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It’s the End for Harry

Tamara Kraus
Children’s Programs

On July 21, 2007, for better or worse, the adventures of Harry Potter will be over. All over the world, fans of the boy wizard are anxiously awaiting the seventh and final installment of the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” The media is buzzing with rumors, opinions, and wild guesses about Harry’s fate. Will he survive his final battle with evil wizard Voldemort?

Americans first met Harry in 1998, when Scholastic published the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Now, nine years and six books later, we have come to know and love Harry as a friend. We have watched him grow from a shy kid into a powerful wizard. We have watched him make good and bad choices, and take the consequences. We have cheered his victories and grieved his losses: in short, we have shared his life.

Now readers wonder if they will have to share in his death, too. In book 5, we learn of a prophecy stating that either Harry or Voldemort must die at the other’s hand, because neither can live while the other survives. This prophecy has fans speculating: Will Harry sacrifice himself to defeat Lord Voldemort? Will he lose one of his best friends in the process? In book 6, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Harry lost his father figure and mentor, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Readers worry that if Dumbledore can die, anyone can die, and author J.K. Rowling has admitted that at least two characters will lose their lives in this final book. Web sites such as www.mugglenet.com and www.leaky-cauldron.com are full of rumors about the fate of Harry and his friends. We will have to wait until July 21 to find out.

Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is celebrating the release of the new book with a Harry Potter Party on Thursday, July 19, at 2:30 p.m. Students in third grade and up can come to the library, meet some characters from the books, and experience some of the same classes that Harry and his friends take at Hogwarts, such as Transformation and Potions. The event will end with a visit to the Leaky Cauldron for some refreshments. Students are welcome to dress up as their favorite character, but costumes are not required.

If you have missed out on the Harry Potter books, here is a list for you:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 21, 2007)

Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ridgeview Branch Library is open the same hours, but is closed on Sunday.