History of Harry Potter and Me: Our Journey

Let me tell you how I have come to love Harry Potter, every bit of it.

from the first line to the last

Hatred at the First Sight

My older brother who’s in his twenties, a workaholic engineer, was watching Sorcerer’s Stone on tv. He called me and said “watch this. It’s a great movie, about magic”.

I saw some special effects. I rolled my eyes. It didn’t interest me at all, in fact it annoyed me. Why would i watch a magical story which was not real? Nothing but a crappy lie. 

he was there from the very start until the very end. i envy him.

Unlike Hermione who's a know-it-all jumping up and down answering questions and studying all the time, I cared but I was more laid back. I did well in my final exam, earning me some prizes from the school. One of them was a HP pencil case. Guess what? I threw it into the garbage bin.

I don’t know why, but i hated it so much. I thought i was matured enough; i wouldn’t waste my time liking kiddie stuff.

It was only a glance; i didn’t give it a chance. I hated Harry Potter. And i was only 8.

Love on the First Page

I started reading at a very young age before I was even 6, thanks to my mother who taught me.  She, my father and the mentioned brother bought me books, so i was used to reading even as a child. But children books weren't really my cup of tea. I wasn't even interested in Enid Blyton's!



When i was 9, i was at a bookstore, looking for new books about ghosts, mysteries and spies. i saw an array of Harry Potter books. For unknown reasons, i shifted my attention to the series, something which had never happened.

Despite Harry Potter being the 'children book' I've always despised, I checked the titles one by one, read the synopsis. I bought book 2, Chamber of Secrets, which was in Malay version. Harry Potter dan Bilik Rahsia caught my eyes because i loved being secretive, i loved secrets.

I finished it in one day. I wasted no more ignorant time; i went to the same bookstore. And i bought book 1. I never had this feeling before.

i made this with love

I liked reading books. But i had never been this so much in love.

When people say the usual “don’t hate someone, you might love them someday, to the day you die”. I believe them.

It might not be a person, but i have been in love with something more for 8 years and still counting. Never stop counting.

Putera Berdarah Separuh

While waiting for the next sequels, I read more and more. I was never interested in typical chick flicks or superficial teen romance, even when I was barely a teen myself. Instead, I dive into stories with bitter reality I find at adult and bestseller sections. 

Because first, what use is there to read books with no life lesson? Second, books about life problems make me forget about my own, or at least feel I'm not alone. Third, because of Harry Potter.

It's ironic how a 'children book' matured my level of reading. That's one of the many reasons why HP is not a children book to me.


When i was 11, Book 6 came out. I went to the bookstore as soon as i could.

But it was too soon. i had been waiting for this moment for long, yet there i was standing in front of the rack, unable to find the Malay version. It was yet to be published. I stared at the title Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.

What the hell was ‘half-blood’? Putera Berdarah Separuh? I couldn’t understand the meaning, how could i understand the whole book?

Finally after facing internal dilemma, i bought it.

My English improved drastically. I started to love learning a second language, maybe because i actually love the teacher this time.

I wasn’t raised in an English-speaking family. But people still ask me, how do i manage to write and speak, yes, not as excellent as some, but able still?

Well, how do you think i got started?

11 and Waiting

I always knew Harry Potter wasn’t real, it’s only another story. I’ve never waited for Hogwarts letter to be brought in by an owl, or for Prof Dumbledore to come explaining to my Muggle family who i really was and where i really belonged.

But it’s something i have imagined. How i was a Muggleborn, or a half blood, my dad was one of them, i would run through the barrier and be on the train to Hogwarts, get sorted, stay in a hostel where the food’s actually good, and get good results in OWL and NEWT.

I dreamt of it, especially when i was lonely, sad, angry, or just fed up facing my life. Whenever i had troubles and was sick of my own world, i’d pick a book, pick a page, and go to the place where everything’s magical. At times like this, I wished that it was real.

That's something that some people can't see. How the books help those with issues - by seeing the extraordinary wonders that don't exist in our lives, and by feeling the ordinary woes that also exist in the characters' lives. Some people have nothing else to hold on to - not a person, not a strength, not a hope, not a belief. By giving them someone to relate and somewhere to escape, Harry Potter save their lives.

Going Home to Deathly Hallows

In 2007, I was in MRSM Serting. I knew the finale book was to be published, it was everywhere. Everyday i checked the newspapers and if there were articles, or images, anything related to Harry Potter, i would paste them on my table in my class.

