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I thought that the epilogue was perfect (here is where I need to say that I'm not just a sap, but also twelve. Or a twelve-years-old sap, or whichever?). Not in the sense of answering questions or closing up loose ends, but in the sense of really finishing Harry's journey. Harry was called "father" in the epilogue. That's the first reference to him there, the little girl clutching his arm, her father's arm, and then Harry speaks and we know it's him. This was the place that he found for himself, the family he built, the way he could be there for his children and wife and friends, which was taken away from his own parents.

It showed that he really found that one thing that he looked for, all this time, that he longed for and saw in the mirror of Erised, that he needed and found and almost-found in the people around him and in Hogwarts, and eventually really created, managed to build. That's the real end of the hardships and the longing and the need and the pain. He lost so much - not just his parents, but Sirius and Dumbledore, and all the people who died in the fight - and managed to still find this place and go there. Not just for him, but for Ginny and those kids, as well. Probably for Teddy, too. It's somewhat like Sam's "Well, I'm back", which is the real final proper end to LotR, you know?

Even the children's names closed that family circle: James, his biological father; Albus and Severus, the two most important people from Hogwarts (father-figure and sort of opposite-father-figure, and of course, the two that made it possible for him to be alive); and Lily. Finally something with Lily close to Severus, in peace, the peace that the poor man could never have found in life.

But it's not just about having family and friends. Dumbledore's youth, with his poor sister, estranged brother, treachurous friend and the pain it all left him, showed us, at least, that. The important part, and that's also what the epilogue was, for me, is what you do with these people, how you choose to handle these components of your life. Even those things, the best they can be, can be a source of pain and hardship. Your choice. Your path. Not just what you were given, but what you do with it.

The book, the one that didn't have anything to do with the schoolyear, unlike any of the others, ends with going to Hogwarts. All throughout the books, there was a shift in the order of priorities of things, of what mattered and who could be in charge of that. "Philosopher's Stone" ended with house points and winning a cup. The coming books still had sports and exams and grades and the school spirit and good name, but each of them less so. Other things mattered, as well. The world outside, the crumbling of the grow-ups abilities to put order and peace in that world, the leaning, more and more, about the young children and teenagers, the main characters of the book.

Just like the legends twisted and changed and turned out to be real, and less and more than people wanted and needed them to be, the whole world had to change the importance of things, to look different, not just to the characters, but to the readers, as well. The Triwizard Tournament's cup was less important because of Voldemort's return and Cedrik's death. The whole of the school was closed because of Dumbledore's death. And in this book, even Hermione, who couldn't bare to think of detention, didn't even return to school. Other things mattered now.

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But with the epilogue, things return to the level of importance that Harry, Ron and Hermione saw to them, at the very beginning of the series. Their children worry about going to school, their parents writing to them, which house they're going to be sorted. A few pages ago, people sat all jumbled at the houses' tables, careless as to who belonged where, but the children who go to school for the first time care about that, and about not being friends with a professor, and about missing their family at night. We go back, full circle, real circle this time, to the child's point of view, the child's order of priorities, the child's world. I find that, not only lovely, but also comforting.

Oh, and then, to my delight, even there, with the children, and Harry as the loving father he always dreamed of having, there's one last mentioned of that whole choice subject, which to me is the heart of the stories. And again, full circle, real circle, to what Harry felt and went through, when he was a confused child of eleven, and the Sorting Hat took his consideration and choice into account. A small choice, of a house, which, as Harry himself notes, doesn't really matter all that much. And still.

Oh, I'm sorry that this turned out so ramble-y, so long (not going to read back! I've got too much to read, with all y'all words!), so confused and oh, oh-so-sappy.

[Edit: OK, shutting up. Threadsucking. Oops-ing.]

Dear lord I love Nilly's spicey brains. I so truly do.

Aww, Nilly - you made me cry.

There indeed seems to be a high pollen count accompanying Nilly's post. Strangest thing.

Whoa, Nilly! You write like a twelve year old but you think like a genius, Kid! Wow, you've got heart! I love the Potter books even more than I did before thanks to your absolutely crazy, rambling and brilliantly insightful analysis. Thanks!

Wow Nilly! You are awesome. You verbalized things that I couldn't put into words. You caught some things that I didn't, and clarified some others. And please stop being sorry for being a sap! I'm 36 y.o male, and I'm one too (Hi, my name is BC, and I'm a sap..... :: from group :: Hi BC) I think we all are to a certain extent. Which is why we love these books. They pull at the heart strings something fierce.

One of the things I found interesting, and I hope you expand on, as my words won't be as good. Dumbledore's painting behind Snapes chair. First perceived as turning your back to, but later seen as "I got your back". And ya, the son's name Albus Servus, o boy did that bring tears (and again now thinking of it)

I look forward to release of all in paperback. Hopefully a pretty box set. I'll buy them all then. Yes, if you can believe it, I borrowed all of them to read. I did buy the first 3 in paperback, but when I learned my sister hadn't read any of them, promptly gave them to her for Christmas.

It's so good to get a Nilly recap. I never felt like I had really watched a Firefly episode until I read Nilly's insights.

Tod, I think you're new. Welcome! (English is not Nilly's native language. She's in Israel.)

That was a great recap Nilly. Did you read it in Hebrew or English?

I was reading an article in Time today about the team that help put the American version together and they talk about how Rowling is always open to suggestions and edits. Which lead me to wonder, are the Scholastic editors her main editors? Or does she also have a team in the UK? Or does that US team just edit for the language changes to the US version?

thank you Nilly - and you put into words something that I knew but hadn't thought - the trust he Harry had to chose in Dumbledore -

Now I am thinking about the shapes of all the books