Friday 21 June 2013

Harry Potter: It's not goodbye, it's just see you later

Oh you guys. This was some readalong, huh? We had some laughs, and then some cries, and then some more laughs and crys and it was kind of the best thing that a group of people on the internet have ever done ever?
FIRSTLY before I even try to sum up anything Harry Potterish, I have to say THE HUGEST thank you to Alice for being our gracious and also excellent host these past SIX MONTHS (seriously guys, that is the longest time).
Every single week I've felt bad when everyone else is a better thanker than me, but look! An actual Harry Potter gif from an actual Harry Potter film (don't ask me which one because I don't bloody know, do I?) But anyway, yes, Alice you've been great, and THANK YOU especially for getting your post up really early for those of us in foreign lands and strange time zones, even if we sometimes have to be reminded to link up our posts. Ahem.

And now, Harry Potter. I didn't want to talk about the Epilogue last week because I didn't want to end my post on a bummer, but I'm just going to have a teeny moan about it now. Because... Ok, I never used to HATE the epilogue at all, but it feels like for the entire readalong, everyone's been saying 'UGH, the epilogue' and I read it this time, and... Yeah. It's not even that I hate the pairs that JK makes, especially (although I do hate that Ginny didn't get to name ANY of her kids) although you have all made me want either a Harry-Luna or Harry-Draco union SOMEHOW, but that's not the problem.

The problem is, I want to know what happens to EVERYONE- how has George even coped with life after Fred's death? It's so amazing that Neville is a Professor, but what about his personal life? Is he married to Luna, and for that matter, hey, WHERE IS LUNA? It seems like JK makes her a pretty important character, especially in the Deathly Hallows, and then just leaves her out completely. And then, just, everyone else. I want to know far far more than there's space for in the Epilogue, and if I can't have it all then I'd rather just have nothing, and I'll imagine what's happened to all the characters myself, THANK you very much.
But. Let's just put that aside now, because I'm over it and oh my gosh have I even mentioned how much I love Harry Potter? I can't think of another thing I would spend six months of my life on, and the weirdest thing is, I'm still not at all done with it. I know that my posts every week were INSANELY long (um... Sorry about that) but honestly they could probably have been twice as long and I would still have things to say. And I don't even know why that it but it probably has something to do with the fact that, even though there's a finite number of pages in the series, they have created an infinite world inside each of our brains, all of them different, which makes an infinite number of infinite worlds and yeah. Woah.
So basically, JK Rowling is an amazing human being and I know that I'm grateful she went on that train journey that one day and dreamed up Harry Potter because I can't even imagine a world without it in. And we're so lucky because we grew up WITH Harry, but imagine what it's going to be like for all the generations of kids to come who get to grow up in a world where Harry Potter already exists- Guys- if we have kids (not together. Unless you want to) WE GET TO READ HARRY POTTER TO THEM. We have the opportunity to bring children that joy, and that is just the coolest thing ever in the world ever.

So. To sum up. This was the best readalong ever and I'll probably never read Harry Potter in quite the same way in my life again ever, and I love you all for your comments and your posts and for making everything about this experience The Best.
I am mostly VERY SAD that the readalong is over, but there's a teeny part of my brain (the crazy part that wants to read things that aren't Harry Potter) that's already noticed that I'm doing better at reading other things now that there's not a kind of huge part thinking about Harry Potter all the time. But still, I wouldn't have traded this for anything. This. Was. Awesome.

22 comments:

  1. LET'S ALL HAVE KIDS TOGETHER

    That is an excellent thank you gif, btdubs. And I thank YOU (bam!).

    Yeah, one of the amazing things about Potter is how much it can inspire discussion. But like, discussion that goes on and on and on. I canNOT read these books critically, so I still don't know exactly what JKR does to make them so special and full of *stuff* but she does and I am happy about it.

    Harry and Draco got married. We all know that now.

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    1. LADY COMMUNE!! Where we just pick fruit and read the kids Harry Potter all the time.

      JKR is magic and I think that's all we need to know about her skills. This is very in-depth analysis, obviously.

      Harry and Draco did get married and adopted children with actually good names. Let's believe this is true.

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  2. this readalong was so much fun and the best thing and I can't believe it's over now. But thank you for talking about the epilogue here and making this for a moment, seem like any other HP post because then I can pretend that we're not done yet.

    (The GIF is from the 4th movie after Harry saves Gabrielle and Fleur keeps bringing it up throughout the series like he really saved her life instead of JUST WASTING TIME BECAUSE IT WAS A GAME AND NO ONE WAS ACTUALLY IN DANGER)

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    1. Aw, you're welcome! We'll never be done with Harry Potter, Alley! NEVER.

      (AH! Good to know! I thought that was Hermione for some reason, but it makes sense that Fleur is kissing him all frenchly [not... FRENCH kissing him... oh dear]. And SHHHHHHHHH because Harry is a fucking HERO, ok?!)

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  3. According to Rowling Luna Married Rolf Scamander and has 2 children. I know you are very jealous of my awesome knowledge...

