, the same Patronus that beckoned Harry in the woods and led him to the Sword of Gryffindor earlier in the book.

Still Under Orders

In the next scene, Snape the spy is ensconced as headmaster and Voldmort has captured the castle. Dumbledore is dead, but Snape receives orders from Dumbledore’s portrait. He agrees to feed the Order’s escape plans for Harry to Voldemort. Harry sees Snape attempting to curse another Death Eater, but the curse missed and hit took off George's ear. Harry also sees Snape crying in Grimmauld Place over Lily’s letter to Sirius. He’s the one who took the second page of the letter and Lily’s part of the photo.

The next memory reveals that Snape communicated with Phineas Nigellus’s portrait. Phineas calls Hermione a Mudblood. Remembering how much the slur cost him, he tells Phineas not to use the word. Snape plans to send his Patronus to lead Harry to the sword. The memories end.

Death and Resurrection

JKR has called “The Forest Again” her favorite chapter in the book. Harry realizes that he has to allow Voldemort to kill him in order to destroy the part of Voldemort’s soul that’s inside him.

Imagine knowing when and how you’re going to die. Suddenly, you’re aware of your heart beating and your lungs expanding. You’re aware of yourself in a way you’ve never been before. You can count the remaining minutes of your life as time ticks away.

Harry’s doing some quick soul-searching at the beginning of this chapter. He’d always assumed Dumbledore wanted him to survive the final battle with Voldmort. Now, he faced something very different. This is why he told only Harry about the Horcruxes and asked him to tell no one but Ron and Hermione.

Willing to face death, Harry dons the cloak and goes to find Voldemort. On the way, he tells Neville that the snake Nagini, which holds part of Voldemort’s soul, must be killed. Walking toward the forest, where Voldemort has gathered his cronies, Harry pulls the Snitch Dumbledore willed to him out of his pouch. I open at the close. He suddenly understands what it means: the Snitch, which contains the Resurrection Stone, will open at the close of his life.

“I am about to die,” Harry says, and the Snitch opens. With the Stone, he summons his dead loved ones, who’re neither flesh nor ghosts. His mother, father, godfather Sirius, and Lupin, who was killed in the battle earlier than night, walk with him deeper into the forest.

When I read that Harry Potter had to die to destroy Voldemort, I was horrified he'd found out in such a detached way. No one was there to explain, to comfort. But when his loved ones showed up to walk beside him, it was as though his calmness radiated out of the book, and my fear for this fictional character’s life abated.

Two Death Eaters emerge from behind a tree. Unable to see Harry under the cloak, they lead him to the clearing where Voldemort and his Death Eaters are waiting. His family vanishes, and Harry steps forward. Hagrid, bound to a tree, yells, “HARRY! NO!”

But it’s time. With no wand in his hand, Harry’s ready to die. Voldemort sends the killing curse, and it’s lights out for Harry.

“King’s Cross” is a strange chapter. Harry wakes up in a sort of netherworld, naked. He wishes for clothes, and they appear on his body. He’s sees a baby-like figure in a corner, whimpering. Some readers say it symbolizes the part of Voldemort’s soul that died when he killed Harry.

Harry sees Dumbledore and asks, “Then…I’m dead, too?”

“Ah. That is the question, isn’t it? On the whole, dear boy, I think not.”

And we learn why Dumbledore had that gleam in his eye when Voldemort took Harry’s blood in Book 4 and what the prophecy really meant. Voldemort has Harry’s blood inside him, and as long as he lives, Harry survives. With Harry’s blood inside him, Lily’s sacrifice to save Harry lives on. Voldemort didn’t take the time to understand this kind of “deeper magic,” similar to the White Witch’s ignorance in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Dumbledore and Harry are in a place that looks like King’s Cross station. King’s Cross? The cross of Christ? JKR ditched the subtlety for Book 7, didn’t she?

Dumbledore explains his temptation with the Deathly Hallows and his hunt for them. Possessing all three — the Cloak, the Stone, and the Elder Wand — makes the holder the “master of Death.” Dumbledore explains why he had James’s cloak the night James died. He wanted to examine one of the Deathly Hallows, passed down to James through his ancestors.

Dumbledore tells Harry that by having Snape kill him, he intended for Snape to be the Elder Wand’s new owner. But Voldemort got to it first.

Harry chooses to return to life.

I confess myself disappointed with this chapter. There was too much exposition. Mostly all of Harry’s questions were answered, and the revelations came too quickly. But if I had my way, Deathly Hallows would be twice as long.

Ding, Dong, The Wizard's Dead

In the next to last chapter, the final battle begins. Again, too quick. Harry wakes up still on the ground. Voldemort sends Narcissa Malfoy over to see if Harry’s really dead. She feels his beating heart and asks if her son is still alive. Harry tells her yes. Concerned only for her son and wanting to get into the castle, she lies to Voldemort. “He is dead!” Voldemort performs the Cruciatus Curse on Harry’s body, yet the very-much-alive Harry feels no pain. Didn’t understand that part.

The group goes up to the castle, and Hagrid’s crying with the “dead” Harry in his arms. Still feigning death, Harry hears people cry out as Voldemort tells them he’s dead. Neville confronts Voldemort, who summons the Sorting Hat, places it on Neville’s head, and sets in on fire, which prompts Harry to act.

