TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER The Bookworm Sez Advertisement

If you are one of the millions of people who bought a certain book about a Gryffindor and you've finished it already, you can skip this and go on to the funnies.

Go ahead.

You already know what happens. There's nothing I can add.

If you're furiously racing to finish HP1 through 6 before moving on to Number 7, you can safely read on. I won't spill any secrets, even though there are plenty to be had in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling.

It's the week of Harry Potter's 17th birthday, and everyone in the Ministry is aware that Harry will be in grave danger in a few days. The protective spell that his mother put upon him when she was murdered was only supposed to last until that milestone birthday, and when it arrives, Harry will be open to attacks by You-Know-Who.

The Dark Lord.

Voldemort.

Dumbledore, Harry's mentor at Hogwarts, would have helped protect him, but Dumbledore died recently, and his death still stings Harry's heart. But there are things that Harry doesn't know about Albus Dumbledore, and the boy wizard won't like hearing them.

Years ago, Dumbledore was a different man. Rumor has it that he had a Squib sister that he refused to protect. Biographers say that he was cruel and self-serving.

Harry can hardly believe the scuttlebutt and he's confused. But when Dumbledore's will is read, Harry is even more baffled -- Harry, Hermione and Ron are bequeathed a few worthless items that don't seem to have any meaning.

But the old Snitch (given to Harry), the Deluminator (for Ron), and the children's story book (Hermione's heirloom) do have meaning. Now it's up to the three Hogwart's students to figure out what Dumbledore was trying to tell them.

And they must do it quickly, before You-Know-Who completes his evil return.

A few weeks ago, the most spellbinding thing happened: millions of people left their jammies at home and stood in line at midnight to buy a book. That same weekend, I saw kids sitting in pizza parlors and in the park, propped against buildings and on their front porches, unable to tear their eyes away from the pages.

Harry Potter fans would agree that author Rowling is a wizard with a pen, and they're howling like a werewolf because this is supposedly the last in the series. Without giving too much away, you'll be happy to know that Rowling left a nice opening for the resurrection of a few characters some day.

Will she be willing to cast more Potter-y in the future?

Yes, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is a book for kids, but adults can enjoy it, too. You might, in fact, want to keep a kid handy if you read this book, because they seem to have a slightly better handle on this story than most grown-ups I know.

And that alone, the fact that kids seem to love this series so much -- isn't that something truly magical? "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling, Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic, Inc., $34.99, 756 pages.