Everyone is flipping out because it’s “the end” and whatnot, but I really haven’t been feeling it that much. I think it’s because I realize that this isn’t the end of anything at all. Yes, it is the last movie. Yes, it is the last time we will get something fresh to obsess over as a community. But that doesn’t mean anything is over! I don’t know about anyone else, but every time I reread those books, something new to love and turn over in my mind just jumps out at me. With the movies too, nothing is diminished with every new viewing; I will cry just as hard for Dobby every time I watch him give his life for them as I did in the theater months ago. Then, there’s this mass of other expression & art that Rowling has breathed life into. I’m sure many of you have seen, or at least heard of, AVPM and AVPS. There’s all sorts of Wrock from almost every character’s point of view and this insurmountable pile of fanfiction, both of which will surely not come to a halt after this final movie. Sure, the production may slow down, but just look at what you’ve already produced! YOU did this! All we were given was the idea of a boy we could relate to, someone whose life just plain sucked, but he was lucky & got a whole new one. This lovely escapism came with morals, too. Our generation know the power of love, the strength of friendship, the success that follows perseverance, and the simple fact that you do not have to do it on your own. Hell, you probably can’t do it on your own. This is what these books have taught us, and that will never leave. How can you say something is ending when it is a part of you? How can something be gone if it is present in every thought you think? Maybe you’re scared that this communal, familial feeling might end, but it won’t. At the worst, we will be like graduating seniors, and though we must mature past what we are now, in growth there is no end. What is already a part of us is simply built upon, and while the thrill of anticipation may be over, it is now replaced by the cool comforts of reminiscence.

What I’m trying to say has already been said a million times over. To make it most precise, I’ll quote Dr. Seuss in saying “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” As long as harry is in your heart and in your mind, he is not gone. When you read his story to your kids, show them the then-outdated films that bring you joy, they’ll understand. This story is universal. This story is real. So don’t worry about endings, because that is definitely not what is going on here.