[my] Harry Potter, Part 2

The other day I realized how bad of a blogger I've become. Harry Potter was almost two weeks ago, and yet I only managed to write half of what I wanted to say. Tsk tsk, I fail.

Part 2: Growing Up With Harry Potter

If you're a Harry Potter fan around my age, you know that the last movie installment in the Harry Potter series means more than just the closing of a series. It was a physical symbol of the end of our childhood.

I first read the book at either the end of 3rd grade or the beginning of 4th, and I hated it. Near the end of 4th grade, I gave it another go. I remember eating the book up; unable to stop myself from turning page after page after page. I also remember having to put the book down to set the table when I reached the chapter titled "Quidditch." I read the second book soon after, and then the third. When 5th grade rolled around, the first movie came out. I don't know how I ended up seeing it, my parents probably thought I'd be interested and decided to take me. But I do remember a few things from seeing the first movie:

• Even at my young tender age of 10, I knew that the actor who played Snape was awesome. I didn't know his name, but I remember being incredibly intrigued by him. Now it's warped into a full-scale Alan Rickman obsession.
• I thought Draco Malfoy was attractive. Draco has since become one of my favorite characters, and I still think Tom Felton is attractive.
• I discovered that Dumbledore was old and that Professor McGonagall was a woman (Back story: I am a crappy reader. I thought Dumbledore was a  young headmaster with crescent moon spectacles and that it was Professor McGonall. I really am a crummy reader.)
• I remember coming home and feeling something that cinema rarely makes me feel- indescribable. I was excited, obsessed, and I fell in love with the Harry Potter series even more.

I showed up at midnight at Wal Mart with Marley to buy The Order of the Phoenix the summer after 6th grade. We tried to stay up and read it, but it didn't work. Once again, as a crummy reader, I reached the end of the book and didn't understand a thing that happened. I had to wait a while and reread it. It has since become my second-favorite book in the series.

The Half-Blood Prince came out when I was on the Trek, so I had to wait a week to read it. I reached the end of the chapter in which Dumbledore dies and thought I had imagined what I read. I flipped back to the beginning of the chapter and read it again. When I finished that chapter again, I could barely see through my puffy eyes. 

The fourth movie came out soon after, and it was the first movie I went to opening day (although not to a midnight showing). I counted down the days on a whiteboard in my room, right next to a bowling score I was proud of at the time. 

Two years passed when the seventh book finally came. After waiting for a few hours in Wal Mart, I got home and went straight to bed. I awoke early in the morning and read, read, read. It took me 17 hours to read, and I was in tears. I sobbed when Hedwig died. When Moody died. When Dobby died. When everyone died. The worst one for me was Fred. I had to put the book down and calm myself enough before I could start reading again. 

With only midnight showings and no more books, my Harry Potter world was perpetuated for a few more years until The Deathly Hallows Part 2 came along a few weeks ago. One of the reasons I cried in the movie was because I hit a moment of realization that my childhood was over. It was as if Ron, Hermione, Harry and I had grown up together without actually being together. Their progression, both as characters and actors, reflected my childhood, adolescence, and transition into adulthood. We were pubescent together, we were awkward together, we dealt with crushes and emotions together, and we battled evils together. They even had the terrible shaggy hair in the Goblet of Fire when it was popular at my school. I know Daniel, Rupert, and Emma don't know me, but I know them and I'm glad that they've immortalized my growing up into film. And I'm even more glad that JK Rowling will forever have captured a decade of my life in her magical writings. 

Harry Potter was never just a craze; it is the defining story of my generation. The generation that was taught to value friendship, honesty, bravery and loyalty amidst all the evil and darkness in the world. A generation that was taught that you must believe in yourself, and most of all, that love will always conquer in the end. So as I say good-bye to the ultimate symbol of my childhood, I welcome in the rest of my life and all the adventures that are to come. Thanks Jo, for giving me a magical decade that will always be the highlight of my childhood. 

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" ~Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

BONUS:

My Favorite Characters

Ronald Weasley

#1 Reason I love This Character: He's a ginger.

Ron has always been one of my favorite characters. First of all, everything that can go wrong in Ron's life will go wrong. I think I like him because so many unfortunate things happen to him. His wand breaks (which leads to a slew of problems, including vomiting up slugs), his pet rat is actually a killer in disguise, his owl is deranged and pathetic, he crashes his family's car into a tree, he breaks his ankle, his favorite Quidditch hero dates the girl he likes, he is forced to wear terrible second-hand dance robes, he is attacked by a tentacled brain in the Department of Mysteries, he accidentally ingests a strong love potion and later gets poisoned, he gets splinched, his brother gets killed, etc. No matter what happens, Ron always stays loyal in the end. But I can't lie, I love him because he's a ginger.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

Draco Malfoy

#1 Reason I Love This Character: His overall pathetic-ness. 

The whole Malfoy family falls under the same personality type: arrogant and showy, but quite pathetic under the surface. Malfoy is showy, boastful and threatens Harry, but when it comes down to the wire, he really wimps out or cripples under the pressure. I feel bad for Draco, really, but I find his character fascinating. As obnoxious and irritating as he is towards Harry, he redeems himself through moments such as when Harry is trapped in Malfoy Manor and Draco knows it's Harry but tells Bellatrix that he's not sure. And my favorite moment in The Deathly Hallows Part 2 was when they're in the Room of Requirement, and after acting like a tough guy, he finds himself in tears when he's about to fall in a cursed fire. Draco, you have my pity.

"My father will hear about this!"

Neville Longbottom

#1 Reason I Love This Character: He kicks ass

For those of you who haven't seen the last movie, you haven't gotten the full effect of Neville. We started off knowing Neville as a dweeby, chubby little kid whose only academic strength was Herbology. As his character progresses, he becomes more noble, proud of his family, brave and more sure of himself. Often used as a comic relief, Neville Also has incredibly touching moments which really make you admire him. In the last movie, you can't help but clap when he slices Nagini's head clean off. Go Neville! 

"I feel like I can spit fire!"

Severus Snape

#1 Reason I Love This Character: ALAN RICKMAN.

Actually, there's more to Snape than just Alan Rickman, but we all know that I am way too obsessed with Alan. Snape is the character that in the end, we all hate to love. Throughout 6 1/2 books, we all loathed Snape for his extreme dislike and cruelty towards Harry. I know I hated him even more after he killed Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince. But somehow, after over six years of cruelty to Harry, Snape redeems himself and proves to be one of the most powerful wizards of all time. Snape is one of, if not the most complex characters in the Harry Potter series. The slow revelation of who he truly is and what his motives are is touching and heart-wrenching. After everything is said and done, his character is the most intriguing and shocking. And not to mention, he is portrayed by none other than Alan Rickman. I believe this to be one of the most perfect casting choices of all time. 

"Look... at... me."