Goodbye, Mr. Potter

We arrived at Methuen's AMC theater around 5:15 yesterday evening, clutching Butterbeers crafted with care by the enterprising folks at Not Your Average Joe's next door. We had already seen some of the excited masses during our early dinner - red and gold ties and grey linen skirts could be spied everywhere, and our waitress - who was quick to identify herself as the bright young mind behind the wizard-themed beverages - chatted excitedly about the phenomenon that was about to occur next door. At 5:15, almost a full 7 hours before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was slated to premier, the line was already beginning to snake around the corner. The crowd increased exponentially in the next couple of hours, and the amount of people was absolutely staggering. We heard walkie-talkies throwing out numbers like 7,000, and a frazzled employee confirmed that the theater had sold out their 19th screen early that morning.

The crowd boasted a few younger faces sporting special-edition Harry Potter 3D glasses, Sharpie-drawn lightning bolt scars and big, toothy smiles. But the overwhelming majority of the crowd here to support the final film based on a children's book series were high school graduates and college students whose expressions betrayed something a little more than excitement. It brought back memories of running around my friends' backyards at age 10, clutching twigs and casting "spells" at imaginary enemies. My friend and I fondly recalled waiting outside of Barnes and Noble at midnight for the release of the final book, shedding tears in my bedroom at the emotional conclusion of the book series as we struggled to keep our eyes open, and waking up with our faces buried in the open pages. That was the summer before our first year of high school. Now, on the cusp of college, we spent the night in tears at the emotional conclusion of the film series that defined a generation of kids who believed wholeheartedly in magic.

So I was happy to be amidst that crowd of thousands of weepy-eyed, nostalgic young adults, whose experience at midnight premiers was betrayed by their blankets, chairs and board games. Joined by a series that touched millions of lives, we all clutched our wands together and watched with glee as scenes were reenacted and chants were started in support of each house of Hogwarts. We all watched in stunned silence as our hero played out his final battle, interrupted by the occasional cheer or loud sob. And the diehards stayed in their seats, until the credits had rolled and the lights came up in the theater, hugging and smiling and remembering a story that had gone on for 13 long years. In the dedications for the final book, JK Rowling famously wrote, "and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end." But those who carry the magic within them know that it's never really the end, because the best stories stay with you no matter where you go.