Helga.

This was an actual sighting on the way back home: 

Yes, ladies and gents, that is a BADGER. 

Helga Hufflepuff is my next-door neighbor. 

Yes. Yes, I do go to Hogwarts, thank you very much. 

I Capture the Castle

. . . just trying to do some catch up before I post about what I know you've all been waiting for--Oxford. Yes, I'm here. Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, I think it will be an amazing year. But more about that later. Because I wanted to get these pictures on here.

While visiting Rick and Cheryl's family in Northern England, we got a chance to visit some small towns. And we saw castles. 

[I capture the castle.]

[Here is the castle. It is called Spofforth Castle and was an important place during the War of the Roses.]

[More castle-ing.]

[I think it is beautiful how these flowers grow out of the castle. I also saw a lot of flowers doing this in tunnels. I think there is some sort of lesson to be learned here.]

Also, Northern England is just beautiful. I wasn't able to get a picture of when we were driving through the peaks and heather, but it made me feel like I was in a Bronte novel.

We also went to the Oldest Sweet Shop in England. Is it really the oldest? Who knows. But it did have delicious bon-bons.

And it felt like Honeydukes from Harry Potter. They even had chocolate frogs!

Next up . . . Oxford!

"Yer a wizard, Harry."

This is what happens when you give me Harry Potter glasses and a wand on Harry Potter's birthday:

I'm gonna take selfies. It's inevitable. It's like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Except in this case, "If you give a Megan Harry Potter glasses, she's going to ask for an Ollivander's wand. If you give her a magic wand, she's going to want to take selfies with her new glasses and wand. If she takes pictures of herself with her new-found accessories, she's going to post them on her blog." And so on and so forth. 

But really. Love Harry. Love J.K. Rowling. Love the Harry Potter universe. 

#sorrynotsorry my Harry Potter obsession has only grown with age. 

. . . also, this is a wonderful motto for the weekend, if I do say so myself: 

/via/

Make cupcakes, not horcruxes. 

Harry Potter Love

I stumbled upon this blog post today and can't stop laughing.

Look at this brilliance:

 {photo courtesy of yenniper.blogspot.com}

And this: 

 {also from yenniper.blogspot.com}

And my personal favorite:

{yenniper.blogspot.com}

Valentine's Day just became much more magical. 

September the First

It's the start of a new semester and I am not going back to school.

Guys, it's so weird.

I was on-campus just yesterday helping my sister get textbooks from the Bookstore. We walked through the aisles, checking up and down to discover Elementary Linear Algebra's hiding place (I didn't want to find it, but my sister did), and searching in vain to find the Teachings of the Living Prophets manual.

But I didn't get any books. No Shakespeare, no Woolf, no American History textbooks.

And although my pocketbook was happy, it didn't feel quite right to me.

I mean, school is what I do. It's what I've done since Kindergarten, and I like it. And am quite good at it. It's so weird to not be going back when all of my friends are.

The only thing I can compare this with (and this is extremely nerdy, but I don't care. I've accepted and embraced the fact that I am a nerd.) is the seventh Harry Potter book. The part where the trio is hiding out in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and Death Eaters are stalking the neighborhood, trying to find their hiding place. On September 1st--the day they would start their seventh year at Hogwarts under normal circumstances--Harry tells Ron and Hermione that:

“There are still a load of Death Eaters watching this house,” he told Ron as he ate, “more than usual. It’s like they’re hoping we’ll march out carrying our school trunks and head off for the Hogwarts Express.”


Ron glanced at his watch.


“I’ve been thinking about that all day. It left nearly six hours ago. Weird, not being on it, isn’t it?”

And it is weird not "being on it." I'm not back in Provo. I'm not going to class tomorrow. I'm not going to have my name called out in class. I'm not going to see my friends on campus.

It feels so surreal. To be completely honest and silly, I feel a tad rebellious, like I'm skipping class or something, because it doesn't feel real yet. 

