My love affair with the Boy Who Lived

“And you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.” This is the seventh dedication J.K. Rowling writes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This isn’t just one of those meaningless or inside joke kind of dedications. I truly felt Jo, as she is affectionately known, was writing that dedication to me.

            Harry Potter is not just a worldwide phenomenon, movie franchise, record-breaking book series, a theme park or the Star Wars of this generation. Harry has been there for me through my entire life. He has filled my life with so many memories. In a way, he made my life worth living. The first part of the finale movie releases in one week, and I couldn’t be more excited.

As I turn 19 on the very day Harry starts to say goodbye to the world, I can see the page of my childhood turning. The new movie release has me feeling nostalgic not only about my childhood, but also about my love affair with the Boy Who Lived.

In part, I have two people to thank for helping me to love this series. My Aunt Kathleen first introduced me to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as a six year old. She told my mom about a new book that was taking Britain by storm.

My mom then bought the small paperback and began reading it to me every night. She is the other person I must thank. She fell in love with the complex characters and clever story line. She instilled this love in me. I remember listening to the first chapter of the first book and thinking how truly different this book was from anything I had ever heard before. If only I knew then what an impact it would have on my life in coming years.

My next memory takes me to second grade where I read the third book during free time in class. My teacher was so impressed I was reading a book of that size for a second grader.

Then in third grade, I was Cho Chang for Halloween with a blue Ravenclaw Quidditch cloak. I even had a Harry Potter birthday party. My invitation and cake did not have the commercial Harry Potter images because it wasn’t popular yet. I was ahead of the game.

In fourth grade the first movie came out near my birthday. I went to see it with my parents. I remember getting goose bumps as the whole world I had imagined in my head so many times came to life on the screen. I received the movie soundtrack for my birthday and listen to it to this day.

The next few years are a blur with Harry, but deep down he was always there. He was always in the constant search for himself and was fighting the fate that made him who he was. I loved every little twist and turn, every new character, every triumph and every new disappointment.

When the sixth book came out, I was in Atlanta, GA, for a wedding, but I made my parents find the nearest bookstore so I could go buy it. I then read it in a week, which is actually a long time in the world of Harry Potter; some people read the books in a day or less.

Then it started coming to an end. The seventh book was released on July 21, 2007. I went to the midnight release party at Barnes and Noble with my two best friends and my very tired mother. I still count this as one of the best days of my life. Something about that night was so magical (pun intended).

I finished the seventh book in Hawaii looking out toward the ocean at the sunset. I don’t think I could have closed my time with the book Harry any better, except maybe if I was at Hogwarts itself.

Now it is time to start saying goodbye for real. The movies that have recreated Rowling’s creative genius into a touching and exciting adventure are ending. The three actors that portray the series’ lead characters are being interviewed about life after Potter. But what about the rest of the kids in the world who have carried Harry with them their whole lives? What do we do? Is there life after Potter? I’ll let you know next summer when the final installment comes out on July 15, 2011.

So yes, that dedication was for me, because I have stuck with Harry until the very end. And I hope you have too.

Me, as Ginny Weasley, and some friends, Harry, Voldemort and Elmo included, before the sixth movie premiere in 2009.