It was last Wednesday night and I was aimlessly coming up with any excuse to stay online and not start my homework. I had been impatiently checking The Leaky Cauldron (www.the-leaky-cauldron.org) five times a day for the past month, knowing the new Harry Potter cover art for the American and United Kingdom editions of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would be released around this time of year. The last thing I expected when the main page loaded, however, was that I would be in luck that evening. I couldn't believe what I was actually seeing. My heart stopped. My breathing ceased. My eyes welled. And I think I actually squeeed.
Let's backtrack for a minute. You're probably thinking, "WTF-you're freaking out over book cover art?" The answer to that is, well, yes. But this isn't just book cover art. It's Harry Potter book cover art. And this isn't just Harry Potter book cover art. It's the last Harry Potter book cover art. Ever. It's the end of an era. It's the end of my childhood. Heck, it's the end of a cultural phenomenon!
Or rather, the release of the book cover art is more like the end of the beginning of the end, as Andrew Sims of www.mugglenet.com said. If that makes any sense to you.
With that all said, it's time to get down to the actual artwork. Suffice it to say, Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the previous six American versions of the novels, has done it again. I've always enjoyed her bright, cartoonish artistry throughout the series, and the Deathly Hallows cover doesn't disappoint. In fact, it may be my favorite out of all seven. It is Harry alone who adorns the front, symbolizing that though his friends will aid him as much as possible in the search for the remaining horcruxes (the seven objects in which pieces of Voldemort's soul reside) and in the Final Battle, he is ultimately the Chosen One prophesized to match He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It is going to be Harry's battle. This is only one of two covers in which he is alone-the first being the one for "Order of the Phoenix," in which a scowling Harry stands vigilant against a sinister dark blue background, wand raised, as though ready to attack. This depiction is in direct relation to Harry's much more sullen, angry and angst-ridden attitude in the fifth book than in any other. The sixth cover also shows Harry with a determined frown on his face, his and Dumbledore's visages marred by an ominous green glow emerging from a sinister basin.
The depiction of Harry on the seventh book cover is lighter and almost spiritual in comparison to others-our hero stands with a hopeful face, an arm triumphantly extended out towards the bright sky, his eyes drawn up to the heavens. If that actually is sky, of course. When you see the image of the entire wraparound cover, you see Harry is standing with Voldemort lingering menacingly behind him on a crumbled stage framed by curtains. It also looks as if there are people sitting in a stadium-like seating arrangement in the background. In turn, these images lead me to believe that Harry and Voldemort are actually in the Death Chamber located in the Department of Mysteries. Could they be standing in the same veil that claimed Sirius Black's life? The only thing holding me back from proclaiming this glorious nugget of speculation as truth is that there appears to be sky above the scene. The only explanation I can think of to refute this assumption is that the bright orange and wisps of white actually aren't a dawn/dusk sky and clouds, but the remnants of a very powerful and radiant spell illuminating the room.
Finally, notice the large pendant on Harry's neck, what I believe is most likely Slytherin's locket (the real one, not the imposter that the mysterious R.A.B stashed in the cave by the shore) and what must naturally be a horcrux. The locket also happens to appear on the U.K. adult version of the covers as an ornate piece of jewelry. Curiouser and curiouser …
As for the U.K. children's addition, I must say that this is the most impressed I've been when it comes to these illustrations. I'm not a big fan of the usually bland U.K. covers because they don't do the books justice. The newest cover, however, blows the others out of the water. Illustrated by Jason Cockcroft, William Webb and Michael Wildsmith, the U.K. cover is a scene of precise, dramatic action compared to the more serene and less detailed American version. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all portrayed surrounded by heaps of gold and treasure in a chamber, as they anxiously fall back into (or are they falling forward from?) some kind of portal. Behind Harry stands some kind of short creature with its right fingers on Harry's shoulder and its left hand brandishing a sword adorned with rubies (Godric Gryffindor's, perhaps?). I'm guessing it's a Gringott's goblin, seeing as the treasure chamber may well be located inside the famed wizarding bank, but it may also be a house elf, either Kreacher or Dobby. The question is whether it's protecting Harry or threatening him with the sword, which would lead us to guess exactly who the little sprite really is.
It would be no surprise if the trio were searching for horcruxes in the chamber (considering that it looks as if Helga Hufflepuff's chalice is right in Harry's reach), but why would Ron and Hermione be wearing such ornate robes on a dangerous mission? Even more curious is what's featured on the back cover, a castle. Hogwarts, I assumed at first, but on second glance, the fortress seemed foreign to me. What I at first saw as a turret, I see now as an onion dome, a popular feature of Russian architecture (think Saint Basil's Cathedral in Red Square.) Also, a peculiar golden archway is shown emanating light from the castle, not the kind of front door Hogwarts is usually described as having. My conclusion is that this castle may, in fact, be Durmstrang, which would explain the Eastern European flair of its design. And while some may claim the gnarled and bare tree in front of the castle is actually the Whomping Willow, I happen to disagree on the basis that it appears to me to be a normal tree (as it lacks the visual personality of the Willow) suffering from the harsh weather conditions on the castle's locale. The fact that it may be Durmstrang doesn't surprise me at all, considering that the school is known for teaching Dark Magic so it would be a likely place for Voldemort to hide one of his horcruxes there or nearby.
All in all I'm content, if not thrilled with the new artwork. If I happen to be wrong on any of my guesses, please don't hunt me down. I'll be very fragile and cry having just finished the novel and ultimately closed the curtains on my adolescence.
If you'd like more analysis of the covers (and are sick of my incoherent ramblings), I suggest downloading this week's Pottercasts at The Leaky Cauldron or Mugglenet, which have been specially devoted to the new artwork. As for me, well, I'm going to huddle in a fetal position in a corner somewhere for the next 109 days, 22 hours, 45 minutes and 55 seconds.