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    1. BUT WHO IS ROLF SCAMANDER? Luna can't just marry some random person we don't know! She's Luna! (I am very jealous of all your everythings, obvs!)

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    2. He is a descendant of Newt Schmander (author of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them)

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    3. OH MY GOD HE PROBABLY TOOK HER TO SEE CRUMPLE HORNED SNORKACKS ON THEIR HONEYMOON.

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    4. !!!!!!!

      I think...I think I'm OK with this pairing (SORRY, NEVILLE. Come over here, and I shall comfort you.)

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  4. This readalong was the BEST but admittedly, it's nice for the first time in 6 months to not have reading/posting to do every week.

    The epilogue was SO too short! Wiki HP can tell you what happens to the various characters (from interviews and stuff that JK has mentioned or info she put into Pottermore), but it'll never be enough. I DEMAND a HP Encyclopedia written by her, darn it.

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    1. No, yeah, definitely. And not even that so much as the thing of always having Harry Potter THERE in my brain- either in a READ YOUR CHAPTERS or WRITE YOUR POST kind of way. Which was of course awesome in its own way, but yeah, a tiiiiny bit life-intrusive haha!

      I don't know if I even want an encyclopedia written by JK anymore though, since she clearly pairs up THE WRONG PEOPLE! I'm sort of happy just to imagine the things in my head forever now!

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  5. Man, I really wish I could read these all over again for the FIRST TIME. I've read them, I don't know, 8 times? Some of the early ones probably more than that. But, it would be so great to just erase all memory of the series and start over again, to experience it all fresh. Oh man.

    Of course, then I'd lose the last 15 years of everything-is-a-Harry-Potter-reference-and-I-worked-at-a-bookstore-during-midnight-releases-and-went-to-all-the-movies-openining-night kinda things. So, yeah, there's that.

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    1. Yeah, there's definitely part of me that would LOVE to read them again for the first time (even with all the WAITING that involves! I would do it!) but the thing is, a BIG part of my enjoyment of them now is having had them grow massively in my brain for the last, what, 7 years? (since the release of the last book, that is) and characters like Tonks and Luna take on this MASSIVE PRESENCE of awesomeness even though they're really not in the books that much. I don't know, it's still alllllll good.

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  6. Awww, you wrote a real and heartfelt post! I'm gonna miss our Friday fangirl times.

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    1. I did! I did do that! I don't even know what I'm going to DO on Fridays now, Emily!

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  7. "even though there's a finite number of pages in the series, they have created an infinite world inside each of our brains, all of them different, which makes an infinite number of infinite worlds and yeah. Woah." <-- TRUTH.

    I am going to miss this so. Though I will certainly reread this series another infinity times, I will always think of you guys when doing so. *weeps quietly* *soothes self with Harry Potter GIFs*

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    1. Exactly! I'm obviously definitely going to read it again, many, many times, but never quite like this again, I don't think. Which is really sad! But I'm glad we did it. Being sad that it's over shows how excellent it was :)

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  8. (It's from the Goblet of Fire. [I've probably watched the movie too many times.]) And YES, I totally agree that this is just a see ya. Right now, I'm kind of like, ugh, SO DONE with Harry, but I know that in a few months I'll be trying to figure out what audiobook to listen to and I'll be all SCREW IT, I'm listening to Harry. And YES, I'm also super-excited to read these books with my theoretical children (or, closer in the future, with my extant nieces). Kind of like Obama did (also, how awesome is it that Obama did that?!). Oops, just remembered that you're not American. Strike that last bit.

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    1. I'm not even SO DONE with Harry at the moment, you know. I could probably pick up the Philosopher's Stone and start all over again right now!

      Also, dude, I know who Obama is! I DIDN'T know that he read Harry Potter with his kids though, and now I love him x infinity!!! (I already loved him, you know, a lot.)

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  9. Your Oprah GIF reminded me that I had forgotten to use an Oprah GIF I have been saving for MONTHS to use in this post. *scurries away to add it to my post, hopes no one notices*

    Reading Harry Potter to my future children is pretty much the main reason I want kids. I will disown them if they don't like it.

    Also I spent an embarrassingly long time watching that one GIF to figure out if that was a flying basket of lemons or tennis balls. MY LIFE IS SO SAD NOW THAT THE READALONG IS OVER.

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  10. This readalong clearly was the best thing ever to happen to the Internet. HEAR THAT, GRUMPY CAT?

    I feel like we should do a musical montage to David Bowie's "Heroes" now. *applies face glitter*

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  11. Emily sent me a fan-fic which is everything the epilogue should have been! It's still about their kids but it's more about Harry and Draco and their coming to terms with life, even 20 years after the death of Voldemort. And Albus is sorted into Slytherin, and Teddy always has chocolate, and Draco has an AMAZING story, and they discuss the stupid names of their kids. Oh and Cho marries Goyle and Luna marries Dean! Anyway, it's fabulous and must be read.

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