It All Ends Now

You know, with Harry Potter it's such a thing.

A year or so ago I would have said that I'm not interesting in these films. Okay, yes, I watched them but overall I would have said that the books are more important for me.

Every time I knew when a new book was published.

I remember well sitting in my bed in front of the window ... the dark sky, it has been evening, winter ... the bright light of the lamp ... the light blanket – and reading Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, this fat, heavy book which broke already on the back of the book (a fact which still makes me sad).

I also remember the publish day of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I staied with my grandparents in their garden in the forest – the nearest town with a book shop is 30 minutes by car away. My grandma rang this book shop and ordered one edition of these three which were there. We went there after buying food and things like that – and I started reading already in the car. Arriving in the garden, I didn't help taking the things out of the car into the kitchen, I sat on the bench and read. I read the whole, whole day, just stopped for lunch and was finished at the afternoon.

I remember how my mum bought Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was in the book shop in our surroundings. I don't know why but I said the whole time: "No, Mum, I don't want this!" And my mum answered always: "So then I'm going to by this for me!" - "But I won't read this!"- "So you won't do it." - "But I won't read this!" The shop assistant looked a little bit nervous to my mum but she bought it finally. (May be this thick book with so much words and without pictures has been to intimidating for a little girl who just learnt reading.)

My mum and grandpa started to read it out loud in my grandparents' living room in winter. We all listened to them carefully, I drew Mandalas and wanted to hear more, more, more!

I don't know how my life would be without my mum' constancys – poorer, yes, poorer.

You see, my HP-focus has been more on the books.

Well, I didn't watched the films in cinema when they were published. But heh – there is one exception! Yes, I've seen Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban in cinema, I remember the footsteps of the Marauder's Map in the credits.

But I also remember that I didn't watch Harry Potter and The Globet of Fire because my aunt – who had seen it with her friends – said that it would be too scary for me in my current age.

Getting faster internet one or two years ago, I started surfing and found a Harry Potter fan page. And I checked the news and checked them and checked them, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 was going to be published and photos and interviews came out ... - of course I became so excited that I wanted to see the film the very first weekend.

I think you remember how excited I was. I mean – there were so many posts about HP!

It's an irony of fate that I started to follow the publications of the films with the two last ones. (May be I started because I couldn't follow the books any more, too.)

So today, in two hours, it will be the first time I watch a film on the publication day; it will be the first Harry Potter film on the publication day – and the last one.

"Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

J.K.Rowling