Neville cuts off Nagini’s head, chaos ensues, and everyone is fighting, wizards and magical creatures alike. The matronly Mrs. Weasley ends up killing Bellatrix (sorry Neville!), and Harry protects her as Voldemort tries to curse her.

Harry’s alive, and the showdown begins. This wouldn’t happen in real life, but instead of just killing (or trying to) Harry, Voldemort chills out and listens to him explain why he’s still alive. He tells him that Snape was double agent, that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him, and that Voldemort, contrary to his belief, did not possess the Elder Wand. Draco, who disarmed Dumbledore, became the true owner, and Harry, who took it from Draco, was now the true owner.

Harry is the true master of the Elder Wand. Unremorseful about everything he’d done, Voldemort threw the killing curse at Harry, who shouted his trademark Expelliarmus spell at the same time. The two spells meet, and the Elder Wand flies out of Voldemort’s hand into Harry’s. Voldmort drops. His killing curse rebounded on him. Again!

Harry, who doesn’t want to be the master of Death, dropped the Resurrection Stone in the forest and plans to put the Elder Wand back in Dumbledore’s tomb. All is well.

The events in the Epilogue occur 19 years later. The married Harry and Ginny are dropping off their sons James and Albus Severus at King’s Cross station to catch the Hogwarts Express. Daughter Lily will head to the school in two years. The married Ron and Hermione are seeing off their daughter Rosie. Son Hugo is too young. Harry’s godson, Teddy Lupin, orphaned son of Lupin and Tonks, has completed his wizarding education. He’s on the platform kissing his Hogwarts-student girlfriend, Bill’s and Fleur’s daughter Victoire, goodbye.

And it’s goodbye to the cast and crew of the Harry Potter series. But the canon is not complete. JKR answered fans’ questions last week, providing character and plot details that weren’t in the book. She’ll also write an encyclopedia, with detailed information about characters. I’m looking forward to it.

If anyone is still with me, thanks for sloughing through this very long post. I wrote this three part summary for myself so I can reference details quickly in future posts. If you get something out of it, too, I’m glad.

Addendum: Corrections are noted and appreciated.

I’ve jotted down a few notes from Chapter 26 to the epilogue, which I’ll refer to as I prepare subsequent posts. "First Third" and "Second Third" are complete. Posts on Christian themes will follow. Read my first impressions of the book.

This last section is about 200 hundred pages but feels too short for me. I suspect JKR realized she still had to answer a lot of questions and wrap things up. Compared to the first part of the book, this one moves quickly.

Would you believe that the events in Chapter 26 through the next to last chapter happen in only one day? In a single day, the trio breaks into a highly secure bank, flies on the back of a blind dragon, faces Death Eaters and soul-sucking Dementors, and sneaks into Hogwarts for the epic battle with Voldemort? And I can't get through lunch without wanting a nap.

Chapters 26-30: Horcrux Hunt Heats Up

Second Third ended with Harry and Griphook working out a deal. He'll help the trio break into Bellatrix's bank vault, and Harry will give him the Sword of Gryffindor in exchange.

Harry and Griphook both have more than enough reasons not to trust each other. Harry promised Griphook the sword but he won’t (can’t, really) give it to him until the Horcrux-destroying is done, and who knows how long that will take? And goblins are shifty little creatures. Will Griphook renege at the last minute?

As the trio prepares to make a daring break into the vault, Hermione polyjuices herself into Bellatrix and Ron disguises himself as Death Eater. Harry and Griphook hide under the cloak. On the way to the bank, they run into a Death Eater, Travers, who knows that Harry escaped Malfoy Mansion, that Bellatrix’s wand had been taken, and that Voldemort had confined her and the others to the house.

At the bank, Harry ends up confounding the suspicious Travers and a couple of goblins, who suspect something is amiss. Harry casts another Unforgivable Curse, imperiusing Travers and a goblin. They get past the blind dragon into the vault and discover that the objects inside have been cursed to prevent theft. Touching Hufflepuff’s cup, Hermione’s hand burns, and the cup multiplies. In the tumult, Harry loses the sword, and Griphook grabs it, runs into the crowd of goblins coming to seize the trio, and shouts, “Thieves, Thieves!”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape Gringott’s on the blind dragon. Harry senses Voldemort’s rage over the stolen cup and realizes he's hidden a Horcrux at Hogwarts.

In Chapter 28, the trio Apparate into Hogsmeade and are immediately swarmed by Death Eaters and dementors. They’re rescued by Aberforth, Dumbledore’s brother, who lies to the Death Eaters and says it was his stag goat Patronus — and not Harry's stag — they saw. We learn that Aberforth bought Sirius's two-way mirror from Mundungus. He’d used it to keep track of Harry, sending Dobby to the Malfoy’s basement to rescue everyone. He tries to talk the trio out of going to Hogwarts and expresses bitterness over his brother. Aberforth fills in more blanks about Dumbledore’s life and how their sister died.

