I have been on quite a long hiatus from reading as I have
been putting all my efforts into writing my own stories. I am at the point with
my manuscript now that it has been sent out for critique readers which mean I
can take some much needed time away from it.
With the draft aside I sat in front of my over flowing ‘To
Be Read’ shelf and went back and forth for twenty minutes trying to decide what
I would like to read. I looked and looked and it was only when I turned around
to leave my office that I saw just the right book….Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets.
No, this was obviously not on my shelf of books waiting to
be read, in fact I’ve read this one at least seven times but it pulled me back in.
For those of you around my age (25) you understand that the
name Harry Potter means so much more than a boy with a lightning scar. Harry
Potter for us is one of our most loyal friends, our inspiration, and is the
glue that holds so many years of adolescence together and allows them to make
sense. It is metaphorically and physically a part of me…I got an HP tattoo is
London last year.
I grew up with a fire that was ready to consume me every
year waiting for the release of the next book. I was at the stores at midnight
waiting in line with hundreds of other Potter Heads. I stayed up all night no
matter what the next day was bringing unable to tear my eyes away from Harry,
Ron, and Hermione’s adventures. I was at midnight screenings for the movies
(sufficient, but as always subpar to the book) as they hit theaters.
Credit moviedevil.com
There has never been a time that the opening sequence theme
song didn’t give me chills or pulling the dust jacket off one of the books to
re-read didn’t make my eyes go wide with excitement. Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets starts to take us into the darker side of the wizarding
world, setting us up for the depth of darkness that is to come. We meet Dobby,
learn about Hagrid, confirm our dislike for the Malfoy’s, fear the beast that
is in the Chamber, and shared in the triumph with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as
they show us that courage, loyalty, and wit can create a winning combination.
Spending my evening wrapped up in the magical world is a
comfort I long to feel all the time. I hate the put the bookmark in place because
I know I will have to return to the muggle world awaiting me where things are
often much less enchanting.
I am so thankful to JK Rowling for giving me something that
continues to bring me such joy. Her talent and ability to make children feel
like they have three best friends, no matter what the circumstances, can only
be described as magical. She truly is a hero of mine and because of her
childlike imagination I am a better adult.
To know that seven books, eight movies, multiple companion
pieces and an international community of people with the same fervor are all
out there to welcome me home is encouragement beyond measure. The Harry Potter
Generation will only continue to grow as more and more kids will come of age
being told bed time stories of magical wizards, daring adventure, and the power
of friendship.
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far
more than our abilities.”- Albus Dumbledore
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