Have you ever read a book or a book series that was more than words printed on a page? Was the scent of the aged ink as tempting as a just baked brownie sitting on a plate just waiting for you to devour it? That is how I feel about Harry Potter. Harry Potter is not just a story about mythical beings and magic. It is not just a children’s book that you read once and place at the back of the bookshelf, where it sits collecting dust in a lonely corner. No, Harry Potter is a book series about triumph.
When I first discovered the Harry Potter books, I was quite young. At the fragile age of eight I decided to take out Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on a whim. That was probably the best thing I ever did in my life. When I opened its worn covers I was no longer in a library. I was following a scrawny, black-haired boy through his life, experiencing it as if it were my own. Harry became a dear friend of mine, as well as Hermione and Ron. The books became my childhood. However, that was only the beginning of my journey with Mr. Potter and his friends.
Years later when I was 13-years-old, I went through a tough time. My father was diagnosed with colon cancer and my hope for his recovery was like a lone flickering candle in the darkness. When I retreated to my room after hearing the news and feeling my world crash around me, my eyes found Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sitting on my desk. I blinked through my tears, picked it up, and plunged back into Harry’s life as if I had never left. While I suffered through the days wondering if my father would wake up in the morning, Harry fought the evil Lord Voldemort. When he was strong, I was inspired to be stronger. And when my father breathed his last, the books inspired me that life would go on, and that it would get better.
When I was still trying to find myself it nudged me in the direction of good in a world of tempting evil. I love the way J. K. Rowling, the author of the series, spun words into mystical lands and created a world so real you could not believe it was only in a book. I have even made friends bonding over the books and discovered not only who I was but who I am meant to be in the future. Harry Potter is a beacon of light in a dark world that can show people of all ages the world of fantasy in a parallel with real life. Albus Dumbledore, one of my favorite characters, once said, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Harry Potter is my light and makes me happier than anything else in the world.