Whenever i called my mom, i’d remind her “Ma, remember to buy it on the first day, fans are ready to queue around the block and many have already pre-ordered. ask anyone to go to the midnight launching for me, pleaseee?”

On 21.7, i called my mom and before i could even ask, she told me that my Deathly Hallows was safe in my room. My brother went to buy it very early in the morning and yes, people were queuing. But it was mine now, waiting at home sweet home.

It was one of the happiest days in my depressing Serting life.

Before I went home, I tried to finish all assignments. Being ridiculously many, I had to do some at home. All done, I asked my mom where she hid it - she did on my request because the final book being the prize of my hardwork was the only way to get everything done on time. After that I wanted to do nothing but relax, with Deathly Hallows in my hands, finishing my journey at last.

It was one of the saddest day in my entire life.

When i was a kid, they were, too.

When Harry saw his dead parents in the mirror of erised and never wanted to look away, i could imagine how he felt. When he felt trapped, wanted to escape, i was with him. We had our chances. It worked for him, but not for me.

Ron was worried he couldn’t do enough to make his parents proud, because everything was already achieved by his older brothers. We both felt overshadowed.

Hermione, she might understand me. Yes, I don't jump up and down answering questions and study all the time, but there's more to her than that. Just as there's more to me that some can't see. Many we shared, many we felt, many in target. We could sit down and talk all day.
 

Together we join the battle of adolescence.

Boiling hormones, emotional fights, haters gonna hate, rumours spread and being whispered behind our backs, broken hearts and ruined friendships, between doubts and trust, true friends remain loyal and stand up to your enemies whether it was a blond brat or a noseless nemesis, blushing before first crush, jealousy kills, love found and love lost.

When there are times to handle the real world, i am not alone.

Some reporters tell lies. Newspapers are not the most reliable news source. Every ministry is corrupted. Powerful people do anything to bury the truth and to get what they want. Politics are dirty, the right people never win, their voices unheard. Innocent people are framed to look guilty, bad people walk away freely. Enemies put on a disguise and destroy us from the inside, or come public, share the hatred, and make us hide. Citizens are the victims to unjust government. The world, magical or muggle, are both unfair.

Reading Harry Potter, you’re learning about everything.

Love Is the Most Powerful Magic

In HP, you read how a mother died protecting her baby, thus giving him some sort of a protection which makes it impossible for enemies to harm the baby until he comes of age. How a man belongs to the darkness, but for love, he changes his route, pretends to still be someone evil when secretly he’s the hero, the bravest man i ever knew. How a devastated motherly woman killed for the agony of losing a dear son. How the devil's follower has the gut to lie to her master about a matter of life and death which contributes to the victory of the good side, all because of her love as a mother.

It’s not dark magic, it’s not special talents, it’s only love which gives Harry the ability defeat evil, which makes him The Chosen One whose destiny has been set in stone, no where to run. Love is what Harry’s got, and what Voldy knows not.

Death happens

You might not know how it feels, because it’s not happening to you. But in HP, parents die, friends die, teachers die, neighbours die, siblings die, people die.

I cried reading every single death scene. Sometimes tears just swam in my eyes; sometimes it took me hours to stop crying. Because i know first hand, that deaths hurt. Deaths kill us, the livings who have to endure the pain. Deaths change everything. You read in newspapers that a mother died, and feel sorry. Move on to the next page. But her husband and children won’t. They’ll keep mourning.

In HP, it makes losing loved ones seem more real. That it didn’t only happen to me. Because before knowing Harry, i never knew anyone else who had lost someone important. It gave the younger version of me someone to share my sorrow with.

You don’t like Harry Potter?

I too, hated Harry Potter. Thinking magic wasn’t for me, i preferred something ‘deep’ and ‘real’. Give it a chance. It turns out to be deeper and more real than anything fictional.

You hate the movies?

That’s the reason why i hated if at first, but now i don't anymore. Love lies hidden between words, not shown by something obvious. JKR isn’t the only billionaire writer for nothing, you know.

Did you know in HP there's a meaning or history, anything that has connection to the person, phrase, creature, event, everything? Voldemort means 'flight of death', for example. I love how JKR puts so much thoughts and efforts in what she writes.


