There were a lot of things that happened, we got screwed by a bad call, made a lot of friends (and maybe one or two rivals/ sort of enemies?) but one thing I noticed which made me very sad was that NO ONE HAD CAPES. Except us. We were the only College team with Capes. What is the World coming to? I think there was one High School team with Capes. But that was it.

CAPES

It’s been a while tumblr. I think every other post of mine starts off with how I’ve been neglecting you. I always come back for more though, so that counts for something right! Right?

There’s a lot of stuff to write about that has happened to me since I last posted, but today I only want to talk about one thing. Quidditch! I’m off to the Quidditch World Cup in just about 5 hours. It has been a dream come true. Especially when I didn’t make the Football (Soccer) team. I know ‘Muggle’ Quidditch existed and I always wanted to play, but I assumed that once I made the football team I wouldn’t have time for anything else. I guess fate had other plans for me and I couldn’t be happier. Syracuse Quidditch is Awesome! I don’t even have to change position! I’m still a Keeper (and I think I will always be one!)

Since I was I child I always dreamed of playing at a World Cup. Winning it. I always believed I could. As I grew I started to realize that the level of skill, talent and dedication to achieve this in a sport like Football was way too much for me to handle. I liked doing other things! Not just training 24/7 for 18 to 20 years in the hopes of one playing at the FIFA World Cup.

Now I get a chance to do it. And we actually have an ok to pretty good chance of winning Division 2! Yes it’s not Division 1. But I’m not that disappointed. Division Quidditch teams are mental; they train 7-8 times a week. I can’t and don’t want to do that. We’re playing Quidditch, it should be fun! I can’t wait for it to start! I feel like I’m going to explode while waiting. I think I’ve mentioned this before but I hate waiting! Once the match or event starts I’m calm. Getting to the start of said even or match is EXCRUCIATING.

Right, I have to go a ton of things before I leave, but I couldn’t leave without writing something about this. Even if we don’t win, spending time with my awesome team mates and being on an Island with about 5-8000 Harry Potter fans is going to be one of the best experiences of my life!

Taking my Sister to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 today, it’ll be her first time. My 5th. Wonder if I’ll cry, heck I wonder if she’ll cry. Its just such a good movie. *spoiler warning, but really if you don’t know this, what planet do you live on?* Snape holding Lilly’s body gets me ever time.

Tonight, after 2 hours and 10 minutes of Cinematic Brilliance, the credits rolled, ushering in the end of an era

And the beginning of a Legend.

Just got back from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 midnight premiere here in Dubai. It was BRILLIANT. I don’t want to spoil anything till the rest of the world catches up with us. My thoughts on it shall come in another post later.

I’m having trouble processing the fact that there is no new “Potter” thing I am waiting for. I don’t remember a time when I was not waiting for something Potter related to come out. I mean yeah there’s Pottermore but its not the same (yet, reserving judgement till I use it)

14 years ago, a random British Woman had a book published.

11 years ago my 8 year old self wanted to read Archie Comics while getting his hair cut. His Barber asked him why he wasn’t reading “the Harry Potter book”. “What?” Said my younger self, only half paying attention. “You know,” he replied, “Harry Potter does this, Harry Potter does that”. For some reason I stored that little nugget of information somewhere in my tiny head. I was always on the lookout for new books. My next visit to my School’s Library, I took my Barbers advice and borrowed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I was hooked.

10 years ago my 9 year old self was surprised with family lunch and a trip to the movies to watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone. Made incredibly more surprising since my parents rarely took us to the movies at all. Nor did the really approve of Harry Potter.

9 years ago my 10 year old self had to beg his parents to take him to see the Chamber of Secrets movie. After 2 weeks of pleading my wish was granted.

8 years ago my 11 year old self was surprised while he was sitting by the pool. His Parents handed him a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, they had picked up at its 3am release. It was (At the time) the longest book I have ever read. I finished it in less than 2 days.

7 years ago my 12 year old self was horrifically embarrassed when my Dad bought my 80+year old Grandma to the Prisoner of Azkaban movie premier. She still doesn’t know how to pronounce “Dementor”. Or what they are for that matter.

6 years ago my 13 year old self went to the midnight release of Half Blood Prince, even though I had work the next day (Yes I had one month of being a secretary when I was 13. I was older than I looked so it was fine). I spent the day reading under my desk, cursing every time I had to attend to something. Later on in the year I ran to the Cinema next to my house to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I still remember getting chills watching Lord Voldemort return.

