I know that every Potterhead and their twin sister has done this already, but in light of Alan Rickman’s death, I couldn’t bring myself to create or finish anything else. When celebrities die, I am generally unaffected. I feel sad, of course, but as I did not know them personally, I do not have a great emotional reaction. Alan Rickman is one of the exceptions to this, because of his influence in my field as well as his involvement in the “Harry Potter” franchise. I have an odd emotional attachment to the books and films, as well as to the actors who played in them. This is the story of why.

I read voraciously as a child (and as an adult). As such, many characters, people, and stories have touched my life and changed it forever. “Harry Potter” is one of the most defining stories of my childhood, and thus my personhood.

“Harry Potter” is particularly significant to me because the muggle world and the magical world are closely intertwined. Witches and wizards are secrets hidden in broad daylight. The suggestion is that there is more to life than meets the eye. If you do not fit in with the muggle world, the magical world will be there to spirit you away to a life of adventure. As a muggleborn, you can be in on the secrets and still visit home. Because I have a thirst for adventure and generally feel out of place, the thought that another, more adventurous world might want me is intoxicating.

While I obviously never received my Hogwarts Letter, “Harry Potter” has never let me down. Through the movies and especially the books, I can always leave this world and attend Hogwarts. I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, so rereading the stories is like visiting old friends or old memories. It is better in a way, though, because memories fade with time and are rarely as good as living them was. The words are concrete and, as I never experienced “Harry Potter” as real-life events, it can ever remain a fantasy, made only more vivid with time.

(Just for the record, I would be totally okay with the fantasy becoming a reality.)

I not only love literature, I also love theatre and the performing arts. Hermione Granger, interestingly enough, was one of the first roles that I was inspired to play. I can’t remember when I decided that I wanted to act (if it was even a decision), but, at the age of seven, I wanted to play Hermione. It didn’t matter to me that I was seven and she was supposed to be eleven. I was as tall as Emma Watson was in the poster I had, so obviously I could have played her perfectly. Never mind that they were only taking British actors and I couldn’t even do a British accent of any variety.

Nevertheless, the actors who starred in “Harry Potter” are some of my greatest influences, especially the older ones. They breathe life into the characters. A fun exercise is to cross-reference “Harry Potter” with some of their other works in order to understand the acting decisions that they made.

“Harry Potter” also taught me the importance of tech, the job of the director, and many other valuable lessons without me realizing it. Essentially, I was getting a pre-education.

Finally, the females of “Harry Potter” in general are important to me. While I have never felt less than a strong person because of my sex, it is frustrating that there are many publicized white male role models and few female. “Harry Potter,” on the other hand, has many strong, relatable female characters. For instance, Hermione is intelligent and will not sacrifice her beloved reading time to conform to society’s mandates for how she should look unless she feels like it. Ginny, on the other hand, is sharp-witted and fierce, winning Quidditch games and slingling bat-bogey hexes as she actively moves on from her crush on the wonderfully oblivious Harry Potter. Minerva McGonagall also exists, who is not only a strong, intelligent woman, but is also sporty, brave, and older. And there are many more.

In conclusion, “Harry Potter” is one of the defining stories of my childhood. Both the movies and the books mean a great deal to me. While my generation is particularly fond of it, I am sure that it will continue to leave beautiful, indelible marks on the lives of children for many generations to come.