It All Ends Here

You know what I'm talking about.

Harry Potter.

It's over.

Well, it will never really be over for me. But the point is there will never be anything new to look forward to (unless we count www.pottermore.com).

I grieved and passed through the mourning stage back in 2007 when I finished the seventh book, though, so today wasn't as bad as I thought it might have been. Still, it is sad to see the end of an era, essentially the end of my childhood.

I didn't go to the midnight showing this time, but I still went opening day. Obligatory pictures are below. And yes, I made my Ravenclaw shirt and my sister made her badger shirt. If I have to explain why she is wearing a yellow badger, you aren't my friend anymore.

My sister's boyfriend James, my sister Amanda, and myself rockin' the 3D shades.

The flash on my iPhone was unfortunate. Our faces aren't THAT white, I promise.

I'm super proud to wear my homemade Ravenclaw shirt, and super bummed I couldn't find my lightning bolt earrings.

As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it. Certainly it was better than the sixth movie (which David Yates murdered). The CGI and special effects were SPECTACULAR. Long ago I came to the decision to treat the movies as completely separate from the books, lest I become too obsessive about the discrepancies. I am a superfan of the Harry Potter books. I enjoy the movies as an extension of the books, but not as a replacement or an equivalent.

Anyway, Harry Potter is always my grand send-off for a new school year. Really. I read the first three books, and moved to Texas. The fourth book in Summer 2000 sent me to 8th Grade. I moved to Kansas. The fifth book in Summer 2003 sent me to 11th grade. The sixth book in Summer 2005 moved me to California and sent me to college. The fifth movie and the end of the book series in Summer 2007 sent me to college for my junior year. I moved to Oklahoma. The sixth movie in Summer 2009 sent me to Alaska for the first time, and the eighth movie in Summer 2011 sent me to Alaska for the second time.

You see, Harry has been there for every life change.

And he always will be.

Because I am a nerd, and I'm finally old enough to embrace the nerdiness.


"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" ~J.K. Rowling, HP and the Deathly Hallows