Aberforth sees that Harry is determined, so he decides to help. His sister’s portrait, sitting on the fireplace mantle, actually is an entrance into a tunnel leading to Hogwarts. Ariana leaves the portrait and returns with a battered, bruised, and smiling Neville Longbottom.

Neville, Ginny, Luna, and the others revived Dumbledore’s Army in resistance to the new regime. Muggle-borns are gone, and the Death Eaters use curses to keep the rest of the students in line. Neville leads the trio into the Room of Requirement, where he and other DA members have been hiding. Harry senses Voldemort again and knows he’s in the Shrieking Shack. He prepares to leave the room to hunt for the Horcrux, with the intention of taking only Ron and Hermione with him. The others balk. They’re joined by Luna, Dean, Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, and Cho. Ron and Hermione convince Harry to let the DA help.

Harry suspects Rowena Ravenclaw’s lost diadem (crown) is a Horcrux after Luna gives him the backstory. Harry senses Voldemort’s on the move, and he and Luna set off to Rowena’s statue to see what the diadem looks like. Under the cloak, he and Luna enter the Ravenclaw common room. While looking at the statue, Harry is confronted by the Death Eater Alecto Carrow, who summons her master.

Finally, in Chapter 30, we get a bit more of the Snape. About time!

Luna stuns Alecto, whose brother is trying to get into the common room. Professor McGonagall shows up and answers the question to get inside. They see a stunned Alecto and no Harry Potter. In a panic, Amycus schemes to lie to Voldemort and say the students forced Alecto to summon him. McGonagall refuses to allow it, and he spits in her face. Furious, Harry reveals himself and curses Amycus (another Unforgivable Curse!).

Harry tells her he’s acting on Dumbldore’s orders and needs her help. They devise a plan to evacuate the students in preparation for all-out war inside the castle. In the hallway, they run into Snape (Harry and Luna under the cloak).

Snape asks, “Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist-”

Before he can finish, McGonagall tries to curse him, and his Shield Charm causes the curse to miss. In a cool sequence of spells, McGonagall causes a nearby torch to fly at Snape, turning into a ring of fire. He turns it into a snake, which McGonagall turns into smoke and then a bunch of flying daggers. Snape shields himself behind a suit of armor. Professor Flitwick, who just arrived with Sprout and Slughorn, sends a spell at Snape, who escapes by jumping out of the window. He’s actually flying.

Harry and Luna return to the Room to tell the DA to go to the Great Hall. Voldemort’s on his way to the school. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and others are there. The estranged Percy Weasley enters the room, sees his family, and apologizes.

At this point, Ron and Hermione have left the Room to retrieve basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets. This is a strange departure. Why would they leave Harry at such a crucial moment and not tell him where they were going?

The chapter ends with Harry sensing Voldemort at the Hogwarts’ entrance gate.

For a summary of Chapter 31 through the epilogue, follow the link.

Addendum: Corrections are noted and appreciated.

I was already a Harry Potter fan when I discovered John Granger a couple of years ago. I can't remember how I found his (old) site, but I remember devouring his work. I was still a closeted Potter fan at the time, so it was refreshing to see a fellow Christian so open about his appreciation for the books.

I quoted Granger in my weekly Townhall.com column (with SPOILERS), where I reviewed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and briefly discussed Christian themes and symbolism. I'll elaborate on these and other themes in future posts.

Also see "Christian themes abound in Potter," by religion reporter Jeffrey Weiss. He begins:

J.K. Rowling gets the last laugh on the dwindling number of conservative Christians who have attacked her "Harry Potter" saga over the past decade: The most important plot point of the seventh and final book is unambiguously Christian.

Ms. Rowling cleverly scattered so many red herrings amongst the loaves and fishes in the previous books that she made it difficult to see the trail clearly except in retrospect. The Potter story is not a linear Christian allegory, no modern day Pilgrim's Progress. And Harry's World is insistently devoid of explicit religion, right through the final chapter.

It definitely helps to know what "unambiguously Christian" means. As Weiss writes, concepts like loyalty, love, friendship, etc., are common among the world's various religions, but what makes something "Christian"?

Aside from J.K. Rowling quoting from the New Testament (although unattributed in the book), her depiction of substitutionary sacrifice in the series, especially in Book 7, reflects a Christian concept. I know of no other religion that speaks of a Savior who took within himself the sins of those he came to save, although he himself was sinless. Sacrificial love is probably the defining characteristic of what is "Christian."

If I'm wrong — that there are no sinless saviors who die for the guilty in other religions — I've no doubt that astute readers will set me straight.

Addendum: Travis Prinzi adds in the comment section: "I think the only thing I might want to say in response is that Rowling's portraying of Harry's sacrifice and resurrection follows the "Christus Victor" model of the atonement far closer than the "Penal Substitution" Model. Harry didn't actually die for the sins of anyone, or in anyone's place, but FOR the Wizarding World in order to break the power of evil. Lewis's Aslan was much closer to a substitution model."

It seems that JKR mixed different "Christian" elements in the series. Deathly Hallows features substitutionary sacrifice, but only up to a point. Of course, no fallen human can be a savior in the sense Jesus is, but he can put himself in the place of a guilty party. The sacrifice may save the person's life physically, but Christ's sacrifice is needed to save his soul.

