Keeping a Promise, Potter Style

Years ago, probably in middle school, when it was just really starting to become "cool" and mainstream to admit to everyone that you were a Potter fan, I made a promise to myself. I never really told anyone about this promise, but I knew that I had to keep it. I wasn't about to let myself down. I promised I would go to at least one midnight showing of a Harry Potter movie.

Last night, I finally made good on that promise (never mind that it was my last chance to do so!).
I went and stood in line for several hours to get an awesome seat at the 12:15 showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was the first midnight showing I'd ever been to, period, so of course I had to make a Midnight Showing Survival Kit the night before. Here's what I put in it:
1 camera to capture the excitement and memories
1 Deathly Hallows book
1 box of Kleenex (definitely necessary!)
1 box of lemon drops (or in this case, Lemonheads candies)
1 chocolate bar to ward off effects of possible dementor attacks
1 water bottle
2 orange-flavored vitamin waters
1 pen converted into a wand
1 rain jacket
1 umbrella (though not containing Hagrid's wand within it, unfortunately)

I didn't dress up, really, despite the red lightning bolt shaped scar that got drawn on my forehead and the Deathly Hallows symbol that sparkled on my arm, both in eyeliner. I did bring pizza in the hopes that I would make some friends and get a good spot in line. It worked--I met two fantastic military wives who kept me company for several hours, all because I offered free pizza to let me sit with them. I got to know them well enough that we're even friends on Facebook now. We rated costumes, watched a hilarious Quidditch match, were serenaded by an improv singing group, and even got rained on together. Someone counted everyone in line and I was basically 850th in line, but I didn't really care; I was having so much fun.

When I finally got inside, I found a pretty good seat. Three girls sat next to me and we proceeded to watch the last half of Part 1 together. When the previews began to roll, I could feel the anticipation spiking in the theater. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. The crowd felt as one from the moment the opening logo appeared. We cheered and clapped together, we cried together, we laughed together, and when all was said and done, we left the theater smiling, knowing that we had all journeyed with Harry through it all.

Yeah, it ended last night, like the posters all said. Potter-mania at the theaters will probably never reach those kinds of levels again, unless Rowling releases another book about Hogwarts and they make another movie out of it. Either that, or when the movies are re-released in 10 years, when my generation will take our kids to watch Harry on the big screen all over again. They may not grow up with him like we did, but I don't think Harry Potter fandom will ever really fade away completely. He's too universal, too loved to go extinct.

So, in short, all I have to say is: mischief managed.