Throwback Book Thursdays!!

They’re back!  YAY!  I’ve actually really missed doing this series and I was going to post this last week but…I was trying hard to figure out what I wanted to say.  You see, we had a particular actor who passed away last week and I struggled very hard to find the right words to describe him and the very character he personified within a specific series of movies.  Of course you would never HAVE those movies, without the books they were derived from.  I think you all know what I’m talking about…

That’s right guys, Harry Potter!  If you grew up without reading these novels, I will tell you, you missed out on something incredibly special.  There seemed to be just some sort of…okay I’ll say…magical quality in regards to being a child when these novels were being released for the first time. 

I remember the first time I read Harry Potter.  Of course I was late to the bandwagon myself and found myself reading the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, just as the fourth novel was being released.  I remember being in middle school, sitting down with the copy I had picked up from the library, and cracking open this wondrous book.  I don’t think I moved from that spot until I finished the book. I’d always loved reading but, Harry Potter, held such a special quality to it that I found myself immersed in the wizarding world.  I fell in love with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and I found myself rooting for them each and every time they got in trouble.  I laughed and cried through various parts of various books and I felt as though a piece of my heart went missing when I finished that final piece to Harry’s life. 

And can I just mention...they have just started re-releasing each Harry Potter novel as a brand new Illustrated Edition.  There looks to be one every year, starting last year with Sorcerer's Stone.  I'm fangirling a little now...really.  And the pictures?  FULL PAGE and full of awesomeness!

Flash forward to today.  Harry Potter has become a phenomenon with children and adults of ALL ages.  There were theme parks made for Harry Potter, there is Harry Potter merchandise in many different locations, and of course you’d be remiss to forget to mention…the movies.  This takes me back to my initial case in point.  For the characters of Harry Potter, I found that the on screen versions of themselves were actually picked just right.  Of course you had Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) with his jet black hair, broken glasses, and that lightning bolt shaped scar.  Then you had Ron (Rupert Grint) with his red hair, stumbling personality, and a certain air of getting into trouble.  Hermione (Emma Watson) was just as phenomenal with her frizzed out hair, her unwavering knowledge, and her loyalty to her friends. 

Wow they were really young!!  Anyone else feeling old right now??!

Then there was…Professor Snape (Alan Rickman).  Alan brought a certain appeal to the character of Snape, that I for one, found incredibly intriguing.  Sure he was the bad guy through most of the books and his on screen role held that just as true.  But behind the character, Alan showed us there was much more to Professor Snape.  If you hadn’t read the books, you could just feel the sincerity behind this character from the way Alan portrayed him.  Professor Snape truly came to life for a lot of people, when Alan stepped onto the screen.

Now I know that his character in Harry Potter, was not all that Alan was known for.  He was in fact a very talented and very gifted actor with a lot of incredible movies and stage productions behind him.  In fact, I’ve watched quite a few of them.  However, in my eyes, he will be forevermore Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts.

I think its best summed up for how incredibly diverse Snape’s character was and for the way Alan really dug deep and took it there while portraying his character in this short snippet of dialogue:

"But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"

"For him?" shouted Snape. "Expecto Patronum!"

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.

"After all this time?"

"Always," said Snape.

-          Dialogue from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling pg. 687-688

Now…if you don’t understand this particular piece of dialogue…I strongly suggest you go back and read all the Harry Potter books 1-7 and then come back and tell me what you thought. 

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman, you will be missed…always.