Mischief Managed.

Last Thursday night, we took BubTar to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two at the midnight showing. He thought it was amazing, well, we all did, really. Up until about a week prior to that, he had only seen Sorcerer's Stone through Goblet of Fire, because I felt that they stopped being KIDS movies at that point and became considerably darker, however, I told him that he could watch the rest as he finished reading them, because if he was mature enough to finish the books, he was mature enough to see the movies. The Thursday before the movie, though, Josh said, "Wouldn't he just love it if we took him with us?" We discussed it a bit and I decided to discard my lofty parenting ideals about appropriate subject matter and book reading in favor of one really awesome, memorable night. It was the VERY LAST chance he'd get to see one in the theater, and he'd never been before...so morals, schmorals. As soon as we decided he was going to come along, we set to work watching the rest of the movies. He was pretty pleased with the sudden turn of events, too.

I picked up the first Harry Potter on a whim, almost 10 years ago. It was already in paperback, and if I remember correctly, it was also on sale at the time. I was newly pregnant with BubTar and miserable, largely sofa-bound when I wasn't in the bathroom revisiting my breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A kid's book seemed like an entertaining distraction...and thus, a love affair was born. I read through Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban during my pregnancy, and the first time I ever really remember being kicked by BubTar, I was playing the Sorcerer's Stone video game on the computer. I read Goblet of Fire while I nursed him, as a baby. When he was old enough to start reading the books, I was thrilled...it is one of those magical things you want other people, especially your children to experience. It seemed fitting to have him there for the very last of the magic, as we left one era...the era of Harry Potter...and entered another era, the era of having a child old enough for midnight movies!

It was a fun experience, though I was still definitely not feeling my best from that stomach virus. BubTar was enthralled with the folks in costume, we saw Hagrid, Umbridge, Luna, Dobby, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Fleur, and a dozen or so Hogwarts students. Being the shy guy that he is, BubTar wouldn't agree to take a photo with any of them...but he thought it was cool, anyway. I hope it is one of the memories that sticks with him as he grows up. As for the movie itself? I thought it was a wonderful, fitting ending to such a beloved story..not my favorite movie of all, I don't think...but definitely a solid ending. I can't quite believe it is over...and so I'm reading Sorcerer's Stone to KayTar every day, just trying to hold on to the magic for just a bit longer.