Always.
Some books shine in our lives so brightly, that they are impossible to forget. For many of us, one of those books is the ever effervescent, Harry Potter. Harry has been by our side since 1997. Since then, he has held the hand of each generation of blooming readers, creating excitement, magic and teaching each generation what it means to be a good friend.
The Harry Potter series ignited a re-awakening in excitement to read in our youth. Twenty-five years later, on the silver anniversary of the first book's release, it is still a staple. A gateway to bigger reading. A maintaining of imagination. A doorway to fantasy.
As an adult (or what appears to be an adult), Harry Potter is just as important to me as it was when I was a kid. When life is overwhelming, it is a comfortable spot to go back to. To open that first page, the first chapter, "The Boy Who Lived," breath a bit lighter and jump back into the most magical world to have been created. It is a reminder to slow down, turn off my busy mind and remember that I can still be a kid. Every re-reading of the series brings me a new experience. A different emotion, a different side of the story to focus on, that I didn't have during the previous reading. It is always a new experience going back to the series. That is one of the reasons it has stuck with our imagination for so long.
I jumped into the Harry Potter fandom a bit later than most kids did at the time. The first book was released when I was 12 years old. I was a stubborn tween who did not often believe hype and adamantly decided to not read them. Oh goodness, what a stubborn mistake that was. I delayed by two years the opportunity to experience what an extraordinary world was held within those pages.
Luckily, I had an equally stubborn Aunt who knew this world was necessary in my life. One Christmas, when I was 14, she gifted me with my first Harry Potter book. Any book that I have ever received from my Aunt, I was always obliged to actually read. So, I settled in Christmas Day with my cookies and blankets and set to the task. As it turns out, that proved to be the best gift she has ever given me. I read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in one day. Setting off on a path of reading each following book in the series in 24 hours each. This includes the massive 766 page "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." They are stories you can not bring yourself to step out of. They make your breath catch, your pulse race. They make you overjoyed, anxious and angry. They make you go to midnight release parties at Barnes and Noble and wait in movie theatres for 4 hours before the movie airs. Along with other Potter fans. Dressed in costume, wand at hand, snacks and board games to play with strangers that are actually friends to be met.
These books are childhood comradery. Our generation that gave witness to their birth are so happy to gift these emotions and stories with the next generation.
When asked, "After all this time?"
Our reply will forever be, "Always."