As Travis said, JKR also employs the victory-over-death theme of Christianity.

John Granger's looking for links to more blogs discussing the Christian aspects of the Harry Potter books.

8/1 and 8/2 Updates: More Christians-and-Harry-Potter articles:

• Terry Mattingly — "For millions of religious believers who embrace Harry Potter, this pivotal scene in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' — book seven in J.K. Rowling's giant puzzle — offers new evidence that the author is, in fact, a Church of Scotland communicant whose faith has helped shape her work…The first inscription is from St. Matthew's Gospel and the second — stating the book's theme — is a passage in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians about the meaning of Christ's resurrection. Is this part of what Dumbledore had called an all-powerful 'deep magic' built on sacrificial love?"
• Matt Kennedy — "As with other icons of pop culture, the Harry Potter series has spawned no shortage of Christian critics, imitators and evangelistic entrepreneurs — including the Church of England — who are capitalizing on the success of the Potter franchise by using the stories to spread the gospel…The Church of England recently published a guidebook, called Mixing it Up With Harry Potter, to show people biblical lessons within the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is a “hugely moral series of stories about good, evil, love, friends and everything else,” Owen Smith, the guidebook’s author, told the London Times…The guidebook will likely anger some Christians — including the pope and psychologist James Dobson — who see the Harry Potter franchise as an endorsement of witchcraft."
• John Mark Reynolds, a Biola University professor and Christian blogger I've met at God Blog Convention conferences, contributed several posts to a site called Exile Street. From his most recent: "I deeply enjoyed the last book and thought the ending satisfying. For those who found them quite Christian, they will find much in this last book to give strength to their idea. Whether intentionally or not the Christian heritage of Britain (and there was never a book more British) is obvious in the mythology…"
• MSNBC — "Have you finished reading? What do you think? Is Harry Potter a Christian story after all? Harry has made news, ever since his arrival on the scene in 1998, for provoking the ire of some right-wing Christians who believe his magical powers and wizardly aspirations—not to mention his boarding school peopled with eccentric friends and demonic villains—promote occultism and Satan worship."
• (REALLY GOOD ARTICLE) Jerry Bowyer — "Eventually I went to see the movie version with my whole family. When I left the theatre, I knew two things: first, that I had been an ignorant blow-hard. This wasn’t Wiccan propaganda: it was standard-issue fairy tale magic like Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz. Second, that Joanne Rowling had spent a great deal of time immersed in The Greats – the long line of literary masterpieces that range from The Lord of the Rings and Narnia back through Dickens, Austen, Shakespeare, the Arthurian Legends, the Church Fathers, the Scriptures themselves, and into the best of the pre-Christian Greek classics. In other words, Rowling was one of us…Not long after that, I got to know John Granger and his book, The Key to Harry Potter, and I knew that I was not alone."
• Me in the Washington Examiner — "Why are the books so successful? Rowling combined the British boarding school fiction genre with the classic 'hero’s journey' tradition, mythology and orthodox Christian themes to create a compelling series that reminds many of the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. 'Harry Potter' is thus a compelling series that will entertain and delight readers for generations.
  
  "Not all reactions have been positive, of course. Stuffy literary critic Harold Bloom called Rowling’s writing 'dreadful' and said her mind was 'so governed by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing.' And according to the American Library Association, the series tops the list as most challenged books of the 21st century."
• Al Hsu, writing for Christianity Today — "I wonder if there have been times in church history when the gospel narrative was this gripping a cultural phenomenon. People probably wouldn't be this crazy about Harry Potter if they had all grown up in a context where they had heard the Harry Potter stories so much that they no longer seemed fresh. The challenge for us in a post-Christendom era is that people have become anesthetized to the Christian story. They've heard it already, or they think they've heard it already. And it doesn't capture their imagination the way today's imaginative narratives have. In a world of Harry Potter, Star Wars, 24, and Heroes, it's hard for the Christian story to compete."
• Dave Bruno, writing for Christianity Today, discusses Matthew 6 — "Some readers point out that Harry and Hermione do not seem to know that the epitaph comes from the Bible. Rowling only makes it clear that Harry 'did not understand what these words meant.' At this point in Deathly Hallows, neither do readers. But I think Dumbledore knew the meaning of that verse quite well and put it there for a reason…What would cause Dumbledore to choose this verse from the Sermon on the Mount for his family's grave?"
• Story in the Scotsman about the upcoming HP conference in Toronto, quoting Travis Prinzi.

I’ve jotted down a few notes from chapters 14-25, which I’ll refer to as I prepare subsequent posts. "First Third" was posted last week, and "Last Third" and posts on Christian themes will follow. Read my first impressions of the book.

The first part of this series, "First Third," ended with a shout-out to Nazi Germany. Harry, Ron, and Hermione learned that the Ministry of Magic was persecuting Muggle-borns and accusing them of stealing magic from “legitimate” witches and wizards. In Chapter Thirteen, the trio went into the Ministry undercover and retrieved Slytherin’s locket, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, from power hungry "Nazi" Dolores Umbridge.

Chapters 14-19: On the Run

The second third part of the book begins at Chapter Fourteen with the enigmatic title, “The Thief.”

