Harry Potter has been my favorite book series for as long as I can remember. My original copies sit on a bookshelf at my Grandma’s with duct-taped spines and a few missing pages. I read them over and over again. They are like a favorite sweater you put on whenever you need comfort. When I was younger I used to wait in line at midnight with my grandma in tow to get the latest book in the series. I would stay up all night reading, falling asleep with my head in the book (no joke) and wake in the morning to start again. As I got older and my need for order and control became more intense, I began re-reading the entire series to lead up to the release date of the next book. Even though my last Midnight Magic Party was in 2007, it is a tradition I have continued every summer.
The first few movies that came out I remember my grandma taking me and of course sleeping through the whole thing. At the time I was appalled she could even close her eyes for a second but looking back now I realize she didn’t really like Harry Potter at all, but she did like taking naps. It was a win, win. Eventually I traded in my midnight book releases for midnight movie premieres of the latest film and my grandma in for a set of friends who actually knew who Hermoine was.
In high school my friends and I would make t-shirts in lieu of the new films coming out and would wait in line all day to get the best seats! (This was before you could pick your seats and order online, crazy I know) The most memorable time has to be when we were made it first in line for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. It was a sunny, hot, July day and we sat outside the theater in line playing Harry Potter Trivia, taking pictures, and watching the crowd start to trickle in. We were all extreme Potterheads and overly eager to prove our vast knowledge and superiority to each other. We got the best seats in the house and I remember my friend MacKenzie and I crying rather ugly, and loudly while they played Snapes memories. We sat there squeezing each others hands, balling our eyes out, and ignoring the glares. They must not have read the book. As far as book to movie conversions go, it was an excellent film. It was an excellent ending to the most perfect series I have ever read.
Today is July 31st, 2020 and if my math is correct I believe Harry would be turning 40 years old. Me? I’m 27. I’ve been reading these books since I was 8. My last midnight movie premiere was 10 years ago. But every summer I pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone and I start again.
To a series that helped me escape as a child, grow as a teenager, and brings me home as an adult. Thank you.
Harry, thanks for showing me what resiliency looks like. Here’s to surviving insurmountable trauma and never giving up! I love you.
Hermoine, thanks for showing me what true leadership looks like. Here’s to always being prepared and never letting the fear of losing others approval keep you from doing what is right! I love you. #SPEWFOREVER
Ron, thanks for showing me what great and terrible friendship looks like. Here’s to never letting your own jealousy keep you from being a good person and supporting the people you love… (Hermoine could do better)
Neville, thanks for showing me that growth is a never ending process and to TRUST THE PROCESS. Here’s to never letting your own limiting thoughts keep you from achieving greatness.
Fred and George, thanks for showing me that a good laugh is always needed, even in the darkest of times. Here’s to never taking life too seriously!
Molly Weasley, thanks for showing me what a mothers love looks like. Here’s to all the mom’s spreading their love and light and protection into this world.
Happy Birthday, Harry!
“It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Albus Dumbledore