Harry Potter Ruined My Life

Today I happened to read this article called "Regrets of a Semiprofessional Potterphile." The author discusses how it was a relief that Harry Potter is officially over. No more new movies or books.
I remember when the last book came out, Sam said something to me about what a relief it would be to finally be done with the story. That word "relief" stuck in my head. I didn't remember feeling relief but maybe a little bit of closure. And, moreover, the best kind of closure, the kind that makes you look back fondly but still with a sense of wondering what happened afterward.
Reading this article and reflecting back on some of the negative things people have said about their Harry Potter experiences have made me grateful my experience was mostly positive. Most of the negative things about my own experience happened early on with the cultural dominance of the series and not later on. I'm wondering if my ability to pull back from the books and get obsessed with other things (school in general, history, Robert Sean Leonard, Lost) was good for me. (And maybe what didn't happen to everyone, though I can't obviously speak for themselves.)
Hilariously enough, my obsession probably ended around the time when the fifth book came out, which, considering how long ago that way and how long this thing lasted, seems early. I saw some of the movies (often soured on what I thought was poor depictions of the books) and I read the books the moment they came out, but that was sort of it. I didn't read much fanfiction or talk anymore on Internet chat forums. And when I did chat about the series, it was usually because someone would bring it up. For me, the series was done before it really was done, and maybe that's made a big difference in my reaction to it. Honestly, seeing the last movie actually made me a little nostalgic (in the good way I mentioned before, the look-back-and-think-fondly) and want to go back to Hogwarts for a weekend or two.

Voldemort's Dance

So, I know, I have failed at blogging once again. But I did go see Harry Potter (which I will hopefully one day tell you about more in full.) I just really wanted to share this little image with you, because I remember thinking something similar when I saw the movie.

News Report on Quidditch

Since I got so much positive feedback from my other Harry Potter posts in the past week and in honor of the movie coming out (TONIGHT!), I wanted to post this short little video featuring the Quiditch Cup.  If you look closely, you can see that Michigan State players are in the video.  (They are the players in the bright green.) 
Also, that commissioner is a very attractive young man.  I would be happy to volunteer at events like these just to work with him.

Harry and Hermione

I must be having a Harry Potter week, because I ended up reading this little post on the relationship between Harry and Hermione. 
I should come out to you all now, officially, as a Harry/Hermione shipper.  And unlike most fans, it's actually because I hate Ron.  I think he's a jerk.  He's nasty to Hermione, he is selfish, and he's a coward.  I was really hoping he would die in the last book, though if he went out with a blaze of glory, I guess I would have been okay with that.  (I wish a lot more characters would have died in the books, just because it was meant to be a war, and it was meant to be sad and hurt, and basically no one of any consequence died.  I think half the Weasley family and most of the students should have died.  I really wanted Neville to go down in the most epic way possible, saving the school in a way Harry never did, because in a lot of ways he was more of a hero.) 

I also dislike Ginny because she had no character development.  She was one character, and then suddenly she was someone else.  Hermione did the same thing, but the other way around, become weaker and more hysterical in the later books.  This really irks me, because I feel like it's poor writing and misogynist.  Women get depicted enough in the world as weak/emotional/a pain in the ass.  We need more stories about strong women.