“The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.”
Thus begins the most anticipated work of young adult fiction in my lifetime. Even though I am an adult, no longer considered young, I purchased a copy of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” for myself. I am not the only childless woman in her 40’s to have done so, which should serve as an indication of just how this story
transcends the age of its audience.

I was actually giddy to have acquired the book, but there was also a sobering thought at the back of my mind that this would be the last of a particular journey.
This journey is volume seven of seven in the Harry Potter series of books. In it, Harry turns 17, the age of adulthood for a wizard. Yet this is less of a reason to celebrate than you would think for a person who has come of age.
Because Harry is emancipated, he no longer is safe at his aunt and uncle’s home, and in fact, his very presence there puts them in danger of harm from the evil Lord Voldemort or his followers, the Death Eaters. Harry parts ways with the people who raised him, and at this point, the format of the book parts ways from the previous six
volumes. There is no ride this time on the familiar train to the Hogwarts school for wizards.
Instead, Harry has a mission, one that began when Dumbledore, the school’s headmaster, informed him about the existence of horcruxes. A horcrux is an item where an evil wizard stores a portion of his soul, so that he cannot die a mortal death. Voldemort’s soul possesses up to seven such objects, and Harry is determined to find and destroy them all, as the only way to bring about Voldemort’s complete demise.
This is a noble quest, albeit a difficult and frustrating one. Dumbledore was murdered after only three horcruxes were identified, two of them destroyed and before Harry could find out where or what the rest of the horcruxes were. He doesn’t even know for certain how to dispose of those, once he acquires them. Because Voldemort and
the Death Eaters will stop at nothing to get to Harry first, he jeopardizes the life of anyone with whom he associates.
The only people he tells about his mission are his two best friends, Hermione and Ron. They insist on accompanying him even though he doesn’t know where to start, other than some vague notion about visiting the town where he was born. Before they depart, though, they help prepare for the wedding of Ron’s brother.
Shortly before the wedding, Ron, Hermione and Harry discover to their surprise that Dumbledore has left them specific items in his will. Except for one item, which Harry is not allowed to have, there is no explanation why Dumbledore chose to leave them what he did or what real use these items possess. They end up with far more questions than answers regarding their departed headmaster, especially when gossip-monger Rita Skeeter writes an overwhelmingly negative expose about him, some details of which are confirmed by other sources.
Meanwhile, the wizarding world is in complete chaos. On the day of the wedding, The Ministry of Magic falls under control of Voldemort sympathizers, and Death Eaters crash the reception. Hermione, Ron and Harry flee and begin their hunt for horcruxes unexpectedly early.
They find out who stole the locket horcrux and where it is now, but unfortunately, to retrieve it, they must infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, a bold move as a large reward has been offered for Harry’s capture. This is further complicated by the fact that a decree has been issued that every wizard or witch whose parents are Muggles
(non-magical people, like Hermione’s parents,) must register with the Ministry or face dire consequences. Even those considered to be “pureblood”, like Ron, face repercussions for associating with a Muggle.
After an extremely narrow escape, they reach an impasse as they discover they can neither open nor destroy the locket, and it subtly possesses whomever wears it. These setbacks plus the strain of eluding the Death Eaters puts the teens’ friendship to the ultimate test. The situation becomes grim, particularly after a visit to Harry’s birthplace.
Then, when Harry is at his most desperate, he receives help from a bewildering source. The locket is destroyed, and the three friends are able to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle of the horcruxes together. In the process, Hermione decides they should visit their friend Luna Lovegood’s father.
Mr. Lovegood tells them a strange story, one that had been passed down in wizarding families as a fairy tale. The Deathly Hallows are three fabled magical objects created by three brothers to elude Death. Harry and his friends are astonished to hear that some wizards actually believe these objects exist and have devoted themselves to
finding and possessing them, and this information helps them with their quest.
But pursuing their mission becomes more dangerous with every turn. They are captured after their visit to Luna’s father and taken prisoner while Voldemort is notified. Before the Dark Lord can meet up with Harry, though, a battle ensues that is a crucial turning point, although they do not fully recognize this at the time.
Through information acquired from fellow prisoners, Harry discovers the location of another horcrux and must concoct a complicated plan to break into Gringott’s, the bank for wizards. This very nearly backfires, but it does set the stage for what Harry must do afterward: return to his beloved Hogwarts. And the final battle begins.
The major issues that confront Harry Potter are universal ones, such as: Whom do you trust? How can you tell fact from fabrication? When do you stay safe with what you know for certain, and when do you allow yourself to be guided by instinct?
One of my favorite things about this novel is that Harry is not the only hero. Many of the most beloved characters of the series have opportunities for amazing acts of bravery and heroism. There are also some sobering sacrifices.
I was most pleased that this book left no loose ends. The truth is revealed about everything, including Professor Snape. And there are many surprises; I lost track of how many times I experienced the “wow” factor.
“Deathly Hallows” is good enough to be enjoyed on its own, but it is considerably better if volumes one through six are read first. The reason is that plot lines and surviving characters from all of the previous books are incorporated into this one. For instance, the importance of the basilisk fang would be lost on someone who had not read “Chamber of Secrets” (or had at least seen the movie).
One of the real delights of the Harry Potter series is that the author, J. K. Rowling, became more skillful with each successive novel. Her writing matured as Harry did, along with teen readers all over the world. The final installment is the most satisfying of them all.
So, yes, the journey is now over, but it was one exciting ride. I imagine I’ll be reading “The Deathly Hallows” many times over, and I will be giving this book a treasured spot in my library.
Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J. K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
IBSN: 0-545-01022-5
Submitted by: Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2007