She writes with both imagination and heart. for every character and storyline there's a depth, an inspiration, a motivation, and the right intention. she doesn't just write. she does more.

someone who has been through the worst is able to write the best story

You are a fan of the movies, but never read a page?

Do you know how to have a complete Harry Potter experience? The books. Where it all started. If you don't read the books, there are so many things you don't even know because the books are just the secret passageway to the real magical world. Think you've seen enough? The movies don’t even come close. Magic is not to be seen, but to be imagined.

The saddest part about the best thing is, others don’t understand

I read the books with a torchlight on at nights and under my school desk  during daylights. When I first knew how to use the internet, I didn't spend my time on social networking sites. Instead, I spent hours on HP websites, reading trivia and theories, about the actors and characters. 

I used to be alone when i started Harry Potter. People laughed at me for taking something so seriously, they thought it’s crazy. They thought i’m a nerd who has nothing better going on.

Avada Kedavra them, they don’t know a thing.

But now thanks to the internet, i’ve found people around the world who understand me perfectly. We might be worlds apart, but when it comes to this, we’re together.

I don’t feel alone now.

The End of Something

The ending is significant to me because i feel like this ending is the beginning of me being an adult. of not only being the girl who spends countless hours leaving this world where horrible things happen and entering a world of magic that's still true to some parts of our lives, but i have to start making magic happens.




I’m 17 and it's time to be somebody. The timing is perfect. What’s waiting after high school is real. The real world is waiting, not the magical world where i used to escape.

But whenever i'm lonely and need a company, i can always open the books, read another chapter, and reunite with them, right?





Harry Potter is not a trend or a phase. When I'm old people will ask me "After all this time?"


"Always."


Now that's not an obsession or seasonal. That's phenomenal.

I’m one of those devoted Potterheads who has sleepless nights reading the books in one sitting, more sleepless nights rereading the books like I don't know the ending, anticipates the countdown to book launching and movie premieres, checks the calendar to book movies tickets, buys the DVD collection, discussed on the internet about what would happen in Book 7, who would die, live, end up together, made up our own theories, got in fights over who’s good and evil, listens to Wizard Rock genre, likes fan fictions, shares fanmade videos, creates fan arts, gets alert when someone says anything Potter-related, enjoys A Very Potter Musical and Potter Puppet Pals, shops online merchandises, dreams to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, desires to pass on this magic to our children, opens a page whenever i feel upset and meets the boy who had it worse, who actually lived in a cupboard under the stairs, sobs while watching the trailers, cries, laughs, hates and loves with the characters, i’m one of them whose life is changed forever.

I’m a proud fan who belongs to the Harry Potter Generation. Until the very end.

SPOILER and Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Everything Ends

SPOILERS ALERT!

don't say i'm selfish or tactless or anything like that for posting spoilers on my own blog, when the books have been published for four freaking years.

on 14th of July 2011, finally, i've witnessed the end of it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

wearing this yo!

and tomorrow i'm gonna watch it in 3D!
*update: i've watched it 4 times, not enough, not enough*

‘Go on, have a pasty’, said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties and cakes.

i've cried, i've laughed, i've been angry, i've been crazy, i've been depressed, i've been happy. it's so hard to believe that was it, two short hours, so quickly passed by, and suddenly the lights filled my eyes.

i wiped my tears away when the fans applauded and a group yelled "Mischief Managed!". i applauded a lil bit late, and smiled to myself.

i was there, until the very end.

now i'm going through Post-Potter Depression, don't feel like doing anything else. after this review post, i'm gonna post a farewell (how i came to love it and all) post and a post featuring my merchandises (hehe).

now, the magic begins.


The Battle of Hogwarts

was awesome. you know what awesome is? no you don't, until you see this one.

yes i know some of the previous movies didn't live up to our expectations.

not only because they didn't include so many parts and plots, and changed some essential ones, but because of the lack of actions and wand fights and everything that boys like. i had no complains because the emotional stuffs were enough for me, i'm a cry baby.

but this one, EPIC.



It Does the Book Justice

some plots were clones of the book, that i even remember the lines perfectly and mouth them along with the characters.



The Kiss

THE FREAKING KISS WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE THE 2ND MOVIE WHEN HERMIONE REFUSED TO HUG RON AND BOTH AWKWARDLY SHOOK HANDS.

