the boy who lived.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that is is not real?" -Albus Dumbledore

I think that line completely summarizes my feelings on the world of Harry Potter. I’ve had a really difficult time putting together this post, because I just have so many things I want to say. First of all, J.K Rowling should be made a Dame of some sort, and recognized as an international hero of some sort. When one person can come along and spark the imaginations of millions for over a decade, even though it’s cheesy, I would say that’s nothing short of true magic. Honestly, there aren’t many things in our society today of 15 minutes of fame and come-and-go fads that really have the staying power of the story of Harry Potter. I think because it’s timeless, who doesn’t love a good underdog story? Good triumphing over evil? Love being the most powerful magic of all?

I’ve been an Potterphile since I was eight (thanks Mrs. Shreckhise!), I’m nineteen now and my appreciation for it has done nothing but grow. I, like so many others, have grown up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I can remember seeing the first movie with my brother and best friends, when we came out of the theater we used our straws as wands and shouted, “Wingardium Leviosa!” over and over. I remember getting all the books as they came out and not sleeping until I had finished reading them. When the final book was released, I remember getting it at midnight at reading it with my two friends in my living room (just so you know this is a bad idea, it’s very hard to concentrate at 3 a.m when other people are there) and gasping and crying and laughing together. As much as we wanted to see the outcome and read it quickly, we wanted to draw it out as long as possible so we wouldn’t have to see the end come. And now, tonight I’ll go to the movie theater and be surrounded by hundreds of other fans, all waiting for what many of us are thinking of as the end of our childhoods. It’s going to be bittersweet I’m sure; finally we’ll see this epic ending to this epic tale, but we’ll also probably linger in the theater a little bit longer, knowing that this kind of event won’t happen again.

I kind of wish that I could say that I didn’t like to read until I read Harry Potter, but I’ve been a nerd my whole life. What Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonnagal, Ginny, Dobby, Sirius, Luna, and even Malfoy have given me though is something that’s irreplaceable. I’ve gotten a chance to live in their world- to feel a sense of home at Hogwarts, to get the rush of adrenaline from flying a broom, the thrill of adventure from breaking into the Ministry, and to know what it’s like to experience real magic.

All of the posters say, “It all ends.” That isn’t really true though; I know that for years and years to come children and adults alike will still be entranced by the idea of hippogriffs and three-headed dogs, and eleven-year-olds all over the world will still await their Hogwarts letter to be delivered to them by a white, snowy owl. At the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two last week, J.K Rowling said, “The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” I know that I’ll always believe that the Hogwarts Express is waiting just beyond the barrier of Platform 9 3/4, and so what if it’s all in my mind? If that’s good enough for Dumbledore, then that’s good enough for me.