Harry Potter Mania

I thought it was fitting to do a post about the amazingness of Harry Potter since Part One of the Deathly Hallows movie was released at midnight today...yesterday? What is the right way to phrase that? Anyways, point is, Harry's back for the second last time.

I know everyone is obsessed with the movie right now, but I thought I would go back to the beginning. Way, way, way back to when I first discovered Harry and J.K. Rowling's magical world.

I would love to say that I stumbled upon it all on my own and told all my friends about it, but I really didn't. (Do you ever feel like that? Wish that you were the first one to discover something that ends up being incredibly, hugely popular?) I was just a bit over the target age group for Harry Potter so none of my friends had ever heard of it. I doubt any of my friends read nearly as much as me, so that's actually really not that surprising. My sister, on the other hand, was the perfect age for these books. (Which is funny now because there was such an uproar with the later books being too "dark" and "scary" for young kids.)

My point...right...my mom's friend told her one day about this amazing series that she was reading to her two daughters and that my mom had to find them for us. So off we go to the library to find the first book in this apparently fantastic series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (because we're in Canada and use the proper title for the first one, the way Rowling intended :) ) And, boy, were we hooked. At this point, the first three had already been published, so we were spoiled and were able to read them one right after another. We were also lucky because it was just before the series absolutely exploded and everyone and their brother was reading them.

My sister and I weren't the only ones in the house who read them either. My mom's boyfriend absolutely loved them too. In fact, the three of us were able to finish the last book in four days. Total. We each read the book in about eight hours. Obsessed much?

I can't believe that the series is finally, totally ending. Yes, I know the books are done, and have been for three and a half years, but these movies are the end for every Potter lover. We've been able to stretch out each book and movie for so long that it's really sad that it's finally going to end. I mean, is it any wonder that Daniel Radcliffe cried when filming wrapped? (though, as an update, they will be doing a re shoot for the epilogue scene over the holidays) It's been thirteen years since the Philosopher's Stone was published in the UK...it'll be hard for all fans to see the end of it.

I'm sorry if this is a bit rambling, but it's difficult to discuss all the facets of such an amazing series. (hmm, potential for more posts in the future?)

My main point is that I love Harry Potter and have since I started reading his very first adventure. I'm glad to have found it, and it's so great to share it with so many other people. I'm happy that it got so many kids (especially boys) to start reading and really fall in love with books. And, I'll be sad when it's all over. It was easy to push off this inevitable end with the last book, because we all knew that there would be more movies, but this is it. Come July it'll all be over. This has taken a bit of a depressing turn...but, here's a happy thought (at least for me!) I'm going to be saving my pennies and plan on flying to Disney World to visit the land of Harry Potter. Anything to stay connected with The Boy Who Lived.