The Wand Chooses the Wizard

There is no way I'm writing a spoiler free review.. in fact this isn't even a review, it's more like a no-holds barred writeup of my impressions.. so proceed only if you feel you're ready for it.. this post ain't going anywhere.. you're free to come back later :)

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Before reading the 6th book, I had predicted that Dumbledore would die. It did happen and the hows and whys of it were great topics of discussion. Many felt let down by that development but I had expected it. However, it left us sad, with a deep sense of loss, not just for Dumbledore, the character.. but in a more profound way, most of us felt that the 7th book would lose that magical something if Dumbledore wasn't around. His lines often made the book, they were the ones you remembered, quoted.. The books just seemed orphaned, for lack of a better word.

And alongwith the many things (that we will discuss in a bit), it is here that JK Rowling totally bowled me over. To kill off a major character, and then continue to make him an integral part of the story is an awesome achievement. And when that character is the former Hogwarts principal, the result is most satisfying. Through memories and memorials, books and photoframes, Albus Dumbledore is still the master puppeteer, he's the one who holds all the cards, who keeps track of all the pawns on this massive chessboard.

Through the first 6 books, Dumbledore has been somewhat of an enigma. We knew he was cool, we knew he could do things with a wand most wizards could only dream of.. but then, we didn't really know the man. Here, we learn of his ambitions, his fallacies, his greatest fears, perhaps his only mistake.. and if it was possible, those even further raise the stature of the man. All our questions are answered.. from what Dumbledore saw in the Mirror of Erised (Philosopher's Stone) to what he meant in his cries while drinking that horrid potion (Half-Blood Prince). And all of it in a way that never seems intrusive, all marvellously woven into the flow of the story.. coz without them there would be no story.. did JK Rowling intend the Dumbledore-Erised connection to be used in such a defining way when she first wrote about it 10 years ago. I'd have to say yes.. coz after reading the 600 odd pages, my greatest feeling is that of deep fulfillment.

When you're writing a story based in fantasy, there are certain liberties you're allowed to take. For one, the ordinary rules don't exist, you make the story as you go along, it doesn't have to be plausible.. at least it doesn't have to be plausible in the realistic sense. So, more than anything else, it is how you tell the story that counts. And that's where this book is excellent.. I absolutely love the pace of the story here.. from the nerve-wracking Death-Eater attack as Harry first leaves, through the search for Hallows and Horcruxes to the final stand at Hogwarts, the flow begins and is pretty-much nonstop.. Godric's Hollow to Gringott's.. Privet Drive to Shrieking Shack.. it's everywhere.. some spins were ingenious.. like the trace on the use of Voldemort's name.. or using the Occlumency connection to keep both ends of the story flowing.. and Neville does have his moment of glory.. the stress throughout is on equality, whether it's Wizards or Muggles, Elves or Goblins, contrary to the Orwell-like "Magic is might".. and on "choice", the magic mantra for wands and wizards alike.

There are a few bumps though.. certain parts like Ron's tantrum were a little tacky though we've seen too much LOTR to find the "locket affected me" explanation unacceptable.. many, many old characters return and some faithful friends are lost. I perhaps mourned the loss of Hedwig more than anything else and I felt the Tonks-Lupin combine got the raw end of the deal.. one sometimes wonders why someone like Colin Creevey had to be killed off. But then it's Rowling's story and it's her call.. it's a story of dark times, when sacrifices were needed, and willingly made.

And well, I told you so.. Snape is redeemed and his mode of redemption is brilliant.. I loved the way it was done.. so beautifully.. and even though I expected this storyline, it was just so sad.. the flow of memories.. one skipping to the next.. the poor guy, oh the poor guy.. the one who's destiny was to be forever misunderstood.. always torn between the poles.. James or Lily.. Dumbledore or Voldemort.. "probably the bravest I ever knew", Harry had said.. it makes you wonder about his past.. his Death-Eater ways.. would it have been different if he was in different company, could Lily have stopped him from erring if she was in Slytherin.. or perhaps he in Gryffindor.. Dumbledore's words are left hanging.. "I sometimes think we Sort too soon"..

There are older questions answered too.. Snape's worst memory, the one he wishes to hide from Harry, has got less to do with his humiliation and perhaps more with how it affected his relationship with Harry's mother. I wish things could have been better for Sev (as Lily affectionately called him in happier days) but the rift created that day never mends as both walk different paths. If you haven't done so already, after you're done with the Prince's tale, go back and re-read Snape's last moment. It deserves a second glance and the moment reveals itself better in hindsight. As he turns to Harry, one can only wonder what his thoughts were.. his last dying wish is to look at Harry, into his eyes, his green eyes, Lily's eyes..

Out of the various shades of love stressed upon in the story, it is Snape's love for Lily that for me holds the greatest triumph. Through stolen letters, torn photos and doe-shaped Patronuses, it lives on overcoming even the distances of Death, unscathed even though surrounded by what is most evil. Within Snape, the Magic of Love has its deepest, truest conquest and one can only hope that at least in his last moments, Snape felt the same. More than Dumbledore's mastery, Harry's bravery or Hermoine's intelligence, the tale of Harry Potter is about Snape's sacrifice.. his life.. and the tragedy of it..

When the 21st century ends, many would look back at moments, issues, articles that defined it. No one knows how history would treat this phenomenon, but for the moment it is suffice to say that the Harry Potter books have defined our generation. With this book, the last book, we've reached the end of an era. The tale, the fight which began 10 years ago is now over. It's a satisfying end and I'd like to keep it that way. I've laughed and cried with the characters, it's now time for closure. Yes, it was just a book.. seven of them.. all in a fantasy world of witchcraft and wizardry.. all in my imagination.. but then, as Dumbledore said, "Of course it is happening in your head Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

Thank you JK Rowling, thanks for the ride.