But I'm also feeling a tad nostalgic, like Harry:

"In his mind’s eye Harry seemed to see the scarlet steam engine as he and Ron had once followed it by air, shimmering between fields and hills, a rippling scarlet caterpillar. He was sure Ginny, Neville, and Luna were sitting together at this moment, perhaps wondering where he, Ron, and Hermione were [. . .]"


I realized yesterday when I was on campus how much I love BYU. I'm going to miss it for 18 months. And although my situation is nothing like Harry's (or is it? . . . perhaps the fate of the wizarding and Muggle worlds does rest on my shoulders), I still feel that pang of homesickness, and that longing for familiarity.

and I still hope, just hope, that someone wonders where I am, too.

Harry Pottermania

I meant to post this a few days ago, but I've been catching up on sleep. So tired. . . . 

On Friday at 12:01 am, I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2!

I was super excited to see it. After all, Harry Potter has defined most of my childhood (see post below).

For one last hurrah, I decided to dress up to the midnight showing--I never had before, and I figured was better to do it late than never at all!

And who better to dress up as than the incredible, brilliant, brave Hermione Granger?

I've been told I look more like Ginny Weasley. But oh well. I'm Hermione.

Hermione is my favorite Harry Potter character. I think that's because I see so much of myself in her--always reading; wildly waving my hand in class; "when in doubt, go to the library"; itching for adventure; often awkward and insecure in social situations; kind and helpful; a bit of a bossy (yet well-meaning) know-it-all; having a fear of failure; and blessed with good, strong family members and friends who love me despite all my shortcomings.  Yes, I think it's easy to sympathize with Hermione. Besides that, Hermione is just such a strong character. She's clever and brave and good--I can't help but love her. Is it any wonder that I (along with millions of other girls) envy Emma Watson for getting to play Hermione?

Having a bit too much fun playing dress-up. 

"I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." (Sorry it's blurry.)

"Honestly, am I the only one who has ever read Hogwarts, A History?"

Reading the Malfoy Manor chapter.

I'm kissing Ron. 

Crookshanks!

Practicing non-verbal spells. 

Three turns should do it. 

Yeah, I had a lot of fun taking pictures. Probably too much fun. But when it's the last Harry Potter, you've got to live it up! :) 

My Sarah and Katy sisters and my best friend, Sharisa, also dressed up. 

Aren't we cute? (from left to right: Bellatrix, Hermione, Trelawney, Hermione.) 

Bellatrix and Hermione dueling. 

Katy's Trelawney face is great in this pic. 

If that wasn't enough, guess what we also did for the movie? My Erika sister re-named all the rooms in the  house and Potter-fied them. I.e., the dining room became the Great Hall, the kitchen became the Potions classroom, and my room became Ravenclaw Tower. Actually, it was really cute. My sisters are really creative.

But this IS really nerdy: I made Cauldron Cakes and (non-alcoholic) Butterbeer! 

Butterbeer! Cheers!

Cauldron Cake on the Wizards' Chess

Cauldron Cakes! They were really, really yummy.

After those fun and games, we finally went to see the movie. And then we watched the movie and it was so good. I loved it! 

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!! (Scroll down to the picture of the trio if you don't want to read any spoilers.)

Not all of it, though. There were way too many changes to the Battle of Hogwarts for me to be completely satisfied. Too many unnecessary scenes with the snake. And like how Dumbledore's past wasn't explained at all? Lame. Also, where was the Percy Reunion? Percy was there, but there was no repentance on his part for being a snot, and there was no forgiveness from his family. Double lame. And WHY was no one watching Harry and Voldemort's final duel? Triple lame. Also, I was cracking up during the "Nineteen Years Later" part. It was just a little ridiculous. If you want to read a really funny analysis on the flaws of the last 20 minutes of Harry Potter 7.2, read my cousin Kyra's post here. 

SPOILERS DONE. 

