(Heavy Sigh)

What an incredible journey it’s been.  I decided to re-read Deathly Hallows for the third time before the movie’s release and I’m quite pleased with my decision.  It took me less than a week to finish, and one day I pretty much picked up where the first movie ends and finished it.  I took much more from this read then I had previously.  I caputured all the books’ true meanings like love, dedication and the fact that we all are on a journey in which the only thing that makes sense is to trust our own actions. 

When I saw HPDH2 this past week, I realized even more so that the story of Harry Potter is really about love in so many wonderful forms; the love Harry, Ron and Hermoine share, Dumbledore’s love for Harry, Snape’s love for Lily, the undying love for Hogwarts by all, and the lack of love in Voldemort.   Furthermore, we all need love in our journey known as life.  We can not exist without it. 

The one matter I disagree with in Deathly Hallows, is how quickly both J.K. Rowling and the movie wraps up.  It’s almost as though all that matters is killing Voldemort, and once complete ”all is well.”   This is not so!  The journey continues and can never truly be complete, because that’s the great secret isn’t it?  Life is an unending journey of exploration and love.  I think this was the purpose of the King’s Cross chapter, to show that even someone like Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all, is still learning and exploring the depths of magic.  He says in such a matter-of-fact tone, “Don’t pity the dead, pity the living.”  Is death the greatest part of our journey?  I should like to think so, for this is at the point where we are united with all of our loved ones with who we have far too little time on earth with. 

With all of that being said…perhaps J.K. Rowling finished the series right.  The rest of the journey lies in our imaginations, which really have no limit as to what could happen in the absolutely wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. 

I chose to include a picture of Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in this post because I think he is the most brilliant part of the movie franchise.