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I finished the seventh Harry Potter book. In two days. While I won't reveal plot details (you can find those out yourself by reading it) I just wanted to say that it was probably one of the best books I have ever read. And I've been reading prolifically since I was three. I laughed, I cried, and I was deeply moved. While some might think it's laughable that I was moved by a children's fantasy book, by the last installment of a series that many might feel is undeserving of the praise heaped upon it, I think that they are cynics, and will probably never fully understand the greatness of these books.
I grew up with this series, with Harry Potter. I began reading them, in protest, finally wheedled into it by a younger, very persistent brother. Instantly I couldn't put it down, and reached for the next book immediately after finishing the first. I waited impatiently for every release, wondered at what the next book would reveal, and fell into every book more thoroughly than I have ever done with any book in my entire life. I was engrossed by these stories, by the world of magic and Muggles. Harry often became as real to me as any other person.
The stories were great not because of the amazing world J.K. Rowling had crafted. She stole a great deal from previous lore, from myths and fables and even the Bible, and a lot of the magic had "serious flaws", no comprehensible boundaries. They became so wildly popular, each release bigger than a movie premiere, and much more secretive and heavily coordinated, which I know irritated some. Despite this, the books are, in a word, amazing. It is her wonderful prose that makes the books instant classics, which draws you into their world so wholly. It is the message she was sending, and the heavy subjects she dwelt upon, like the nature of death, importance of love, family, and valor, and the power of destiny, each of which might mean something different for every reader, and meant a lot to me. And ultimately, it is Harry, the character she created that embodies so many virtues, who is lovable and selfless and so incredibly complex and rich, that makes each of the seven books rank among the highest in my literary lexicon.
I felt that with the book's final chapters I would see my childhood end; there would be no more Harry Potter and Hogwarts to take me back to the realm of childhood wonderment that I have felt for ten years. I have grown up, and so has Harry, and it is time for both our childhood's to end, to move forward into the next phase of our respective lives. And in seeing the ending, I have no feelings of regret or sadness that I thought I might. It was time, and I couldn't have conceived of a better finale.
J.K. Rowling, mischief managed.
