哈利•波特一代:魔法永恆
When the final credits roll on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, young Canadians won't just be saying goodbye to the franchise but closing a seminal chapter of their childhood.
Now in their late teens and early 20s, the generation that came of age with J.K. Rowling's characters, and alongside the actors that portrayed them, are steeling themselves for the end — Part 1 of which hits theatres Nov. 19. Part 2 is set for release on July 15, 2011.
"We are the Harry Potter generation," says Andrea Hill, 19. "We started in elementary school, reading about a boy our age who was going through the same things we were going through. We grew up, so did he."
Hill expects her heart to be as heavy upon the movie saga's end as it was when the book series reached its conclusion. The Edmonton native takes solace, however, in the knowledge that "there are so many things that will keep Harry Potter alive," from Universal Orlando's new Wizarding World theme park to real-life school Quidditch teams — one of which Hill personally founded, at Ottawa's Carleton University.
"We're not waiting anymore to see what happens to Harry next," says Hill. "But we're still engaged in that magical community."
Jake Kalbhenn, Toronto-based guitarist for The Nifflers — one of more than 450 "wizard rock" bands inspired by Rowling's books — believes he wouldn't be the person he is today were it not for the encouragement, acceptance and support of fellow Potter enthusiasts.
But after 13 years of steering youth culture, Harry Potter is moving on, and fans like Kalbhenn with him.
"If it just continued forever, like Star Wars, it would be terrible," says Kalbhenn, 20. "We had our fun but it's time to let go and just be happy that we had it while we did."
Rupert Grint, best known as Ron Weasley, says he's happy to finally have time to pursue romance. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, says she looks forward to "finally being free, being my own person" — a transformation signalled by the actress's dramatic new pixie cut.
And Daniel Radcliffe, who since 2001 has been the face of the teen wizard, says that although he "did cry like a little girl" when Deathly Hallows production wrapped, he's eager to see what life holds for him beyond the halls of Hogwarts.
當電影《哈利•波特與死亡聖器》落幕時，加拿大的年輕人不只是告別了一個系列電影，而且還結束了童年時代的一個重要章節。
伴隨着英國作家J•K•羅琳的小說人物成長起來的這一代人現在正是二十歲左右的年紀。他們和扮演這些角色的演員一道，準備迎接這個結局。電影的第一部分將於11月19日在影院上映，第二部分計劃在2011年7月15日上映。
“我們是哈利•波特一代，”19歲的安德麗亞•希爾說：“從小學開始，我們就在閱讀這個同齡男孩的故事，我們有着相同的經歷。我們長大了，他也長大了。”
希爾知道，當這部系列電影落幕時，她的心情會和看完系列小說結局時一樣沉重。不過，讓這位來自埃德蒙頓的女孩感到安慰的是，“有這麼多東西讓哈利•波特的生命繼續”，包括奧蘭多環球影城新建的魔法世界主題公園和現實生活中學校裏的魁地奇團隊，其中有一支團隊還是希爾在渥太華的卡爾頓大學親自組建的。
希爾說：“我們不再等着看哈利接下來會發生什麼，但是我們依然活躍在那個魔法圈子裏。”
傑克•卡爾本是多倫多樂隊“泥伏雷”的吉他手，他認爲假如沒有其他哈利•波特迷的鼓勵、認可和支持，他也不會有今天的成績。“泥伏雷”是受羅琳的這一系列小說啓發所組建的450多支“巫師搖滾樂隊”之一。
在主導了青少年文化長達13年之後，哈利波特將要開啓新的人生，而像卡爾本這樣的粉絲們也會和他一道往前走。
20歲的卡爾本說：“如果它不停地一部接一部拍下去，就像《星球大戰》一樣，這會很可怕。我們曾經從中得到歡樂，但現在是放手的時候了。讓我們滿足於曾經擁有的快樂時光吧。”
因扮演羅恩•韋斯萊而出名的魯伯特•格林特說，他很高興終於有時間談戀愛了。赫敏•格蘭傑的扮演者愛瑪•沃特森說，她期待着能“最終獲得自由，做回自己”。這位女演員最近剪了個誇張的“精靈頭”，預示着這一內心的轉變。
丹尼爾•拉德克利夫自2001年以來就一直是這位少年魔法師的化身。他說，儘管在《死亡聖器》拍攝完成時他“確實哭得像個小女孩”，但是他也迫不及待地想看看霍格華茲魔法學校之外的生活是什麼樣。
Vocabulary:
come of age: when a person comes of age, they reach the age when they have an adult's legal rights and responsibilities（成年；達到法定年齡）
steeloneself for: mentally prepare oneself to do or face something difficult（準備對付；下決心應付）
saga: a long series of events or adventures and/or a report about them 一連串的事件（或經歷）；一連串經歷的講述（或記述）
Niffler: magical creatures comprise a colourful and integral aspect of the fictional wizarding world in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling（泥伏雷，羅琳的小說《哈利·波特》中的神奇生物）
pixie: (in stories) a creature like a small person with pointed ears, who has magic powers （傳說中的）小精靈，小仙子，小妖怪
wrap: (film production) finish（拍攝電影時）完成拍攝，停機
