Anyone that knows me well will know that my love for Harry Potter is very, very real. I’m a self-professed nerd who could quote every movie on demand. I know more Harry Potter trivia than I’m often proud to admit and cannot remember the last time I went on vacation without at least one book from the series by my side. Many people think I’m ridiculous or obsessive or some other generally negative adjective. I used to be bothered by this view others had of me, but recently I’ve realized I could not care less. There is a reason I love this series as much as I do. I wouldn’t be who I am today had I not had the fortune to read and experience it.
In fifth grade, I was diagnosed with Depression. I suddenly felt lonely, like no one understood what I was going through, and as though I had no real safe place. Halfway through the school year, I picked up Harry Potter from my teacher’s bookshelf. Suddenly, I had a place to escape to. I had numerous characters all going through things I could never imagine, I felt like I had a home and people who would understand how much I was struggling. I mean if Harry could be repeatedly attacked by the evilest wizard of all time and still manage to be positive and fight back, then I could fight the mental illness trying to wreak havoc on my brain. I devoured the books in the coming month and anxiously waited for that summer when I could get the last one in my hands. By the time I entered sixth grade, I had a newfound confidence that I could take on whatever the world threw at me. And if I couldn’t, well I could always retreat back into my favorite escape for a little while.
Harry Potter has also helped guide me into some of my best friendships and biggest passions. It was because of its continued mentions in the series that I suddenly found a need to visit London, England. Flash forward five years later and I’m eagerly awaiting my placement to study abroad in my favorite place on Earth – that I’ve already visited twice. Several of my friendships throughout the years have been forged because of a mutual love for a certain fictional castle and its inhabitants. In Harry Potter I’ve not only found a home, but a community of fans who are eager to accept me for just how nerdy I am.
Time and time again, I have returned to these books for comfort in some of my most trying times. When my depression and anxiety seemed to be at an all time high my freshman year of college, I found myself running back to Hogwarts and the comfort it could offer me. I related to Harry’s struggle with the Dementors and how strikingly similar they were to my depression. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and then lost his battle a mere ten months later, it was Harry Potter that helped me believe things could be okay again. The quotes throughout this series have helped me move on from the worst tragedies in my life, they have comforted me when I believed things could only get worse, and they have guided me into the person I am today. It sounds silly and nerdy and all around weird, but Harry Potter has become one of the biggest influences in my life. If magic truly is real, this series must be the source of it.
