Today for me was the end of a journey that started way back in 2001 when I first picked up a book for an English class book report called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. At that moment I was your average 6th grader and had no interest what-so-ever in reading anything, much less an 200+ page book! So for the actual book report I got through a few chapters, threw the book in my closet and looked for a summary on the, then young, inter net. A few months later though, I found out a movie about this book was coming out and I saw Dan Radcliffe as Harry and fell completely in love. So I said to myself: "Why not give this another try?" and I dug into the closet, got my book and started reading. I was done within 3 days, something I had never ever done before. I got lost in the pages of the book and the adventures of Harry, his friends and the magical wizarding world. Over the next few weeks I made my mother search around for the rest of the books, a difficult task seeing as they were sold out mostly everywhere we went. I read all the books then released (which meant up to Goblet of Fire) in less than a month. The movies followed and I quickly realized I was obsessed with this in a way I had never seen before.
For the next 10 years I've followed you, Harry Potter, faithfully. I've read every book in record time on release night/day and re-read them more times than I can count, I got mad when my mom wouldn't let a very young me attend the midnight releases for the book, and I've seen each of the films at least 3 times at the cinema, 5 being the norm. I've eagerly awaited the end, the last book, and was finally allowed to attend the midnight release, I've cried, laughed, rejoiced and suffered with you. So today July 14th, 2011, the day when the last Harry Potter movie is released I want to thank you; you Harry Potter and everything that revolves around you for making me what I am today. Thank you for teaching me how to read, for letting me discover the joy of getting lost in pages for hours at a time. Thank you for giving me a future, because without you I don't think I would've ever end up studying what is today my passion, English literature and graduating college with a BA on it just last month. Thank you for giving me a wonderful childhood full of magic. But most of all thank you for letting me meet the wonderful people I've met throughout the years through the magic of your story and with which I've made some of the best friends a person can have.
Today, I just want to say thank you and, though I'm very sad to let go of something that's been so important to me, make it clear that I will never forget you and you will always be a part of my life. This isn't the end at all, this is only the beginning and some day when I'm old and gray I'll still be waiting for my Hogwarts letter to come.
Thank you.
