The End of Harry Potter

The End of Harry Potter

The books and movies have defined an entire generation, and now it will all come to an end.

The release of the final Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" on July 15, will mark the end of the Harry Potter franchise as we have all come to know it.

"I have been reading and watching "Harry Potter" practically my whole life, so it’s sad to see it finally ending, but there are always reruns and my books are still there," said junior Vera Lopez.

Over the last decade, there have been eight Harry Potter movies (including the unreleased film), each has come to hold a special place in fans’ hearts.

The members of the cast have all grown up and gone on to do great things.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, has become a well-respected theatre actor in both the United States and England and is currently on Broadway starring in the musical, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Rupert Grint, who took on the role of Ronald Weasley, has become a successful actor, best known for his roles in indie films.

Emma Watson, or Hermione Granger, has also become an extremely successful actress in her own right as well as a model.

When each received these roles, no one could have predicted that they would be such successes and assist in turning millions of people into not only Harry Potter, but J.K. Rowling fans as well. The books have inspired millions of dollars worth of merchandise, a movie franchise, and most recently, a theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Once this last movie is released, things in the Harry Potter universe will begin to slow down, however that doesn’t mean that the series won’t continue to grow with legions of new fans every day.

The greatest thing about Harry Potter is that no one will ever really outgrow it. It will forever inspire and influence millions of people, even after the movies stop being released and the merchandise sales drop.