Chapter Thirty-Four: The Forest Again
In chapter thirty-four of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry has the worst day ever.
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
Harry comes to with the realization that Snape was in love with Lily and trying to protect Harry, that Dumbledore has raised Harry like a pet dutiful lamb for slaughter, and that he’s got to walk calmly to his own death coursing through him. What I’m saying is, HPotz is having a brutal day.
This part is written sublimely, where Harry is wrestling with all these terrible thoughts and decisions. How many of us would have the strength to do this? How many of us wouldn’t run to save our own life, and instead sacrifice ourselves for the greater good of others? Readers, I was distraught upon first read. it’s a cold, awful place for Harry to be.
In case we all weren’t feeling enough like shit, Harry runs into Neville and Oliver Wood, who are carrying the dead body of the underaged Colin, a loyal friend who got very little due because he was kind of irritating. But Colin was so brave he snuck back into the castle to fight, while D-Malfs was trying to capture Harry for Voldemort and Zacharias Smith was knocking over first years to escape. Pour one out for Colin Creevey, who stuck by Harry through everything. He joined the DA, and fought adult evil wizards as a sixteen year old kid, and barely anyone reacts when the poor kid dies.
Harry reveals himself to NevLongz, who tries to convince Harry not to give himself up, and lets pause. In all of the ways the movie series disappoints and enrages me, the part where Movie!Harry tells Ron and Hermione that he’s skipping off to his death and they just let him and then act surprised and distraught when they see him dead later on is the absolute worst movie choice in all of the Harry Potter movies. Nothing can top the rank audacity of Ron and Hermione seeing Harry walking to his death and just letting him go without giving a single fuck.
So Harry defies Dumbledore’s dumb secrecy orders again and tells Neville to kill Nagini before wandering off and spotting Ginny comforting a dying girl on the lawn and SHIT this is depressing. Also a great, great moment of showing and not telling us how awesome Ginny 2.0 is. The final piece falls into place and Harry realizes the snitch is hidden in the resurrection stone and he summons Lily, James, Sirius, and Lupin, the latter 2 appear in their younger form and not the age in which they died because that was when they were clearly happiest.
The foursome support Harry who apologizes to Remus about dying when Teddy is so young and look, this chapter is brilliant perfection and I can’t really make this amusing with jokes.
Harry–and holy shit if only I could be 1/100th this brave– reveals himself to the waiting crowd of Death Eaters and Voldemort and waits for death with Lucius MalfReek begs for a bath.
Oh, did you want to feel happiness for a second? Too bad, because Hagrid is there watching and shouting in terror at what he’s witnessing: his quasi son walking to his death.
Harry just stands there and lets himself get murdered to save the world, and fuck if Harry isn’t one of the best heroic figures in all of literature.
<—Previous Chapter Next Chapter —>
Join in with your thoughts below, on twitter, or instagram with #ReadHarryPotterWithMe. Follow me on my twitter @HSecretLibrary, pinterest, and my instagram @hermionessecretlibrary
Could you sacrifice yourself like Harry does?
Did you feel sad for Colin when he died?
What are your thoughts on Hermione and Ron letting Harry go to his death in the movie?
Picture taken at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London, England. Send me/tag me in your pics of you reading Harry Potter!