The end.

I'm sure that my wide mass of followers has noticed that I haven't posted on here very much. Hahaha I don't even know who reads this but if you're reading this.. well thanks! :)

I've been busy. I moved, I'm unpacking (still), I went to a few concerts (MONKEES!!!), and the last Harry Potter movie came out. I have so many emotions about that book series that it's not even funny. And it's definitely difficult for me to put them into words but I am going to try.

I remember my mom telling me about this series of books that was beginning to become really popular, looking at the dates now I realize that it was in 1999. It was the summer after 6th grade and I devoured the first three books. I can remember being in my old house, staying up late in my bedroom reading and re-reading the books waiting for the 4th one to come out. I was hooked. Somehow, Rowling was able to take me away from my mundane life and transport me to a world where magic was real and children went to boarding schools to become witches and wizards and I wanted so badly for that world to be my reality.

The next memory I have is going to the Borders in Triangle Square for the midnight release of Goblet of Fire. It was released the night before I was leaving to go to Australia and my friends and I were having a sleep over. I remember there not being a whole bunch of people in the store, we were just waiting around until midnight when they could actually sell us the book. I read the entire book on the flight to Australia, which is a good, long flight.  That was in 2000.

I don't remember going to the midnight release for Order of the Phoenix. For Half-Blood Prince I went with some co-workers after my shift at Jamba Juice in 2005. It was one of the best times. There was a party at Barnes and Noble and I remember going home and reading the whole book straight through and crying. I was so mad and so sad and my world just totally turned upside down after the end of that book. I think it was then when I realized that I was really enamored with the series.

For the last book I went with friends and my boss at the time. I was working in libraries at that point and was surrounded by people who loved the books and characters as much as I did. It was so heartbreaking to know that this was the end. I remember having to drive all the way back to my house  (a good 1 1/2 hour drive from the book store I went to) and just wanting to pull over and read. When I started it, within the first 50 pages I was tearing up, I don't think I ever stopped. It was so hard to read about my "friends and family" fighting a "war". It was so difficult to see them die. It was so heart-breaking to know that it was over.

But it wasn't. There were the movies and I loved the movies. I remember going to midnight showings with my ska friends. I remember going to midnight showings with my friends from high school and my junior year boyfriend (that must have been Prisoner of Azkaban). I remember going with my senior year boyfriend (Goblet of Fire) and with my best friend and her boyfriend (Half-Blood Prince). I remember going to see a showing with people from work at Jamba Juice and people from Suburban Legends one year (must have been Chamber of Secrets). I remember going to this last one...I'm going to remember crying and sitting with friends and knowing that all the people around me understood why I was crying and didn't judge.

And now the movies are over. Harry Potter is over. But is it really? I know that I haven't explained why I'm so attached to these characters and these books. I don't even understand it myself. All I can say is that 12 years ago I started reading a book and I felt a connection. A connection with the words, a connection with the world, and a connection with friends. The story may be over, but my love for it won't be. I think it says a lot for me to feel as in love with the books as I was when I was 12 when I'm 24 now. That's half my lifetime that I've been a part of this world and friends with these characters. Some people may laugh and some people may not understand it. Some people may not think the writing is great or the stories are bad, but I don't care and you know what? Neither do my fellow Harry Potter fans. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,  Snape has a conversation with Lily Evans and as lame as I feel quoting it, I feel that it really sums up Harry Potter for the fans.

"...It is real, isn't it?"

"It's real for us," said Snape. "Not for her..."

Harry Potter and it's world is real. It's real for us, for the fans, for me.

And just so you know, "it's real for us" is a tattoo I have in the works. People may judge me and say it's stupid. But honestly, I don't really care. Harry Potter has been part of my life for so long and for that I think it's worth a tattoo. Even if I end up hating Harry Potter (doubtful but possible) I can't deny that I spent a good portion of my life loving those books.