I spent
the day today grieving. No, I had not lost someone I loved, more like something. That makes it sound more
dramatic than need be, but I have a feeling some of you might understand.
In the
summer of 1999 I was twenty-five. I was teaching in a tiny town, not in my
current school district, yet. I was on summer vacation and remember that I was
watching The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
She talked about an upcoming book release, the third in a series called “Harry
Potter”. She mentioned that she loved them as much, if not more, than her son.
Somehow I had not heard of these books before. I went out and purchased the
first one. Plowing through that volume, I purchased the next two immediately.
It is
hard to explain how much I fell in love with this series. The character of Harry,
obviously. But I loved more than him. I loved the relationships – Harry and
Hagrid; Harry and the Weasley family; Harry and Dumbledore; Harry, Ron, and
Hermione. I loved the setting. I loved Rowling’s message of the importance of
love.
When the
seventh book came out I was excited, but so sad. I finished that book with
tears running down my face. I hated that it was over. So when the final movie
came out last summer, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows: part 2, I didn’t see it in the theater. I just
couldn’t. My husband and oldest son went and loved it. Then it came out on DVD
and my oldest son purchased it. It has sat in our cabinet for half of a year
and I still didn’t watch it. Luke finally asked me why and I told him, I just
could stand for the whole experience to be over. Once I watched that movie
there would be no more to look forward to, at least where the world of Harry
Potter was concerned.
Finally
over vacation Luke convinced me to watch it. He, Chris, and I sat down and saw
the entire movie. Just like all of the others, it was brilliant. At first, I
was fine. It didn’t hit me until today. I started “Googling” interviews with
the cast members. Interviews with J.K. Rowling. I ended with an interview with
the major cast members and Rowling before the premiere. Rowling looked at the
camera and said,
The stories we love best do live
in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts
will always be there to welcome you home.
And
that’s just it. I can always go back to Hogwarts, through my books and the
movies. I was still a blubbering mess watching her interview, but knew she was
right. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be thrilled if she wrote some follow up
books, but for now I will survive.
As I
dried my tears I thought about how much I had connected with these characters,
so real that they seemed like friends. And while I loved the movies, the books
were where I really disappeared into that world. This is what I want for my
students. To care so deeply about a book they are moved to tears. To wait impatiently
for release dates, wondering why their favorite authors can’t write faster. To
grieve the loss of those characters once the series is done. I think this is
something I will be sharing with my reading camp students tomorrow and my own
classes this fall. What it means to fall in love with a book, an author, a
character, I’m glad I know.
