The end of an era...

I began a post about Harry Potter a while ago after going to the midnight showing. Since then I have been to see it again and it is just as good the second time as it was the first time. I know it has been a while since it came out but I still feel that it deserves a post...so here goes! I will try to make it quick but I make no guarantees because I am a bit crazy for Harry Potter! First off I need to say J.K. Rowling is basically a hero of mine for creating a world and a story that is so engaging that even many kids who didn't enjoy reading were on edge waiting for the next installment to be released. With the release of the final movie in sight there was a sense of sadness almost, at the realization that the excitement and the waiting were coming to an end, but I could not wait to see how they finished such an epic story. In anticipation I went out and purchased a special edition of Empire magazine, they did a special tribute to Harry Potter which included a supplement of around 40 pages which had interviews with the main cast, supporting cast, directors, and other people connected to the entire Harry Potter movie series. There were pictures from each of the movies, as well as pictures of the main cast as they are now, as well as some of their feelings on being a part of something so big and so special. Alan Rickman, already one of my favorite people connected to the movies wrote a letter for the magazine which I find lovely...it is included here...

"I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone for absolutely the last time as Severus Snape. On the screen were some flashback shots of Daniel, Emma and Rupert from ten years ago. They were 12. I have also recently returned from New York, and while I was there, I saw Daniel singing and dancing (brilliantly) on Broadway. A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes.
Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape than an unchanging costume, and that even though only three of the books were out at that time, she held the entire massive but delicate narrative in the surest of hands.

It is an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. Thanks for all of it, Jo."

Now for some of my favorite characters...or at least ones that I feel deserve mentioning...

Severus Snape...one of the most wonderfully written (in my opinion) characters ever, definitely the most well written character of the Harry Potter books. Plus, I love Alan Rickman!

Another character that I love is Professor Minerva McGonagall; I was very excited in this movie to get to see her a little bit more as her role was bigger. Professor McGonagall is a teacher who cares a great deal about her students, she is willing to give her life to protect them, and she shows a lot of love for those that she teaches and leads, but she also doesn't take any crap from her students. Basically McGonagall is very much like the teacher that I want to become someday.

(also pictured above Mrs. Weasley! Love her!)

Now for these three...not always the best actors/actress, but overall they did well. I loved them all in this movie and I was thoroughly impressed by how much they have improved since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Daniel, Emma and Rupert it was fun to grow up with y'all! Thanks for the hard work in bringing some of the most memorable characters of my generation to life!

Next, Neville! He was such a great character in this book/movie and Matt Lewis played it wonderfully! I always thought Neville was a great character, but until now I didn't realized that underneath all the Neville awkwardness...

This was hiding! Neville has now taken a place on our wall along with the picture we already had of Snape!

And finally a brief thought on Narcissa Malfoy. For the midnight showing I chose to go as Narcissa because we found a perfect jacket at DI plus my friend was going as Bellatrix so it worked out well. Narcissa doesn't have much of a role until the sixth book. I think before that the extent of what you know about her is that she looks as though she just sniffed poo. Throughout the night I tried to perfect that look but it was more difficult than I thought it would be! Being the bad person was kind of fun...although I guess Narcissa isn't a completely bad person, at least not like her sister Bellatrix. Narcissa was one who married into Lord Voldemort's followers but when it really counted what mattered most was her family and she was willing to do anything, to protect her family.

So our group had Professor Trelawney (Marissa), Bellatrix Lestrange (Brianon), Narcissa Malfoy (me), and the golden snitch (Jenae). Emily Walter, Emily Mortensen, Nick WIllis (Jenae's fiance) and Chase Jackson (a random kid from our ward who claimed the extra ticket we had) also came along but they didn't get to be in our cool people pictures because they didn't dress up!

I couldn't work on my face during this picture because I couldn't help but smile when I stood in front of Snape!

Brianon and I waiting in the theater, still trying to perfect my "poo under the nose" look!

Brianon and I with Bellatrix

The whole costume at the end of the night...the only thing that could have worked better was the hair...I put colored spray in it to get the two colored effect...unfortunately the color did not set very well and it got all over...my face, my hands, my clothes and the black was not easy to cover up or get off of my face and it got difficult to keep my face from looking like I had just come from cleaning a chimney! It was a lot of fun though and I would totally do it again if I could find a better way to fix my hair! (although I'm not quite sure what I would do it for again...maybe Halloween?)

Well, not really that short, but I tried and it really could have been much longer, but I spared you the long cheesy goodbye to HP... Well to echo Alan Rickman "Thanks for all of it, Jo" you really were a master storyteller and I'm so glad I got to grow up with such wonderful characters and imagine such fantastical places!