Twenty years ago, the muggle world witnessed the birth of Harry Potter on the big screen, and the rest is all history. Yes, it has been 20 years since the first Harry Potter film was released. We are old, but some stories are written for a lifetime, and Harry Potter is one of them.
‘The boy who lived’ became the dream for many, but before Harry Potter took over the cinematic front, the books were already making headlines, selling lakhs of copies and making history.
Let us use the Pensieve to go back in time. Let us remember our innocent days, when we used to read Harry Potter in libraries, during bus rides, under the quilts with our torches, etc.
Yes, those were the days when we were all invested in the magical world. In fact, for many of us, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was probably the first book that we picked from the book store because every other kid was obsessed with it.
For many, it was a great escape from reality, including myself. While the majority of people have become familiar with the mischievous, brave, and loveable trio on the big screens; for us, the journey to Hogwarts began back in 1997 itself.
Some might say that the Harry Potter books are just for kids and teens. However, this is not entirely true. The Harry Potter universe comes alive thanks to the magic weaved by JK Rowling through her words.
Each book in the seven-book series is a stepping stone in Harry’s life as he makes his way to his teen years. Each book focuses on some particular emotions and thoughts that give a mirror image of our teen lives and the society that we are a part of.
Each book taught us something important with relevance to a specific age group. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your brooms, wands, and robes as we are about to dive into the magical world of Harry Potter once again.
The importance of friendship
Don’t lie to yourself. When we were teens, we all dreamed of having our trio, our own clever and intelligent Hermione, the ever-clumsy yet helpful Ron, and someone as caring, loving, and strong as Harry. Well, many of us still seek this.
The very first lesson we receive from Harry Potter is the importance of friends. You can never succeed in your life without a little help from your friends. Just take a look at your past, and you will see that your friends were always there when you needed them.
The support of teachers
For many of us, our school and college days are over, and we can all take a breath of relief as we are safe from our teachers’ scolding. However, as we remember, we all wanted someone like Professor McGonagall.
And many of us were lucky to get a teacher like her in real life — that one teacher who taught us, supported us, loved us, and helped us in many ways. It is their hard work and love that shaped us the way we are today.
However, a few teachers were not too friendly with the students, but they also did their best in molding us into good human beings — of course, we all know how that whole moulding-us-into-shape business turned out with Snape.
The love of family
The word ‘family’ holds immense power. But what is family? Is it your parents? Your cousins? Your friends? No, family is something where you feel safe, loved, protective, happy, and satisfied.
Many of us are lucky to live with our parents, and for us, this is family. But, many others don’t have parents or are living with people who don’t love them. These people find shelter with their friends, colleagues, or even strangers.
Similar was the case of Harry. At a young age, we were sympathetic towards Harry. But, as we grew old, we realised that Harry had a very loving family.
He was always welcomed and loved by the Weasleys, by his friends, and Hogwarts was his home, where he felt happy, safe, and satisfied.
No woman is less. No man is invulnerable
JK Rowling was clear about one thing: girls are as strong as boys, it is normal for a guy to cry, and no one is invulnerable.
There are several episodes where we see Hermione, Jinny, Luna saving the boys from deadly situations. We also saw Harry, Ron, Nevill, Draco showing their emotions in front of their loved ones.
It makes you believe that it is okay to be in touch with your emotions because feelings have nothing to do with your gender!
It has helped several millennials and Gen Z to break the structured notion that defined the qualities of a man and a woman.
The world of powerful, corrupt, and fearful
As we entered the later books of Harry Potter, we saw how power, corruption, responsibility, and fear move together. Harry Potter taught us tolerance; it told us how no one is inherently good or bad, and that power is a concept, and it is our nature how we use it.
And it is not only in books, but it is the harsh reality in which we are all living. Look around, and you’ll see many powerful faces using their powers in wrongdoing. But, many use their power for a good cause too.
The books taught us what happens to corrupt souls and power-hungry beings.
Throughout the books, we saw how power played a significant role. The Malfoys look down upon the Weasleys because they have the wealth, position, and power to do so.
Dobby represented the struggle of the poverty-stricken class as to how they are chained with eternal struggle and pain and how they don’t have the power to be free and can only be freed with the help of someone belonging to a powerful class.
Life and Death: Two faces of the same coin
Sometimes, we all wish to have the philosopher’s stone or the resurrection stone so that we can always keep our loved ones safe and live for hundreds of years. But, in reality, this is not possible.
All we have is a little time with our loved ones, as life is very unpredictable. One of the biggest learnings from Harry Potter was that even the powerful ones will one say fall and will fade away. You can never cheat death.
So, live your life to the fullest. Cherish the moments you have with your family, friends, and with yourself, as you can live it again. And this message was never more pronounced that now, as we near the aftermaths of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Until next time, mischief managed!
Read: From mundane to magical: Here is how Harry Potter shaped my life
Read: Why Harry Potter is the fairy tale we need now instead of Cinderella or Snow White
Read: Quotes from the greatest teachers of Harry Potter’s wizarding world
