Harry Potter: A not so magical review of an extremely magical series

Harry Potter was a very unusual boy in many ways.

With these words J.K. Rowling, an unknown British woman began a journey that would last nearly a decade. In this simple sentences our minds began to form a world much like our own...but far grander. In this world wizards and witches are living their ordinary lives in a place no person  (well...muggle) has ever seen. In this world goblins are bankers, elves exist and robes are just your everyday attire. With ten simple words we, muggles, were invited into this world for the first time ever. And you know what's even more fantastic? We liked what we saw.
The first of the Harry Potter series took the world by storm. No one predicted how quickly this simple work of fiction could have captivated children, teens and adults from all of the globe. It wasn't long before Hollywood, ever eager for new ideas, got a hold of the rights and in 2001 production began on Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Not suprisingly the film was an instant success and an adaptation of the next book began to come together almost right away.
From then on for a whole decade we watched film after film year after year. The craze never stopped. We grew older as time went on, but those kids who were running into the theaters with silly wizards hats on were still running in ten years later with wands held high.
What made us fall in love with this series? Can anyone truly remember? Was it the idea of looking into a world where magic exists? Was it the colorful characters we met along the way? Both?
For me its because this series (film and books) has just about everything you could want. Beautiful settings, an extremely nasty villian, heroic heroes, romance, betryayel, love, death and a happy Hippogriff named Buckbeak.
Also just the characters themselves. Why do we like them so much? Well, besides the fact that they all have intersting names and very different personalities. I think, for me at least, its because they are so very much like us. They each have struggles, fears and joys that, in some ways, we can connect with. Besides that there is the simple fact that these characters are not perfect. Dumbledore is no Gandalf and that's for sure. In the series Dumbledore makes many mistakes and is far from the shinning white Gandalf who is always in time to save the day. I have a friend who likes to point out all the ways Dumbledore should have handled things...I just smile and listen. That's the point. He is imperfect as are all the characters.
 The good guys are not good because they are perfect. They are good because they sacrifice so much in order to protect those perfect truths we all hold dear.


So on behalf of all of us who wish again to visit the world of wizards and witches...

Thank you.

Thank you Luna, for keeping our spirits up with your vibrant personality.

Thanks Lupin, for teaching us a spell that took our fear away.

Thanks Sirius, for being brave.
Thank you Hagrid for being so warm and welcoming.

Thank you Dumbledore for keeping us on the path.

Thank you Severus for never forgetting,

Thank you Ron for being such a brick,

Thank you Hermione for helping us learn,

and thank you Harry, for showing us the way into the wizarding world.

Signed: Us loyal Muggles


We'll visit you all again soon.