If you had doubts that J.K. Rowling was emotionally invested in the characters from Harry Potter, the story of chapter 34 from Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows should tell the tale. That and all of the constant discussion of certain characters online and in short stories in the years since the series came to an end. Those should all be subtle hints.
A fan came at Rowling on Twitter, asking her about her favorite chapter in the entire Harry Potter series. Her answer was clear, with little debate:
@jk_rowling If you had to choose one chapter from the entire HP series as your favourite, what would you choose? #HarryPotter
— Rob McCarter (@RetraccMboR) October 17, 2015
Chapter 34 Deathly Hallows 'The Forest Again' https://t.co/DniVfbTjKT
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 17, 2015
For those who are unaware, this is the chapter when Harry enters the forest again to face down Voldemort, knowing his fate and knowing what must be done. Rowling echoed this in an interview with MSNBC back in 2007:
JKR: Definitely the passage that I found hardest to write of all of them in all seven books and the one that made me cry the most is Chapter 34 in this one. But that was– and that was partly because of the content-and partly because it had been planned for so long and been roughed out for so long. And to write the definitive version felt like a– a huge climax.
MV: And can you tell us what was in 34?
ROWLING: It’s when Harry sets off into the forest. Again. So that’s my favorite passage of this book. And it’s the part that when I finished writing, I didn’t cry as I was writing, but when I finished writing, I had enormous explosion of emotion and I cried and cried and cried.
Fans clearly felt the same, and Rowling expressed her feelings from the time once again:
.@jk_rowling @RetraccMboR really? Because I bawled…
— Jessica ⎊ Ghost 8/11 (@Solemnly_Swears) October 17, 2015
So did I, but it was the culmination of 17 years' work and the most cathartic piece of writing of my life. https://t.co/XG0srTyVIE
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 17, 2015
I’ve personally never been to that point with a creation, but that’s part of the problem with being young and inexperienced. You could point to college graduations or big accomplishments in acquiring those “life goals,” but it just doesn’t seem to carry the same kind of weight you’re seeing here with Rowling. Maybe it is something folks with kids can identify with, but the eyes of the world were on Rowling at the time.
Being able to bring Potter to an end with events that were satisfying to her and fans of the series is a special accomplishment. A lizard person like myself likely won’t ever get to that point, but it is a moment that has my respect.
(Via J.K. Rowling / Entertainment Weekly)
