The End

Chapter One:

It was a day.... maybe it was blustery, maybe it was cold, but the fact was that this little girl was hardly able to pay attention to anything going on outside the walls of her second grade classroom. A hamster scuffled around in the corner in his cage, the desks were all in a circle, her pencil box was nice and tidy. All of these were the signs of a good day. Little did this girl know, but this day would change the rest of her life.

A cover was turned. The children sat on the edges of their seats. The teacher's voice floated through the air... as if it were... well it couldn't be, could it? Magic?

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."


Lara was smitten. Her life would never be the same.






Chapter 2-4:


Over time, crisp new books with strong binding and enchanting covers found their way into her hands. Maybe it was in an Easter basket. Maybe her mother was feeling particularly generous that day. Maybe it was a birthday present. But each book promised a great day. A great week. A story that couldn't be told fast enough.


Lara got a journal from a book fair with the sorting hat on the cover. She wrote in it daily. "Dear Hogwarts...."


The movies started arriving in theaters. What a magical time! Magical music. Magical feeling. Magical toys in kids meals. Magic 
everywhere. Movie magic! Hogwarts magic! Magic!






Chapter 5:
It had been so long. So very very long since Lara had held the fourth book. Her hands ached to turn the pages and hang on every word as if they were the coolest monkey bars in the entire world....


The doorbell rang. Book five found itself on the doorstep of a house once quiet, but since the doorbell pierced the silence in the air, excitement rang over and over.


Her brother read it. He reads fast. Her mother read it. She reads fast. Lara read it. She didn't read so fast, but she still read. And read she did. And again. And again. And again. And again. August rolled around the corner, and school started up. 


The teacher asked, "What did you do over the summer?"


Sally said "I went to Disney Land!"


Connor said "I went to boy's camp!"


Eric said "I spent the summer at my cabin by the lake!"


Lara said "I read Harry Potter over 20 times!






Chapter 6:


Something strange was afoot. The books were different. Magic still echoed through the pages, but where were the joyful trips to Hogsmeade? Where was the innocent competition to earn house points? 


The books were growing up. And so was Lara. She turned the last page of the book, tears dripping down her face, mourning the loss of Dumbledore. She closed the book, washed her face with cold 
water, and went upstairs for dinner.




Chapter 7:


Nothing was ever to be the same. To this day, Lara cannot recall exactly how she felt finishing the book. Excitement? Maybe. What an exciting story. What a way to end. Sorrow? Completely. It had been over 10 years since she had heard those first words... "Mr. and Mrs. Dudley..." 10 years. Over half of her life. A life spent anticipating the release of the books every summer. While other kids were excited for school to be out and the exciting things to do that summer, Lara was excited for Harry and Ron and Hermione and Lumos and butterbeer and yes! Voldemort! She was even excited for Voldemort!


And now that part of her life was over. 


Chapter The End:


Last night Harry Potter 7 part 2 was released to theaters across America. Last night I sat on my chair in my basement watching reruns of Say Yes To The Dress. I could say I didn't go to the movie because I didn't have a ticket. I could say I didn't go to the movie because I didn't have a car to get me there. I could say I didn't go to the movie because I had no idea with whom I would go. 


I didn't go to the movie because I don't think I can do it. I know that the second those credits roll across the screen is the second a magical part of my life is over.


Lots of things in my life made me think my childhood was over! Graduating high school? Moving to college? Going on my first date? (The order is irrelevant...) 


The fact remains that I'm still a child in a lot of ways. I still love the color pink more than most things. I still get that "I'm-about-to-cry-from excitement" feeling when I walk into Disneyland. 


But I'm afraid of what will happen when those credits roll across the screen. I don't think I can do it.

I was Hermione for Halloween. I had Gryfindor robes.