an ode to harry

You probably don't want to read this if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or seen the movie and plan to... but honestly, if you haven't read it- shame on you.

At 5:15pm yesterday I arrived to wait in line with the rest of the Lee bunch for the midnight premier of Harry Potter.

Now, funny pictures aside, it was SUCH a tough thing to watch. I began to sniffle at the very first shot (something I have done since movie 6), and at times throughout the film, the line between sniffles and sobs mayyyyy have been crossed. I have never had a movie watching experience where I felt so much at one time. My favorite parts were 1) the sacking of Severus Snape 2) Snape's death and the subsequent insight into his memories, and 3) Harry's journey into the Forbidden Forest to meet death. The entire experience is phenomenal.

 No, there will never be another Harry Potter book (even though I don't want to believe Jo when she says it), and no, there will never be another movie. Still, for me, Harry Potter is not, nor will it ever be, over. I began reading the books when I was 11, and I turn 23 in a few weeks. That is half of my life that has been invested in this journey.  Harry lives on in the hearts of all of us who love him, children and adults alike, because his story is such a magical one. It reaches a place in our imagination and in our hearts that is rarely touched. I cannot wait until I can share Harry's world with my own children someday. Harry's story  is the story of a generation for those of us who can't really remember life before The Boy Who Lived, and I predict many generations to come will have the same deep rooted sentiments.

To Harry, The Boy Who Lives