Well, it's 2:35 AM on Friday, July 15th-a day I have eagerly awaited for many months. I've seen the conclusion; I was in a crowd of people watching the 'end' of, for lack of a better word, an era. So many fans have looked forward to the conclusion of Harry Potter, whether fans of the books more or fans of the movies more. We've waited on the edge of our theater seats to witness Harry's fate. And now, the moment has finally arrived.
Did Harry survive? Did he die? I'm not about to tell, for those of you who haven't yet seen the movie. I don't think it matters. Yes, you read that right, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that Harry endeared himself to a generation of people. I doubt anyone in North America has not heard of Harry Potter. Millions of children and adults alike have read the series and watched the movies. What matters is not that Harry lives or dies, but rather, that he has many things to teach us. As moviegoers or book readers, we have watched a young boy go through more than many children go through, more even than some adults go through in their entire lives. Harry was "the boy who lived." He was famous before he even knew it. But that's not why readers and moviegoers love him. It's because of his heart. Harry has an amazing capacity to love-he cares for his friends. He says in the movie, "I never meant for any of you to die for me." He doesn't want people to give themselves for him. Who is he that they should die for him? He thinks of himself as only a boy, a young man no more powerful than any other witch or wizard. But yet, as Voldemort says, he "came to die." He came to Voldemort not because he wanted to kill Voldemort for murdering his parents, but because he loved his friends. He wanted to save them. This is why we love Harry. Not because he is some powerful wizard, but because he acts with courage in the face of death and chooses love over hate. He has a huge heart.
At one point in the movie, Harry asks one of his most beloved friends if they are "really there" and the friend replies, "We're always here" and points to Harry's heart. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the books. In Prisoner of Azkaban Harry believes his father casts a patronous that saves Harry's life. But later, he realizes it wasn't his father, but himself. He's rather downcast about this fact, because he wanted to see his father. It is then that Dumbledore says, "Harry, you think the dead we love ever really leave us? They live with us, in our hearts."
I think the same can be said of Harry. The adventure may have "ended" on the big screen, but he'll forever be immortalized in our hearts and minds. He is a part of us, and we'll always have him, regardless of the ending on the screen or on the page. He is, "the boy who live(s)."
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