Finding the Magic Again
Recently, I’ve found myself having a lot more time to sit and dwell on the current events taking place. I’m very grateful that the company I work for decided to close until further notice, but not working means that I have a ton of free time on my hands to just sit and think about what’s going on. It’s scary. I find myself turning to Harry Potter more and more as the days go on.
Harry Potter has sort of taken a back seat in my life recently. I’ve been spending more time with Star Wars due to my current life and work situation. While I love Star Wars, it is not what I turn to when I need to find comfort in something. Hogwarts is my true home, and it turns out that nothing can change that. I didn’t realize this until I started watching a Harry Potter marathon on TV. I ended up watching the first six movies about four times each that week. It helped me escape from the crazy for a while.
Rewatching the movies reminded me of when I’d do the same thing as a child. I’d watch and rewatch the movies all the time, almost every day, and I’d stay inside to immerse myself in that magical world. I didn’t worry about going outside because I had nowhere to go. I didn’t have to worry about a job, paying bills, or buying groceries. I was free to sit inside all day, and I was more than happy to do it. Why would I want to go outside when I could read another chapter? Why would I hang out with my friends when I could watch Harry defeat Lord Voldemort and then talk about it in the old MuggleNet chat room?
When I became a teenager, I spent my time at conventions and release parties. I found other fandoms and interests. I spent way too much time on Tumblr and not a whole lot of time reading. As an adult, I found myself more involved in the Harry Potter fandom than ever: I started writing for MuggleNet, and I even started to write some fan fiction. I ended up moving to Orlando, Florida, five miles away from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was surrounded more than ever, but I rarely looked back to the pure source material. I couldn’t remember the last time I reread the books or watched the movies for enjoyment rather than for an article.
I’ve been trying to figure out why I haven’t felt that love for Harry Potter that I used to have. It’s like the spark has been missing, like someone cast Nox on my Lumos charm. Sitting down and just watching the Harry Potter movies has reignited my love for Harry Potter and reminded me why I loved the series in the first place. When I was a child, it was my escape, my happy place, and I forgot about that. I got older, and I felt like I didn’t need that escape in my life anymore. I had friends, schoolwork, and a job I loved. I didn’t need to hide in the wizarding world. Now that we’re all in this situation, I’ve come to realize that, yes, I do still need to believe in the magic. I still need to believe that I’m just waiting for my Hogwarts letter. I know that I can’t escape from reality, but I do need a place to hide for a few hours. I need something that takes me back to my happy place. I still need Harry Potter.