Writer's Block

Yesterday morning, I sat down at my computer, fully expecting to write a post about the final installment of Harry Potter, but I couldn’t. I kept going back to the TV and flipping between coverage of the 35W bridge collapse on the Today Show and CNN. Ironically, I had heard the news the night before on BBC Radio while driving home from the gym. When I got home, I turned on the TV and, shades of September 11th, ended up watching CNN coverage until about 11 pm. Though I no longer live in the Twin Cities, many of my friends do—including S. I fired off a bunch of emails of the “Is everyone all right?” variety, but in the morning, I still hadn’t heard back from many folks. So, I found it impossible to think about Harry in any concrete or organized way.

It’s a day later and I just read S’s post. Most of my friends have checked in and said they were all right and so I’m breathing a bit easier. I definitely agree with S’s sentiment about appreciate what you have . . . NOW. It was in this idea that I came back to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

SPOILER ALERT
STOP READING
IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE BOOK
AND
DON’T WANT TO KNOW KEY PLOT POINTS.

Overall, I thought JK did a good job of wrapping things up, keeping some things nicely complicated, but also emphasizing themes that have been in the books from the very beginning. I didn’t mind the epilogue because I thought it struck a successful balance of giving us a glimpse of the future for many characters but not telling us too much. Do we really need to know Hermione’s job title? I don’t. Do we need to know who raised Teddy Lupin? I don’t. I guess I like some things left to the imagination.

For all those who have refused to read the Harry Potter books because of their “Satanic” nature, they are missing a series that strongly emphasizes “family values,” both the importance of family and friendship. Perhaps I have been primed to see these elements because of time spent in the Buffyverse (gotta love that term!). Like Buffy, Harry successfully defeats Voldemort not just because of his own individual qualities, but because of his relationships with others, Ron and Hermione in particular. They are his “Scooby gang.” He is so much more with them (and with Luna and Neville and so on) than without them.

This book, combined with recent events, reminds me of the importance of my own Scooby Gang, no matter how separated we are now by distance. I wrote a long overdue email to a friend in the Twin Cities this morning because I realized we hadn’t talked in while, and I wanted to reconnect. It’s so easy to let relationships go when life gets in the way, but I’ll take a cue from Harry and try not to let that happen.

Hmm. What would Buffy do? What would Harry do? Not bad.