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I sincerely remember it like it was yesterday. It was 1999, and I was in 2nd grade. In Miss Tiffany’s 2nd grade class, to be exact. It was storytime, and we were all crowded around on the big rug in her room, staring up at her as she settled into her rocking chair and opened a book. The book. It started out talking about this family, the Dursleys. They were the worst. They were total normies — straight-laced and stuffy. But the weird thing was? They had this nephew. This kid named Harry whose parents died in a car crash (“A CAR CRASH?! A car crash kill Lily an’ James Potter?! It’s an outrage! It’s a scandal!”) who it turned out, was anything but normal.
Ever since that day, Harry Potter has been such a steadfast part of who I am. I feel weird even italicising it because it doesn’t feel like a book that the world fell in love with. It feels like it’s something personal to me. After that first chapter, after I was first introduced to “The Boy Who Lived,” I went to the Book Fair (God, I loved the Book Fair), got the book with my allowance, and my world changed forever.
I know it sounds corny, but growing up with Harry Potter was a truly magical, for lack of a better word, time in history. I mean, I read all of the released books, up to The Prisoner of Azkaban, then had to wait for the fouth installment to come out. I had to sit there and theorize and wonder and speculate. And this was before social media made this a thing. My family and I would sit around and talk about what we thought would happen next. My brother and I preordered our own copies Goblet of Fire. We dressed up and went to Barnes and Noble and we waited in line, we waited until midnight, to get our hands on the next book. My mom stocked the fridge with Mountain Dew and we stayed up all night, reading in separate rooms, only to rush to the other and ask “what part are you on?!” when shit started going down.
We did that, together, for each and every book after that.
Thing is, I’m not just here to reminisce. I’m not the exception or the weird outlier. Everyone who loves Harry Potter (the books. If you’ve just watched the movies don’t even think you can be a part of this fucking conversation) has a story. A history. I mean, after 4,224 and 1,084,170 words, you’ve truly been on an epic journey.
And as much as I want to fight and yell and tell people they’re wrong for not reading Harry Potter, I sort of get it. I mean, these books were written for children. They’re about some nerds at a wizard school learning to flick their wants (sounds dirty), and they fight the bad guy. They beat the bad guy. Shocking. And I mean, at this point everyone knows what happens more or less, right?
Except you are absolutely wrong. On all accounts.
At this point in my life, I’ve sincerely read the books more times than I can count. The pages are worn and tearstained and have food spills all over them. And each time I pick them up and read them, I learn something new. I discover something different. Not just about the books, but about myself. You see, growing up, the magic was fascinating. I mean, of course, it was. Dreaming of going away to a fantastic school where you learned how to turn your enemies into ferrets (okay, so that was just the imposter Moody) and ended up having tons of money in your vault? It all seemed so exciting. So enchanting.
But as we got older and as the stories got darker, more lessons were taught. Lessons that went beyond the value of friendship, the importance of family, and the honor in doing what is right over what is easy. Loved ones died, taken too early. Families crumbled over differing political opinions, and we learned that even our heroes are humans. Even they can fail.
Harry Potter isn’t just about a magical little boy who manages to defeat this evil wizard. I’d honestly dare to say that’s not even the most import aspect of the series. Hell, the fantasy and the magic and the world created, which amazing, isn’t even the main draw. It’s seeing different characters evolve and learn and change. It’s the way stern, Professor McGonagall fiercely loves her school and the children, even if you don’t see it often under her hard exterior. It’s the way Molly Weasley, the ideal mother, will fight tirelessly to protect her family. And it’s the smaller moments, the moments when Harry is jealous or scared or acting like kind of a dick, that it comes together: No one is perfect. No matter how famous or talented or wonderful you think someone has it, they have battles that feel impossible to conquer as well. We all have our own curses to overcome. And still, no matter how dark and scary and painful things become, there’s always beauty, and light, and hope, as long as you remember to look for it.
This isn’t a story about three little kids. This is a story full of thousands of character arcs, hundreds of lessons, and a sense of comfort, strength, and resilience that is always there for you. That’s always ready to help you realize that you need to keep going. That you need to keep pushing. That you need to keep fighting.
That’s why I can honestly say, no one is too good for Harry Potter. It doesn’t matter if you “don’t like fantasy” or if the idea of a magical school seems utterly hokey to you. Because that’s not what Harry Potter is. And I’m not even asking you to do me a favor by jumping into the series. I’m asking you to do yourself a favor. Go to a used bookstore. Pick up a copy. And understand what it feels like to find a part of yourself in the pages of a book. Because you know what they say, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you, well, you know the rest..
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Rachel Varina
if it doesn't have snack or seats, i'm not there. hate mail/Sunny references can be sent to itsrachelvarina@gmail.com
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Always.
I think I’ve read each HP book about 7-13 times.
I recently blocked a girl on The League bc she said Harry Potter was weird.
Can appreciate The League humble brag you just tossed out there.
Thanks Adam Sandler.
double digits? you should try reading a different book sometime…maybe even one written for adults
You should try shutting the fuck up before I Avada Kedavra your face with a tomahawk
lol i enjoy the books and read them all (twice)…but its okay to move on from your childhood eventually
Tell that to the tomahawk, you filthy muggle
He doesn’t even need to be sent to Azkaban, you already took his soul.
If you comin’ for my head, then motherfucker get to bustin’
All I’m saying is if you gave The Punisher the cruciatus curse Voldemort and his cronies would have been an afterthought by book 5
Filthy muggle was a nice touch here
you’re about to get a lot of down votes lol
Maybe you should try being less of an assbong, and come correct.