This chapter marks the beginning of the trio’s on-the-run forest camp-out in a magic tent (same one used at the World Quidditch Cup in Goblet of Fire), aided by Hermione’s enchanted beaded handbag, which holds the tent, clothing, supplies, and various objects of importance. The small handbag, which is small enough for Hermione to stuff in her sock, is a clever and convenient invention. Bravo, JKR.

For reasons that can only be explained as a plot device to set up the drawn-out bickering between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they decide to take turns wearing the Horcrux locket around their necks, presumably to keep in safe. Why doesn’t Harry just carry it in his magical pouch ( seen around Harry's neck on the US cover), which no one but the owner can get into? That’s rhetorical.

Harry dreams that Voldemort has found Gregorovitch, a Bulgarian wandmaker. Harry enters Voldemort’s thoughts as he performs Legillimancy on Gregorivitch and sees a laughing blond man stealing something from the wandmaker. Later in the book, the stolen object and the thief are revealed.

Tension mounts between the trio over the next two chapters, culminating in a falling out between Harry and Ron, with Hermione caught in the middle. The irritable moods, caused by too little food and no plan to find the Horcruxes, are exacerbated by the locket's dark residue, so to speak. At one point, they overhear voices outside the tent. Two goblins, schoolmate Dean Thomas, Ted Tonks, and another wizard are on the run from Death Eaters. They set up camp near the trio’s tent (with food!), which they can’t see because it’s protected by Hermione's spells.

A fake Sword of Gryffindor, they overhear, is locked away at Gringott’s bank in Bellatrix's vault, but the Death Eaters don't know it's fake. Snape (who knew it was fake) sent it to Gringott's for safekeeping after Hogwart's Ginny Weasley and others tried to steal it for Harry after Scrimgeour refuses to give it to him, although Dumbledore left it to Harry.

Back in Chapter Twelve, Hermione took Phineas Nigellus's portrait from Grimmauld Place so he couldn't go to his portait in Snape's office and rat out the trio. After overhearing the bit about the attempted theft, Hermione removes the portrait from her pouch to find out if Phineas witnessed the attempted theft. He did.

Dumbledore's Skeletons

Finally, Harry ventures to Godric's Hollow where his parents are buried, a long-awaited moment for fans. We’ve often wondered why Harry hasn't been more curious about his parent’s hometown and why he’d never visited before.

[Side note — Deathly Hallows should end all doubt whether JRK uses Christians themes and symbolism in the series. In Book 7, we learn that some wizards attend church (my assumption, since wizards are buried in the churchyard), and on Harry’s parents’ headstone is the Bible verse, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). The headstone of late headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s mother and sister reads, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21). And most importantly, Harry dies (sort of) and is resurrected (sort of). I'll elaborate in the "Christian themes post.]

After visiting the graves, Harry and Hermione are wordlessly beckoned by an elderly woman they believe is Bathilda Bagshot, author of well-known, A History of Magic, and main source for Rita Skeeter’s tell-all book about Dumbledore. But they’re wearing the Invisibility Cloak. How can she see them? “Bathilda” turns out to be Bathilda’s corpse with Volemort Nagini’s snake inside her (horrid visual). In the ensuing battle to escape the house, Hermione accidentally breaks Harry’s beloved wand.

Back in the tent, Hermione shows Harry Rita’s book, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, which she found at Bathilda’s house. Harry learns that Dumbledore had been friends with dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (though for a brief period of time), whom Dumbledore fought and defeated many years later, and flirted with the idea of ruling over Muggles “for the greater good.” Hey, we all have a past, right? In the book, Rita insinuates that Dumbledore turned his back on his mentally ill younger sister Ariana. Harry also discovers that Grindelwald is the laughing blond thief (blond…Nazi-like - Get it?) who stole something from Gregorovitch — the Elder Wand.

In another shout-out to the Nazi’s, JRK introduces us to Nurmengard, a prison Grindelwald built to hold his opponents, the same prison he’s eventually sentenced to after his defeat. Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, was Adolf Hitler’s city of choice to hold Nazi rallies and pass laws against the Jews. Ironically, trials against Nazi war criminals were held in the same city. These prosecutions were known as the Nuremberg trials.

Silver Doe and Weird Blue Lights

In Chapter Nineteen, we catch our second glimpse of Severus Snape, though we don’t know it yet (but I’ll reveal it here.) Venturing deeper into the forest alone, Harry follows what appears to be a silver doe Patronus, which turns out to be Snape's. The former Potions Master is helping Harry on Dumbledore’s orders.

The doe leads Harry to a frozen pond, where he spots the real Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom. Jumping in to retrieve it, Harry begins to drown as the Horcrux locket chokes him. Ron rescues him just in time.

Remember the Deluminator, which Dumbledore willed to Ron, and the weird blue lights I mentioned in the previous post? While separated from Harry and Hermione, Ron hears Hermione’s voice emanating from it. A "pulsating…bluish" light appears outside the window (of Bill’s house, where he was staying), like the light of a Portkey. Ron grabs his stuff and follows the light behind the shed, and the light enters him, transporting him back to the forest. Because of the tent’s protective spells, Ron can't see it. He clicks the Deluminator again, and the blue light comes out, enters him, and transports him to Harry’s and Hermione’s next location. That’s when the doe Patronus leads Harry to the pond, and Ron finds him.

