Alrighty...I accidentally wrote out this huge thing...you don't have to read it all..or any of it. lol It is basically depicting my encounter with Harry Potter.
“It Is Our Choices, Harry, That Show What We Truly Are, Far More Than Our Abilities”
While there are many things which Harry Potter is made up of one thing is prevalent and emerges with such grace and beauty that we as readers are filled with immense happiness and pride. We are able to sit down and read this story and see the world in a better light than what we had seen before. This story embodies the idea of being selfless, loyal, and brave. It showcases what it means to really care for others and do whatever is necessary to insure that the ones you love are safe and cared for. It shows what values a family has and what can make up a family. Harry Potter is able to show what it means to be part of a bigger plan and picture. One can read these books and know that “it is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more that our abilities” and have us believe it. Harry Potter is an amazing story which will forever live in the hearts and minds of those who were able to be a part of “Pottermania” and grow up anticipating the release of the next book. Those who would preorder the books months in advance and go stand in lines at book stores for hours so they could be the firsts to get their hands on the book. A group of people who would sit down and read a book all the way through in one sitting-not taking time to sleep and reading while eating and get through the book and cry. A group of people who formed such connections and bonds with characters that when they died, were hurt, or in peril they cried just as if a family member or friend were in the same circumstance. These books inspired more than just a story to read; they inspired everlasting friendships, a way to understand each other, a way to understanding who we are and what we are capable of, and a way to cope with the world. Harry Potter did a lot for my generation and I am proud to call myself a “Pott-head” and a Harry Potter fanatic.
I began reading Harry Potter in the first-grade which was back in 1998. The first book was read to my first grade class in Library for the first part of my first-grade year. I don’t remember much about that time except for the immense desire to go to Library and not want to leave when it was time to go. I was entranced by the magic that book had and wanted more. I loved it! Everything about the book caught my attention and brought me immense joy. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Philosophers Stone) was first published in the United States on September 1st 1998 and was slow to gain status but my librarian at the time had read it and thought it was a fun read for students. She read us the entire book that year and I remember going up to her and asking to check the book out the second she was finished reading it to us. I wanted to read it for myself and be able to read as much or as little as I wanted on my own in one sitting. She told me the book was too difficult for me and to try something else. I was adamant about it and she eventually gave in and I was able to check it out. I don’t remember much about my first time reading the book on my own but I do remember that when I finished I could not wait for the second one.
“In dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own.” ~Steven Kloves (screenplay), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
The second novel, Chamber of Secrets, came out the following summer, summer of ’99 and it too was read to my second grade class that summer and that fall. I again was ready to dive into the book like it was a swimming pool. Never had I read a book that held my attention like these nor kept me wanting more. I have always loved reading and at that time was reading every book my teachers would give to me. I found that reading gave me a place to go outside of my world and I was able to pretend to be someone else for a short time and all my problems would simply fade away. Up until second-grade and the reading of the Chamber of Secrets, I had never found a book that was able to completely take me out of my shoes and let me relax for a while. In a way Harry was an answer to my unsaid prayers and I believe he saved me from becoming insane. From then on I was hooked and I read and reread the books many times. I waiting very impatiently for the new books to come out and for me they could not come fast enough. Eventually if a book came out every day that would not have been quick enough or good enough for me. I was able to sit down and read the first three novels in one sitting and want to move on to the next one. I found I had to pace myself to keep from going crazy with anticipation for the next novel.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” ~J.K. Rowling, "King's Cross," Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
When I read the third novel, Prisoner of Azkaban, I was immediately taken with the different style it was written in. The story did not focus solely on Voldemort and the atrocities he had committed and J.K Rowling made the story more about Harry. This was very pleasing for me because I associated a lot with Harry and it felt like Jo was writing about me. At the end when I found that Sirius was Harry’s godfather and that he loved Harry I felt as if I had found a father who loved me. It was odd to sit and read about an event that I desperately wanted to happen for me. It was an event I had imagined for myself on many occasions and when I had read what Jo had written I felt as if she was writing for me. After reading this novel it immediately became my favorite and I reread it over and over again. Some could say that I had forgotten about the other books and that was the only one I cared about. I’m sure if anyone was paying any attention to what I was doing they could say that book was attached to me for a long time.