4 years ago my 15 year old self lined up for 19 hours to be first in line (at a now closed Bookshop) to get his copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3 years ago my 16 year old self took a break from my Boot Camp and put his Diet on hold while he traveled back home from a different country just to watch Half Blood Prince in a proper theater. I still achieved my goal of making the Senior Basketball Team.

1 year ago my 18 year old self sat by himself in a Cinema and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. I watched it 3 more times with various people. I never got bored of it.

Tonight I will be driving my (19 year old) self to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2.

Tonight I grow up and leave all traces of my childhood behind. Life is different now. Harry Potter is the last remaining link from my Childhood that survives. When the credits roll, that’s it. Tonight the link is severed. Tonight I stop goofing around. Tonight is the night where I pick up my responsibilities and start chasing the bigger goals I have for myself. Tonight I grow up.

 Harry Potter will always have a special corner in my heart. I grew up with it and so will my kids. It will live on forever.

But when those credits roll tonight, a little part of me is going to die in that Cinema.

Day 3: Is there any of the films adaptations that have made you angry because they’ve ignored important parts of the book.

I cannot stand the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, they don’t mention the marauders at all let alone explain them and that really bugged for some reason. Also I was severely let down by how they designed the werewolf, I mean I’ve always said that it looked more like a giant Chihuahua than a werewolf.

Fortunately Goblet of Fire redeemed the movies in my eyes but that’s another post I guess

Day 2: Your fave movie

Ok so. I’m going to divide this into two sections.

Fave Scene from the movies: Voldemort’s rebirth.The scene exceeded my expectation in every way possible.It is one of my favorite scenes from the books and it was one I had imagined many times. It still gives me goosebumps every time I watch and Ralph Fiennes does a superb job as Voldemort. It is without a doubt my favorite scene form the movies so far and I think the only scene that might eclipse it is Neville chopping off Nagini’s head in Deathly Hallows 2 (if they do it right)

Fave Movie overall: This would have to be Chamber of Secrets. Personally I feel that overall they managed to include most of the book in the movie and that is why I like it. True one might argue Philosophers Stone did include most of the book in it as well but I like the plot of Chamber of Secrets better. Also the Basilisk didn’t disappoint me which is what I was afraid of. Sure the acting may have been a little flat with the trio but they were still young. The rest of the cast does an excellent job as one would expect from veteran actors of their caliber. I have to give a special mention to Kenneth Branagh as he does a delightfully annoying job as Gilderoy Lockhart. Overall compared to the others movies (so far) this movie does the book justice (as much as a movie can) and this is why its my favorite

Day 1: Your fave book.

Without a doubt Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favorite book of the whole series. Now don’t get me wrong I love all the books but Goblet of Fire was/is and always will be my favorite. I remember reading it for the first time when I was 11 or 12 and I was just blown away.

There are times when I re-read this book where I just stop and wonder at how well all the plot points where tied in together. I remember the first time reading it, before I got to the end I had basically ignored the Barty Crouch subplot because I thought it wasn’t important but lo and behold he was basically the key to everything. Of course this book is also the *spoiler alert but really what cave have you been living under if you don’t know this*  return of Voldemort. This is one of the reasons why I like this book the most

Up till now Voldemort had just been a shadowy figure. Sure we “met” him in Books 1 and 2 and he was relevant in Book 3 but we saw in this one why he was the most feared dark wizard of all times. I still get goosebumps every time I read the Graveyard scene.  In fact I think I’m going to go read it now

In honor of “Harry Potter Status Day” This is my all time  favorite quote/scene from the Harry Potter series. It comes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 31 The Battle of Hogwarts. It’s long so bear with me.

There was silence in the Hall now, the kind of silence that presses
against the eardrums, that seems too huge to be contained by
walls.
“Give me Harry Potter,” said Voldemort’s voice, “and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. “You have until midnight.” The silence swallowed them all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry, to hold him frozen in the glare of thousands of invisible beams. Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table and he recognized Pansy Parkinson as she raised a shaking arm and screamed, “But he’s there! Potter’s there! Someone grab him!”

Before Harry could speak, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of him had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking toward Pansy instead, and Harry, awestruck and overwhelmed, saw wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves.

I still get goosebumps every time I read it