Harry Potter

A long time ago, in a sticky third grade classroom, there began a so-called era. (Truthfully, I don't care what they call it. It was amazing.)

It was a warm day. The windows were open to create some cool air flow, given the fact that the air conditioning in the building was faulty. My third grade teacher called all twenty-six of us students over to the reading rug - a special area of the classroom, where the teach sat on a stool and all of us students gathered around to listen to her read.

Usually, reading time was relatively uneventful. We enjoyed it, but we rarely asked for more. That day was different. On that afternoon, she opened a book with a colorful - almost jewel looking - cover that had a boy on it. All of us were intrigued. As if the cover wasn't interesting enough, then she started to read. And, for the first time in a while, nobody wanted to stop reading.

That book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone.

And on that day, I fell in love with a story.

If I am completely honest, the Harry Potter series was a great influence on my life. It is part of the reason that I am writing today. The story wove its way into my head and I began to daydream of magic and fantasy blended with everyday life. I began to wish that I was the one attending Hogwarts, so that I could have my own magical adventures. Harry Potter made me realize that I could reach into my imagination and create.

I couldn't make a toy wand light up or fly on a broomstick.* But J. K. Rowling made magic out of words, and if she could do it, then I could make magic, too.

Today, I bring sad news...

Harry Potter is ending.

The last movie is currently in theaters. I'm going to see it on Monday. And, after I return home from the film, that will be the end. Sure, I own all of the books and all of the movies thus far, but the last movie is really the close. 

Harry Potter is not going on any more adventures - and, if he is, we, as fans, are not invited. 

It's true that Pottermore is coming out in the fall, but even that will not be quite the same.

So, today, I wrote this post as a final toast to something great. 

Dear J. K. Rowling,

Thank you. 

My cousin and I bought every single one of your books past the first two on the day it came out. We usually read them within the next three days, sometimes a week if we were trying to make it last. 

Your words have made me laugh, smile, and cry. 

You have changed my outlook on certain aspects of life. I and many others will miss the magical world that you have created. But, I'm twenty years old now and I suppose it is about time that I, and all of your other fans, start branching out and making our own magic in whatever ways we can.

Cheers and best wishes!

Sincerely,

K. L. Stevens**

*My cousin and I made wands out of wooden dolls, ribbons, sparkly wire, and metallic paints. We bought brooms from the cleaning aisle in the grocery store. My aunt made us invisibility cloaks, which very nearly work. Our cats were carted around as 'familiars' on more than one occasion (much to their chagrin). We bought spell books, which were much more like arts and craft books. We had wizard hats and potion bottles. And we probably had other things, but I cannot quite remember.

**A fan who may or may not have made a parachute out of garbage bags and sticks, taped it to a small branch, tied more twigs to the end of the branch to make a broom, and tried to jump off the roof...