Concerning Harry
Harry's 16th birthday should have been a huge event in his life. A sort of coming of age; he knows his destiny and he is old enough to cope with it. However, in reality, it was all rather nondescript. As was the rest of the year. He had been forced to stay at the Dursley's for the entire summer, much to their chagrin, in order to gain the maximum protection from his aunt's blood. And though he had been waiting for the big attack all year, it hadn't come. Perhaps this had something to do with almost all the Death Eaters being securely locked up. He'd never thought of that; it hadn't been an issue in his first, second or fourth year, so he really didn't see why it had become a problem in his sixth. This lack of death threats was not a release for him; Harry had no excuse not to buckle down and do his homework: no Dark Lords to thwart, suspicious animals about the place, or any reason to go wandering around the school in the dead of night to add a little adventure to his year.
However, it is now Harry's Seventh and Final Year. And yes, that deserved to be capitalised because it signifies the End. That's right; this Christmas is the last chance Harry has to get Dumbledore some nice, woollen socks. Oh, and there's going to be that whole final battle with the most evil wizard of all time. Yes, Voldemort is back trying to kill Harry. Again. This may not seem like the kind of thing a rising political power would want to do, especially when they continually fail to achieve their aim. Just accept it – you did for the first four books.