Harry Potter and Me
Posted By Kathleen David on July 15, 2011
Today I am going to see the last installment of the Harry Potter films. I know what is going to happen since I read the books. I am looking forward and also kind of sad at the end of something that has been in my life for about 13 years. But the books are still there to be read, so it really don’t end.
It started for me when I work at Borders in the children’s department. The manager of the store knew I was a very fast reader so she wanted me to read this new book from Scholastic so someone on the floor could be asked questions by parents about the book since there was going to be a push for this one. She gave me the galley for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I stayed up rather late reading the whole thing in one shot not because I had to, but because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I told my manager the next day that this was going to be a hit with kids but I had no idea at the time how big a hit it was going to be.
Harry Potter, to my mind, will always be the books that made Ariel a reader. She had been having some problems with reading and had been working with a very nice tutor to work through those problems. But when Peter informed her that he was not going to read the book to her a third time, she buckled down and read it to herself because she wanted to experience the story again. After that she and books became really good friends.
When we heard that Warner Brothers had gotten the movie rights, we cheered because there was a Warner Brothers store in the mall near us and that means, if it held true to form, there would be lots of Harry Potter merchandize to be had. Before that there were a couple of t-shirts but not much else and nothing in adult sizes. This turned out to be bitter sweet since the movie came out about the time that AOL shut down all the Warner Brothers stores. So we got our Harry Potter stuff at an insane discount and said good bye to a really fun store at the same time.
We didn’t go to a midnight showing of the first film, but we did see it the first day. Ariel was enchanted by it. Peter and I were impressed at how much they had managed to cram into the film from the books and that it did feel like Harry Potter. We saw it a couple of times and enjoyed it each time.
By the fourth book, we went to the stores at midnight to get the book and we got multiple copies so we could all read it. Peter caused a bit of a ruckus at San Diego the year the last book came out. He was late for a panel and explained that he had been finishing the last Harry Potter novel and then proceeded to say “Show of hands, who cried when Hermione died in Ron’s arms at the end?” The place erupted between the laugher of those who knew he was making it up out of thin air and those who hadn’t finished the book yet and were not happy at spoilers being given. One couple he saw was a man and a woman. The woman was turning six shades of red while the husband was assuring her that Peter was making this up and that didn’t happen in the book and he should know since he finished the book.
Since then we have met a bunch of the actors from the films. We have done sketches at conventions in the Masquerade based on Harry Potter (like Snapes on a Plane). I have built puppets based on the characters including a Dobbie puppet that we used at a Harry Potter Roast at LunaCon. And introduced another person to the world of Harry Potter.
Caroline had experienced the Potter phenomenon through the films. We have started to read her the books but since she wanted to see the last film, we figured that was the fastest way to get her up to speed. So she has gone through all the films. She went to the Harry Potter exhibit where she was sorted into Gryffindor which she was quite pleased with. She has a wand that Olivander sent her (long story involving a buddy who can be seen at Universal playing the character). She is looking forward to see the film with us.
It will be a little sad saying good-bye to all the characters again. I am happy that the same set of actors have been playing the kids since day 1 so they get to tell the whole story.
But Harry Potter the phenomenon will live and grow. Time magazine even had an article recently on fanfic and Harry Potter. People will flock to the Harry Potter section of Universal. New kids will read the books and see the movies. I think Mr. Potter is here to stay like Alice and Dorothy along with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew and other childhood classics.
I am grateful for all the lovely things Harry Potter has brought into my life.
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