Harry Potter is a huge part of my life, I've always been part of that part of the internet. It was my first fandom, it was who made me who I am, or at least a large part of it. No one can ever understand what it means to those of us who do feel this way. It was the glue in friendship as a kid. We'd go play Hogwarts in the creek, and try to accio Daniel Radcliffe (or Rupert Grint in my case.) We'd did the midnight premiere of every showing (and book) except for the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. (Most of us were already into Harry Potter, we were just 11 and not a full friends group yet.)
My now best friend(Brittany) hated me at the time. Harry Potter is what made us friends. You see, we had the same best friend and were severely jealous of the other. She moved across the street from me and Brittany was spending the night at her place. They came over, Brittany had jelly beans on her teeth and chased me around my house with a knife. She saw my Harry Potter decorated room, and then we decided we'd be friends. From then on our group of outcasts grew, all of us individuals, all of us loved Harry Potter. The late nights spent discussing the future of Neville Longbottom, or what was really up with Snape, secret discussions of Drarry, of how well Luna was cast and anything of the like. The 6th movie was the last one we all saw together. We dressed up and bid our farewells. One of us moved to Hawaii to intern for Andy South. One of us started a family. One settled with her boyfriend. And two of us, Brittany and myself went off to college in a traditional manner. Only Brittany saw the last installment with me.
When people say that it's the end of our childhood, we aren't kidding. This shit is so symbolic. We went out to lunch with most of the group that afternoon, yet only Brittany and I could make it to the film. It really was the end of our childhood. There wasn't the glue of Harry Potter anymore. We had each developed our own lives, all very separate from one another. So this is my explanation to those who make fun of me for crying, caring and loving this series like it was my own. I've never known a life without Harry Potter, and I don't plan to start now.
The purikura is of Brittany and I when she visited :) It adds a happy glow to the post.
Now that HP is done....I feel kinda lost! So I totally know what you mean!!
ReplyDeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of this blog you noted how there are those who care about you through your blogs that you have never met. I am not one of those people. This is the first of your blogs that I have read. And yet I'm holding back tears because of what you wrote. I could write pages describing all the reasons why I loved (and still do love) Harry Potter, from the characters, to the magic, to Hogwarts (which feels like home), but I think the part that bothers me most is the amount of love I felt for it all. It was a love so intense I that I remember stroking the books and holding them as if they were alive. It was the love of childhood; it was a childhood that I loved, and the only thought worse than of it being over, is that it never truly WAS in the first place. I cry because I long for a childhood as good as Harry's, with friends as close as Harry's, and love as much as Harry's, but it's over, like my own childhood, and there will never be a chance to truly have it back. I have read books as good as and better than Harry Potter, but none have felt the same.
Longing for a second chance,
Jonathan H.