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ~J.K. Rowling, "Padfoot Returns," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, spoken by the character Sirius Black
It was about a year jump from the release of Azkaban to the release of Goblet of Fire. Azkaban was released on September 1st 1999 and Goblet of Fire (GoF) was released on July 8th of 2000. By this point I was able to read the books without any difficulty and I was able to obtain a copy of each of the published books. For me GoF was a “mother” book-which basically meant it was huge! I had never read a book that long and at 636 pages I was not sure if I was going to be able to read it all. I was however able to read the book in a decent time span (a week I think) and it was the first time I cried in the series. I had come close to crying in Azkaban when Sirius leaves Harry and he has to go back to the Dursley’s but nothing could amount to the grief I felt when Cedric dies in the Graveyard. I could not believe that he had been killed and that Voldemort had returned. I was initially very upset about the whole thing. I was upset with Jo for writing it that way and for killing someone else in Harry’s life. I was upset that even with all of Harry’s attempts he still could not stop Voldemort from returning and above all else I was upset that she left things so unresolved. I was furious that I had no idea what was going to happen and what was going to be done to stop Voldemort. Needless to say I, even at age 9, was very solid on my feelings for Harry and at that point I believe I became a true “Pott-head”.
“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” ~J.K. Rowling, "King's Cross," Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
Now when the fifth novel, Order of the Phoenix, came out (June 21st, 2003) I had somewhat forgotten about my fascination with Harry. It had been three years since the publication of the last one and my favorite protagonist had slowly made his way to the back of my mind. I still read the books sometimes but mostly I had moved on to other novels and was more focused on “real” life. It was not until Christmas of 2003 after I had moved to Kansas that I read the fifth novel. I had found the book by accident in the school’s library and remembered how much I had loved the previous books. I checked it out and read it over the holiday. Needless to say I read the book and many things happened; one of which was I could not remember some of the details from the previous books, so I had to reread them again. And secondly and most importantly this book fixed my fascination with the series and my obsession was never the same again. Order of the Phoenix (OotP) was the longest book written in the series-rolling in at 766 pages it held many surprises for all “Pott-heads”. This book was written in a darker style and every character had been presented with character traits we fans had not seen in them before. Above all else this book held the most depressing scene for me. At the end when Sirius dies I was overcome with more sadness than I had ever before in my life. It was as if my own godfather had passed into that dark black void beyond the archway. I had to set the book down and simply cry and scream for 45 minutes before I could pick it back up and read the rest. I was not even able to read that scene again for a long time. I would read the book and immediately skip over that part because it hurt so much to read it. I still, even at 18 almost 19 years old, have trouble reading that section. I feel as if a part of me is being torn away.
“It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.” ~J.K. Rowling, "The Cave," Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
Now most people who will read this will not have the same connection and obsession with the books as I do and will find the fact that I cry and am hurt by occurrences in these books to be utterly ridiculous but believe me-it’s not. For most of us who love these books the characters became very real to us and we developed friendships with the characters. They were our best friends and loyal companions and we knew we could trust in them to always be there and not change and when one of them was suddenly ripped from us we were caught off guard and were seriously hurt by it. Every time one of the major characters died I cried and hurt and was upset by it for a long time. Sometimes I still am distraught by some of the things that happened in the series and I have read them all over 15 times each. I know the story forward and backward and can write out everyone’s family tree but I still am upset by it all. I even have feelings of absolute loathing for other characters. For example every time I see or hear the name Bellatrix Lestrange I just want to tear her head off. I hate her for the disservice she does to Harry and how she murders Sirius and gloats about it. How she holds Sirius’s death over Harry like a looming full moon and how she adores the dark lord. Oh if there was one character I would love to be real it would be her so I could to take my frustrations out on her and give her a taste of her own medicine. Again you may feel I am insane but believe me this-I am saner because of these feelings than I would be without them.
“Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.” ~J.K. Rowling, "The Parting of the Ways," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
Now after the release of the fifth novel I became a huge Harry Potter fanatic. There never was enough about it to go around. At this point the first two books, Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, had been made into movies. I bought these movies and every time I needed a quick Harry Potter fix I watched them. I did not enjoy them nearly as much as the books but they were at least Harry Potter. I had mixed feelings about them. Firstly I was glad to have a way to quickly and efficiently get my fix and be able to move on and more importantly to have a way to share my Harry Potter fixation with others. I found that while many people would not read the books they were willing to watch the movies so I was able to find some social aspects of it and be able to use that. But I also felt they were robing me of my image of the books. The way I had envisioned Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Fawkes, Hogwarts, and Butterbeer all seemed to be taken away and now the only right way to see them was the way Warner Bros had produced them. It was sad to see my visions slowly die away as they were replaced with the not-so-great depictions of Hollywood. But I soon learned that Harry Potter-The books and Harry Potter-The movies were their own exclusive kinds of Harry and I could enjoy both of them at the same time. It also gave me a chance to enjoy Midnight releases which I had not been able to do with the books.
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ~Steven Kloves (screenplay), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
“It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world”. ~J.K. Rowling, "Horcruxes," Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005
Finally time came for the release of the publication date for the seventh and final Harry Potter book. It was a bitter sweet moment for me the day I read the date. I was eager to find out what happens and how Voldemort would be finally killed and how all of my fictional friends would deal with the onslaught of hundreds of death eaters and how they would overcome with such great odds piling up in front of them. I wanted to know how it all ended and to know who ended up being okay and who eventually died. I wanted to know if my predictions were true and I wanted to know what Jo’s master plan had been for all of those years. It had been known to the public for some time that Jo had written the final chapter of book 7 before she had written any of the books. She knew where it was headed and had planned it all from the start. She was very good at keeping it from the rest of us and it nearly pained us all to know that she knew the end and we did not. So in a way I could not wait for the release of The Deathly Hallows but in another way I was saddened. It meant the end of a great adventure that had taken me from my darkest days and brought me light. It meant no more exciting first times at reading the books. It meant no more surprises and that the age of Harry Potter was coming to a close. It was sad to think that all of the excitement that went with the books was about over.
“It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.” ~J.K. Rowling, "The Hungarian Horntail," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000
The day the seventh book came out was July 21, 2007. I had again pre-ordered the book and it came in the mail. As soon as I got the book in my hands I ran away from all people and sat down with the book. It was a big moment for me and I just stared at the cover and looked at it in awe. It was the last first time and I wanted to remember what it felt like to sit with the book in my hands before I knew what happened. It was a good feeling and I think I will always remember what I felt holding that book. I read that book about as quickly as I could muster and at the end I again cried. I cried not because I was sad but because it had ended in the only way it could have and I had closure that I thought I would not have. I was happy with the way it had ended and I was delighted that Harry was not alone. Lupin did in fact die but not before he was able to name Harry the godfather of his son Teddy and that filled me with total happiness to know that Harry would be able to provide comfort to the son of a man who had provided him with the same comfort. It was like the circle of life had begun again. Families were formed and friendships were shown to have lasted the test of time, evil, and hurt. It was everything that I had wanted for my beloved friends so I closed the book at ease and cried silently.
“You place too much importance... on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!” ~J.K. Rowling, "The Parting of the Ways," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
I had grown up with Harry Potter at my side. The first book was read to me as a 6 year old in first-grade and the final book I read as a sophomore in High School. It was a journey that had taken the characters 7 books to do and me nearly 9 years to follow along with. In those near 9 years I was able to find solace and comfort in the books with characters that I identified with and with a story that gave me a chance to escape the realities of life. The novels showed me love, friendship, self-sacrifice, honor, courage, rebirth, loyalty, family, hope, happiness, joy and sadness. They gave me things which I will never forget and will always have.
In the end of it all I found that living inside books was not something that I had to do. While I loved the books and while they had helped me through so much I knew that what I needed to do was take the lessons I had learned from the books and apply them to my life. I don’t know if I ever would have gotten to the point I am now without the help from these books and the lessons within so I thank J.K. Rowling for creating such a fantastic piece of work which was able to hole me together in the darkness and keep me from losing myself.
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.” ~J.K. Rowling, "The Mirror of Erised," Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore
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