To Harry, with love

Many, many years ago, a friend tossed me Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and said "Read this. You'll love it." I remember devouring it in almost one sitting, and then feeling sorry that I'd read it so quickly because it ended too soon. This was maybe three or four years after the first book had been released, so within days i was able to go out and buy the next three installments.



I was an instant fan.

Why this series is so popular, i can't tell you. For me, it was an immediate connection. I loved the characters, i loved the magical world and mythology that Rowling had created, and i loved that there was a whole series of adventures to be had. For some reason, these are the books i find myself going back to when there's nothing else to pick up. It feels like I've read them a hundred times - its been well over a decade since i first picked them up - but i never get bored. Maybe it's a comfort thing - that i know i can escape for days into another world, be reunited with old friends who's lines i know by heart, be sure in the knowledge that good will triumph over evil. Or maybe, in what can be a crappy world, its nice to clutch a little piece of innocence in my hands, and remember what its like to be a kid, wowed by witches and wizards and wands and spells. I know the series gets darker, but still. Love and loss, elation and sadness, bravery and fear - these are all human emotions in the end. Everyone can relate.



When the movies started coming out, i was wary. But i think a real effort has been made do justice to the spirit of the books, even if it hasn't always been possible to relay every moment and character that appears within their pages. And it's been nice to see the magic come alive. I daresay the films are almost as iconic as the books - it's actually hard to read them now and not see Rupert Grint as Ron, or Daniel Radcliffe as Harry. You just can't help it, whether you like the actors or not.



Because the franchise apparently hadn't made enough money off their devoted public, a nice little publicity coup saw the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, be split into two halves for the movie/s. I mean. I had to roll my eyes when i heard that. Part 1 AND Part 2? Way to drag it out guys.


Still, after years of watching them, it was (i admit) with a little sadness that my old friend and fellow Potter-lover Turnsie and I bought our tickets for the last time. Since we're suckers for An Event, we decided to farewell Harry in spectacular fashion - we would see Part 1 at 9pm, and Part 2 at 12.05am on its official release date. Naturally, this would mean taking the next day off work. By the time the damn thing finished and i got home it would be close to 3am.

We decided a small tribute to Harry would add a sense of occasion to the proceedings. Thus, Turnsie stole his nieces Official Harry Potter Wand and brought it along. Here I am, conducting an important spell.

Yup, we were proud of our little wand. We thought we were very clever indeed, bringing along a little piece of Harry to celebrate The End, as it was being called. A few people, we decided, would probably do the same - bring something Potter-ish along, maybe wear a cape, or a scarf in Gryffindor colours. Nothing over the top.



How wrong we were.


Our wand turned out to be, in a word, pitiful. I was almost embarrassed by our effort. And we called ourselves fans? For in a dazzling display of all things Harry, the REAL fans thronged outside the cinema in spectacular fashion. There were Harry's and Ron's and Hermione's, of course. There were Voldemorts (some excellent, some downright terrible - painting oneself white and donning a swimming cap does NOT a Voldemort make) and Snapes. I spotted a Dolores Umbridge and a Sybill Trelawney and a Horace Slughorn. There were the fans who decided to go slightly left-field - one girl dressed herself as the golden snitch, another as an envelope addressed to Mr H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs. And then there were those who wanted to dress up, but obviously had nothing Potter-related in their wardrobes - no problems, they just grabbed whatever they had handy. Bunny ears. Freddy Kruger masks. Angel wings. I'm pretty sure i saw someone dressed as a chicken.



We could do nothing but look down at our measly wand, stunned. So much for THAT idea.

We made our own fun though, in other ways. They had a display of Harry Potter memorabilia from the movies - some costumes, and Dumbledores wand and copies of the Daily Prophet.

And of course, there were plenty of movie posters. In the below shot, Turnsie realises how closely he resembles Voldemort....

...and i enjoy a Bellatrix moment (mainly because Turnsie tells me this is the character i most resemble, what with my being so cold and evil.)

When it finally got around to midnight, everyone was more than a little excited. Part 2 was meant to start at 12.05am. It didn't.


Here's a breakdown of what happened.


12.15am: No movie. Everyone believes this is just a ploy to build tension, and play along.
12.25am: Still no movie. The crowd begins to get restless. Popcorn is thrown, and angry fathers who have to work the next day decide to try and find out what's going on.
12.30am: You guessed it - no movie. People begin stamping their feet and turning their heads in frustration. There are shouts and jeers. We believe a riot will start.
12.35am: Genuine anger spreads through the cinema. Turnsie suggests we start a chant - "Harry! Harry! Harry!" Someone starts a slow clap, and soon everyone takes it up.
12.40am: A young cinema employee enters the room to inform us that there is no projectionist at present - she has been "caught up" in another cinema, and will be here soon. He is instantly booed, but valiantly attempts to continue his speech. He apologises for the inconvenience but, he continues, he will be happy to sell us all tickets to see the 3am session for only $8, should we wish to see it again straight away. Someone yells out that if the movie doesn't start soon, we won't make it to the 3am session even if we wanted to. Cinema employee makes a hasty exit.
12.45am: Crowd now begins to turn on themselves. Teenagers run up and down the aisle in a sugar-frenzy. Cinema employee returns to tell us that Harry will be on our screen in a mere 30 seconds. Hurrah!
12.50am: Movie starts. Crowd cheers. But wait! It's NOT the movie! Its a documentary on the MAKING of the movie! Crowd now in a rage. Daniel Radcliffe appears, telling Australia how thrilled he is that we've all made it to this special, midnight screening. He is emphatically booed. Food is thrown at his face. Now a chant does begin "START THE MOVIE! START THE MOVIE!"
12.55am: Movie begins. Crowd too tired to react.


Throughout both films, we witnessed behaviour that i can only call extreme. Someone yelled out at the beginning of Part 1 "Only two and a half hours until Part 2! YES!", prompting woops from the audience. A girl further down our row was sobbing - sobbing! - when the movie finished. There were crowd-led boos when Voldemort came on screen. Teenage girls screamed when our two male leads took their shirts off (Why?? I've never seen skin so pasty white!!) From cheers and whistles to claps and cries - it was all happening.


While we waited for the movies to start, Turnsie and I made good use of our time. I call this next segment Fun with Wands. You can't imagine all the things one can do with a wand when bored.



You can illuminate your nostril...

...or your pie-hole.

You can use it to practice your blowing-out-a-candle skillz...



...or to brainwash yourself.

You can smoke it like a cigar...

...or lick it like a lollipop.

You can turn yourself into a unicorn...

 

...or stick it up your nose.



You can share it...

...use it to inflict terror...

...or wear it like a moustache.

After all the fun was over, we were faced with the inevitable - the credits rolled and the curtain closed on the final installment of Harry Potter. And it was a worthy ending. There was nothing left to do except say goodbye...

...and I'll miss you.