Ron ends up destroying the locket Horcrux with the sword. Before he does, the cursed locket feeds on his worst fears: playing second fiddle to the famous Harry Potter in love and war.

Chapters 20-25: Deathly Hallows

Over the next three chapters, the trio learns more about the legend presented in “The Tale of the Three Brothers” in Hermione’s book. Spotting the triangular symbol in the book, Harry remembers that the same symbol was on Xenophilius Lovegood’s cloak at Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding, which Viktor Krum said was Grindelwald’s mark. They decide to go to Xeno's house for a little chat, and we (and they) finally learn the details of the Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world; the Resurrection Stone, which brings people back from the dead; and the Cloak of Invisibility, which shields the wearer from death.

Harry deduces that Voldemort is trying to find the Elder Wand and guesses that the Resurrection Stone lay within the Golden Snitch Dumbledore left him in his will. Harry now possesses two of the Deathly Hallows: the Cloak of Invisibility and the Resurrection Stone.

As Harry becomes more obsessed with the Deathly Hallows, we’re treated to an inspirational aside called Potterwatch, an underground radio program hosted by former classmate and Quidditch match announcer Lee Jordan, going by the name “River” (River Jordan - Get it?). The trio recognize the voices of Fred and George Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Kingsley Shaklebolt, all using code names. Remus’s code name is Romulus. (According to myth, twins Remus and Romulus founded Rome - Get it?)

To Draco Malfoy's House They Go

By the way, Ron tells the other two that Voldmort’s name has been jinxed. Using his name breaks protection charms, and the Death Eaters are able to find whoever uses it. As bad luck would have it, Harry forgets and utters the name before Ron can stop him. Within seconds, the Death Eaters have Apparated just outside their tent, the protective charms around it broken.

Always quicker than the others, Hermione casts a painful stinging spell on Harry, obscuring his true features so the Death Eaters won’t recognize him. But they recognize Hermione from a newspaper clipping and figure out the disguised person must be Harry. The trio are transported to Malfoy Manor, Voldemort’s current headquarters (though he’s in Bulgaria looking for the Elder Wand).

We see a tiny bit of Draco’s remorse in this chapter. Asked if he recognizes the three, he refuses to positively identify them, though we know he knows who they are. Bellatrix spots the Sword of Gryffindor and stops Lucius from summoning Voldemort. She knows the power of the sword and how dangerous it is for Voldemort (and for them). To determine whether the sword is real, Bellatrix imprisons the others and tortures Hermione.

[Commenter and blogger Sora adds: "Minor detail correction — Bellatrix was not concerned about the sword's danger to Voldemort. She believed that the only way the trio could have the sword is that they had already broken into her Gringott's vault (she did not know the sword in her vault was a fake). If her Gringott's vault was not secure, then neither was the horcrux Voldemort had entrusted to her for hiding there. And Bellatrix was terrified of what Voldemort would do if he discovered that Harry had had access to the contents of the vault. (With good reason, as we see later in the book.) " This is true; I remember reading that but neglected to mention the connection here. ]

In the dungeon prison, Harry and Ron discover Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, and wandmaker Ollivander, who's been missing since Book 6. This is where we see one of many coincidences in the book. Just when things are getting even hairier for the young wizards, Dobby the free house-elf Apparates into the dungeon, having been sent by Aberforth Dumbledore (who's kept tabs on Harry with the other half of Sirius Black's enchanted mirror), and rescues everyone. Peter “the rat” Pettigrew pays his life-debt to Harry by releasing his hold on Harry’s throat, and his silver hand, apparently enchanted by Voldemort to ensure his loyalty, strangles Pettigrew.

Dobby, stabbed by Bellatrix, dies saving his beloved Harry Potter. In the final two chapters of this section, the trio hide out at Bill’s and Fleur’s cottage by the sea. Harry works off grief and tension by digging a hole for Dobby’s grave without using magic. Harry learns more about the Elder Wand from Ollivander and has a vision of Voldemort breaking into Dumbledore’s tomb to retrieve it. Harry's Hallows v. Horcruxes dilemma is solved: he must find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes and forget about possessing all three Hallows…for the time being.

Harry asks for goblin Griphook’s help breaking into Bellatrix’s vault at Gringott’s, where one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes (Hufflepuff’s cup) is hidden. The goblin agrees to help…in exchange for the Sword of Gryffindor.

The end of Chapter Twenty-Five foreshadows Remus's and Tonks's deaths. They've named Harry godfather to their newborn son, Teddy. Thinking about his crazy plan to break into a highly secured wizards bank, guarded by a dragon, Harry starts to think he’s “set on course to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him.”

Addendum: Corrections are noted and appreciated. This summary is based on one read-through and notes I took after reading the book.

I’ve jotted down a few notes from chapters 1-13, which I’ll refer to when I review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for my next column and prepare subsequent posts. “Second Third," “Last Third,” and posts on Christian themes will follow. Read my first impressions of the book.

