A Potterhead reflects, laments, rejoices

Last week, I decided to start re-watching all of the seven Harry Potter movies. In a month, the second part of the final installment will be released, and it would mean the ultimate end of the phenomenal series. There would be no more books nor films to look forward to anymore.

I don't think I am the only one in this kind of pinch--wanting to relieve and cling onto the past decade of magic, bravery and kindness, and at the same time dying to see the glorious end of the fantastic story we have followed since we were kids.

 I can not call myself the biggest Potter fan, but J.K Rowling's masterpiece had affected me in more ways than one. The series had rekindled my love for books, made me stay up until the wee hours of the early morning, created a venue for conversation with my friends. I clung on to each and every word, to every peculiar British expression, to every archaic- (and Latin-) sounding magical spell, to the excitingly different renditions of different familiar fictional creatures, to the fascinating characters as they made me care about their losses, triumphs, their (sometimes feeble attempts at) jokes, their peculiarities.

The adventures at and beyond Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry showed me just how boundless true friendships really are, how kindness comes in different sizes and appearances, how love can conquer the most difficult of odds, even death, how to accept tragic losses and keep level-headed in times of triumph, how to stand up against the powers that be, how to ward off nargles, among so many others.

 I am a part of the Potter generation and there's no use denying it. I was 11 when the first movie came out, and I could say that I have stuck with Harry until the very end, just as Ron and Hermione were constantly there for him even in the face of death. We are the generation that grew up looking up to the wisdom of Professor Dumbledore and cracking jokes along the lines of Fred and George Weasley. We have seen Luna not as a crazy teenage girl but as a dependable friend with a firm set of beliefs. Like the rest of the Wizarding World, we were scared of and awed with the power Voldemort held in his hands. We are taught to be in constance vigilance by Mad-Eye Moody, always on guard for surreptitious malevolence, and always prepared to do what's right.

 The books are a wonder to read. Rowling made it possible to turn everything we in the Muggle world deem as ordinary to magical. I have had my dose of laughter from her witty remarks and snides. My eyes welled up as she painted touching and heartbreaking scenes. I adore how she alluded to the real-world issues by way of characterizations and plot archs--Oh, Rita Skeeter! Oh, Dolores Umbridge! Oh, Ministry of Magic! And as an aspirant writer, I believe one of Rowling's greatest achievements from the series is her creation of fantastic settings--a world so different from our own, a world we want to be a part of, yet so familiar, so easy to understand.

This wondrous alternative world we got to see in the films, as the words and pages become cinematic elements combined to produce complete audio-visual experiences. As separate works of art, the film adaptations and the novels are different and comparing them is pointless. For me personally, the movies and the books are co-existent. It is hard for me to read the books and not imagine the Gryffindor common room as seen in the movies, or dissociate Rupert Grint from the character of Ron Weasley.

 Come July, Potter fans all over the world will prolly think so, too. We might have read about the end of the series already, for the first time almost four years ago. But within those four years, there were still the movies we go to the theaters for. It would would be a lot different this time. This will be the last time the cast, which we have come to associate with the characters we felt strongly about, would come together in the amazing world of wizards and Muggles alike.

I therefore think the screening of the second part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an event of a generation. We will hop on to platform nine and three quarters for the last time (and in my case, with a heavy heart). Along with the billowing smoke and the scarlet blur of the Hogwarts Express train speeding away, we shall send off the magical experiences of our childhood, waiting to be rediscovered.

And in between bouts of nostalgia, we live the lives outside the safe and guarded walls of the castle we know we could always go home to.

Finally, a book and the sound of the rain

School will start next week and I finally realized that I have to make the most of the remaining days of my (non-existent) vacation. After all the trouble and work from my internship stint, I finally get to sleep late and bond with my pillows and bed as much as I want to.

I seriously miss the me who would rather choose to read a book until the wee hours of the night rather than go online and spend countless hours doing pointless things. I think the last book I read and was able to finish was "The Phantom of the Opera" which I re-read last January. Looking at the classic titles I bought last December, I finally grabbed "Little Women" and began reading the tale of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

I read the book without any notion of Louisa May Alcott's writing style, or what the story is all about. I just knew it's a beloved classic so I didn't expect it to be such an easy read. Half of me was wary of how stereotypical the writer's portrayal of women was--domestic and fragile at times. Half of me, on the other hand, was elated at how good-natured the characters were. I think the charm of "Little Women" lies in its notion of everything being dainty and pastoral, the girls being cultured and independent... and a good dose of Teddy Laurence along the way. Haha.

It's been so long since I huddled up in bed and read a book until 4 in the morning listening to the gently pattering rain. It was genuine bliss.

I hope that with the coming (final and probably stressful) academic year, I would still get to read more books than I was able to in 2010.