Reading Harry Potter at 30

It's not a secret that I'm a fan of the Harry Potter books. The first book was published within weeks of my graduation from the 5th grade. I read the first book shortly after my 11th birthday the fall I entered middle school. I so wished that instead of going to Temecula Middle School that a letter would be delivered by Owl Post letting me know that my true place was at Hogwarts School. My peers and I grew up with Harry Potter. As we entered middle and eventually high school so did Harry and his friends. I've read the series more than once, more than 10 times probably, but I had always read them as a kid. This last August, Michael and I started reading the Harry Potter series. He was hooked from the moment Hagrid showed up on the flying motorbike. We are halfway through book 6 and I love seeing the magical world come alive for him. I love that he can see the struggle between good and evil, but that as the books progress and as he grows he can see there are reasons for the struggle, reasons why Voldemort lashed out,  and reasons that Harry is angry.

Because we've gotten into the books, we've also gotten into the "Potter Lore" and all the lame stuff that comes with it, including getting "sorted". As a kid I always wanted to be in Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw was the house for the smartest, wisest, and cleverest of the Hogwarts students. Plus their color was blue so that seemed awesome. Michael, like most readers, and especially the young readers dreams of being in Gryffindor (where dwell the brave in heart). I think we all secretly want to be in Gryffindor, at least a little bit. We want to believe that we are strong and brave, willing to stand our ground regardless of the situation. So we've taken a quiz or 17, and it turns out my dreams of Ravenclaw and even my secret aspirations of being a Gryffindor were well flat out wrong- I have to admit it... I'm a Hufflepuff. Let's be honest this doesn't matter beyond the having a laugh with my 5 year old, but because it happened so frequently (and I'm often awake in the middle of the night) I started thinking about it. I have to admit, initially I was irritated. Really, a Hufflepuff, I thought of these kids as the leftovers, the ones that didn't really fit anywhere, the ones that weren't particularly awesome, but they were ok. No one wants to be just ok, at least I don't want to be just ok. But let's be honest, Hufflepuffs rock. Ok they aren't the most cunning, the wisest, or the bravest, but they are kind and loyal, and who doesn't want to be that? Who doesn't want to be hardworking, patient, dedicated, and tolerant? Who doesn't want to see the potential in everyone? And there are some awesome Hufflepuffs- Newt Scamander (go see the new movie... but don't take your 5 year old), Professor Sprout, and Tonks- oh Tonks she was awesome. So I'm accepting it, while Hufflepuff House may not be a real thing, I think this is a little telling of life- I may not be the smartest, bravest, or most talented-but I can be the kind, dedicated, and patient, and who doesn't want to be known for that?

So Harry Potter at 30... yep it's just as awesome as it was at 11.