Dumbledore's Army!

I feel like writing about something that is extremely close to my heart: The Harry Potter series. My friend sent me a recommendation for the Harry Potter Spells Application for the iphone/itouch and I in turn told another friend about it who poked some good-humored fun at the expense of my love of the series. Yes, they are well written books that are hard to put down, but that isn't the main reason they are so important to me. To fully explain that, I will need to take a trip down memory lane.

As with all stories worth telling, this one begins with a love story. I was 13 when I first met the boy who would become my first boyfriend. We were both in Calcutta, it was my first day of school and I was told to sit with him in art class. His first words to me were, "So you're the new girl?" I believe I responded with, "Yes. You sound very British." We started talking and found out about each others' pasts and interests. We both found each other attractive, but didn't think too much about it. I was new at school and I was homesick and boys were the last thing on my mind. Eventually, we got closer and a little over a year later we confessed our feelings for each other and started "dating," or as much dating as a 15 year old can do. He was my first kiss, first person who said he loved me, first person I loved. And then the fairy tale ended. We dated for nine months and then he broke up with me. I was absolutely heartbroken, never felt that kind of gut-wrenching pain before and sincerely hoped I would never feel it again.

I came to NY a few days after we broke up and I shared what had happened with my friends. I was extremely sad all the time and looking for anything to distract myself. It was at this point that a friend, M, wiser than her years gave me the first book to read. Not only was my ex the last thing on my mind, but I found the magical world a place where I could hide and not face the pain my real world was full of. It was like I took literary heroin, I simply could not stop reading. There were only four books at the time and I think it only took me one week to read all of them, and then I reread them all to pick up as many details as possible. To this day, I'm amazed at how many new details, whether a meaningful look or just a small hidden clue, I find when I reread the books for the 100th time.

A word about my friend M, I say she is wise beyond her years because she is actually 3.5 years younger than me, and yet she and I find ourselves having extremely mature conversations. Add her older sister to the mix, and we're just laughing for three hours straight without knowing what exactly is so funny. I've known M since she was four years old and she is currently studying architecture at one of the best art colleges in the country. She is the most creative person I know and is a very gifted artist. I'm glad that I have been around to watch her grow into such a strong, confident, intelligent and beautiful human being. (Like I said, I'm surrounded by amazing women!)

Back to the work of another woman, Jo Rowling, Harry and his world cast a spell on me that I haven't been able to fight off even after eight years, and honestly, I don't want to. I'm a proud Potterholic. Just like Hagrid came to pick up Harry and bring him out of his cupboard under the stairs, Harry and his friends brought my out of the proverbial cupboard that I was forcing myself into because I was upset over a break up. E.M. Forster says, "It is so easy for an Englishman to sneer at the chance collisions of human beings...Is it so easy to talk of 'passing emotion,' and forget hot vivid the emotion were ere it passed." I'm not English (my ex is though) and I do not take human emotions for granted. In fact, I wear my heart on a sleeve. (Really bad thing to do, but I am what I am and someday, it will be appreciated) However, when I look back at my 15-year-old self with the maturity of a 23-year-old, I think, "Pratima, what was wrong with you? Life goes on!" Clearly, it did. However, at the time, the only ointment I could apply on my broken heart was the magical words of Ms. Rowling.

Eventually, the rest of the books were published. I even stood in line for 9 hours (with M) to attend the midnight book release of the 7th book. Harry's world became darker as the series progressed, and I found myself wondering what I would do if I were in some of the positions Harry was in. I found myself asking, "What would Dumbledore do?" in certain situations. Perhaps this is why people think I'm insane. But really, the whole story is about the fight between good and evil, is it really that bad if I use it as my moral compass? Dumbledore had some very wise words! I find myself striving to be a true Gryffindor these days, head up and back straight, facing down that which bothers me.

I gave my most recent boyfriend (it's a very short list), my most recent ex as of this summer, the books and he was the only person I know who managed to put down one of the books in the middle and resume reading a significant amount of time later. He also broke my 5th book in half (It was slightly damaged when I gave it to him) and never bothered to replace it. The really ironic thing is, the last movie he and I saw together was the 6th Harry Potter movie. He probably isn't reading this, but if he is, he owes me a new first edition Order of the Phoenix.

My first ex, the reason why I started reading these books, and I have actually become good friends over the years. We speak regularly despite the distance. (A rather large body of water: the Atlantic Ocean) He will never realize what a favor he did to me by ending our "relationship." He made me find something that I will truly love for the rest of my life, because when you REALLY love something, that feeling lasts forever. Dumbledore would be very proud of having such a hopeless romantic as a follower.

Thank you, Ms. Rowling, for sharing this world you created. I believe in magic. If that makes me crazy, then lock me up. I think it's nothing short of magic that creates bonds between friends and lovers. I think it's magic that the elements suddenly started reacting and created this world we live in, it's magic that sometimes inspires us to take that extra step that makes all the difference. And I don't care what I learned throughout engineering school, planes fly with magic!