A Satisfying, Bittersweet Ending—On Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“To Harry Potter—the boy who lived.”
J. K. Rowling—Toast that concludes the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.


To the faithful readers of the Harry Potter saga:

I’ve tried my best not to spoil the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for anyone who has yet to read the book. Nevertheless, I may have—most inadvertently—given something away. Therefore, please be warned: continue reading at the risk of being sent to Azkaban.

There’s life after war.

One of J. K. Rowling’s options was to destroy the world she created—and so ingeniously at that—in thundering clouds of wizardly annihilation.

I’m happy she allowed the world of magic to survive. It’s more true to life.

It’s autumn in the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—nineteen years after the final confrontation between You-Know-Who and The Chosen One. A dense grey mist envelops the closing scene of the Harry Potter series. And a congregation of wizards, who are approaching middle-age, are assembled on the train platform—where the Hogwarts’ Express awaits—to bid farewell to the next generation.

Thus, wizardly life goes on.

But some of the old resentments linger. Amid the conversations there’s mention of a new generation of orphans, as well as the sad remembrances of the casualties of the great war between good and evil.

Yet, in spite of the gloomy atmosphere, two beams of hope seep through: those of forgiveness and reconciliation.

What's more, these notions are embodied in a new character: a wizard boy named Albus Severus. In him, the disparate traits of the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin have merged, which gives the readers hope for a lasting peace.

And toward the epilogue's conclusion, Albus Severus is told that one day he will have to make tough choices regarding the direction of his life—and he’s advised against allowing fear and resentment to factor into his decisions.

It is in this touching and gentle manner that Rowling reminds her readers that we are the sum of our choices; and that if we—or our closest friends, for that matter—should someday err, then it becomes all the more important that the doors to forgiveness and redemption remain open.

As the curtain starts drawing to a close on this epic story, and the surviving characters quietly begin their exit from this wondrous stage, the scars hatred left on them are clearly visible. But the readers also witness how the former Hogwarts' students have left bitterness behind; and although the characters are not as carefree as they were when they first embarked on this great adventure, they, like those of us who accompanied Harry throughout his magnificent seven year journey, are certainly far, far wiser.