10 years of being Potterhead

Ten years ago, I was in SeaTac Airport with my mom trying find something to read to entertain myself for a few hours on the plane ride to California. I chose two books to buy that day: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and some other random fantasy book that fell to the wayside, eclipsed by the novel that would spawn the massive intellectual franchise created by the now infamous J. K. Rowling. I don't think I ever started that second book; instead, I read Sorcerer's Stone twice.

I have a lot of oddly distinct memories attached to the Harry Potter books that stand out to me much like that one: staying up Christmas night until 6 am to finish reading Goblet of Fire (which I still cry at the end of to this day), reading page 806 of Order of the Phoenix over and over again in disbelief, literally shrieking in horror after reading page 596 of Half-Blood Prince, and now, crying tears of sadness and joy ("Is this the moment?") at Deathly Hallows.

I'd like to think that the Harry Potter series is the Star Wars of my generation, and that J. K. Rowling is somewhat of a George Lucas, except much better looking. In that sense, I'm glad that I had the opportunity to take part in a movement that has defined my generation. Mostly though, I'm glad to have been a part of something universal, a worldwide community that all share a single commonality: we love Harry Potter.

Now that the series has been completed after 10 long years, what do us Potterheads have to look forward to?

Re-reading the books without having to speculate.
I feel much more at peace now that the series is over, the questions have been answered, and I don't have to scour each page for hints of what's to come. I find this this kind of literary security very comforting and I'm sure so do many other fans.

Reminiscing about the series, and how, for 10 years, we got to be a part of something big.
We were there for the book launches, the movie launches, the concerts. I have the costume, which is still being updated to perfection, by the way. We've actively been a part of a cross-cultural phenomenon and I know that I'll be happy to think back on these days, and how I participated in something that was bigger than life itself.

Reading the series to our children in the future.
It's a long way off (hopefully?), I know, but I still can't help feeling that being able to share the series with my own children will be a uniting experience. Plus, sharing the HP love is always a good thing.

The release of the final movies.
Only two more movies to go! If I feel at peace after finishing the books, I can't imagine how euphoric it will feel when both the movies and the books are finished!