Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the entry I've been waiting for)

As I have been a little stressed out and overwhelmed lately, I started rereading the Harry Potter series again (see previous posts for complete explanation). And as I stated before, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the LAST book of the whole series is due out July 21, and I have already preordered it.

The whole Harry Potter world is a flurry of excitement and predictions because, of course, so many questions and loose ends have to be addressed in the last book, with the biggest question of all, will it be Harry or Voldemort who dies... or will it be both?

I find The Leaky Cauldron to be one of the best sites for all things Harry and Hogwarts. They seem to be in the know of the latest news and have great chatrooms where people can seriously discuss the ins, outs, meanings, etc. of what goes on in the books. All HP fans are frothing at the mouth with this latest development.

I must say that after reading "the Half-Blood Prince", I mourned the passing of Dumbledore for a whole week (and for you who haven't read the book, GO OUT AND READ IT and maybe quit this post, because I'm not apologising for any spoilers).

I am looking forward to the last book and also dreading it because, though I am fervently (fool's) hoping it will be otherwise, I think Harry will die. It has the permanence to it that J.K. Rowling seems to like and she has slowly but surely been erasing Harry's biggest and most able supporters and helpers: Sirius and Dumbledore. I hope she doesn't do it, but she has this knack of knocking off some of my favourite characters and I do, in part, resent her for that. Harry, main character as he is, is not exempt from it.

So thoughts/views on the last book: (and I ask, no beg, even on my knees, for my readers who are Harry Potter fans to add their bits to this, let's get something going)

- Since his most capable supporters are gone, Harry has no choice left but to continue the quest (how epic!) on his own, but I don't think Dumbledore gave him enough information to hunt down the rest of the horcruxes. Maybe in Dumbledore's papers or whatever, there is some clue as to what to do next. He can't go stumbling around here and there to places he doesn't know, because now that Voldemort is officially back and Dumbledore is gone, time is of the essence.

- I'm undecided as to whether Dumbledore is really dead. As closely as he is connected to a phoenix, the bird that rises from its own ashes of death, there has to be something more. And a phoenix did rise from the ashes at the funeral. The books are rife with symbolism and it would be very strange if this was not addressed. Just because Dumbledore died, his role is not over.

- I just want to put down for the record that, from the beginning, I never, ever believed Snape was good or trustworthy in any way. I just couldn't believe it; I always thought there was something that was being left out in the Snape story (more info is given in the 5th and 6th books). What was not said screamed just as loudly as what was said or divulged. Which makes Dumbledore's trust in him all the more heartbreaking; Dumbledore was so wise and in all his other dealings or decisions never once made a mistake. Why this one? The consipiracy theorist in me is telling me to write that it was all an elaborate ruse... If Dumbledore is right, and he is never wrong, then why couldn't he see through Snape? If Snape was really double-crossing the Order, then he, not Wormtail could have been the one reporting the Potters' activities to Voldemort. The last book will have to address this issue and finish the story.

- The one whose role I haven't quite figured out yet is Lucius Malfoy. His name is symbolic, supposedly being the name Satan had before he was thrown out of heaven. He is extremely power-hungry and very smooth and sneaky. Is he truly loyal to Voldemort or does he want to get power for himself?

Well, that's all I have for now, but will definitely be revisting this topic, especially in July when the book finally comes. Rowling must be under intense pressure with all the many thoughts of her readers focussed on her for so many months... Will we like it? Will it give us closure? Will we be disappointed (or devastated)? I guess one thing is for sure, we'll definitely be buying the book and making her richer...