My Declared Love for Harry Potter (the books, not the character)

What I Read that Mattered: Harry Potter
Please comment! I'd like to hear about your experiences of growing up with Harry.

                Harry Potter has always been an experience rather than just a series of books. I remember picking up The Sorcerer’s Stone as a 2^nd grader trying to understand everything it said. I remember being excited for the The Goblet of Fire  to be released and, eventually, The Deathly Hallows. I grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and saw the physical evidence as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson aged with me.

                Harry Potter has shown me how much power a book can have on you. Books can pull you from reality and into a different world. In Harry’s world, I was able to attend Hogwarts and see the beauty of magic. I fought alongside Harry as he fought Lord Voldemort. I laughed at Harry’s awkward moments with Cho Chang. I awed when Hermione and Ron finally declared for each other. I cried when Dumbledore died. I was shocked when the truth of Snape was revealed. I loved every second of it.

                What I also appreciate about Harry Potter is the movies. Of course, the books were better, but the movies also had a special place in my heart. The actors became icons of Harry Potter, people I will never forget. Harry Potter marathons on ABC Family were always my favorite. It was nice to turn on the TV during holidays and knows that I can always enjoy some Harry Potter at any time. Like the release of the books, the releasing of the movies were annual events that I looked forward to. 8 times I have sat in the theatre with my popcorn and icee squirming with excitement as the Warner Bros. logo finally popped up with the Harry Potter melody.

                The end of a series is always hard. It’s the goodbye that you knew would come, but shoved to the back of your mind because you thought you would have more time. I remember reading the final page of the last chapter of Deathly Hallows and feeling my heart stop. I turned the page and smiled as I saw just a few more paragraphs. It was an epilogue of Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione’s kids. It was a bit silly, but it made me realize how time has truly flown as the J.K. Rowling has written 7 treasures. Although I was sad, I was excited for the films and was relieved when the producers decided to split the last book into two parts, just because it would give me more time to say goodbye. When the movie of Deathly Hallows: Part II finally ended, I didn’t know how to react. How do you let go of something that you’ve grown up with? It’s different from losing a person, because we experience it all the time. But a series. It was a world, a different reality, that I had leave.

                It’s been a while since the movies and books have ceased and I’m doing fine. Sometimes I revisit Harry’s world for old-time’s sake, but realize that it’s just not the same as before. Since then, I have found other books and series that I also enjoy, even though none of them match up to Harry Potter. But life goes on and I am fortunate for growing up in a generation shaped by Harry Potter.

-Stephanie Kim