See, that's the exact mentality I have towards books. I was really annoyed when Dumbledore died (and not to mention a little heartbroken, I swear) but I knew that Rowling had killed him off for a reason that was vital to the progression of the story, and his death served its role well. I don't mean to be awkward but I have to use the example of Stephenie Meyer and the events of Breaking Dawn; she built it up so much and then at the end, such an insignificant character died. A character that was mentioned like, what? Six times? And was only seen once? It was ridiculous. Rowling understood, like you said, that people die when the going gets tough and I'm glad she did the right thing in her mind and made the story much more powerful. It did annoy me that she just casually mentioned how Tonks and Lupin had died, but I guess you can't fit every single detail in. Who were your favourites, by the way? My most favourite character was Voldemort. D:
Voldemort's return was obvious, yes, and to be honest, I can't relate when people say that they thought the book was shocking and whatnot. I was phased by it, yes, but on a much more personal level, but the actual content seemed unsurprising, I guess? Maybe I'm just weird like that. :/