Quote of the Day

“No!” he said loudly, his voice ringing through the kitchen. “No way!”
“I told them you’d take it like this,” said Hermione with a hint of complacency.
“If you think I’m going to let six people risk their lives — !”
“— because it’s the first time for all of us,” said Ron.
“This is different, pretending to be me —”
“Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry,” said Fred earnestly. “Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever.”
Harry did not smile.
“You can’t do it if I don’t cooperate, you need me to give you some hair.”
“Well, that’s that plan scuppered,” said George. “Obviously there’s no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate.”
“Yeah, thirteen of us against one bloke who’s not allowed to use magic; we’ve got no chance,” said Fred.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling

Quote of the Day

Dudley gently released himself from his mother’s clutched and walked toward Harry, who had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic. Then Dudley held out his large, pink hand.
“Blimey, Dudley,” said Harry over Aunt Petunia’s renewed sobs, “did the dementors blow a different personality into you?”
“Dunno,” muttered Dudley. “See you, Harry.”
“Yeah . . .” said Harry, taking Dudley’s hand and shaking it. “Maybe. Take care, Big D.”
Dudley nearly smiled, then lumbered from the room. Harry heard his heavy footfalls on the graveled drive, and then a car door slammed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling

Quote of the Day

“It’s fine,” Harry assured her. “It doesn’t matter, honestly.”
“Doesn’t matter?” repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously. “Don’t those people realize what you’ve been through? What danger you are in? the unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti-Voldemort movement?”
“Er — no, they don’t,” said Harry. “They think I’m a waste of space, actually, but I’m used to —”
“I don’t think you’re a waste of space.”
If Harry had not seen Dudley’s lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself.
“Well . . . er . . . thanks, Dudley.”
Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts to unwieldy for expression before mumbling, “You saved my life.”
“Not really,” said Harry. “It was your soul the dementor would have taken. . . .”
He looked curiously at his cousin. They had had virtually no contact during this summer or last, as Harry had come back to Privet Drive so briefly and kept to his room so much. It now dawned on Harry, however, that the cup of cold tea on which he had trodden that morning might not have been a booby trap after all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling

Friday Favorites: Favorite Scene – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

As I’ve said before, I have a hard time writing about Harry Potter.  It’s something that’s so personal for me that I’m unable to separate my emotions enough to talk about the things that mean so much to me, much less do a full on analysis.  In spite of that, however, there are some things I can’t resist bringing up, one of which is this scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (starting at 1:10, with the Piertotem Locomotor as just a bonus):

Continue reading

How do you write about something you love?

Harry Potter is an obsession of mine, but it’s something I have a hard time writing about.  The depth of feeling I have about the books keeps me from being able to explain myself in a coherent way, because the emotional experience is so raw and personal that it overwhelms me, and I can’t find the words to express it.  I listen to the audiobooks constantly (because I have more time to listen to audiobooks than to read, lately), getting to the end of Deathly Hallows and starting over again with Sorcerer’s Stone.  It’s pretty much constantly on my mind, and even if I’m not actively thinking about it, it’s always nearby.  (The only piece of jewelry I wear other than my wedding ring is a ring I designed which has 7 symbols on it, one of which is the sign of the Deathly Hallows.)  I may proselytize about the church of Joss Whedon, but Harry Potter means more to me than anything Joss has created, though I rarely talk about it due to its personal nature.  I find myself disappointed and heartbroken whenever I try and fail, so I often just keep my mouth shut.

This puts me in an odd position with regards to the Harry Potter movies.   Continue reading

Review: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – from the heart of an obsessive fan

Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I recently visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, FL for the first time.  I’d been to Islands of Adventure many many times before, but the WWoHP was still under construction the last time I was there.  I had read a lot about the WWoHP and I was very curious as to what my reaction would be, considering I’m a hugely obsessive Harry Potter fan.  Unlike some other fans, however, I’ve never shown much of an outward expression of this obsession.

I don’t own boatloads of Harry Potter merchandise, I’ve never dressed as a wizard or drawn a scar on my forehead, I’ve never been to a Wizard Rock concert or to a convention.  Other than the ring I wear every day that has the sign of the Deathly Hallows on it, my HP obsession has always been inward.  I have a deeply personal connection to the books, and while I’ve occasionally written about it, it’s not something I share or talk about much.  Of all of the things I love, it’s the one that I have the most trouble finding the right words to express the depth of my feelings, and I’ve so often been antagonized for it that I’ve mostly given up.  (I’ve written about it a bit on my blog, but I’ve never been very satisfied with how it turned out.)

It was with a mixture of excitement and nerves, therefore, that I first entered The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Continue reading