“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

*I realize this post is silly, but it feels good to write.*

Everyone in the world is seeing Harry Potter tonight. There are a few reasons why I am not: I am stupid and didn't order a ticket soon enough; getting home on the Metro isn't possible since it stops running at 2am; I want to see it at home, where my obsession began.

I have gotten books 4-7 on their release date (at midnight or that morning); I've seen every movie on its opening weekend (most at midnight); I've read, reread, and rererereread until the spines have worn apart (my copy of Prisoner of Azkaban is literally in two pieces). 

It sounds stupid and cliche, but few things could define my childhood better than Harry Potter. The incredible fandom (and the amazing conversations and friendships that have come from it), the captivating storylines, the imaginative escape it offered me, Jo's (JK Rowling) incredible Harvard Commencement Speech, my list could go on and on. 

I have grown up with Harry, and he has grown up with me. It has been amazing to watch the transformation of the characters--and their actor counterparts--over the last decade-plus of my life. 

Rare is the day that a book gives the Bible chase on worldwide sales and circulation (and length!). So say what you want, Harry will always be my favorite book. No classic already written, nor best seller of the future, will ever surpass Harry's place in my heart. I will forever believe in its magic; not in my casting nonverbal spells or taking my OWLs, but rather in that power of human imagination and creativity, forever able to get us out of life's worst binds. It really relates back to my interest in government, and my work this summer. We may fail, even on epically large scales, but somehow, just as in Harry's world, good will prevail. The plot will be thick, but we'll find our way out. There's simply no other way to think--the alternative is too abysmal, too pessimistic and grim. 

So I am not seeing Harry tonight, partially because I am lazy and planned poorly, but mostly because I want to make the magic last a little longer. I want to wait and savor the last tangible piece of this incredible saga with my closest friends. To me, Harry will never truly be over. I will always have a piece of him in me, an unworthy Horcrux, lucky to be alive and literate for this incredible journey. 

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." -JK Rowling