Released 17 years ago, Harry Potter was a story that inspired millions and has since been translated in over 68 languages, and redone with new covers and new illustrations. I, personally, did not read the first installment of Harry Potter until 2001, when the first movie was released. My life was most certainly changed for the better. I have made friends by connecting over the series and formed bonds that wouldn’t be possible without the story we had all read and the characters we had grown up with.

So, first of all, I would like to say Thank you, Mr. Harry Potter.

Many say that it is simply a story, that since it’s not real, it’s not important. But Harry Potter has taught me about loyalty, friendship and being true to yourself. It has inspired me for years, and helped me through rough times in my life. Whenever I needed him, as childish as it may sound, Harry was always there for me. I would stay up for hours, reading chapter after chapter until whatever was bothering me didn’t matter anymore. The midnight releases as I got older were fantastic and full of energy. I got to be part of something much bigger than me, and I find that amazing. I laughed and I cried but if I was asked if I would do it all over again, I would jump at the chance.

Even though Hogwarts isn’t real, and even though magic isn’t being taught in a grand castle on the other side of the world, it doesn’t make it any less real for those who have experienced it. I saw every single movie in the theaters, I read every single chapter so many times that my copy of the series are held together with tape and the spines are permanently cracked. Harry Potter isn’t for everyone, but those who love it, love it with all their hearts.

With Harry Potter, we are not bound by limitations, we were taught to embrace our differences and make them something worth sharing, something worthwhile. We were taught the importance of friendship, love, and how standing up for yourselves and what you believe in is the most important thing you can do. We learnt about self-sacrifice and what it truly means to be a hero. Instead of the all-powerful figure we are shown in media today, we were given a scrawny 11 year old boy with knobby knees and a lightning bolt scar. He had glasses, like myself, which was something I never really got to read in other texts I had at that age. Hermione wasn’t the best looking, but she was smart and kind. Ron wasn’t the one that was the most popular, but he was fiercely loyal to friends and family.

We learnt redemption, from both Dumbledore and the Malfoy family, and even Severus Snape. We found it within ourselves to forgive these characters for their flaws and to look deeper into their personalities to find out why they did the things that shaped them. We learned that our heroes that we cast are only human and they make mistakes, and that’s okay. Much of the series shows greed and egos being blown sky high. We were taught to look at ourselves before judging others.

I was taught how to move on from loss by this series. Many of the characters are hit with unexpected loss, like Harry losing his parents before the first book even starts. Hermione sends her parents to Australia to protect them, but must suffer through a war without her family. Ron lost a brother but through these experiences, the reader can learn and realize that life does go on and the world doesn’t stop, even though it feels like it does. Loss doesn’t define us, and we learned to treasure the time and the memories that we had with that person, no matter how brief.

We learnt to deal with fear and that we can overcome it. Neville was unable to stand up for himself and was constantly victim to bullying. But as time goes on, he becomes braver and braver, finding his place and overcoming his fears of rejection and not being good enough for his house and for his newfound friends. We learnt to respect everyone. Harry never treats anyone like less than a friend, regardless of age, ethnic background or social class. We learned that everyone makes their own choices, and you can’t force them to bow to your will. You can only make your own choices on how to handle how they react.

We learnt to question authority, for those who are in charge may not make the best choices. Therefore, we were forced to be able to think for ourselves, to become independent individuals, with minds of our own. Therefore we were open to the idea of understanding others, accepting ideas that were not our own and being okay with that. We learnt that hope can never be extinguished, no matter how hard people try. We saw Harry never give up, even as the evil grew more prominently in his life.

We learnt that not everyone is what they seem and we cannot judge a book by their cover. We learnt that we are never really alone, no matter how alone we feel at the time. We learnt that confidence isn't the same as bravery, though it's easy to confuse the two.

I cannot say if I would have been the same person without Harry Potter. I know many of my values come from what I had learned from reading about the boy who lived, the boy who overcame adversity and triumphed in the face of evil. I thank Harry James Potter, the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, for an amazing journey. Even though the series is over, the fandom lives on, the spirit those seven books placed in our hearts lives on, and most importantly the lessons we learned from those characters who we loved so dearly are still engraved in our minds.

“Whether you return by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”

-J.K. Rowling