‘It’s no wonder no one can stand her’, Ron said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, ‘she’s a nightmare, honestly.’

tutup mata, jangan tengok lama-lama lololol who am i kidding

i was a bit disappointed because... wait, that was it? that was only it?

where's "there was a clatter of Basilisk fans cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet."?

where's "'Is this the moment?' Harry asked weakly, and when nothing happened except that Ron and Hermione gripped each other still more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. 'OI! There's a war going on here!'"

where's Ron's "I know, mate. So it's now or never, isn't it?"



maybe it was best that way. they both had privacy, unlike usual, Harry's forever with them. and it was sweet, they laughed afterward. it was quick, well there was a war going on, wasn't it? but people say the kiss was actually longer, maybe they cut in some countries. and i've actually seen a gif of the cut part, so, yeah.


when they kissed i was "finally!", with a hand around my mouth hiding my big grin.



Goodbye Severus

god good god tears on my cheeks like whaaat. maybe because i knew what was coming, remembering the chapter i've read four years ago, and reread so often i lost count.

i'm glad Snape actually said Harry's eyes were like his mothers. even in the book, the foreshadowing was subtle. in the book Snape only said "look at me", before he died. it showed he wanted to look at Lily's eyes before he was gone, to look at those green eyes which had caused him so much pain, caused him to change, cost him everything, and cost him his life.

this scene shows how Harry was truly a boy with a golden heart. he hated this man all his life, for bullying him, giving him extra assignments, giving him detentions he didn't deserve, for being a jerk, for hating him and his father, and even more so for killing Dumbledore.

but still, he came to Snape who was struggling with dear life, and put his hand on that man's wound, trying to stop the bleeding even though he knew it was too late. and Harry's face, was priceless. it didn't show all the hatred and rage he ever felt. it was compassion, sympathy, and he was feeling sorry.


but Snape moved no more.



All Those Deaths

giving me no chance to calm the heck down, there were those bodies lying on the ground.

i want a longer scene when Fred's body was surrounded by his family members, and i want to hear Molly mourning, i want Mr. Weasley to rub her hair, tears streaming down his own face, i want Percy to kneel besides his body, and George to bury his head on Fred's chest, and Ron to walk slowly towards them, eyes wide opened with shock, trembling lips, and i want Hermione to follow him, to go to Ginny who was standing alone sobbing, who upon seeing Hermione, hug her and just cried her eyes out on Hermione's shoulder.


and Harry standing a few feet apart all by himself, having no strength to take another step.



because that's how i've been imagining it all these years.



when they show Tonks and Lupin's bodies side by side, almost holding hands, it was sad in a beautiful way. and others who died fighting, or who were the victims, rest in peace.

The Prince's Tale


WAS BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL.

it might not tell precisely, unlike in the book, how was Snape living his life and who he really was, what he had felt. but it was more than i expected the movie could do.

my hands covering my face, my tears were cold.

imagine being a boy who liked a girl, been friends with her even before you started school. when you both were enrolled, there was a group of jerks with the ringleader often kicking your arse all the time, making fun of you. the girl actually fell in love with the ringleader, and later get married and had a son. you were cut into pieces, and you joined the dark side. your boss killed your girl and his husband, but their son now, was the boy who lived. you felt remorse. you wanted to die. you were already dead inside. you went to the good side's leader, and poured out all your heart. you swore to protect your love's son, even though he looked like his father, his father who was mean to you. but he had his mother's eyes. so you protected him. but no one should know, only you and the leader. the rest of your life was spent being the good guy who pretended to be the bad guy who pretended to be the good guy. you were a double agent, a spy, whose life was at risk all the time. whose life ended with everyone's hatred.

imagine. and cry.

it was a beautiful scene, and Alan Rickman did it beautifully. that's why i've forever been in love with this old man.

Don't you look at me like that!
don't you know for a man your age, it's a crime to make a girl blush?!

DAN'S ACTING


this time, he really WAS acting.

Ron: 6 Months she hasn’t seen me and it’s like I’m Frankie First year. I’m only her brother… Seamus: She’s got lots of those though. She’s only got one Harry
Ron: Shut up Seamus

you can see it on his face, it was really something that we never saw in previous movies. looking at his face itself made me feel the burden, when he saw Ginny, when he saw those dead bodies, when he learnt who Snape really was, when he knew he was the horcrux, when he knew he had to leave Ron and Hermione on the staircase, give himself up, and die.



