How Harry Potter Changed This Muggle's Life

Today, I went to go see part two of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Quite an emotional experience this was. I cried at least three times (I sobbed throughout the whole sequence that showed Snape's memories, that part was so heartbreaking) and when I left, I realised something. With this movie, a huge part of my childhood/teenhood/young adulthood was ending. J.K. Rowling has pooh-poohed rumours that there will be any more Harry Potter novels. Pottermore, the website that will supposedly take fans "beyond the books", does not officially open until October. But Harry's adventures are now over.

The original novel was published in 1997, when I was in fifth grade. I devoured each book; with every one that finished, I longed for more of the Boy Who Lived and his friends. The novels grew up as I did. I was a child curious about the world as the saga started, and as the story grew darker, Harry more jaded, I did too as I learned painful lessons that come with growing up (like my first heartbreak.) Life wasn't always easy. The books often provided my only solace, my only escape.

I loved spending lazy afternoons with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I would fly on a broomstick, playing Quidditch. I would suffer through Potions lessons. I would face the perils of the Triwizard Tournament and watch a good person killed at the hands of my enemy. I would join the trio as they searched for Horcruxes, and answers to the many questions Dumbledore left behind.In the end, I learned that good always triumphs over evil, and that the loyalty of friends and family is worth more than power.

Harry was willing to sacrifice himself to save the entire world. He trusted his mentor, even when this mentor wasn't always as forthright as he should have been. Even after he found out the truth of his existence, he faced his destiny with his head held high. Harry's spirit inspired me and millions of other people for over a decade. While other series like "Twilight" may have also enjoyed widespread popularity, it is the depth of the story, and the sheer humanity of its characters, that make the series so amazing.

Harry's spirit and courage are truly an inspiration. He taught me never to give up even when times seem grim and the whole world is against you. Albus Dumbledore said towards the end of the book, "Don't pity the dead. Pity the living, especially those living without love." Though Voldemort was powerful and had a lot of followers, he lived a life without love or friendship. In the end this was his undoing.

Thank you, Harry, for not only inspiring me to read and write, but to live. :)