On my 12th birthday, my aunt gave me one of the best gifts I ever received. I didn't realize it at the time, but one simple gift was my first step to getting lost in another world, making friends that I feel like I will always have, and enjoying the power of the word. For my 12th birthday in 1999, my aunt gave me a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and told me to enjoy the adventure. And boy did I ever.
It was a slow start. My first few months with the book were a series of fits and starts while I tried to understand the new world so eloquently described on the pages. After about five months of mixed results, I finally decided to dive in and see what the burgeoning hype around this Harry Potter kid was all about. Within a few days, I found myself in Diagon Alley, aboard the Hogwarts Express, and roaming the castle with my new best friends. I became enamored with the work of 650-year old Nicolas Flamel and started thinking about what I would see if I looked in the Mirror of Erised. I learned how to correctly pronounce Wingardium Leviosa and discovered--to Professor Snape's delight--the wide variety of things that are magic and that make the magical world magical. I remember thinking, "What took me so long to read this book?"
After Harry vanquished Voldemort for the second time, I couldn't wait any longer. I borrowed the second and third books from my Language Arts teacher (she had them in the classroom) and had a deadline of mid June--the end of the school year--to finish them. I went full-force into reading. Then in 2000 when the Goblet of Fire tome came out, I bought it with the intention of reading it on the 6-hour drive up to Boston and the family vacation to Cape Cod. I had only 3 chapters left when I got in the car to start our trip.
I think one of the main reasons I loved the series was because the characters were relatable. I was practically the same age as them for most of the series, so when Harry dealt with the awkwardness of talking to girls, I dealt with that same awkwardness. When Harry started being more cognizant of who his friends were and how they all worked together as a team, I was understanding who my friends were and why we were all actually friends. I was Harry. But I was also Hermione, the bookworm who sometimes missed the social cues. And I was Ron, the "less interesting" person in my friend group. And I was Neville, trying to get in with the popular clique. And Ginny, the person you wouldn't want to double cross. And Luna, the fiercely loyal but quirky friend. And I was even Draco, the kid aware of his parent's expectations but also trying to find his identity in a wacky world. In short, I saw a bit of myself in each of the characters, and I understood the trials and tribulations they went through because growing up is hard whether your'e a wizard or a muggle.
I laughed with the characters and cried with them too. And while the movies weren't perfect, they took the images in my head and made them real. I see Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson when I think of the main trio. The books introduced me a world I could only dream of being a part of. The movies made me believe that the world really existed.
I remember reading the last book with an impending sense of doom, as if the world I loved was going to disappear. "But there are always the movies," I told myself. That let me put off the pain for just a little bit longer. But then the final movie premiered and that feeling returned. I laugh-cried at Professor McGonagall's joke as she activated the stone statues and told them to do their duty and protect the school. I beamed with pride as Molly Weasley showed her fierce side and destroyed one of the most evil witches of the modern era. And even though I knew how it ended, I couldn't help but sit on the edge of my seat hoping Neville would kill Nagini.
Finally the series was over. I would have to accept that I wouldn't see my friends as I had for the past 12 years. That doesn't mean I stop thinking about them, though. ABC Family--now FreeForm--ensures that the moves are easily accessible whenever I want to waste a few hours on a weekend. I keep the books--now all very worn, including my copy of Goblet of Fire which is literally falling part--fresh by opening them up and returning to my favorite passages, reimmersing myself in the magical world. I take online quizzes that tell me where I'd end up if my letter for Hogwarts and the registry of muggle-born wizards wasn't destroyed in the Battle for the Ministry in 1996 (my letter would have come in 1997/1998). So even though the series is over and has been for years, my many years with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and everyone else in that fantastic world means that I will never not be a part of it. I joined when I was 12, and I will remain until my last breath.
So thank you, Harry Potter, for showing me the wonders of another world, a world I can't physically be in but which is a major part of me now. And also a big thank you to my aunt who introduced me to Harry before I even knew who he was or could envision how big a part of my life he would play. As the great Albus Dumbledore said, "Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress: adventure!" And what an adventure it has been and will continue to be.
Also, of course this makes me happy. Not only is John Williams brilliant, but could anything be more fitting to express all of my emotions surrounding Harry Potter than this iconic theme?
After Harry vanquished Voldemort for the second time, I couldn't wait any longer. I borrowed the second and third books from my Language Arts teacher (she had them in the classroom) and had a deadline of mid June--the end of the school year--to finish them. I went full-force into reading. Then in 2000 when the Goblet of Fire tome came out, I bought it with the intention of reading it on the 6-hour drive up to Boston and the family vacation to Cape Cod. I had only 3 chapters left when I got in the car to start our trip.
I think one of the main reasons I loved the series was because the characters were relatable. I was practically the same age as them for most of the series, so when Harry dealt with the awkwardness of talking to girls, I dealt with that same awkwardness. When Harry started being more cognizant of who his friends were and how they all worked together as a team, I was understanding who my friends were and why we were all actually friends. I was Harry. But I was also Hermione, the bookworm who sometimes missed the social cues. And I was Ron, the "less interesting" person in my friend group. And I was Neville, trying to get in with the popular clique. And Ginny, the person you wouldn't want to double cross. And Luna, the fiercely loyal but quirky friend. And I was even Draco, the kid aware of his parent's expectations but also trying to find his identity in a wacky world. In short, I saw a bit of myself in each of the characters, and I understood the trials and tribulations they went through because growing up is hard whether your'e a wizard or a muggle.
I laughed with the characters and cried with them too. And while the movies weren't perfect, they took the images in my head and made them real. I see Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson when I think of the main trio. The books introduced me a world I could only dream of being a part of. The movies made me believe that the world really existed.
I remember reading the last book with an impending sense of doom, as if the world I loved was going to disappear. "But there are always the movies," I told myself. That let me put off the pain for just a little bit longer. But then the final movie premiered and that feeling returned. I laugh-cried at Professor McGonagall's joke as she activated the stone statues and told them to do their duty and protect the school. I beamed with pride as Molly Weasley showed her fierce side and destroyed one of the most evil witches of the modern era. And even though I knew how it ended, I couldn't help but sit on the edge of my seat hoping Neville would kill Nagini.Finally the series was over. I would have to accept that I wouldn't see my friends as I had for the past 12 years. That doesn't mean I stop thinking about them, though. ABC Family--now FreeForm--ensures that the moves are easily accessible whenever I want to waste a few hours on a weekend. I keep the books--now all very worn, including my copy of Goblet of Fire which is literally falling part--fresh by opening them up and returning to my favorite passages, reimmersing myself in the magical world. I take online quizzes that tell me where I'd end up if my letter for Hogwarts and the registry of muggle-born wizards wasn't destroyed in the Battle for the Ministry in 1996 (my letter would have come in 1997/1998). So even though the series is over and has been for years, my many years with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and everyone else in that fantastic world means that I will never not be a part of it. I joined when I was 12, and I will remain until my last breath.
So thank you, Harry Potter, for showing me the wonders of another world, a world I can't physically be in but which is a major part of me now. And also a big thank you to my aunt who introduced me to Harry before I even knew who he was or could envision how big a part of my life he would play. As the great Albus Dumbledore said, "Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress: adventure!" And what an adventure it has been and will continue to be.
Also, of course this makes me happy. Not only is John Williams brilliant, but could anything be more fitting to express all of my emotions surrounding Harry Potter than this iconic theme?