I feel like it’s too late now for the people who haven’t read it. Yes, the stories are just as good for me when I reread it, but I feel like a lot of that has to do with the nostalgia you mentioned associating with it rather than the stories themselves. While I still find occasional nuggets that speak to me differently now that I’m in my 20s than they did when I was 8, it’d be weird for a 24 year old to pick it up fresh and try to read it without being able to look back at the times they spent reading under the covers with a flashlight at 3 am, or absolutely bombing a vocab quiz just trying to finish early so you could read the rest of class. Harry Potter was such an incredible phenomenon, but really only for those who lived it as it came out, and who truly grew with the characters. It’s a unique experience no other generation has had before, and will likely not be had again.
I have to disagree with you here. I didn’t actually read the books until I was a junior in high school (even though I had seen all of the movies) and it was still incredibly satisfying. Went through and reread all of the books in a month a few years later as well.
I read some of them while I was in high school as well (and reread them multiple times since), but I think high school is probably the limit. If a 25 year old tried to read them for the first time, I don’t think it would have the same effect.
I’m very happy y’all both were able to enjoy the books despite having a different exposure to them, and it gives me hope that my future kids will enjoy them as well. However, I was referring more to the feeling of excitement that surrounds a 9 year old as they spent years anticipating how the story will unfold, weeks picking a favorite character and designing a costume, days discussing Books-A-Million meet up with their friends, and finally the hours leading up to the one night a year their mom will let them stay up til midnight just to fight for their copy of the book. My point was mostly pointing out that nothing had created that energy prior to these books, and with the way we’re progressing towards a society of screens and instant gratification over the patience of pages, I doubt it will be replicated.
I’ve had absolutely no desire for kids until this moment, just for the fact that I could introduce them to Harry Potter.
It’s the only book kids would line up to buy like it was the next Call of Duty, it worked because it was an interesting story that was also very accessible. That same accessibility pretty much makes them unreadable as a semi-avid adult reader though, and I’ve read a lot of books multiple times. For me, they were an introduction to the fact that books could be good and yes you can read 500 pages of text when you’re 9. Countless other books served to be far more interesting, but didn’t have that same excitement surrounding them as HP did, that’s for sure.
Nah, not too late. I read them when I was late 20’s just a few years ago for the first time. Still great, and I had the advantage of having all the movies already out so I just binged one weekend on the couch. It was great.
Wasn’t much into reading throughout school and didn’t read these until I commuted by train to work at my first post grad job. Loved every second of it.
My friend is 37 and had never read the books or seen the movies…she was instantly hooked and we have since been to HP World in Cali together. I’ll admit that she’s not AS into it as I am, but she definitely loves it!
I agree with this. I’m prepared for the down votes, but for whatever reason I never got on the Harry Potter craze back when we were kids. I tried watching all the movies the other year, got until the half blood prince and stopped- because they’re kids books and movies meant for kids and the people who grew up with them.
It’s cool and fine if you’re an adult who loves them still, hey I get it, no judgement. Hell I loved the star wars prequels as a kid (and they are absolute trash) so when a new Star Wars comes out I’ll still go and see it no matter how good or bad the reviews are, but I can step back and objectively say “yeah, these movies/writing/acting kinda sucks but screw it.” There’s a reason why we are totally okay with spending $100+ on tickets to theme parks based on Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney, etc. and it’s because we all still have that nostalgia and a little bit of our inner 10-year-old in us.
Not comparable, because the movies, while not entirely accurate as no movie can be, are wonderfully cast and beautifully done. There are no weak points in Harry Potter
Why is my entire class falling asleep today? “Goblet of Fire came out last night”
Was this softball of a take due the response to your seafood piece yesterday? Regardless, agreed.
People don’t forget.
I have never been more proud of a take than I am of my seafood take. So no.
11/10 chance I’d use a time turner to send you back to Norway during the Viking age to live on lutefisk.
I swear my absolute favorite to go back and reread is Order of the Phoenix. It hits all the right notes page after page. Really starts to build the total shit storm that is coming for Harry and his allies, while also setting the chess board for the rest of the series. Umbridge is a fantastic secondary antagonist that gets under your skin from the jump and Fudge’s idiocy irritates me to no end. Fantastic book.
Risky position to take, but well argued. Order of the Phoenix is bottom 2 favorites for me because it’s way too easy for me to go with Harry into his deep angst, and the significant loss he suffers at the end leaves you with a hopelessness that the other books don’t. You’re 100% right about the setup though, and I know it’s intentional and necessary, just not the most pleasant part of the journey for me 🙂
I liked the books growing up, but stopped after the fourth for some reason. I recently read the rest of them as an adult, and while they were good, they didn’t captivate me like they did everyone else. I think it’s similar to the Star Wars original trilogy or Indiana Jones – if you didn’t grow up loving it, it just won’t have the same charm when you’re experiencing it for the first time as an adult.
Or maybe I’m just a soulless, beaten down schmuck.
I mean, you are, but that’s not necessarily relevant to this conversation
I haven’t reread the books in years, but we’ve been slowly going back through the movies on the weekends. They hold up well.
I’m so thankful we were the generation that grew up with Harry. My brother and I did the exact same thing, reading for hours on end and asking each other what part we were on. Recently I finished rereading them all for the first time in years and it’s still just as satisfying.
This is a beautiful representation of what Harry Potter means to me. It’s not just a book, it’s a friend. Thank you for this.