9 1/2 Hours

Today is mom’s birthday again. I hadn’t thought about it until I awoke from a nap. Bummer. I was hyper all the rest of the weekend too. Two years ago, when Half Blood Prince came out, it was little more than a distraction. A welcome one, but still just a distraction from the hurt I was feeling. Deathly Hallows was one I eagerly anticipated, but was sad to finish. Since 2003, when Order of the Phoenix came out, I’ve waited for the mail on the release date, just about stalking the mail man. This year, he snuck up on me, but once I got that book in my hands there was no stopping me. I finished it in 9 ½ hours, I knew there would be no sleep until it was finished. The book was great, but JKR promised that there would be no loop holes. I guess that depends on how you define a loophole. As I see it there are tons of unanswered questions:

1. What happens to the Malfoys? Do they do time in Azkaban, and does Harry testify to Narcissa's betrayal of Voldemort, although it is for selfish reasons?
2. Who does Draco marry?
3. Where do Harry and Ginny live? My guess is Godric’s Hollow.
4. Ron and Hermione? My guess is right next door to Harry and Ginny.
5. What are their jobs?
6. Does McGonnegal take over as headmistress?
7. What does George do without Fred?

For me, this means no end to the hours of discussion, the theories, and the possibility of ‘spin offs’. JKR might be done with Hogwarts and the world of Harry Potter, but the rest of us are not. I look forward to a generation of kids who have never heard of Harry Potter. Kids to whom I’ll be able to say “oh, this is a good book; I think you’ll like it”. Having them enjoy it, being able to talk about it to a new generation who weren’t around at the inception of Mugglenet. Of watching them wonder what’s going to happen next, and being able to say “just keep reading, you’ll see!” I liken it to when my Stud was a child and saw the original Star Wars. He had to wait years for the second one, something my nephew and our little darlings found hard to believe. In their world, the obvious question is when is the sequel coming out? The answer was usually next summer. We’ve been fortunate, the movies have been only about a year to a year and a half apart. The original Star Wars had three years between each of them. My thanks goes out to Rowling for at least trimming that down a bit. I wasn’t introduced to the Potter series until 2001, so I only had to wait 2 years between each of the installments.

Speaking of my introduction to Hogwarts, it was due to a young boy who was reading these books in his extremely conservative Christian school. I still find it hard to believe that anyone has objections to these books on the basis of “witchcraft”. When’s the last time anyone saw a pagan witch or wizard saying “oh, JKR has really got us pegged! How did she know about our wands?” The world of fantasy has been around since human beings have had imaginations. Wizards, potions, spells, wands, magical creatures…goblins, unicorns, giants, dragons…the list goes on. Interestingly enough, JKR addresses this very issue in her books. There are wizards who hate muggles, and muggles, like Harry’s aunt and uncle, who hate magic, that which they refuse to try and understand. Huh, wonder where an idea like that ever came from.

It is sad that the series is at an end. Those 9 ½ hours flew by. It was a welcome distraction, again, but for very different reasons. This time, it was pure escapism for the enjoyment of it. Our lives are changing rapidly, yet again, and I can feel it happening. Part of me is saying stop don’t do it! Part of me is looking forward to the next adventure that is on the way for us. A strange sort of melancholy has settled on me, a feeling I have trouble putting into words and understanding. If I’ve learned anything about myself I know it means that I need to exercise more, and write more. Nothing centers me more than these two things. I’m just anxious to get through this part. I miss my days home alone, I can’t wait for that first Monday when the boys are in school. I’m nervous about starting a new job, I nervous about new teachers again. Telling myself I’m being foolish doesn’t help.