Fan Focus: Erika – July 3, 2011

22-year-old Erika from the United States

First off, how did you become a Harry Potter fan?

It all started when I was in the fourth grade at 9 years old and my best friend Ashley let me borrow “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” thinking I would like it. She was right! I absolutely loved it! After that, I went to every midnight book release and finished each book within 24-48 hours after buying it. Two years later, I remember discovering that movies were going to be made, and I was absolutely stoked. I have gone to each midnight movie release! I currently own all of the audiobooks, all of the books, all of the movies, all of the video games, and I even sport a Harry Potter tattoo! (a key with wings). I absolutely love how I will never outgrow any of the books. I can still read them to escape the real world and its hardships and enter the magical world to take my mind off things.

Deathly Hallows Part Two comes out this month! How are you feeling, with the end of the movies so near?

I just finished rereading the seventh book for I would guess the eleventh time. As usual, I cried throughout the entire book. I have literally grown up reading and watching Harry Potter. For the last 13 years, the Harry Potter series has been my absolute favorite books. I feel the same about the last movie as I did about the final book. I am very excited for it to come out of course, but at the same time, I’m sad because I feel like a part of my childhood is ending. Even though the series was over when the last book was released; the end somehow seems official with the release of the final movie. However, even though the movies and the books have come to an end, the magic is still alive as we continue to reread Harry Potter and re-watch the movies, and visiting Harry Potter World in Orlando will never get old. In the future when I have children, I fully intend on introducing the magical world of Harry Potter to them and I hope that it will be to them what it is to me.

Of all the things Dumbledore left the trio in his will, what would YOU prefer to get? The Sword of Gryffindor, the Deluminator or The Tales of Beedle the Bard? (Submitted by Liam McBey)

I would prefer The Tales of Beedle the Bard because of Dumbledore’s intent attached to it. Dumbledore left Harry the Sword of Gryffindor because Harry needed it to fulfill his destiny. He left Ron the Deluminator because he knew Ron would always want to find his way back. However, he left the book to Hermione because he trusted her to make the right decision and he had faith that she would be able to prevent Harry from making any rash decisions regarding the Deathly Hallows. The book symbolizes Dumbledore’s trust, and I would have loved for Dumbledore to have that kind of trust in me.

Much like Godric’s Hollow for Harry, where is the one place you’ve yet to visit that holds significance in your life?

I would like to visit the place in El Salvador where my father was shot in battle during the Salvadorian Civil War. After he was shot, he was sent to America to heal. He met my mother in California, and they fell in love and got married, and he decided to stay. If that had not happened, I would not be here today. This is similar to Harry and Godric’s Hollow because without the incident in Godric’s Hollow, Harry would not have been the person he was, and without the incident in El Salvador, I would not be who I am.

You’ve just learned about the Deathly Hallows from Xenophilius Lovegood. Which do you wish you could possess?

I would not want the Resurrection Stone because bringing the dead back gives me the creeps, and also, the dead that you bring back are miserable, so I would not want to do that to anyone. I don’t know that I would be fit to possess the Elder Wand because the reason I would want it would be to have a powerful wand and not to prevent others from misusing it. That leaves the Invisibility Cloak. I really would like to have the Invisibility Cloak. It would have been very cool to have as a child as well in the hopes of having awesome adventures like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I would also love to have been able to pass it on to my children and hope that they had amazing adventures too.

The locket Horcrux affects each wearer differently. Do you think it would affect you as much as it does Ron? If you were the one to kill it, what images and ideas might it first taunt you with? (Submitted by Lauren Watson)

I think Ron’s jealousy, insecurities, and resentment make the locket affect him more. I don’t think it would affect me as much as it does Ron. I am the eldest child; therefore, I never had to live in the shadows of an elder brother or sister like Ron did, and unlike Ron, I don’t have an extremely famous best friend by whom I was always overshadowed. Therefore, I don’t have a lot of jealousy or resentment. However, it would affect me to an extent because similar to Ron, I do have several insecurities that the Horcrux could use against me like it does Ron. My greatest fear is failure, and I’m always insecure that I will fail at everything I’m doing. I think the Horcrux would probably taunt me with images of people I respect and look up to and look to for praise and approval telling me that I’m a huge failure. That would really affect me and probably cause me to cry like Ron’s images caused him to cry. However, I do hope that in the end, just as Ron did, I would be able to destroy the locket too.

What do you believe King’s Cross Station represents for Harry? (Submitted by Hannah89)

I think it represents choice, and it also represents a type of cleansing and a chance to start over. Harry has a choice: he can give up and “go on” and be with his family, or he can go back and save the world and those still in it. Harry chooses not to be selfish and chooses to fight Voldemort in order to make the world a safe place again. This choice shows how selfless Harry really is. It also represents a type of cleansing and starting over. For so long Harry has been burdened by the part of Voldemort’s soul that rested within him, and he has been weighed down with the pain and anger of losing his family including Sirius and Dumbledore. In the Order of the Phoenix, he mentioned that he felt dirty and contaminated because of the link he shared with Voldemort, and the prophecy must be fulfilled because he will never be happy or be able to rest while Voldemort was alive. By leaving King’s Cross and leaving behind that bit of Voldemort, he was cleansed of the bit of Voldemort. He was also given the chance to start over by having a chance to kill Voldemort. With Voldemort gone, the pain and anger that consumed him and made him want to kill Voldemort is gone as well, and he finally gets to have a family, something he has always desperately craved.

Do you have anything else you’d like to add? Maybe a theory you still believe to be true, a shout-out, praise for yours truly?

I am truly honored to be chosen as fan of the week. I think that mugglenet.com is an absolutely amazing fan site, and it is extremely helpful in keeping me up to date with the World of Harry Potter.