the boy who lived... (spoilers for harry potter 7 ahead! you have been warned)

it's been over a week since i have finished reading harry potter and the deathly hallows. it was just great timing when i have been relinquished the old children's program laptop, which meant i was able to read in bed like i'm often used to.

harry's new name should be "the boy who lived twice!" hehe!

true to the many reviews it has received from critics and fans alike, j.k. rowling was able to write a fitting end to the story arc. the book was action-packed from start to finish, and thankfully was able to answer the many questions left behind by both the order of the phoenix and the half-blood prince. including which side was snape really on, which was actually my most pressing concern.

rowling didn't allow sentimentality and attachment for her characters get in the way of the story. many of them were casualties of this classic good vs. evil battle. many times, i was almost in tears. my heart broke many times over reading the book... the loss of dobby, one of the twins, colin creevey, remus and tonks... and the prince.

i knew i had to reason to believe that he was on the side of the good. and it was beautiful as to why he was. cliche maybe, but something that have driven many to the other side, whether it from the good to the bad or from the bad to the good. dumbledore swore by him... and i swear by dumbledore. (like harry, i'm a dumbledore man through and through.)

now that the series is a whole, everything falls into place. i can not say that book seven is the best, because it wouldn't be if not for the prequels. yet it is great by the reason that it was able to get everything together in the end.

i yearned for more neville and ginny, but well... it is harry's story. but i was glad for that moment of glory for neville. and even before that, when he became a hogwarts refugee, my heart clapped with delight. he has proven time and again how much of a griffyndor he is. i was glad for his moment. more than just for slaying for nagini (but i felt it appropriate that he wield the sword of griffydor himself), but for standing by harry. for keeping his faith in his friend.

and molly weasly, i have always adored you! so elated that she got that bellatrix down. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? revise that to hell hath no fury like a mother protecting her child! go molly, go molly, go molly!

i loved it when the full-scale battle has finally began. i hated the dying, but it was great reading about the dueling. hail to the house-elves, including kreacher! cooking delicious stew for harry now, eh. and because of them... ron and hermione finally let loose what they feel.

i totally agree with mayette that it was good neither of our three main protagonists had to do a killing curse anyone. that would've sucked. it would seem necessary, but it would've sucked.

self-sacrifice. courage. friendship. magic. honor. love. all this in a wonderfully-spun-web of words. one that has engulfed millions of readers and had them intimately involved with the characters. the tribute to snape was also sweet. and what harry said to albus was sweeter still.

do i want more harry stories? no. the story has been told the way it should have. anything more would destroy the beauty of it. her encyclopedia of characters would be an interesting read as well as i want to hear more the back stories of neville and luna. but i was glad she wrote an epilogue to make sure that there would be less chances of new harry stories.


sigh. ang ganda. time to read the series from one to seven now.

*i did have some fan fiction images on my head with voldemort taking the hood of his cape off saying "harry... i am your third cousin fifth removed!" which has a slight truth to it, if i understood right that they were both descendants of the peverells.

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*big, big thanks to oh-so-preggy-but-always-pretty-tin-tin for providing a copy to those of us who did not have enough funds for the book. same gratitude towards mayette who parted with her less than-24-hour-old copy for tatit and i to read in davao. another thank you to rowie and mike who generously gave me their copy for my birthday. all of you guys certainly know how to make people happy. :)