Sunday 17 July 2011

Harry Potter Reflection/Memories

So, ah, the girls and I accidentally let a certain group of centaurs loose on Umbridge. They've taken her deep into the forest and we thought it would be... er, safest... if we left her there. The bright side is... NO MORE OF THAT WRETCHED TOAD-FACED MONSTER! We're done with Moldy Voldy too since you know, that MOVIE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS killed him off. Tadaaaa! Today I'm going to be sharing some more personal experiences regarding the Harry Potter series, so here goes.

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On Saturday when the final scene of Harry Potter had been acted out and the curtain had drawn (figuratively speaking, of course) I was hit with an understanding that was it. It was so final, so absolute and I was devastated because I wasn’t ready to let go of this world yet. There weren’t going to be any more adventures with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The villain had finally been defeated but instead of a sense of relief, all I felt was loss. Harry Potter has been such a huge part of my life for years and, to be honest, I doubt that it will ever leave. It has a special place reserved in my heart and even if the final movie has played, I will continue to read the books, cherish the characters and feel the magic until the very end.
When I first came across Harry Potter, I was already a reader. Granted, my brand of literature at the time consisted mainly of the Mary-Kate and Ashley books, but I still enjoyed reading. One day in class, we had a free reading period and I wandered over to the bookshelves. Sitting there on the shelf was a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I picked it up because it was the most pristine novel on the shelf appearance-wise (which isn’t saying much) and there appeared to be a flying car – cool!

I read it. I loved it. A few weeks later, I had flown to England and was staying with relatives. We went to the bookstore and I immediately grabbed copies of the first and third books to read while I was travelling with my grandparents in Switzerland. Since we were taking a tour bus from England to Switzerland, I had plenty of time to read my new books. So I did – again and again and again. I can’t even remember how many times I read those two little books but I did and each time was as good as the last.

I remember when the seventh book was due to come out. It was the first time I had preordered a book and on the day it released, I woke up early and stalked the entryway of my house, just waiting for someone to show up at the door with that package. I waited and I waited but nothing came. By that point, I was getting desperate even though in reality, I’d only been waiting minutes. My mom told me that when she had gone shopping that morning, she’d seen the book and considered getting it anyway just because she knew I wouldn’t want to wait (I guess she ended up thinking I could do with some patience? LOL). The book finally came when I was eating lunch which I promptly abandoned to read. It just so happens that on that day, my mom was leaving for a five-week trip in India. I was outraged because my dad told me to leave the book at home while we dropped my mom off at the airport. I don’t even think I gave her a proper good-bye because I was so preoccupied with thoughts of the novel waiting for me at home. (Since then, I’ve discovered I do in fact love my mom more than Harry Potter – just saying.)

There have been so many special moments related to Harry Potter in my life. In grade three, we played Quidditch on scooter boards, class versus class (we were Gryffindor) and it was so much fun even though I sucked. We totally would have won, too – our seeker had SKILLS – except this jerk decided to tell the teacher he wanted to play seeker for our final match (against Slytherin – no one had wanted to be Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had dropped out) and we ended up losing the cup.

I’ve had dreams about the series and tried to convince everyone I know to read it. I’ve dragged my family off to every movie (even though my dad has fallen asleep in every single freaking one) and even got my mom and sister to read the series (they loved it – it’s wonderful to be right).

So, no – I won’t be forgetting about this series for a long time (read: ever). It will always be important to me and represent my childhood and that feeling of wonder, amazement and magic. I’ll dream of being sorted by a talking hat (into Hufflepuff) and wait for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts to be delivered by owl. I’ll read the books again and talk about them even if everything has already been said.

Goodbye, Harry Potter. Except… it’s not the end.
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6 comments:

  1. He falls asleep during Harry Potter movies? I'm thinking that must take some talent, because I don't think I could do it. Scooter board Quidditch sounds like a blast, though!

    I nagged both my parents to read the books -- they eventually gave in. And loved them. For around a week all my mom would do was go around with her nose in those books -- which is funny, since she typically tells me to stop doing that. Awesome post!

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  2. Ah, lucky you. No one in my family likes Harry Potter. Not that they ever gave it a chance. I got into HP in 2001 and my mother always says it's a stupid children's story bla bla bla and refused to buy me the books so I had to borrow from friends. I tell her she's a muggle. :D The first book that I bought was DH when it came out in English and then I bought the other 6 when I turned 18.

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  3. I don't think anyone can forget this series! I know I won't (ever :P). And like you said, I'm gonna keep talking about them over and over, because I know that each time I read the books it'll all feel just as exciting as the first time. So, it's not the end, because I'll always remember this series - even when I'm old and don't even remember my own name, I'll remember Harry Potter :P.

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  4. Jenna: I know! When I asked how he possibly could have fallen asleep in the last one, he just said it would have been a better storyline if Hermione or Ginny died O_O The same thing happened with my mom which was great since she's not a reader at all.

    Mimz: Aw, that sucks! At least you had a friend that could lend you the books :)

    Liz: NEVER EVER. Can't say it better than that :)

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  5. SERIOUSLY?!? YOU GOT YOUR WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED?!? Mannn, I read the books to my brother and my sister watches the movies but that's it.

    And I like ho you recounted your journey with Harry in this post. I was literally at a loss of words when I sat down to write my Sunday post. But I love that you, Liz, and Brodie have summed up everything so beautifully.

    Long live Harry Potter :)

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  6. "Since then, I’ve discovered I do in fact love my mom more than Harry Potter" LOL I think she'll be relieved to hear that!

    Another beautifully written post summing up just... how amazing this series is. Amazing is such an inadequate word, isn't it? How could your dad fall asleep?!?! I've tried for years to coerce my mum, but sadly the first ever time she saw a glimpse of a Potter movie, it was Dobby slamming his head on a desk. And no amount of explaining Dobby's situation would convince her it was good. I shall not repeat her comments when I was tearful over his death (something to the effect of 'did he suffer brain damage from hitting his head so much?' *insert cruel laughter*)! *sniffs*

    Sigh, it's been such a incredible ride. It's a nice feeling to know we will all be united for the rest of our lives by the series that shaped many of our childhoods. Love live the boy who lived! And Huffies Unite! <3

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