"Of course it's happening in your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it isn't true?" - Albus Dumbledore
21 years after we were introduced to the scar-adorned baby boy on Privet Drive, we have come full circle (and you can finally buy him a butterbeer in the U.S.).
With the release of the script for the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the fandom has been passed on to the next generation. I felt somewhere in the middle of the spectrum as I stood in line for my book at the Barnes and Noble midnight release Saturday night, an older man casting spells to the front of me while a young girl in a Ravenclaw robe waited impatiently behind me. Even amidst the crowds of strangers I had just met, our mutual love for the wizarding world led me to feel like I knew them all.
The night was filled with Quidditch pong, butterbeer brewed by your local Starbucks barista, and crowds of muggles gathered to watch the Sorting Hat with Luna Lovegood and Professor Trelawney. Lightning bolt scars and dark marks were drawn on while Gryffindors and Slytherins mingled. Wands were drawn and spells were cast as duels ensued. Everyone anxiously anticipated the clock striking 12:01 a.m. when it would be Harry's birthday and when we would finally get the hardcover's in our hands. Wizards and witches of all ages, together all counted the seconds down, more eagerly than Ryan Seacrest on New Year's Eve.
To J.K. Rowling, thank you for giving us another piece of magic to hold on dearly to, especially in dark times when it seems like Voldemort might be back and playing his hand in the real world. Thank you for introducing the next generation to the stories we hold so dear to our hearts, and thank you for reminding us that Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home. We hope the legacy will continue to live on. As I grow older some (Muggles) would say my love for the wizarding world I grew up would diminish. But...
"Even after all this time? Always."
Reporting live from Diagon Alley for the Daily Prophet, this is Sholeh Rezaee.
