Goodbye Professor.

It is a sad day indeed for me. I've been a fan of the Harry Potter series ever since reading of the Dursley's in their 'normal' life, the excitement of the first quidditch game. Through the trials of murderous teachers, plants and creatures. My imagination has been inspired to pen pages of fan fiction and a few pieces of fan art, but none of this can compare to being witness to the films. Investing my belief in the actors and actresses who brought all of my most loved characters to life, who brought a solid image to the mind of a child who had no one but those characters,

Alan Rickman was born the year before my mother, and a hell of a many years before my father. He was born into the same country as my parents, as me. He is a true legacy of English acting, and I can still remember the first time I saw him playing the Sheriff of Nottingham and his comment about the spoon that would hurt more. It took me a while to really appreciate this fantastic actor and it wasn't until the late 90s early 2000s that he became a fundamental addition to my bedroom posters. The main role that had me fall in awe of him was the slimy git himself.

Severus Snape was a really horrid character that hid behind a layer of masks as all Slytherins do, and I fought his corner with everyone that said I couldn't like a teacher more than the main character. In the first book when it was found that he was looking out for Harry and not trying to kill him had be curious as to what his story was, why was there this animosity? Why would he hide a faint fondness for the Boy-Who-Lived, and as the stories progressed and the shock of him killing Dumbledore. The greatest shock came in the final book. I received that book with most of the population at midnight and was fast getting through it until the chapter in which Severus Snape was killed. I put the book down and didn't pick it up again until days before I was to see both part one and two of the deathly hallows in the cinema. It broke something, reading of his death, seeing it in the cinema. Knowing that is wasn't real and believing is two different things. I knew the actor playing Severus Snape was still alive, but I also knew that the character that I had cheered for was gone.

Now, both are gone. I found out within the last ten minutes of my shift at work. I was on the shop floor when Verdigo came back of break and told me. I don't think anyone, even me, thought I would start crying a violently as I did, even customers were asking if I was okay. I know that in the past I've laughed at people who cry over the deaths of famous people to the extent of hiccups, but now I know how they feel. I know the devastation that you feel in that moment, for the life that has been lost, for the talent that will never be witnessed again, for the family that has been left behind.

Rest in Peace Mr. Rickmam.