The first third of the book, which encompasses Chapters One through Thirteen, was the best. I thought the book opened beautifully. It set the tone for the rest of the story and answered burning questions from Book 6.

Chapters 1-6: Let the Games Begin

In the first chapter, we found out where Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy were hiding: At Malfoy Manor with Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters. At that point, we still didn't know Snape’s true loyalties. (Hint: He's good!) Nervous Death Eaters are sitting around a table, scared out of their wits that Voldemort will kill them Darth Vader-style, while Voldemort plots to take down the Ministry of Magic and capture/kill Harry Potter en route to his safe house.

Unfortunately, Snape’s lines are minimal. After he tells the Dark Lord when Harry will be moved and Yaxley shares “new” plans about Harry’s movements, Snape smiles. This scene is ambiguous; we’re not sure what’s going on. Both sides of the Great Snape Debate have equally plausible arguments to support their theories.

In Chapter Two, we learn more about Albus Dumbledore’s life through an untrustworthy source: bloodsucking Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter. There may be some truth in her accusations against Dumbledore, but we know what a talented yellow journalist she is. One thing we know for certain at this point: Dumbledore was a fallen human being. What a revelation!

Finally, we get to the Dursley’s. The spoiled Dudley is uncharacteristically concerned about his scarred cousin, wondering why he’s not going into hiding with them. During the “goodbye” scenes, I so hoped that Petunia would have a kind word for Harry.

Before Book 7, I had these wild and unpublished ideas that Petunia would apologize to Harry and explain that she had to pretend to hate him for whatever reason, or that she’d simply apologize and hug him. Wild, indeed! I was disappointed that she and her husband remained cold toward Harry to the end.

The seven Potters idea for Harry's escape plan in Chapter Four was clever, especially given JKR’s affinity for the “perfect” number seven. (Seven books, seven school years, seven Weasley kids, seven Horcruxes, seven secret passages out of Hogwarts, etc.)

While I don’t understand why Harry's owl Hedwig had to snuff it, Mad-Eye Moody’s death was a good start to the “blood bath.” Great tease with Hagrid. I though he was a goner. The flying fighting scenes were quite riveting, and I knew someone was going to die.

I like the way JKR plugs in details that will be wrought with meaning later in the book. In fact, she’s done that through all seven books. For example, Harry’s “trademark” Expelliarmus spell served him well in Book 4. In Book 5, DA member Zacharias Smith balked at learning it — until Harry told him the spell saved his life when fighting Voldemort the year before. JKR ties the ends when the real Harry among the seven gives away his identity when he chose to perform his trademark defensive spell on the Imperiused Stan Shunpike instead of killing him.

George Weasley’s ear was blasted off during the airborne battle, and we learn why toward the end of the book. (Good guy Snape, undercover as a bad guy, meant to curse another Death Eater but missed.) Readers like JKR’s books because she’s so adept at planting details and revisiting them later. Those “A-ha!” moments are part of the enjoyment.

In the wake of Mad-Eye’s death, Harry is ready to tell best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger that he doesn’t want them to join him on the Horcrux hunt after all, but they shut him down before he can get the words out. This is war, and people are prepared to die to stop Voldemort, including people Harry loves.

Chapters 7-13: A Will, A Wedding, and A Horcrux

The story shifts in Chapter Seven (coincidence?) when Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, visits The Burrow to give bequests to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, according to Dumbledore’s will. He left the following:

Ron: A Deluminator, called a Put-Outer in Book 1. With it, one can suck light from its source and return it. But why did Dumbledore really give it to Ron? The answer is very strange. It emanates some weird blue light that helps him find his way back to Harry and Hermione in the forest.

Harry: The Golden Snitch Harry caught at his first Quidditch match. It’s inscribed with, “I open at the close,” and contains an important object: the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows. I'll get to those in a different post.

Hermione: A book of wizard children's fairy stories called The Tales of Beedle the Bard. One of those stories, "The Tale of the Three Brothers," contains the legend of the Deathly Hallows, which we learn are actual objects: the Cloak of Invisibility, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone.

Harry’s brief time at The Burrow echoes his sentiments in the final line of Book 6, where he looked forward to spending “one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione" at Bill Weasley's and Fleur Delacour's wedding. The previous day wasn’t exactly peaceful, but perhaps the wedding day will be?

Not! At the reception, everyone learns the Ministry of Magic has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead, and the Death Eaters are in transit. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on the run.

I’m going to pull a “J.K. Rowling” and speed up this final section. In Chapters Nine through Thirteen, we find out about Hermione’s bewitched bead purse (where can I get one?), and return to 12 Grimmauld Place to discover that R.A.B. was Regulus Black. (My theory was wrong!)

The locket Horcrux was not destroyed; it was stolen by “smelly sneak thief” Mundungus Fletcher and given to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe to keep him out of Azkaban. Harry and Lupin fall out, and we learn even more about Dumbledore’s family. The trio surveils the Ministry of Magic before going undercover (with new faces) to get the locket and finds out about the mandatory registration of Muggle-borns.

Very Third Reich. I agree with a commenter in a previous post. She said she was “Nazi'd out for one lifetime.” Me too, sister!

The trio saves Muggle-borns and escapes the Ministry with the locket.

