Harry Potter is certainly a hot topic across the world as the movie franchise has now released the final chapter in story. Fans dressed up as their favorite characters while others chose more "adult" versions of what you'd expect to see roaming the halls of Hogwarts. I do not consider myself an avid fan. In fact, it took me several years of nagging from my younger sister to even read one of the books in the series. That's all it took though. The first book had me pulled in and I knew I was ready to read the entire series. I read it in a different light though, seeing many of these characters already on the big screen, but aware of the way these stories impacted the lives of those around me.
My youngest sister had always been the "wild child." Taking what she wanted, requesting things others had only thought about, and truly coining my mom's phrase, "If you don't ask, you don't get."She was loud, and very easily misunderstood as she acted in the now. I was in high school and she was in middle when she dove so deep in love with the place where even the odd kids were accepted. Harry Potter got her through some of our darkest days as a family. I remember having to convince her that the way things had worked back in Iowa had nothing to do with her. I defended the idea that a chid should not be told what fiction is okay to read. Our imagination is what pushes us forward in technological advancements, helping us find cures to diseases, developing tools to make tasks more efficient and ultimately pushing the envelope of science and creativity. I know she continues to feel some guilt towards the outcomes, but it truly had nothing to do with her or her book choice.
In fact, it was this series that lead her to a group of friends as she started a new chapter of her life, high school in Colorado. She was given a chance to be herself for once. Not live in the shadow of me or her other older sister, but instead, she created her own path. She found her voice in writing fan fiction and drawing. She found her talent in singing and performance, which led her to Azusa Pacific University. Here, she discovered her own Hogwarts. Her bitterness and anger she seemed to store in high school began to fade away as she understood how accepted she is for being herself.
I know that with the close of the box office on this film, she sees a large piece of her life coming to a close. Yes, there is a theme park and a new online interactive experience soon, but nothing can change the connection she was able to make with Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the gang. Just as these stories have changed the lives of the actors and actresses in the films, so have they changed the life of my little sister. As we have seen the visual effects develop, so have I seen my sister embrace who she is with confidence and grace. You didn't just impact my sister, you helped impact film.
Thank you J.K Rowling, for your imagination inspiring stories that didn't just touch the life of my sister, you helped shape her into the young woman she is now and I am grateful.
It's more than a successful franchise...
Mischief Managed
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