Blog post 3

When I finally closed the final book of the series my head was whirling as I felt so many different emotions. I feel that many important themes found throughout the series are emphasized to the fullest in this final novel. One of the most prominent things I have taken from this series is the idea of friendship and defining what exactly it means through the friendship of the infamous trio. Ron saves Harry when he dives in to get the Sword of Gryffindor after having walked out for days. When telling the story of how the Deluminator got him back to them, he says, when speaking about Dumbledore, “He must’ve known I’d run out on you” (391). Harry then responds, “No, He must’ve known you’d always want to come back” (391). This was such an important and heartfelt moment. While Ron, Hermione, and Harry have all had their fights throughout the series, in the end, they always end up right back where they belong, which is beside their best friends taking on the world together. This is one of my favorite quotes as it sums up the trio perfectly; in the end they could never walk out on one another. Rowling does a fantastic job of carrying this theme of friendship throughout the entire journey.

One of the biggest changes in feeling I had towards a character happened to be one who is not necessarily a main character, Kreacher. At first there is a mutual distaste between Harry and Kreacher. Harry is not kind to him and Kreacher’s loyalty remains with his previous masters, before Harry and Sirius. He loathes Hermione and whispers about her being a mudblood under his breath. Harry remembers Dumbledore saying, “I do not think Sirius ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human’s” (199). This makes him realize that a little bit of kindness goes a long way, and Kreacher is elated when presented with a Black family heirloom. He bows to both Harry and Ron in this moment and even makes an effort to show respect for Hermione, which is a huge and sudden change in character. From this point on the trio has his loyalty as he is more than willing to serve them. In the end he even comes to Hogwarts and fights for Harry in the final battle, along with other house elves. Goodness defeats evil and kindness can go a long way are important ideas that are brought about when analyzing the relationship between Kreacher and Harry.

Jessica Woeste