I never thought today would come.
Unfortunately, I'm not referring to a Bengals' Superbowl victory. I am, in fact, referring to the midnight release of the final installment of the Harry Potter series.
How do I even begin to explain what Harry Potter has meant to me over the years? When I look back, I realize that the series has been an incredibly important part of my formative years. I've read all seven books (most multiple times) and seen all of the movies (most at midnight). I've made Harry-Potter-themed t-shirts with friends and brought wands to a movie. I've waited for hours at bookstores for the release of new books. I've stayed up all night long, unable to put the new books down and insistent on finishing them for fear of someone spoiling the ending. I've eaten Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, made fake pumpkin juice, and bought a Sirius Black t-shirt. I've tattooed fake lightning bolts on my forehead and attended local Harry Potter festivals. I've visited Platform 9 3/4 in London and fantasized about a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The books have made me laugh. They've made me cry. They've made me angry, nervous, and excited. I've grown to love the characters. I realized long ago that I am Hermione Granger. I love Ron Weasley and his twin brothers. If I lived in the wizarding world, my celebrity athlete crush would definitely be Victor Krum. Oliver Wood is as passionate about playing his sport as I am about watching mine. I wanted to kill Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange. I made fun of Harry's emo stage (circa Order of the Phoenix), didn't like Cho Chang, and rooted not-so-secretly for Ginny. I always knew Snape was innocent, cried when Dumbledore died, sobbed when Dobby died, and I can't even talk about what's going to happen tonight. I watched Darren Criss's A Very Potter Musical and literally screamed when Ron and Hermione kissed. The books have taken me to incredible places that could never exist, but that I wished desperately did. The movies have done a wonderful job of doing the books justice and I feel like I've grown up alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. I've even developed crushes on some of the actors (HELLO Malfoy and Neville Longbottom).
However, when I look back, it's not the festivals, the movies, the food, the shirts, or even the books that make Harry Potter so special to me. It's the reliability of it all. Harry Potter has been one of the most constant things throughout my childhood. While everything was changing around me, I always had Harry Potter to rely on, as my fall-back, as a constant. No matter what happened, when everything in my life was changing, I always had Harry Potter. Through friends moving away, high school graduation, falling in and out of love, going to college, falling away from old friends and making new ones, Harry Potter has always been there.
Even though nothing in my life seemed certain, even though everything seemed to be changing, Harry Potter kept me company, provided me with comfort, and allowed me to have some stability in my life. I always had something to look forward to - a new book, a new movie - and something to discuss with both loved ones and strangers.
Tonight, however, is my last taste of something new. There will never be another book. There will never be another movie. This is officially the end of the most important series of my generation...and, in a way, it symbolizes the end of my childhood. I've graduated from college. I, too, have moved onto the next chapter of my life. It's time to create a new story - my own story.
Although it's tough to say goodbye, I know it's finally time. This chapter of my life may be over, but it certainly isn't the end. I have much, much more to write.
It's comforting to know that whenever I need some comfort, whenever I need to feel at home, I can always crack open Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and start the adventure all over again.
So, to JK Rowling, thank you so much for the story, thank you for the comfort, and thank you most of all for the memories. From one Muggle to another, I will never forget it.
Original post written on July 14, 2011.
But, guess what! Warner Bros. recently announced that three more movies based in the Harry Potter universe are on their way! They will be loosely based on Rowling's book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its fictional author, Newt Scamander. I might already be plotting my outfit for the midnight release in 2016...
Couldn't have said it better myself. Glad I got to read this gem from the archives!
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