[VanimaEdhel]

I think that a lot of what I like about Rowling is derived from the aspect of "mystery" in her books. Though they are fantasy, they are also, no doubt, of the mystery genre. There is always an arc of the introduction of a problem, the emergence of a mystery related to this problem, and an elemental (if nothing else) solution to the problem at hand at the end. If you think about it, it's such a simple model. However, there's always at least two or three parts of the mystery I never even considered. The first time through the book, I reach the end and typically let out a large gasp. On the other hand, then I go back and read the book again almost immediately. I realize then that everything is there. Although I guessed that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince almost immediately.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to work out R.A.B. You know who I realized had the first and last initials R.B.? Regulus Black - Sirius Black's younger brother thought to be dead. I wonder if he is still alive in hiding somewhere or something. Or whether he started wiping out the Horcruxes towards the end of his life, and they caught up with him and killed him? We also don't know Borgin's first and middle initials...

Going back to the idea of evil: in Harry Potter, I feel that the idea of "pure evil" isn't so much present as the idea of "pure corruption." There's almost the theory that everyone starts out pure, but then they can choose actions. And there isn't "pure good" and "pure evil." For example, I consider Draco Malfoy to be a nasty little brat, but I don't think he's at a point where we can consider him to be true evil - we find him crying in the bathroom, saying that the Dark Lord told him he must do it soon or else he'll be killed. There's a part of Draco that's desparate to stay alive, desperate to please his dark family. However, there's still part of him that's a child - he can't kill Dumbledore, he wouldn't. Granted, I believe that Dumbledore didn't want to give him the shot and instructed Snape to do it as soon as he got there - not wanting one of his students to become a murderer. And when we find young Tom Riddle, he's got inclinations towards power and corruption, but it's all derived from fear - an emotion closely associated with an innocent personality. His deep terror of death and the unknown drove him to commit atrocities. However, Dumbledore doesn't seem to show hatred for the evils done by Voldemort - he seems to pity him.

The concept of "choice", as I alluded to earlier, is also key. Dumbledore said to Harry at the end of this novel that the prophecy means nothing essentially. It only means something because Voldemort believed it. However, if Voldemort had never heard it, it would have never come to fruition. Choice is still in everyone's hands - prophecy is just a possibility. It's whether the person chooses to follow through with it. There also always seems to be a cross-over of sorts - the "good" choosing evil while the "bad" choose goodness. For example, Peter Pettigrew goes to Voldemort out of fear (once again, returning to people's negative actions being derived from fear) while Snape comes over to the side of the Order of the Phoenix. The switch seems to be what sustains the conflict - in almost every book, we've had a character we've trusted prove untrustworthy and a character we didn't believe turning out to be a hero. I think it's coming to light again with Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom. Ultimately, I think Draco will be given the opportunity to come back to Hogwarts and rejoin society and Neville with be captured and tortured to find evidence of where Harry is. Unlike what happened before, Neville would rather die than tell the Death Eaters - he's strong despite his lack of ability. He'll die in the end, I believe, while Draco will ultimately be swayed to help Harry, perhaps by Snape even. This throw of balance towards the "good" side will result in Harry's victory.

It's just a theory, but it's also an example of how things seem to work in Rowling's book. It recalls an almost spiritual balance of the world - how things must be in order for continuation. Only a throw of balance can result in change.