The last chapter of a literary love affair
By Madeleine Johnson
Let me begin by saying that this column contains absolutely no spoilers for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Two summers ago, I was offered a job as a live-in nanny. These three months, while surprisingly enjoyable, weren’t terribly remarkable except for the fact that they slowly chipped away at my haughty English-major snobbery and left me a fool for Harry Potter.
I did my best to avoid being sucked into the craze an especially difficult feat when you’re working for someone who runs a Harry Potter on-line store but when the family gave me an illustrator-autographed copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," how could I say no?
Before I could crack open my newest literary acquisition, however, I first had to delve into the five preceding books.
I’ll admit, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. The first two books didn’t really hold my interest that well. But by the third novel, thanks to the introduction of my two favorite characters, the tragically misunderstood Sirius Black and the just plain tragic Remus Lupin, I was a goner. I was hooked, and there was no turning back.
Meanwhile, the stack of unread books that contained classics like "Anna Karenina" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" glowered at me, ruefully gathering dust in the corner of my room. I almost could feel my English professors’ astonished disapproval as I eagerly chose children’s literature over bona fide classics.
I didn’t care. I tore through the fourth book and flung the fifth book across the room in blind, sobbing rage because I couldn’t believe J. K. Rowling had the audacity to kill off the character who made me fall in love with her books. Finally, the ending already divulged to me innumerable times over, I plowed through the sixth book as quickly as possible, eager to avoid any more spoilers.
Having spent two weeks immersing myself in Ms. Rowling’s world of witches, wizards and wonder, I finally understood why almost everyone I knew was so enchanted with the popular fantasy series.
I also began to understand the impatient frustration of waiting for the series to come to its inevitable conclusion. I read the first six books without having to cope with the excruciating wait for the next tale, so finishing the sixth book was almost painful. I hated that I had to wait to find out how my newest obsession concluded.
And, sometime around 7:30 Sunday night, I discovered a whole new kind of anguish: knowing that I would never hold a new Harry Potter novel in my hands and wonder what new adventures awaited the students of Hogwarts, their professors and the entirety of the wizarding world in the series’ next installment.
Judging by the recording-breaking 8.3 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" that were sold within 24 hours of the book’s release, I know I’m not the only one who’ll be grappling with that emptiness, though.
Jennifer Sherman, children’s librarian at the South Brunswick Public Library, is also a fan of the books about the teenage wizard, and easily identifies what makes the series so enchanting.
"It’s the characters. I really got involved with the characters," she said. "Of course, there’s just something about it other than the characters, but I really can’t say what else draws me to it. It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s something I wish I could be a part of."
Ms. Sherman also felt that pang of sadness at the series’ inevitable end, but she knows she can travel back to Harry’s world any time she’d like.
"I’m going to miss them, but I do know that I’m able to relive the series because I have the other books."
While the library didn’t host any events in celebration of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," it does offer a list of similar reads and has all of Harry’s tales safely tucked away on the library shelves usually.
"We actually do have a recommended reading list for those who liked Harry Potter, though the other thing we do suggest is that (readers) look for other books and don’t just do the Harry Potter read-alikes. But we haven’t have anyone come look for (the list) recently because they’re all looking for the Harry Potter books," Ms. Sherman said. "All of our Harry Potter books leading up to (the seventh book’s) release were out. There was not a single copy to be found in the library. It was like everybody was trying to read the entire series in one week."
Despite a rabid fan base, every pop-culture phenomenon has its naysayers. From those who just can’t deign to sample a children’s tale, to those who believe the books promote black magic, to those who simply are tired of the frenzy surrounding the series, Mr. Rowling’s series has a fair amount of detractors.
Embrace them or oppose them, but Harry Potter, his friends and his foes have all left a legacy of lessons that us Muggles might do well to remember.
If not for being The Boy Who Lived and bearing the scar of Voldemort’s lone defeat, Harry would be a wholly unremarkable wizard: his grades are average, his skills are average and his mother’s nonmagical family might earn him jeers of "Mudblood" at the hands of crueler, pureblooded wizards.
What makes Harry overcomeevery challenge placed before him is not just dumb luck. His friends are always there to lend a hand, even if it does meaning risking their necks. He is diligent in his endeavors, whether he’s trying to win a Quidditch match, teaching his peers defenses against the Dark Arts when the class turns theoretical or standing up to Voldemort to save the rest of the wizarding world from a dark fate.
And he knows that love conquers all, which is his biggest advantage over the tyrannical dark wizard who seeks only revenge and power.
Harry’s not the best student at Hogwart’s, but he accomplishes so much because of teamwork, persistence, compassion and a desire to make the world a better place. He teaches children of all ages that, while you can’t pass off your biggest challenges to your friends and teachers and parents, they will be there to support you all the way. He shows us that a little selflessness and a little hard work come with huge rewards.
As I stood in line Saturday morning, waiting to purchase my copy of Harry’s last adventure, I wasn’t surprised to find that my fellow early-morning bookstore patrons were all clutching books identical to mine. And it was a little reassuring that, in a world where movies, television and video games seem to be our preferred methods of entertainment, seven novels about a teenage wizard reminded us that books are often the most magical route to a good story.

