User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4162369-20110718025935

To me Harry Potter is about freedom, friendship and imagination. Harry Potter has been with me since my 3rd grade year and has followed me all the way through my grade schooling. Through this time I have whittled my own wands, had “duels” with my friends, collected the cards from the trading card game, joined my friends in an over-enthusiastic display at the midnight premieres, and have read through countless Wikipedia pages trying to learn as much about the series as I possibly could even after reading the books and seeing the movies. Harry Potter will always have an everlasting effect that, even with the end of the series seen and the final movie finishing its magic touches, I will always remember the days of Harry Potter fandom and those I shared it with.

I first mentioned “Harry Potter” being about freedom. While Harry himself may not be a free man being held to the restraints of being unable to practice magic while underage throughout most of the series and being in a constant struggle with the dark lord, it gives those reading it a sense of freedom. The world we live in today is a very overwhelming place. We are all held to similar restraints be it from working that “dead-end” job to paying our taxes we most certainly dread, but with the inspiration of Harry Potter one is thrown into a world where, in truth, magic exists and can seemingly fix all of one’s problems. I solve my problems of frustration by, in my head, casting curses on those who have upset me; while on the other hand, it is an amazing feeling to imagine the experience of flying on a broomstick looking down at those rooted to the ground. With magic –The World of Harry Potter—it is not a stretch to allow yourself to, even for just that short brief period of time, just forget about your problems and enjoy your own experience in Hogwarts.

Friendship is another important aspect that leaves Harry Potter forging an everlasting effect on me. Harry himself is very fortunate to have friends who truly care for him, something he definitely deserves through his struggles in his previously mundane life. I myself have met and gained many friends and acquaintances through the books and movies, and of course the best part is that we all share a similar love for an amazing series. We have weeklong parties before premieres where we participate in Harry Potter activities be it from our own rendition of the Triwizard Tournament, to an intense quidditch or even completing the challenges set to finding the philosopher’s/sorcerer’s stone. Then we as friends make our way to the Harry Potter premieres where we meet others that share a same love for Harry Potter that we do. Dressed up in our character’s apparel, we meet other character’s and enjoy a laugh or two followed promptly by a somewhat over-enthusiastic duel. I myself find it rather amazing that Harry Potter, being a series that so many can relate to, can bring even some of the most different people together forming a friendship strong enough that we all laugh and cry together as our beloved series comes to its end.

My final point, being the most influential point, is imagination. Harry Potter in its purest form is simply that, imagination. In our muggle lives we don’t experience the wonders of turning a mouse into a snuff box or cleaning messes up with a single flick of a wand; no, we in fact see our magic through the illusionists who have performed feats for the masses imitating what those in the Harry Potter universe could do without the use of cheats and gimmicks. Don’t get me wrong, I love magic in all its forms and consider myself to be an amateur magician, but the pure bliss that comes from holding that wand in your hand, closing your eyes and make a feather float through the air is breathtaking. I believe it is due to Harry Potter that I have discovered that when one truly can create a tangible world in their mind, no matter how absurd, and bring this world to life whether through the written word, art or even performance, that is the most powerful magic we muggles have to offer.

What is Harry Potter to me? It is precisely what I have stated and more. There are always things that cannot be explained with words and these things, dare I say emotions, are probably the most powerful points one could offer, but who knows, maybe with a swish and flick these things could easily come to light. Lumos, pun intended =)