In just a few days, the final film will undoubtedly break box office records, but it will also break millions of hearts, young and old, who simply don't want to see the series come to an end. My heart is one of them. To not have something Harry to look forward to will be a dreaded adjustment. At least after the novels, we had the films. Now, we have to say goodbye.
I was the last among all my friends to even know what Harry Potter was--I thought it was a new toy. People kept calling me "Hermione" in class and I thought they were calling me some derogatory name. Even my professor spent a good ten minutes at the beginning of each class all excited about something called Harry Potter coming to film...all I wanted to do was get to that day's assignment and lecture.
My mama introduced me to the Harry Potter series at a time when I truly needed a little magic in my life. You see, I was struggling with the pressure to do what everybody else was doing--what everybody else expected me to do--and the dream of writing a story about a world I created when I was five years old. Though I was writing my story whenever I could, people kept telling me it was a childish thing to do and that I needed to grow up. Couple this with my decision to wait for love and I was a right mess. I spent many nights sad, confused, and lost.
Then, my mama brought me Harry Potter. It's a moment I will never forget, and something I will always share with her. Since then, I have forever captured my childhood world in writing--a world that, at times, was my only escape.
Once completed, I gave the book to my rather surprised mama, who, after reading it straight through, said with tears in her eyes, "This book is my baby girl's soul, and it's absolutely beautiful. What an incredible gift and what an unforgettable story."
I couldn't have heard any greater words than those from my mama.
This is how I will remember Harry Potter.
In the words of Professor Lupin: So, now, I'll say goodbye, Harry. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. 'Til then...mischief managed.