But overall, I really, really liked the movie. Loved it, even. I think it's the best movie of the bunch. And I'm excited for it to come out on video so I can watch the ENTIRE Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows without an 8-month break.

Huzzah for the Boy Who Lived! :) 

The End

My childhood ends tomorrow morning at 12:01 am.

It’s crazy to think that this is it: the Harry Potter series is over. Over-over. At least when the books ended we knew that there were still more movies to be made. But now . . . it’s the end. The end of a wonderful, magical, exciting era.

I remember first hearing about Harry Potter in third grade. I was in the lunchroom, talking with one of my friends, and she asked,

“Megan, have you heard of Harry Potter?”

I thought she said Beatrix Potter.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of her. She wrote Peter Rabbit, right?”

My friend smiled. “No, not Beatrix Potter. Harry Potter.”

I don’t really remember what she said after that; I think I put it aside, thinking that the story sounded cool, and that I’d get around to reading it someday.

Except my third-grade teacher read it out loud to us first.

And I was hooked.

I looked forward to story time every day—I just had to find out what was going to happen to Harry and his friends next! Would Harry fit in at Hogwarts? Would Harry and Ron ever be nice to Hermione? What was Snape doing the night of Halloween? Would Gryiffindor win the House Cup? No, teacher, you can’t stop there! I have to know if Harry will survive his first Quidditch match!

Those were magical days, to be sure.

It got even better when I found a large early-birthday package from my Nana on our doorstep. It was addressed to me. Inside: the first three Harry Potters. I finished the first book before the rest of my class did—I remember re-reading the entire book and waking up really early to finish it (probably around four in the morning) the day before my class did . . . and then diving into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Oh, Harry. We’ve grown up together. Harry's life is entwined with my life. 

I remember going to midnight releases with my family—and trying to convince the rest of them that because I started the series before anyone else did, I should have the privilege of reading every new book first. 

Somehow I got my way.

I remember clutching the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to my chest, and reading it all the next day. I remember writing silly Harry Potter poems with my cousin Kyra at EFY. I remember trying to figure out what Hogwarts House I would be in. I remember discussing possible symbolism and plot twists with my family. J.K. Rowling said that someone was going to die in the fifth book? Who is it going to be? Is one of the trio going to die? 

I remember reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when I was ten-years-old and realizing that Ron and Hermione were going to get married. I remember sitting around a table in the Dining Hall at King’s College, Cambridge (which looked very similar to another famous Dining Hall) and figuring out which Harry Potter character I would be. I remember reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on a bus in Scotland. I remember midnight-release parties and Butterbeer sno-cones. I remember finally reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—pulling my first all-nighter to read that precious story.

And now . . . it’s all over.

But not quite. Harry Potter has influenced my life too much to be extinguished. . . . He won’t be gone forever. I’ll revisit his world when I need to see those good friends again--when I need a little extra wisdom from Dumbledore, when I need to see Hermione in myself, when I need a laugh from Fred and George, when I need to remember the power of friendships. 

And I know I'll pulling out my old friend Harry to read to my children. It will be fun to share that magical world with them. 

Harry’s not going away any time soon.

Thanks, Jo, for the adventures. 

“Of course it’s inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" 

Oh! Here's a link to a fun blog post about Harry Potter. I think you'll enjoy it. :) (Thanks, Jen!) 

Harry Potter World Cup

My friend, Kailee, posted this on her blog. And I just had to share.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog


Can you say totally awesome? Because it is.

It's like March Madness but with Harry Potter! Potter Madness.

Here's the bracket. And you can vote here.

The voting for the second round ends tonight at midnight!

But let me tell you, some of the duels are a little cruel this round.
Like Sirius vs. Tonks.

Or Fred Weasley vs. Arthur Weasley.

Or Neville vs. McGonagall.

And it's not gonna get any easier as the game continues.

This. Is. It.

GUESS WHAT I JUST BOUGHT TICKETS TO?!!!?!!!?!

Bah! So excited! July 15th at 12:01 a.m., here I come!