Why I Love Harry Potter

I originally was not a fan. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. And so I let it be, lifting my nose up to all the other “silly” children who read books that I considered dull. But then… My father read it to my brother, and I started listening in. I was hooked. I “borrowed” the copy and read it through to the end by myself. I remember sheepishly admitting to my father how much I enjoyed it.

From that moment on, Harry was a beloved part of my life. By the time I read Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire were all already out, and I was gifted them at different times. I consumed each novel in less than a week. Not only was I a fast reader to begin with, but I loved them. I needed to know what happened next, I needed to hear what Harry had to do, what Dumbledore needed to tell us. My desire to know the happenings of the wizarding world was unyielding.

I was eleven when Order of The Phoenix came out. That book was an escape from a miserable summer. I was leaving my home I loved and moving 3,000 miles away. Harry was there, on the long car ride and when I reached my lonely new home.

I got both Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows at midnight releases. When we got our copies of Deathly Hallows, my best friend and I sobbed and my younger cousin asked, “Why are you crying?” I answered, “Because he’s been such a big part of our life. Harry Potter is our childhood. We don’t want it to end, but we need to finish his story.”

I love Harry Potter because we grew up together. I watched him mature through eyes that were growing up as well. I loved the characters, the stories, and especially the little details you catch when you re-read the books. As an English major, I could spout to you all the literary merits of the text. But I won’t because Harry is more than that. To his fans, he means something different to every one of us. But he and his universe are a beautiful escape, an immersing world, and a fascinating story.

I love Harry Potter because Harry is noble, Ron is funny, and Hermione is clever, but they are all flawed. Each character is real. They cry and sin, rejoice and love, and they grow. They grew as I grew, and I loved being able to take that journey with them.

I love Harry Potter for a thousand reasons I’ll never be able to put into words. All I can say is that if you’re a fan, you understand. And if you’re not, you’re missing out.

I remember reading Chamber of Secrets while at the Kennedy Center, bored of Handel’s Messiah. I remember reading Half Blood Prince while sitting in the back of my grandfather’s pick up truck because I had to finish. I remember finishing Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time and smiling to myself because I had enjoyed it so much against my will.

So thank you, Harry. Thank you for letting me into your world. Thank you for showing my best friend and countless others how to love reading. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my childhood, and thank you for the role I know you will play in my future.

For, as Dumbledore so aptly put it, “I shall never truly be gone unless none here are loyal to me.”

I will always be loyal.