The Epilogue

WAS SDBFSFJBJKSLBFJLSFSFBS.

tears of happiness this time, especially to see my friends, all grown ups and had kids of their own. and Harry, oh Harry. boy you surely grew into your look as you aged. don't get me wrong, Dan is handsome. but Harry, sometimes he could have looked better.

why were you so handsome, 19-years-later Harry? WHY?

“You were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

i was afraid at first they would mess up The Epilogue. would the make up be too fake? would everything be ruined? but it was not.


it was perfect.




All was well.

i deserve a round of applause too, don't i? :' )

The Last Red Carpet for Harry Potter Stars: The Tearful Farewell

a.k.a The Live Premiere of Deathly Hallows Part 2 a.k.a Harry Potter Cryfest 7.7.11.


Cry? Kenapa nak cry cry segala?

ish aku rasa dah banyak post pasal Harry Potter aku buat, jadi malaslah nak explain.


oh ya, pasal BERSIH. aku bukan tak kesah. aku dah lama kesah pasal politik sejak kecik, sampai aku dah malas sekarang. sebab aku tau, yang betul takkan menang. buat naik darah tinggi je. jadi baik aku cakap pasal Harry Potter je kan?



but before we proceed, meh sini tengok video hari terakhir mereka. mereka semua menangis. saya menangis bersama mereka. mari nangis sama-sama T_T

OHMAIGAWD TEARS

until the very end, together we'll be :' )

This is the biggest premiere ever, held in Trafalgar Square.


i was there once, as a little girl.

but why wasn't i two days ago?! tsk tsk.

Red carpet tu teman aku buat folio biology yang disiapkan dalam satu hari sahaja hah hah hah. i've told guys, it was possible. semangat memahami cara untuk dapat anak ramai, atau tak dapat anak langsung, dan cara untuk elakkan penyakit yang berjangkit melalui seks sambil tengok mereka diinterview.

oh ye, kat London time tu pukul 4 petang, kat Malaysia pukul 11 malam.

thanks everybody, your characters are alive and affect me more than some people do

favourite line?

after a couple of hours the casts were interviewed, scribbled their signatures for screaming fans and posing in front of the cameras, Queen Rowling arrived.

thus began the tearful farewell when the Queen, the Chosen One, the King and the Brightest Witch gave their speech one by one.

yes Dan, i totally didn't catch you trying to wipe your tears away.

"Dan, you didn't get lucky" - Emma. AWHHHHH

Jo, you gave Harry the chance to escape from the cupboard,
you gave Dan the chance to say "Thanks Jo, for letting them to give me the job",
and you gave me an experience, second to none.

what made millions of Rupert/Emma shippers even happier was:

look at that Rupert. it's okay, just ignore everyone else patting your back and trying to hug you, instead go straight to your future wife's arms.

oh my god you two, get married and make ginger babies already!

I PRONOUNCE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE. YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE.

and there goes my shipper heart. melt on the keyboard.

seven is the magical number in Harry Potter, you know? 7 Weasley children, 7 horcruxes, 7 books, 7 split souls, and more 7-things that sometimes don't mean anything, or sometimes are secret codes and leading clues that will blow your mind if you know.

yes. it's not goodbye, i will keep coming back. you know why?

"HOGWARTS WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO WELCOME YOU HOME"

but my home is so far away. . . first i need to get a plane ticket to London, then i have to take a taxi to King's Cross Station, and where would i get my Hogwarts Express ticket? there's no Hagrid to give one. . . even if i have it, wouldn't it be weird to just run through the wall between Platform 9 and 10? oh why it has to be Platform 9 3/4. if i manage to cross to the other side, i will be forever alone because everyone speaks in British accent, no one wants to sit with me because i look nothing like Chinese so they don't know from what continent i am, and what if i am not accepted at Hogwarts? what if there's a mistake, the sorting hat doesn't say a word, and Prof McGonagall asks me to get off the stool and pick up my trunk because there has been a mistake, and i'm going to be sent back home.


but Hogwarts is my home, so no worry.

not only hugs, it's something shared for 10 years

even when i'm grey and old, i'll never let go.

i love this picture so much. the parallel there is... priceless. the first picture, you see the kids were happy, goofing around with each other. but the second picture, they're adults now. it's not just some random moments where they act like fools and laugh, it's the ending of their childhood and adolescence together. now it's all about hugs, teary eyes, and sad smiles.

indeed.