Addendum: Keep fellow HP blogger Travis Prinzi in your prayers as he prepares to present three papers at Prophecy 2007. He's a better man than I!

I can't believe it's over!

So much has already been said and written about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What more could I possibly add?

Loads!

I ordered a deluxe copy of the book, which was scheduled to be delivered to my D.C. address July 21. But there was one problem: I was in California on July 21 and would spend most of the day flying back to D.C. I had two choices: wait until I got home Saturday night to begin reading or pick up a copy at LAX.

I ended up buying a second copy of the book not only because I was anxious to read it, I was worried being spoiled in the airport and on the plane.

The night before my flight, I had visions of exceedingly long lines at airport bookstores. However, there was nothing to worry about. I stopped at the first bookstore I saw in the terminal, and the line was short. And I was the only one in line buying Deathly Hallows. I read half of it on the plane, a few more chapters when I got home, and the rest Sunday afternoon.

This will be the first of several posts about Book 7, all of which will be filled with spoilers. If you plan to read the book or haven’t finished reading the book, don’t read any further unless you want to be spoiled.

To read my very brief first impressions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, keep scrolling.

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I won’t waste space writing a summary of the book. Wikipedia does a good job with that.

Thumbs Up

First, the good stuff. I liked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Overall, I was satisfied overall with the way J.K. Rowling ended her seven-book series about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. The trio lived (I have some controversial thoughts to share about Harry's survival - next post), all Horcruxes were destroyed, Voldemort and Snape died, Snape was "good" after all, and R.A.B. was Regulus Black.

I like my Harry Potter books long, languid, and rambling, and the first two-thirds of the book was long, languid, and rambling, in a good way. Some readers say the hiding-in-the-forest scenes were too many and too long, but I enjoyed the way the author used these scenes to reinforce the bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, even in the midst of their adolescent bickering.

I love, love, love that Snape was in love with Lily, although I never believed that was the reason Dumbledore trusted him. Why not? I didn't think it was that simple. There had to be a more complex reason, I thought. But I was wrong. Snape was loyal to the good side because he loved Lily and Voldemort reneged on his promise not to kill her.

Thumbs Down

Next, the bad stuff. Snape arguably is the most intriguing character in the whole series, but he had only a few scenes. “The Prince’s Tale” is my favorite chapter in the book, but it was much too short. The Snape subplot should have been stronger. For instance, instead of explaining Snape’s actions in a single chapter, I wish JKR had weaved the explanation into the rest of the plot and allowed the revelations to unfold gradually over the course of the action. And I wanted to see a face-to-face confrontation between Harry and Snape.

The last third of the book was too short and the action moved too fast. Considering the build-up at the front end, I was disappointed with the too-neat wrap up at the end. And I still don’t understand how the 17-year-old Harry Potter killed the powerful dark wizard. They walked in circles, squared each other up, talked some trash, then BOOM! Another Avada Kedavra curse backfired on old snake face. That was it? Yeah, it was sort of cool, but I wanted more blood, more danger.

There were too many coincidences and a couple of deus ex machina moments, which I'll get into in the next post.

In posts that follow, I’ll focus on "Christian" elements of the book and go into detail about certain plot points I loved, liked, disliked, and hated.

Other HP bloggers have already written loads:

• Janet Batchler: "I loved it…I am still savoring (and a little sad at it being over) the completion of it all."
• Madam Pince: "Thank you Jo, for a book that surpassed my hopes."
• Travis Prinzi: " loved the book. There are a few disappointments, perhaps, but on the whole, it’s a tremendous novel, and it finishes this epic series powerfully."
• Eeyore's Reflections : "I think one of my favorite chapters will always be Chapter 33, 'The Prince's Tale'. It was perfect that Harry learned all of Snape's history and his continual interactions with Lily and with Dumbledore in one chapter. To have it meted out in small doses throughout the book would have lessened the impact on Harry as well as the reader."
• Merlin: "… WOW!!!!! …."
• John Granger's series of discussion points (he works fast!)

Much, much more later…

I shall return next week with a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and links to other blogger reviews. I'll also re-open commenting at that time. Happy reading!

One of our own, Travis Prinzi, has been spoiled.

Having blogged previously about a possible Deathly Hallows leak, he updates with this:

Whether or not it’s real, here’s my advice: Avoid any possibility of accidentally coming across a spoiler. I was searching around for evidence about the purported leak, and I came across a post that did not warn about spoilers. My eyes fell upon the names of some of the characters who die, according to this particular leak. It makes me really angry. I’m avoiding all Potter-related news from this point forward, except for the sites I know I can trust: Mugglenet, Leaky, HPANA, HogPro, and of course the blogs of commenters here.

When Half-Blood Prince was released two summers ago, I avoided HP-related sites like Black Death. As I've written before, I found out the big news of Book 6 while reading my book, not some web site. Take Travis's advice and be very careful, starting now. Unfortunately, he's closed commenting on his blog until Deathly Hallows is released. Travis is right: it's too bad we have to spend the last week like this.

Travis says you can trust him not to spoil you, and the same goes for me. You can trust FFC to be spoiler-free.

FYI, comments will be moderated this week.