I need to document today. This morning, I woke up abysmally early after staying up entirely too late for no reason (welcome to my summer life) to watch the Red Carpet Livestream of the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Before you deem me completely insane and go off to read about someone who did not spend four hours this morning, at work, crying in public, bear with me for a moment. At least listen to my excuses.
They said that people had started camping out in a very rainy Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening. Five days, those people have withstood rainy, cold, miserable London weather to see this day arrive with so much excitement in them, that something so trivial as the
weather or taking four days off work, school, and life in general, was of little consequence.
Though I am half the world away, this morning, I was there with them. Before anyone started arriving even, you could feel this trembling energy in the air punctuated by loud choruses of chanting and delighted screams. They'd pan to overhead shots of Trafalgar Square and there wasn't an inch of space you couldn't see filled with people, dedicated and determined to see the end of this series. The interviewers talked to fans occasionally, asking them about their favorite characters and moments, but what struck me was the sincerity in every fan's tone, when asked what Harry Potter has meant to them. Over and over again:
I grew up with him. He gives me hope. Thank you for affecting my life. And this was what made me cry: The whole time, even more so than the cast/crew, it was the
fans expressing gratitude to the franchise, the author, and the people they'd met along this incredible journey in the best way they knew how: with books held high, costumes, signs, and thin, lightning-shaped scars on their foreheads.
There were interviews as people arrived and then the director/producers, Dan, Rupert, Emma, and lastly JK Rowling herself gave speeches right before the premiere. For a while, watching the carpet interviews, I'd been thinking to myself, "What the hell? How is it even possible that none of these people are an emotional mess right now?" but then Emma cracked giving her speech and pretty soon it was clear that they were all crying. So, of course, I was too.
I've spent a lot of time and emotion invested in these books and this story. I have a tattoo, that I am so happy with and
proud of to commemorate it. My friends make good-natured (I think) fun of me for it all the time, but even that doesn't really matter anymore. I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't help the magic Harry Potter has made so evident in my life, and I often feel the need to express that. Today, I cried because even though I know it's not over, this is the last representation of the series and the story as it were, that we are going to see. The last time to see a cast all together with whom I've grown up.
When Jo spoke, about half way through, the crowd started chanting "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." for about a minute, and there was just something really serene about that. Thank you doesn't even seem to be enough. I'm really sorry this was absurdly long, but I needed it. Also, I apologize in advance for if I completely crack and make like three more of these after the next week or so when I actually see the movie. I am so glad for these books and this story and the entire world in Rowling's books. They have taught me valuable lessons about life and they are something I will truly cherish going into adulthood. So, to wrap this up:
To Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived!
