Finally the Noughties: Harry Potter

Haha, so apparently I write pretentiously, in five-syllable words, and in an elitist fashion! Whatever, I was tempted to bring down the tone but realised that this is just how I write, and that I don't have to please anyone. Obviously my writing self is gonna read differently to how I sound when I'm speaking. Cause I speak like an actual twit. But anyway, I'm getting to the point where I don't actually care any more.

Here's my third edition of 'Finally It's The Noughties'. That's the name I've decided to give the feature where I look at something that has defined our decade. That feature has kinda failed lately (mainly cause of Oxf interviews..) Topic of the day: Harry Potter...if I hear you groan or sigh – get out. :)

[edit: so my first draft of this ended up with me narrating my life story. Therefore I've decided to give you a timeline of HP-related shtuff, and then.. well we'll get to it.]

My tenth birthday – received my first Harry Potter book ('Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'). Did not open it until a few months later. And even then all I could manage was the first chapter. 'Who – the – hell – is – Wormtail? What – the – hell – is – a – Voldemort?!'

Spring 2002 – friend lends me his HP books. I'm HOOKED.

Sometime in 2002 – I watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Summer 2003 – HP&OOTP is released.

May 2004 – 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' is released as film, which I religiously see with my sisters.

Summer 2005 – I queue at midnight with my dad for 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' in my local WHSmith. My first midnight release! Still have the little Harry Potter bag I got the book in!

November 2005 – I organise the first of my Harry Potter movie viewing 'trips/parties' (your choice of word, depending on how geeky you see me as), to see 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'.

Summer 2006 – I discover FANFICTION. (fanfiction.net). Dramione (draco + hermione pairing) FTW.

December 2006 – I start listening to Mugglecast.

14 July 2007 – I organise the second of my Harry Potter movie viewings to see 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. This time round it's Ron we're in love with.

21 July 2007 – three of my friends and I attend the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' midnight release in Waterstone's Picadilly Circus. Probably up there in the top five moments of my life.

 

 

the crowd that had gathered behind me two hours after I got there.

 

yeah, Harry Potter does not always call for civilised eating.

Summer 2007 – Mugglecast marathon during the long car journeys while abroad. Also, I plan my reading of HP 7 so that it lasts 21 days (i.e. 3 x 7 days, i.e. 3 x the magic number days. Hah, I'm such a nerd)

Spring (?) 2008 – Potter Puppet Pals mania takes over.

Hallowe'en 2008 – I dress up as HP, fem-style.

3 December 2008 – I attend the 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' launch party at Waterstone's Picadilly Circus, with the Mugglecast presenters attending. I meet JAMIE LAWRENCE. Legend.

 

 

The Mugglecast Panel

Jamie Lawrence is on the left. Absolute legend.

The 'Best Dressed-up' competition.

7 July 2009 – Also up there in the most epic days of my life. I sit in Leicester Square from around 7am, waiting for the Harry Potter HBP premiere, mainly with AB, but with several other people checking in and out.

This was taken before noon.

David Tennant... I wish.

Paparazzi briefing.

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy). soaked in the rain. Yep, by then, it was freaking hailing.

Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). Got her autograph!!!

One of the Phelps (Weasley) twins.

Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy).

Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn)

Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan)

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). Got his autograph!

David Bradley (Argus Filch)

Gary Lineker. No, he's not in HP.

Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley) is in the blue striped suit in front of the car's open door.

Miriam Margoyles (Professor Sprout)

Jamelia.

Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks)

The one and only. The legend.

Got her autograph!

15 July 2009 – I organise a trip to see 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

Hallowe'en 2009 – I dress up as Bellatrix, full-on.

November 2009 – For my Philosophy coursework stimulus, I use the scene where Dumbledore reveals Trelawney's prophecy to Harry.

December 2009 – I write about Harry Potter in my Common Application for US universities. SUCH a nerd.

Timeline to be continued, obviously. How could it not be, with the Harry Potter 7 films coming out?! I'm so there for the premieres!

It's hard for some to see Harry Potter as anything but a teenage phenomenon, a passing phase, a temporary satisfaction of our desire to experience something new out of our dreary old lives. And I myself am not sure if I see it in exactly the same way I did when I first got hooked into the series. I'd say I was much more a purist than I am now, in that now, part of the reason I LOVE Harry Potter is because of the fandom – the podcasts, the premieres, the films, the book launches – whereas back then, I liked Harry Potter for Harry Potter – the books. Awh.

There has to be some reason for why such a tremendous fandom would be born out of seven otherwise ordinary books. I mostly put it down to JK Rowling's ingenuity. The ability to create such a cohesive world and to detail all the different pieces is something that cannot be found so easily these days.

Harry Potter has already taken up a good part of my teens (from 10th birthday to 20th birthday), so there is no doubt that it will be a defining part of my life. I'd say that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party was one of the most momentous days of my life. I cannot envisage such an event happening again, but what do I know? 20 years ago, who'd have predicted the Harry Potter phenomenon breaking out?

The next most epic moment of my life was going to the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiere and getting an illustrious long line of autographs. Should I list them for you? Emma Watson, the Phelps (Weasley) twins, Argus Filch, Seamus Finnigan, Narcissa Malfoy, Slughorn, Alan Rickman, JK Rowling. I know. JK Rowling. I don't know what the fuck was going through my mind as she was signing my book. Probably nothing was going through my mind – nothing COULD have gone through it, that's how surreal the moment was.

My God, that day was freakin' unique in its own right. Epic downpour of hail, being squashed to near-death, meeting some hilarious German tourist who happened to be passing by and who shrieked out the most classic things ever, arguing with THE bitch of the year, bringing home the fattest Harry Potter poster, waking up at 5am and waiting for 11 hours, meeting some of the most dedicated HP fans I have ever encountered... these are all people I want to spend an eternity discussing Harry Potter with.

However, I'd say I still much preferred the Deathly Hallows book release because that was much, much more purist. It was about the books, the story, the character, and not about the next hot actor featuring in the film, or about meeting that person cause they're a celebrity, or about saying that you got an autograph from JK ROWLING!!! (ahem.)

What's Harry Potter brought to my life? Well, for a start, it's brought me new friends – meeting people at the premieres and book launches has brought me to people of my own kind - ;) - and concretised my appreciation of the Harry Potter world. It's brought me a new genre of music, called Wizard Rock, with bands such as Harry and the Potters and The Remus Lupins and the Moaning Myrtles appearing on my iPod. It's introduced me to the concept of podcasts, through Mugglecast, and to the concept of healthy debate, and to Jamie Lawrence...

What I cherish most about Harry Potter is the world that I can escape into in times of frustration, anxiety, despair, sadness... Escapism, in a nutshell. It's not silly escapism though. It's not all peachy in there. JKR is ingenious in that she has created a realistic and honest fictional world, bringing in all the darkness as well as the light. She did work at Amnesty International after all.

That release party was the moment when I came to fully appreciate the Harry Potter phenomenon. A book for both child and grown-up, which can thrill and excite, as well cause to ruminate much more deeply about emotion, words, and the important things such as friendship and family (cheesy), death, love (cheesier), and integrity. It's taught me about the power of stories. Harry Potter is the only thing read by children that I am not ashamed to be in love with. I have had such adventures with Harry (CHEESE ALERT!) that it will take more than a few insults from lame-heads who are freakin' afraid of opening their minds to stop me from loving the world of the boy who, to me, has always been one of the most beautiful pictures of humanity.

Gah, I really have to cut down on the cheese.

Wow, that post was reeeally long..

xxxxx