A Case for Potter

Harry Potter and I have a lot in common.

Well, perhaps a little at least. We have the same initials, my older sister called me 'Harry' (to my then unabashed frustration) and according to the official timeline, he was born only 2 and half months after I was. And although I do not have legions of fans, am not marked with a lightening scar, nor am I a 'chosen one' per se (besides by my wife), I feel a connection as the 10 year story comes to an end.

Finishing the last Harry Potter book is a touch bittersweet. The capping of the epic story offers a great deal of closure, and comfort for the part of me that escaped into the story. But it is a little sad to finish the tale, not able to wait for the next book, or debate the hidden ideas and themes. It's hard not to think that HP is my age, and when your mind comes out of the fictional immersion into the wizarding world JK Rowling created, you make a little comparison to your own life. And the strong themes woven through the tales - racism, honor, courage, etc. - raise personnel questions and appraisals in your own mind.

Amy introduced the novels to me when we were engaged. We read them together, listened to the tapes on long car trips across country, and anxiously awaited the next thrill. We bought two copies so we can simultaneously read (she's reading as I write). Four months following a release I would get the book in German, to stay brushed up on my language skills, and escape just a little bit more into a fantasy of youth, coming of age and magical abilities. But the closure of the series ends a chapter of my life. As I look back and wonder when I became an adult, a father, someone responsible. Am I just pretending to be a responsible husband and father, cause I still feel like a teenager who would be caught up in whatever fascinated me? Is the joint innocence of early marriage lost as we celebrate our 6th anniversary this August?

So I finished the last book, similarly to the other novels that enthralled me, as I lost track of time, drifted from the pages and was lost in the reading experience. Late last night I lay in bed, wide-awake wondering about characters that were just a small part of my life for the last several years. As with any immersion experience, the memories echoed in my dreams (including a humorous dream as Harry working in a mid-management, cubicle position for a distribution company).

Perhaps I show a little too much nerdiness in this extolling of the novel, but it's funny how it has made me think. I'll miss finding a secret on the turn of each page. But I revel when I will sit in my girl's room, revealing the mysteries of Hogwarts, Horcruxes and Hallows. And I look to the next fantasy adventure with my wife for the next 6 years. Perhaps I have grown up. But I hope I keep that little bit of naive innocence my whole life. Even if it is through a young-adult novel series, or just sitting and reading with my children.

Thanks for the experience Rowling. I needed a little extra magic in my live.

I see the magic that was already there a little better.

HP

Order of the Phoenix