There and Back Again

Well the long wait finally came to an end. At exactly 12:43 a.m. on June 21, 2003 I purchased my copy of JK Rowling’s long awaited continuation to the magical story of Harry Potter. I went to the midnight release of the books and hobnobbed with kids who couldn’t contain their excitement. It was their night and boy did they represent. They came donning wizard gowns and hats, Harry glasses, Gryfinndor scarves, etc. Barnes & Noble was so crowded with young and old alike that you could hardly walk through the aisles to browse through books. Everyone was just waiting; some were probably waiting since 9 AM. Because I didn’t arrive until 11 PM, I was in Group G, which is why I had to wait 40-minutes or so after midnight to get my hands on the book.

But all the years of waiting, all the years of anticipating what’s going to happen, what is Voldemort going to do next and which character is JK going to kill was worth waiting for. Along with the regular cast, various characters from Book One to Four are also back, including Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Dobby, the centaurs and the very cool Mad-Eye Moody. The teaching staff is also back, from Professor Snape (Potions) to Professor Trewlaney (Divination) as well as host of new characters such as Kreacher, the house-elf and Professor Umbridge from the Ministry of Magic. A few of the supporting casts from the previous books received extended time like Neville and the Weasley twins, Fred and George. The biggest comeback of course is that of Voldemort and his cohorts and his return throws Harry into a life of danger much more sinister than it was in the previous books.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Rowling maintains her style of mixing danger with a bit of fun, mischief and wit. This is clearly darker than any of the previous books. For one, Harry is more prone to temperamental outbursts of anger and two, this one digs more deeply into grown-up themes of death, murder and - dare I say - even a bit of romance. Universal themes that even a fictional, magical Harry Potter has to face. Rowling beautifully writes with a dose of truth and reality albeit in a backdrop of a world inhabited by wizards who play Quidditch and travel by brooms and Floo Powder.

The book didn’t disappointment one bit although I have to admit, I was pushed to a bit of depression for a while when the anticipated but dreaded death of one major character finally occurred. This character happens to be one of my favorite characters so when “that” character falls in the wand of another witch and dies, the shock was overwhelming. The description of this character’s death and more importantly its effect to our dear wizard boy, Harry is both haunting and poignant. I got all choked up reading it. I always thought the chapter on the Mirror of Erised in Book One (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) was the saddest moment in all of the Harry Potter books until I got to this part. I still get all choked up thinking about it.

And so the wait is over. All the rumors about what will happen and not happen have been confirmed. Now the anticipation for Books Six and Seven begins. I can only hope that JK Rowling doesn’t make us wait another three years but even so, I am sure it will again be worth all the wait…