It was exactly a year from the day, that we finished the first Harry Potter book, to the day we finished the last. What a fantastic, beautiful, magical ride its been.
And what an ending! Ohmygosh, Olive, Cash, and I were on the edge of our seats. It was so exciting, I was practically yelling as I was reading the pages of the final show-down. So good.
Anyone who’s read the Harry Potter series or knows anything about it, is familiar with Molly Weasley. The matriarch of the large Weasley clan and a surrogate mother to Harry via his close friendship with Ron and his romantic attachment to Ginny – the only daughter of the seven siblings. Molly’s role in the series is very much the maternal figure who constantly worries about the various dangers her family and Harry are always in. She is also the knitter of the ubiquitous Christmas sweaters, as well as the cook and host for her very consistent stream of house guests. Mrs. Weasley does enough mothering to make up for the absence of all the other mothers in Harry Potter world.
Molly Weasley is also pure-blood witch.
*Spoiler alert! From here on, if you haven’t read the series and you plan to, you might want to stop reading. I’d hate to ruin the end for you…*
The on-the-edge-of-your-seat scene that the seven-book-takes-a-year-to-read-series eventually boils down to, finally gives Molly her beautiful hybrid mother/witch glory.
It is all out war. The good guys vs. the bad guys. Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange, his loyal, super-nasty first lieutenant are fighting side-by-side – Voldemort fighting Harry and three Hogwarts faculty members, aka wizards, Bellatrix fighting Hermione, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood. Bellatrix throws out a killing curse that misses Ginny only by inches. Harry sees and changes course from Voldemort to go after Bellatrix, when he is knocked sideways.
“NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”
Mrs. Weasley steps in and goes at Bellatrix with so much badass, mother-energy power, that the whole war stops – Voldemort, Harry, everyone quits fighting to watch the two witches battle to take each other down. People try to step in to help Molly, but she yells, “No! Get back! She is mine!”
Mrs. Weasley ends up polishing off Bellatrix and basically paves the way for Harry to than polish off Voldemort. It ends the same way it all began, with a mother’s love so strong, that it saves the life of her child.
It was very empowering reading, shouting really, that scene. With all that we’ve been witnessing about women being and feeling threatened, disempowered, intimidated, fearful, shamed, blamed, and on and on, by bad, bad guys, who maybe think they are as powerful as wizards, but aren’t even close – it was a good reminder. Not only do we need to love our kids fiercely. We need to be examples for them too. They need to see us in all our badass glory protecting ourselves, them, justice, and the fight for good. We need to show them it is ok to stand up for ourselves, each other, and all that is right.
Yes, knit your kids sweaters, worry about them, bake them cookies. But also, fight like hell. And let them watch.
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