If you are the kind of person who only sees the movies and never read the books so you don’t want to know how it all ends (like my girlfriend) please stop reading now. I’m not sure how much spoiler there will be, but be warned.
I have been preparing for this day since July of 2004. That is when I first picked up a Harry Potter book. I had spent years making fun of Harry Potter fans. I couldn’t see what the big deal was about a bunch of books about little kids as witches and wizards. Skyler had the first four books, so I borrowed the first one. I was back the next day for the next three. Then I went out and bought the fifth book. It was coming out in paperback a week later, but I couldn’t wait. Ever since I have been hooked. I went to the midnight release of the sixth and seventh books. I’ve seen the last 4 movies in the theaters, the last two at midnight showings.
I will be honest. I was not looking forward to this movie at all. I’ve spent the last few weeks getting sick every time I thought about it. This was to be the first Harry Potter related thing I did without Jenn. I normally read all of the books before I go see the movie. This time I put it off and put it off until I realized I’d never be able to finish them all and started with book four. I even skipped the first half of book seven. As I sat on the back deck last night finishing the book, I came across an amazing quote. Snape seems to have all of the good ones.
(Dumbledore talking to Snape, regarding his love for Lily Potter)
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.
Always, I totally agree.
I had joked with Danielle last week that I would’ve bought Jenn a plane ticket for her to come sit next to me through the movie. Instead, I took two women with me that have made the last six months livable for me. Lyz and Danielle. I asked Lyz on the way to the theater if she would hold my hand should I need it. Of course, was her answer. My eyes filled with tears a few times on the drive. Lyz was there to hold me steady. We joked that really the only thing we would miss about Jenn being with us was that someone else was going to have to go and pick up the tickets.
As the movie started (and Lyz and I sipped on our smuggled whipped cream vodka Coke) I again became a little teary eyed. It was really going to happen. I was really going to watch this movie without Jenn by my side. Again I reminded myself that I was surrounded by two women who love me unconditionally and who have never broken a promise to me. I am better off.
The movie was done excellently. There were, of course, scenes that I wish they had done as well as they did in the book. Fred’s death for one. There were things they left out, like Kreacher and Percy. Then there were things they did better than the book, like Harry’s arrival at Hogwarts and Ron and Hermione getting rid of the Hufflepuff cup.
The scene that the three of us were most concerned about was when Harry looks at Snape’s memories in the pensieve. This is where my tears really flowed. They handled it perfectly. I had chills and tears. Then when Snape said ALWAYS I lost it. I was sobbing. Instantly two hands, one on either side of me, reached out to touch me. To remind me they were there. To comfort me. I knew that the theater was about to get very quiet, I have read the books, I do know what happens next after all. I had to calm myself down. Lyz even joked with me on the way home that she was thinking in her head “Come on Heidi, pull yourself together.” I managed to take a few deep breaths and hold it all in for a few moments while the theater was silent. While what just happened sunk in. As soon as there was noise again I made that awful sniffing, snorting, gaspy sound and pulled myself fully together.
The ending was well done also. It wasn’t the book line for line, page for page. In my opinion the most important line of the whole fight scene was used (NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”), which made me very pleased. There was humor added in, that made you come out of your sad coma. It was good.
I was able to accept the changes in this movie. Compared to the last movie where I spent days and weeks ripping each scene apart, I only had one comment after this one that really bothered me. Why was it snowing when they arrived in Hogsmeade?? It was May for crying out loud!!
So, it is over. No more books, no more movies. At least I still have The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to look forward to!!
Thinking Miracles 