Letting the geekiness shine through
A future without Harry Potter? Please say it ain't so, Jo
By Ann Marie Miani
Columnist
Well, here we are. Just a day or so away from a moment more than a decade in the making, a moment I've been equally anticipating and dreading for the past six years.
On Saturday, the final book in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be released and finally - FINALLY - all of our questions will be answered.
Well, maybe not all. I've heard author J.K. Rowling has said she left some answers open to interpretation. One of those questions had better not be if Professor Snape is good or evil ... I'd never forgive her.
But I digress.
In order to prepare for the release of "The Deathly Hallows," I've re-read all six books in the past few months.
So for the first time in years, I have seen little 11-year-old Harry find out he's a wizard. Then followed him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he slowly discovered things - both good and bad - about his past. I watched him find joy when he found a father figure in Sirius Black and despair when he watched You-Know-Who kill Cedric Diggory.
As Harry got older, I watched him come into his own when he formed Dumbledore's Army to teach his fellow students how to defend themselves against Lord Voldemort. And finally, I watched him deal with the deaths of the two men in his world who were like fathers to him - Sirius and Albus Dumbledore.
In short, I watched a timid little boy grow into a strong young man.
Now, we'll learn Harry's fate. We'll follow him into his final battle with Voldemort and discover who arises victorious. We'll also learn other things - like more about Harry's parents and the "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes from "Goblet of Fire."
But the question that's been plaguing fans of this series since we read the prophecy in "The Order of the Phoenix" is: Can Rowling really kill off the boy wizard we all have grown to love? I hope not. The thought of Harry dying at the hands of Voldemort ... I don't even want to think about it.
But good or bad, the series will wrap and a void that only Harry can fill will be left.
When I first started reading the Potter books in 2001 (yes, I was a late bloomer), I never thought I would be one of "those people" who went to the midnight book release parties or saw the latest film the day it came out.
And I might not have been, if it hadn't been for the tremendously long wait between "Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix."
By the time "Phoenix" came out, I HAD to get the book at midnight because I just couldn't wait another 12 hours and get it in the morning. After all, the bookstore might have been sold out by morning and the thought of waiting DAYS for a new shipment to come in was unbearable.
So here we are in 2007, and I'm one of the millions of adults without children who not only attend the midnight parties, but probably will stay up very late in nights to come with my nose deep in the book ... just like Hermione Granger.
However, one of the perks of being an adult fan of this series, as opposed to Rowling's target audience of children, is I don't have my mother yelling at me to turn out the light and go to bed.
But as I said before, the end of the series is truly bittersweet. And while we finally will know if Harry vanquishes Voldemort, we also will never have another Potter book to look forward to. And that is where the sadness comes into play.
Although I've been an avid reader my whole life, a majority of today's children aren't. They are more into their iPods and PlayStations than the world that's created when you open the pages of a book.
Except, of course, when it comes to the boy wizard and his adventures. This series really has made children interested in reading. And I love seeing kids so excited about a book series, and not some ridiculous video game that will just end up rotting their brains.
But I guess the Potter magic will not Disapparate completely on Saturday. Like all pop culture phenomena, Harry will live forever - in print anyway - even if he does die in the seventh book. Harry is immortal because Muggles of all ages will continue to enter the Wizarding world through Rowling's books for many generations to come.
A prime example is my niece, who just got "The Sorcerer's Stone" for her sixth birthday.
And, of course, we still have the movies to look forward to - but it's just not the same.
So we've come to the end of an era. I, like millions of others around the world, am eagerly waiting to see what Rowling has in store for Harry's final adventure.
And live or die, just remember, Harry, we'll always have Hogwarts.
• Miani is a copy editor at the Athens Banner-Herald. Owls may be sent to The Athens Banner-Herald, P.O. Box 912, Athens, Ga. 30603, or Muggles can contact her at ann.miani@onlineathens.com.
By Ann Marie Miani
Columnist
Well, here we are. Just a day or so away from a moment more than a decade in the making, a moment I've been equally anticipating and dreading for the past six years.
On Saturday, the final book in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be released and finally - FINALLY - all of our questions will be answered.
Well, maybe not all. I've heard author J.K. Rowling has said she left some answers open to interpretation. One of those questions had better not be if Professor Snape is good or evil ... I'd never forgive her.
But I digress.
In order to prepare for the release of "The Deathly Hallows," I've re-read all six books in the past few months.
So for the first time in years, I have seen little 11-year-old Harry find out he's a wizard. Then followed him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he slowly discovered things - both good and bad - about his past. I watched him find joy when he found a father figure in Sirius Black and despair when he watched You-Know-Who kill Cedric Diggory.
As Harry got older, I watched him come into his own when he formed Dumbledore's Army to teach his fellow students how to defend themselves against Lord Voldemort. And finally, I watched him deal with the deaths of the two men in his world who were like fathers to him - Sirius and Albus Dumbledore.
In short, I watched a timid little boy grow into a strong young man.
Now, we'll learn Harry's fate. We'll follow him into his final battle with Voldemort and discover who arises victorious. We'll also learn other things - like more about Harry's parents and the "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes from "Goblet of Fire."
But the question that's been plaguing fans of this series since we read the prophecy in "The Order of the Phoenix" is: Can Rowling really kill off the boy wizard we all have grown to love? I hope not. The thought of Harry dying at the hands of Voldemort ... I don't even want to think about it.
But good or bad, the series will wrap and a void that only Harry can fill will be left.
When I first started reading the Potter books in 2001 (yes, I was a late bloomer), I never thought I would be one of "those people" who went to the midnight book release parties or saw the latest film the day it came out.
And I might not have been, if it hadn't been for the tremendously long wait between "Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix."
By the time "Phoenix" came out, I HAD to get the book at midnight because I just couldn't wait another 12 hours and get it in the morning. After all, the bookstore might have been sold out by morning and the thought of waiting DAYS for a new shipment to come in was unbearable.
So here we are in 2007, and I'm one of the millions of adults without children who not only attend the midnight parties, but probably will stay up very late in nights to come with my nose deep in the book ... just like Hermione Granger.
However, one of the perks of being an adult fan of this series, as opposed to Rowling's target audience of children, is I don't have my mother yelling at me to turn out the light and go to bed.
But as I said before, the end of the series is truly bittersweet. And while we finally will know if Harry vanquishes Voldemort, we also will never have another Potter book to look forward to. And that is where the sadness comes into play.
Although I've been an avid reader my whole life, a majority of today's children aren't. They are more into their iPods and PlayStations than the world that's created when you open the pages of a book.
Except, of course, when it comes to the boy wizard and his adventures. This series really has made children interested in reading. And I love seeing kids so excited about a book series, and not some ridiculous video game that will just end up rotting their brains.
But I guess the Potter magic will not Disapparate completely on Saturday. Like all pop culture phenomena, Harry will live forever - in print anyway - even if he does die in the seventh book. Harry is immortal because Muggles of all ages will continue to enter the Wizarding world through Rowling's books for many generations to come.
A prime example is my niece, who just got "The Sorcerer's Stone" for her sixth birthday.
And, of course, we still have the movies to look forward to - but it's just not the same.
So we've come to the end of an era. I, like millions of others around the world, am eagerly waiting to see what Rowling has in store for Harry's final adventure.
And live or die, just remember, Harry, we'll always have Hogwarts.
• Miani is a copy editor at the Athens Banner-Herald. Owls may be sent to The Athens Banner-Herald, P.O. Box 912, Athens, Ga. 30603, or Muggles can contact her at ann.miani@onlineathens.com.