I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

Ten years ago, the first movie of the Harry Potter franchise had its premiere. Who knew that at that moment, a part of my life would significantly be moved. Now that the franchise has ended, all the books have been read and all the movies have been watched I still feel like I still have it in me, a little devilish Harry Potter in my heart. Jo Rowling has made a wonderful world where children and kids-at-heart like me could dwell endlessly without boundaries, a limitless Utopian fantasy where wands infused with phoenix feathers and magical enchantments rule the lives of the loyal followers of the series. To some, Harry Potter may just be a silly machination of a human writer but for me, it's a different kind of reality. Harry Potter is an important part of my childhood, the franchise has encompassed my being since I was only eleven years old up until now when I have already finished college and become a licensed nurse. Ten years, ten solid years. This may seem a very long time but now, I think, it just went by like a firebolt. I remember every after watching a Potter movie I'd think to myself, "I'm so excited for the next one". It's sad for me when I realized I wouldn't be muttering those exact words ever again. I have been a big fan of the series and Harry and his friends has become a very big part of my life. Ending the series is like ending a part of my life, it's the last thing I hold on to that still clings to my childhood. Now that it's finally over, it seems that I have finally informally waved goodbye from my childhood. Should I turn myself into a proper adult now?

But one thing is sure to happen-- I will never forget Jo and her wonderful books. Do you know why the movie Citizen Kane is considered to be the greatest movie ever made? Because, for me, it showed how important childhood is, the early years of a human being meaningfully affects how he/she will perceive his/her whole life to be. This is why I am so attached to the things that make up my childhood, it makes me remember how I have lived a meaningful life even without really knowing what living really meant. The age of innocence, so it seems. This is why I cried so hard when I finally set foot on Hong Kong Disneyland-- it felt like a childhood dream materialized. To revisit something that means a great deal to me would inevitably reduce me to tears, just like how the Harry Potter series has affected me and now that it is over... I am truthfully speechless.

Friendship is the greatest thing that Harry, Ron and Hermione has taught me. No matter how the world is swarming with wickedness and entropy, there are still people worth trusting and worth dying for. Love is the most treasured thing that you can possibly give to a person, it may be an overused cliché but it is not considered to be a cliché for nothing. It feels wonderful knowing that I am able to love and other people are able to love me selflessly and this, without a doubt, is the greatest thing I will ever learn. Love will make us do things we thought we are not capable of doing, love will drive us to put ourselves on the line selflessly for the people that we consider our own meanings and love will ultimately conquer all. All the seven books altogether speak of love, and it may be the most important and universal thing that everyone can relate to and maybe that is why millions of people are in mourning because of the end of a great era-- the Potter era.

All in all, it was one hell of a decade. I will forever be indebted to Jo Rowling for she has made my childhood something worth remembering, something that I will continue to look back on. As I have said, all the books may have been read and all the movies may have been watched...

But Harry and his world will always live on.