Can you remember when you read your first Harry Potter book? What about when you saw the first movie with Daniel Radcliffe, who was such a cute little kid when he took on role of the famous wizard? It might seem like Harry Potter has been with you almost your entire life – through elementary school, middle school, and high school. The first book came out in 1997 and the first film in 2001.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione, as they were in 2011.

Now that the last movie – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – is out at theaters, it’s the end of an era for Harry Potter. It’s a bittersweet moment for a lot of Harry Potter fans, and that may include you, too!

This final Harry Potter chapter in film is getting a ton of attention with publications like Entertainment Weekly looking back at great Potter moments and how the film’s stars have all grown up. Radcliffe is on Broadway, for example, and we’ve written often about Emma Watson’s (or Hermione’s) college pursuits.

When the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out last year, we had fun imagining how Potter and his friends would stand out in the college admissions process. And while the series’ finale (spoiler alert!) doesn’t have Harry, Hermione, Ron, or other Hogwarts students heading off a special wizard university, the end of Harry Potter could add to your feeling that it’s the end of an era for you, too, as you finish high school.

Rupert Grint’s (aka Ron Weasley) recent comment to Larry King on CNN shows that he and other cast members feel the same way. He says: “It was kind of like the last day of school, and I remember packing up my dressing room and putting all these kind of odd birthday cards and toys that I’d kind of collected over the years …  It was quite a big kind of shock, really, kind of, leaving it behind.”

The trio a decade later, at the final "Harry Potter" movie premiere. (PR Photos)

As you say goodbye to Harry Potter, savor the impact the book series and films might have had on your childhood.

Maybe those hefty books encouraged you to read more. Maybe you formed friendships with other Potter fans, who also stood in line – wearing broken glasses, wizard-like cloaks, and a fake lightning-bolt-shaped scar on your heads – for the midnight showings of the movies. Maybe it helped you and your parents find something to enjoy together throughout your school years.

And as you head off to college, you’ll savor those memories, but now it’s time for the next era of your life, just as the stars are moving onto a new chapter in their careers. And if you get nostalgic during fall semester, don’t worry – Rowling’s Pottermore site is set to launch in October!

–Lori Johnston