It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
It’s something I actually love in pop culture.
It’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” and it hit your local theaters at 12:01 this morning.
Unfortunately, this column’s deadline was yesterday, so I can’t talk specifics about the latest film.
Regardless, I owe it to the Harry Potter phenomenon to write more than a movie review — just as Warner Bros. owed more than a “to be continued” sendoff to billions of   fervent followers.
For many of us, Harry Potter’s impact was profound and life changing.
We’ve spent more than a decade obsessing over the story of this bespectacled boy-wizard — for me, that’s half a lifetime. I’ve practically grown up with the main cast, and I met some of my best friends through our mutual Potter passion.  
It’s also introduced me to some of my worst enemies. Growing up as a Harry Potter fan in Mississippi’s “Bible belt” triggered daily accusations of being a hell-bound devil worshipper.
In reality, the Mardi Gras-like mania of premiere parties is the closest thing to a pagan ritual this fictional frivolity ever brought me.
Ah, the thrill of midnight releases, the agony of public persecution — it’s all coming to an end. Both the religious zealots and I will have to grow up and move on.
But as we let go of our fanaticism and embrace our mere Muggleness, we can’t forget the legacy J.K. Rowling established. The Harry Potter novels left the millennial generation with a greater love of reading.
It even inspired my career choice. Although journalists aren’t portrayed favorably in the series (see: Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet), these books reinforce the awesome power of the written word.
Personal testimonials aside, the cultural craftsmanship of this franchise is undeniable. Several weeks ago, I debated with a colleague over the question
“What is art?” and struggled for a definitive answer — until now. Better late than never, right?
For a true work of art, look no further than the 13-year-old synergistic masterpiece that is Harry Potter.
In honor of today’s release, let’s begin with the movies. The cinematography is visually stunning, the cast is legendary (at least in Britain) and the musical scores are literally pitch perfect. Even more impressively, these satisfying sequels endured numerous director and composer changes.
Such brilliant adaptations, of course, stem from Rowling’s seven-part literary brainchild. It takes true authorial genius just to produce poignant emotion, but this writer went far beyond — she constructed a riveting plot and told it so well that readers feel they’ve really known these characters all their lives. Our minds conjured every detail of this imaginary world long before Warner Bros. won the filmmaking rights.
From the books to the movies to the music, Harry Potter culture  is truly an artistic journey that transcends its medium to evoke laughter and tears. It whisks us away to a fantasy realm temporarily, but it teaches us valuable life lessons and transports us back to the real world a little better off than we were before.
Rather than include spoilers, I’ll just say this: I doubt the newest installment will leave us with this signature feel-good closure or anticipation for the real finale. A cliffhanger won’t hold us loyal fanatics in suspense — we know how the story goes.
I appreciate efforts to get this final chapter right, but a chopped-up conclusion just seems wrong.
The most infuriating part? Other than the epilogue scene being re-shot this December, Part Two finished filming months ago and is simply being held captive until July 2011.
Of course, the financial reasoning for the split is obvious. In today’s economy, film companies need as many galleons as they can get.
But am I the only fan who wouldn’t mind spending an entire day at the movies for a single, epic Harry Potter conclusion with an intermission?
At least the splitting of “Deathly Hallows” gives us one last chance for midnight revelry in the name of Harry Potter.
Next summer, it’s on — see you at the Final Battle.
Kelly Hotard is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Picayune, Miss. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_khotard.
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Contact Kelly Hotard at [email protected]