Pitter Potter

Hello!

I feel as though I have just awoken in my "real" world where the rain pitter potters, I mean patters, outside my window.

I have spent the last two days immersed in the world of "Potter." Except for the fact that I'd like to know what happen to Luna after nineteen years, I truly enjoyed the last and final installment of the Potter series. Thank you Ms. Rowling.

In August of 2000, my family and I got turned onto Harry and his magical mates while traveling abroad. Our family took a trip to England, France and Switzerland. In England, on the tube, we listened to the locals talk about Harry Potter and the release of J.K. Rowling's new book. Their conversations were so entertaining (and not only because of their very cool accent). We got so excited listening about witches and magic that we decided we had to get a copy and read for ourselves.

Thus began our nightly ritual.

Each evening prior to going to sleep, I was elected to read aloud a chapter of Sorcerer's Stone and then Chamber and lastly Azkaban. (Some evenings I read more than one chapter.) Reading these books aloud is quite a challenge as the made-up names of ghosts, and spells, and people, and places, made one's tongue get twisted. But the story was terrific and the enchantment of reading together as a family warmed my heart, so the word-bumbling was easily forgiven. One afternoon, we hiked up a hill (more like mountain) in Switzerland to sit and read out on the grassy hillside. The weather was pleasant and the sound of my voice echoed softly.

We were hooked by the time we arrived home, and the first thing we did when we got here, was to go to the bookstore and purchase Goblet. Thus began our nightly ritual in the States.

Then the movies came out and we incorporated a new tradition of seeing the movies as a family. We have never been disappointed with the story.

For weeks now, the discussion in my home has centered on who we thought would die and who we thought would betray and so on and so forth. I won't tell you what we believed would happen and how well we predicted, just in case you haven't finished your copy yet, but suffice it to say, our discussions were lively, and our arguments "for" or "against" were supported with magical and muggle fact.

Alas, we now know the ending. We breathe a sigh of resignation that Harry and mates will forever be as Ms. Rowling left them suspended in our hearts and minds. And today, I wander around this land of muggles in post-bookem' depression, flitting my thoughts back and forth between the magic and the mundane.

It was a good story. I will always be grateful to Ms. Rowling, for not only her magical story but for the "spell" her story cast upon us as a family.

Now, back to page one.....

Have hope,
Donna