I've just discovered that it was 7 years ago TODAY that Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows was released. I went to the WalMart in Urbana because I heard that it would be far less crowded than the local booksellers and by that time, I wasn't interested in dressing up - I just wanted to read it. I picked up my copy, went home, locked the doors, turned my phone off and read all night. I finished the book sometime after noon.
Prior to this, I would reread the Harry Potter series habitually. Probably a couple of times a year, if not more. After this, I put the books down for nearly 7 years. 4-6 weeks ago I picked them up again.
The magic never died, I just walked away for a while. When I picked the series up again, it was incredible. I keep having these OMG moments, where I suddenly understand why Snape was SO mean to Neville. And I keep having these wonderful moments where I see something in a new light. For example, I'm curious if "sunshine, daisies; butter, mellow; turn this stupid fat rat yellow," is actually a made-up spell OR is it a legit spell but just didn't work because Scabbers wasn't actually a rat?
I'm picking up on things I never saw before. Neville's abilities improve immensely in the latter books. In Order of the Phoenix, Neville's wand is broken and he admits to Harry that it was his fathers. Perhaps Neville wasn't very good at spells because the wand belonged to his father and not to him. The wand picks the wizard after all, and Neville's wand didn't choose him.
FURTHERMORE (and please don't call blasphemy on this because I'm just merely curious) was Dumbledore the "greatest wizard of all time" because his wand was in fact, the elder wand - the most powerful wand of all time? Or was his natural ability simply enhanced even further by this great wand.
I'm not going to finish the books before we get to Universal on Thursday, like I was originally hoping. But we only have one movie left to go and I think we can knock that out tonight and tomorrow night. I'll definitely finish the series though. I absolutely cannot believe I only read the last book ONE TIME. What is wrong with me? I can feel the anticipation growing again, but this time I can just dive right in. I simultaneously can't wait to devour the book and want to take my time with it, savor every word.
These are awesome books and movies! I have said just out of the blue more than once, "I wish the Harry Potter story could just keep going. I miss it!"
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