I read. I saw. I almost cried.

Just in case you've been living under a rock for the past week, you might not have heard the big news. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 was released at midnight this morning. It's the last movie to be released with the seven book series. All together, there were 8 movies, even though there were 7 books. The last book was so big and so epic that they divided it into two. And let me tell ya, this new one was well worth the wait.
But I'll get back to that in a moment.
For me, this whole Harry Potter culture is more about the books than the movies. I started reading the books shortly after a lot of people younger than me were reading them. The first book was released in 1998, when I was 12 years old. I remember my younger brother actually started reading them first and I really didn't have any interest in the series. As I've said before, I was always interested in historical fiction. I remember thinking that Harry Potter was just a silly, mythical children's book, so why waste my time reading a book that couldn't have even happened?
Boy, was I wrong.
One night, I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in our den upstairs. I started reading the first line and I started to get a little curious.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."
As I was reading, I thought, "Who are Mr. and Mrs. Dursley? How do they tie into this whole 'Potter' thing? I kept reading. And reading more. I was hooked.
They were just so well written. Being as I'm not a creative writer, I was amazed at the world that J.K. Rowling had created. She had dreamed up a whole language, an underworld, and even a candy shop. There were giants, dragons, and house elves. The characters each had their own quirks and while they seemed strange in the "real world," they were accepted in this wizard world. The stories each had a quest and the twists and turns of each quest made them even more exciting. And as each book progressed, they also tied in with each other. Then, there was Quidditch — a whole wizard sport. Rowling just never ceased to amaze me with her characters, story lines, and side characters. She had done something that few writers can do in their lives — she had created a classic, and not just one book, but a whole classic series. It will be able to stand the test of time because the series doesn't discuss HD television, cell phones, or computers. As some have said before, it's the Wizard of Oz of our day.
Now, back to the movies... I really didn't want to see the first movie because I knew it would ruin what I thought of the book. The characters I imagined would have faces now. And the places I dreamed may not be as they are in my mind.
Once again, I was wrong. The movies were done quite well, despite leaving out a few great lines. But this morning's movie — the last one — was fantastic. It was an event, not just another night at the movie.
Tickets for the movie went on sale across the country about a month ago, though they weren't available in my area until a couple weeks ago. The fella bought the tickets online, so we were sure to get in the door. We debated not going to the midnight show. I mean, we are both adults with Monday to Friday jobs. The only people who go to midnight shows are people who can sleep away their Friday, which we could not do. We eventually decided, 'To hell with it,' and bit the bullet for the midnight show.
So on Thursday, once we got off work, we ate some pizza and took about a three hour nap. Then, it was time to head to the Rave in West Little Rock.
The line to get into the theater was wrapped around the building. There were kids dressed up. The television stations were there. It was definitely more than just a movie opening.
We got our tickets at the door and actually were able to walk right in the door because we had the 3D tickets. That certainly was worth the extra money to see 3D.
Each screen in the theater was named after a place in Harry Potter. Instead of having "Harry Potter" on the electronic sign, each sign was a HP location, such as Grimmwauld Place, Shrieking Shack, etc. On a posted on a wall in the theater, someone had painted, "Her body will lie in the chamber forever," a nod to the second movie. Very cool.
We had prime pick of our seats since we were there so early and didn't have to wait in line. We sat next to some young girls who were dressed up with their moms, who were also dressed up. Oh to be young again, haha.
Finally, the movie started. The audience clapped at key moments during the movie. I almost cried at one moment. And at the end, we all clapped again. Because the movie was over, and the series was over. There would be no midnight release of books. There were no more movies to watch. HP Fans had seen the HP actors grow up as we grew up. And now, we all had to part ways, though we could always return to the Weasley House or Diagon Alley in our imagination. The world would always be between the pages, which were so beautifully written by Rowling. I can't wait to experience Harry Potter again with my own children.
Until then, "Mischief Managed."