Just reading the daily prompt “magic” got a big smile on my face because I instantly knew what I wanted to write about!

“Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” – J. K. Rowling

How can some place I’ve never been to and can never go to feel like home? How can characters I’ve never met in my life be so dear to me? And yet, my entire childhood was defined by my craze for Hogwarts and Harry Potter! I first met Harry and his friends when I was 10 years old. The summer after my 11th birthday, I waited every day by the mailbox for my letter from Hogwarts to come. I had my first heart break for the first time when I was 12, when the man I had come to love fell through the veil. At 14, I stayed up all night howling when the man I had come to look up to succumbed to a man he had trusted with his life. At 16, I skipped school to stay up all day and night to walk with my dearest friends to their happy ending.

Yes, I’m a total Potterhead. A large part of my childhood and growing up was defined by Harry Potter. Between the ages of 10-15, I’d write my diary every night and address it to Harry! I’d roam around in school with a red scar drawn on my head and pretend to have spell wars with my other friends who were Potterheads. I even tried to write a fan fiction version of “Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix” before its release. A lot of people including my parents haven’t understood my obsession with the Potter world. Rowling’s story connected with me at a very deep level. Her characters were so well defined whether they evoked love or hatred. Her writing would transport me to Privet Drive to The Burrow to Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade to Grimauld Place to Hogwarts. Hogwarts felt like home. And it wasn’t just the story but also the hidden meanings in the story that amazed me. Some of them being –

• When Dumbledore explains to Harry in the first book that “love” is the most powerful magic. No matter how dark the magic used, an act of love has the power to stop it.
• When Dumbledore applauds Neville for standing up to his friends – “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” My 10 year old brain laughed at Neville for standing up against the trio but Dumbledore’s words made the act seem so much more significant than I thought it to be.
• When Harry is scared that he might be like Voldemort because of their connection and Sirius explains to him – “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on…that’s who we really are.”
• When Dumbledore stops Harry from pitying the dead and to remind him even in their last minutes together to live a life of love- ““Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.”
• Okay so Dumbledore was very wise. When he tells Harry – “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” To stop him from living in the dream world and to enjoy the present.
• Again when Harry feels that he’s a lot like Voldemort, Dumbledore explains – “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
• And ofcourse “always”. The word “always” has new meaning in my life because of Harry Potter. Snape’s undying love for Lily Potter. Most stories talk about dying for love but Harry Potter shows that sometimes true love is living on and protecting your loved one’s memory. For years Snape protects Harry without Harry knowing his true intentions. This story shook me and made believe a little bit more in the magic of love.

I could go on writing about Harry Potter because this book influenced me a lot. Reading Rowling’s personal story and victories just added to my love for her and her art. If you haven’t read Harry Potter yet, I urge you to give the “magic” of Hogwarts a chance to win your heart and make you feel at home!

“Always” a Potterhead!