The HPA responds to the tragedy in Colorado - special video by Lauren Bird

The senseless tragedy has all of us reeling and in shock. Not that it should matter where the violence happened, but as fans, a midnight release is a place of celebration and safety. That such a thing was taken down adds to the magnitude of our emotional response.

As we mourn together, one of the HPA vloggers, Lauren Bird articulates so much of what we are feeling as human beings and in particular as fans. During the vlog she quotes an article from Think Progress Today by Alyssa Rosenberg:

"We are vulnerable when we go to the movies, open to fear, and love, and disgust, and rapture, surrendering our brains and hearts to someone else’s vision of the world. We don’t expect to surrender our bodies, too."

Writing from the perspective of a hardcore Batman fan, Paul Adler writes with an so much compassion and heart - with an unbelievably astute understanding of the Dark Knight series.

Both Lauren and Paul remind us that in the face of dark and difficult times, the weapon we have is love. As a community, we as Harry Potter fans send condolences and prayers to the people of Aurora, Colorado and to all those most acutely effected by this heartbreaking tragedy.

Thank you to HPA's Andrew Slack for this perspective on the senseless tragedy.