How Harry Potter changed my Life

The boy who lived. These words invoke an indescribable feeling in me. It is this sense of excitement that bubbles up inside me, especially on the 1st of September, which is when students go back to Hogwarts. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, has truly changed my life.

In 2012, I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One for the first time. I had watched Harry Potter with my cousins when I was much younger, but I was scared of Voldemort, so I never really got into it. I don’t even remember how I came across the movie, but I really enjoyed it somehow, even though I didn’t know the back story. I watched it a few times, and eventually watched the other 7 films as well. Now though, I feel like I should’ve read the books first, but oh well. After watching the films, I began reading the books, and I was hooked. Till February 2013, I read till book five (the Order of the Phoenix), after which I took a break because of upcoming exams. Then, in April, I read book six (the Half-Blood Prince) in a week, and book seven (the Deathly Hallows) in three days! Honestly, I felt a bit numb after I was done. What was I going to do with my life now that I had finished?

Harry Potter became a bit of an obsession, and I loved it. I read random facts, information about the cast of the films, the books, J.K. Rowling’s life story, everything. It made me happy like nothing else had before. The series made me the voracious reader that I am today. When I was younger, I read occasionally, but I wasn’t really interested. I would have rather watched TV, or played with my friends in the garden. Reading was never a pass-time. But, boy, how things have changed.

My bookshelf is full, and I haven’t even read all the books that I own. Reading a good book, curled up in my bed is my idea of a great evening. I squeal when I look at bookstores, and if I walk into one, I’m as excited as a child getting chocolate (well, chocolate also makes me excited, but that’s not the point here). I have learnt to appreciate the beauty of reading. You learn so much, even if it isn’t obvious. Reading has introduced me to so many different authors, so many different thoughts and opinions. It can make you question some things, and change for the better. Harry Potter, in particular, taught me the importance of friendship and loyalty. It taught me to believe in myself, and fight for what is right. It also taught me to appreciate the special people in life, because you never know what is going to happen. It taught me to believe that we all have magic within us.

The Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, Harry James Potter, changed my life and made me a better person. I cannot express how much he, and Ron, and Hermione, and Hagrid, and Dumbledore, and Sirius, and pretty much EVERYONE ELSE mean to me. Thank you, J.K. Rowling for believing in yourself and not giving up.

“Whether you come back by page, or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home” – J.K. Rowling