Summary:
A speculation of what the end of the Harry Potter franchise symbolizes for all of us-in honor of the opening day of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
The End. The end of more than 10 years of following the adventures of one of the most influential fictional characters in the world.
Harry Potter. We all watched Harry grow up in the most unusual way-through the pages of a book. You were there, I was most definitely there, when we all first flipped open the the very first book, then untouched by the magical world of witches and wizards. Did any of us know how immersed we would become in his world, how entrapped we would be by the pages of a book? No, we didn't, but now we are. We are because Harry Potter's story is not just a simple children's story read by little kids who haven't grown up yet. His world is complex and mystical, and holds so many secrets that we can only begin to imagine. His story is a coming-of-age tale that symbolizes all that is good, all that is pure, and all that is strong.
You were there when Harry got his first letter. You were there when Harry met his first wizard, and entered Diagon Alley for the first time. You were there when he first entered Hogwarts and when he put on the Sorting Hat. We read about how Harry made his first friend, how Harry made his first enemy, and how Harry took down his first opponent. We were all there for the beginning of Harry's story, and we were all there for the end. We were there when Harry grieved for Sirius, when he saw Dumbledore face his mortality, and felt the tears that fell from his eyes when he dug Dobby's grave. All of our heart's broke when Ron touched the subject of Harry's family, and could feel his absence rather than read it. All of our eyes teared when Ron screamed for Hermione in Malfoy Manor. You were there when Harry invaded Gringotts (come on, you all saw it coming) and escaped on a dragon. You felt the hope of Dumbledore's Army when they returned to Hogwarts, and felt the emptiness when Fred's days were numbered short.
If you didn't once cry while reading the books, I've got to ask you how? The last book alone was overly emotional and deep. Did your eyes not water when you learned of Remus and Tonks death? When you realized: the last of the Marauders-gone. Did you not feel the pity when you saw young Colin Creevey dead in Neville Longbottom's arms? Did the sympathy not overtake you when Snape was killed by his master? Did the realization come over you when you and Harry seeped through Snape's memories and realized he was Dumbledore's man through and through? We were all there when Harry realized he was a horcrux, and we all watched, heartbroken, as our hero walked to meet his death. We were there when the hazy, ghostly images of his parents and closest relatives disappeared, and left him alone at Voldemort's mercy. We were both there when Hagrid called out to Harry, and when Hagrid sobbed over Harry's dead body.
You must have felt your heart fill with hope once more when Harry met Dumbledore at Kings Cross-the most perfect symbolism of the beginning of Harry wizarding life. You felt your mind reach out and pray for Rowling's brilliance and excellent use of loopholes. We all cheered together when Molly Weasley took down Bellatrix Lestrange ("Not my daughter, you BITCH!"), which personally, was much to close to Sirius' own death. We all saw the wonder and terror on everyone's face when Harry revealed himself, and challenged Voldemort. You were all there when Rowling revealed her last stroke of brilliance, and revealed to you everything if you had not figured it out yourselves. When Harry, armed only with his trademark spell "Expelliarmus!", took down the most dangerous wizard of all time, because of a rebounding curse. When you met the Next Generation, and your heart filled with hope because the the legend of Harry Potter would live on through his children, and their children afterward.
Rowling touched a place only so many authors can reach. Millions of children and adults alike bonded with the complex characters that Rowling had developed through all seven years, the plot that only made sense if you were there since the start. I do not remember another book series that has a bigger fan base, another book series that has so many anticipating each and every movie that is to be released (and don't any of you think Twilight). Harry Potter introduced magic in a way that was so different, so special, yet somehow connected with our own hazy images of witches and witchcraft. Personally, I will forever praise Rowling on how she managed to incorporate brooms into the her own version of the wizarding word, a symbol that had, for as long as I remember, always been connected to witches. And Avada Kedavra? I hope I am not the only one that loved how similar that is to abracadabra. Amazing.
The characters in Harry Potter all have such depths that explain their actions, why they did everything they did. The loyalty that Harry, Hermione and Ron truly shows the extremes friendships can be stretched to. The Weasley family and the relationship between Sirius and Harry catches how strong family ties are, and that family will never truly betray you. The wizarding world will forever fascinate me, for how thorough it was. Rowling was not afraid to make prejudice, stereotypes, and mistreatment a clear problem in the wizarding world. Rowling not only stretched reality and life as far as she could, but she also took the step over to the other side, and made her characters come to peace with the deaths of their close friends and family.
The characters in Harry Potter taught kids like myself that in the face of destruction and hardship, you have to stay strong and fight for what you believe in. The Weasleys taught us all that money doesn't mean everything. Hermione Granger made us realize that street smarts are just as important as book smarts. Remus Lupin made us all see that we should judge people on who they are, and not what they are. Sirius Black showed us exactly how strong a friendship could be. Hagrid made us see that not all things big and strong are scary. Neville reminded us that it is hard to stand up to our enemies, and even harder to stand up to our friends. Professor McGonagall showed us that even the strictest of us are soft on the inside. Albus Dumbledore made us realize that even the wisest of us can make horrible mistakes. Even in death, Mr and Mrs Potter taught us that the last enemy defeated is death. Severus Snape showed us that love conquers all, and Harry Potter showed us the difference between hiding from death, and standing headstrong and accepting your fate. Harry Potter made us realize that the only way to live life fully was to own up to your fears. The only way to live long was to accept your own mortality. And that the only way to live right was to realize the difference between what was right, and what was easy.
There will be no more midnight releases, no more movie trailers, no more books. Today symbolizes the end of an era-an era of magic and mystery, of laughter and pain. Harry Potter is not just the title character in a book. He is so much more. We joined him when he was a young boy, just then bordering onto the age of eleven, symbolizing the innocence and pureness of all things good. We left him as a hardened young man, who symbolized everything strong and noble in all things good. The change did not come with his coming-of-age, because there was no definite moment in which he changed. Throughout all the hardships that Harry went through and survived, he continued to symbolize so many of the characteristics and virtues that so many people must wish they could measure up to-he would give up everything to save the people he loves. Harry will continue to symbolize these things long after his journey ends, because the legend of Harry Potter will never end-it lives on inside of me, inside you, and expands with everything that is written in the world of Harry Potter fanfiction.
I will cry when I watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I did cry when I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Because this movie is not just a movie, it is not just the end of the seventh book. This movie represented the end of more than 10 years of following the adventures of one of the most impressive fictional figures in the entire world. This is the end of an era that changed the minds of many. Only someone as genius as J.K. Rowling would think of such a beautiful and wonderful world. Ten years ago, anyone who heard Rowling's thoughts or storylines would have thought she was completely out of her mind! But now, you go up to any person on the street and ask their opinion on the 'Boy Who Lived', one thing that would definitely come to everyone's mind is 'he has a lightning scar'. Lightning scars are practically trademark to Harry Potter now! J.K. Rowling's wonderful idea that started at a train station has left a mark on our world that will never leave. It'll never leave because we all will never want it to leave. So, thank you J.K. Rowling. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
Mischief Managed