USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences

by Mallory Jebbia

It all ends July 15. We’ve all seen the posters for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 film recently spread across billboards and bus stops alike. The end of a series that has captivated the old and the young around the world is finally here. Sure, one can watch the films again, reread the books, even visit the new Harry Potter theme park but nothing compares to the excitement a true Harry Potter fanatic feels reading one of the books or seeing one of the movies for the first time. Many of us have grown up with Harry Potter. He and his two best friends have been the ultimate coming of age story that has lasted over a decade. I can’t think of a better way to start my journey to Oxford than to visit London’s BFI IMAX theater to complete my Harry Potter journey. After a 12-hour flight delay, I arrived in the UK with just enough time to get to the hotel, to meet some new friends and head over to the 3 a.m. showing of the film. The screen was…life altering.

I had heard that the screen was the biggest in the UK and one of the largest in the world but this reality didn’t set in until I walked into the theater and was engulfed by the screen. The 3D glasses were of course fashionable and the movie went above and beyond my impossibly high expectations.

While I can’t help but feel sad that my Harry Potter journey is over for now, a new journey is about to begin. As the movie ended and the locals and tourists filed out of the theater, my first official day in London began. It was a shock to walk into a movie when it was dark and walk out to a sunrise when the movie was over but I can’t think of a better way to start this day. As we walked in the direction of our hotel, we stumbled across a bridge with a beautiful view of the Thames, the London Eye Ferris wheel and Big Ben. Upon returning to that same bridge later in the day, the wonderful view was marred by the fog. I can think of no better time to use the phrase “the early bird catches the worm.” All thanks to Harry Potter.

Mallory Jebbia is a senior ciochemistry major in USC Dornsife.