My foray into the World of Harry Potter was in third grade when the first movie was released. I had never heard of them prior to seeing the film but I was so captured by the movie and the world that it had brought to life on screen. The unique characters that felt so relate-able. This massive world with so many details that were established with the utmost care. The teachers, whose advanced styles of magic showed what a wizard was truly capable of in this world. As well as a villain who carried such an air of mystery and fear that shook me to my core. I had to know what happened next and remember rushing to read the four books that were currently released at the time.
Once I had caught up, and realized that I was now waiting for the final three books to release. I found myself making close friendships throughout elementary school with others who had read the books. What began as playing pretend with sticks for wands with my friends evolved as we became part of this fandom. We waited for the midnight releases of the books, as well as the movies. I remember not being able to cope with the fact that I was not able to get Order of the Phoenix immediately because I was on vacation with my family. I made sure that when the next book came out I was ready. I went early with my friends and we waited in line at Barnes and Nobles from 7 pm waiting with anticipation till midnight. Once the book was in my hand I stayed up till almost two in the morning reading. I tore through those books with an intense fervor, only stopping to eat and staying up late in the night to reach the end.
Even when the books were complete, me and my friends looked forward to the movies. Although at this point we had learned that not all the changes from the source material benefited the film. It also helped that having a November birthday was usually celebrated with a brand new film practically every other year. We have grown to the point of critiquing the films, which honestly annoys some of my friends that are not really into Harry Potter and just want to watch the movie in peace. This has become much worse for my casual viewer friends as me and my close friends have left no quarter as we ripped the Fantastic Beasts series to shreds. We felt that the new series failed to grasp what we loved about the series, still it continued to hold a special place in our hearts. In a way the progression of the franchise has been a reminder to us of the journey into adulthood.
This series has shaped my life and has acted as gateway to making friends, finding ones self, and fandom as a whole. This series helped forged my closest friendships, we have grown up with this franchise and while its definitely not the same we will carry it with us always.