The release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is next week, and Harry Potter fans around the world are buzzing with excitement. After the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, we didn’t think we’d have another night like this. A gathering of people of all ages coming to celebrate the stories and the community that has shaped their lives. Sitting in a crowded theater with rambunctious adults and children dressed in their Potter best was something we cherished, knowing that we were watching this film together not just as fans, but as a family who were united by a common story about a special boy who lived in a cupboard under the stairs.
Through the excitement and anticipation of the new release, I’ve remembered what the series has given me. For many, books are just that, stories for enjoyment, a time to relax and send your mind into another world. But for the millions of Potterheads, Harry Potter is so much more. For me, Harry has given me so much, and it never stops surprising me how much seven books and eight movies can do.
Though I know this was the experience with quite a few of us, I would like to thank you, Harry, for inspiring my love of reading. I didn’t start reading until I was about eight or nine years old, but I started with Harry Potter. Watching and waiting for the movies was not enough for me; I would spend so much time gazing at the books on my shelf, knowing I could find out what happens next if I could only read them. So I did. One day I picked up Philosopher’s Stone and began reading. It was terribly difficult, to the point that it took me well over a month to finish it, but it was also terribly exciting. Once I was done with the first book, I sped through Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix. I waited impatiently for Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows, wanting desperately to find out what would happen to the boy who lived.
As I waited for the final novels to be released, I read and reread the books, over and over until I had them practically memorized. I spent much of my time reading them while in the hospital and recovering from surgery. Harry’s magical world was a safe refuge from the pain of recovering from orthopedic surgeries. I cannot thank Harry enough for having such a wonderful world that I could imagine myself in, so deeply that the real world melted away. I have kept this world with me through middle school, when I got sick and spent weeks out of school, and high school when I needed an escape from my anxiety. I continue to keep Harry’s world with me, in my pocket, remembering that I can always go home when I need to.
As I reflect on my experience in the Wizarding World, I must also thank Harry for the community that he has given me, that he’s given us. Growing up I didn’t have many friends, I was nerdy and awkward and didn’t know how to connect with kids my age. As I got older, I discovered the Harry Potter community that existed online and found fanfiction, forums for discussion, wacky puppet shows, wizard rock, musicals… I found a community of people who cared so much for Harry Potter and for each other. In finding this community, I knew I had friends, millions that I haven’t met yet but that are out there, creating content, sharing stories, laughing and loving Harry’s world together. It’s through the Harry Potter community that I found Nerdfighteria, a group of nerds who strive to accept and love one another, and use their love to make a better place. Harry has connected me with families that I never knew I was apart of but that I now know I will always belong in.
Most of all, I thank you, Harry, for giving me something to believe in. Maybe not the magic you can summon from the flick of a wand, but magic in the sense that love is the strongest and most important magic we have. I’ve learned from you that we can only grow as a people if we show love for each other, empathy, compassion. If we do this, anything is possible. Like bringing together millions of people for another night in front of the big screen, immersing ourselves once more in the magical world of Harry Potter.
